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SurfGuitar101 Forums » Gear »

The String thread

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zak Joined: Sep 24, 2007 Posts: 2728	Posted on Jul 18 2009 11:23 AM This post has been removed by the author. Last edited: Sep 27, 2009 18:49:46 Top
Ruhar Joined: Jun 21, 2007 Posts: 3909 San Diego, CA	Posted on Jul 18 2009 12:00 PM I've been trying out DR Pure Blues on my strat. I didn't like the .012 guage set at all. Real stiff. But, for the hell of it, I bumped the guage down to .011 and they feel great!! I always liked the tone from these strings, but could never get on with their .012 guage. — Ryan The Secret Samurai Website The Secret Samurai on Facebook Top
JakeDobner Joined: Feb 26, 2006 Posts: 12159 Seattle	Posted on Jul 18 2009 01:09 PM I'm all about the DR .11s as well. Top
dp Joined: Feb 26, 2006 Posts: 3546 mojave desert, california	Posted on Jul 19 2009 11:53 PM spy dp, the Pyramids are on an AVRI Jaguar with the stock tort pick arte! The bridge saddles are in perfect radius and the pickups are adjusted so high and low E are in the same height.... I'm sorry...i mis-spelled "pick"...plectrum...what kind of pick are you using? Top
elBumper Joined: Nov 11, 2008 Posts: 99 Valladolid	Posted on Jul 20 2009 02:09 AM zak Those are hex core strings. "Better" is very subjective. I'll never use hex core strings again. Yuck. Hi next time I'm gonna buy the DR pure blues to "taste" but I like to know what the problem is the hex core strings for not re-use again. thanx ! — the Panteras Top
morphball Joined: Dec 23, 2008 Posts: 3324 Pittsboro, NC	Posted on Jul 23 2009 03:08 PM All right, I've come to the realization that .12 chrome flats are just too tense for me, so just ordered a set of DR Pure Blues .11's for the strat. I'm hoping that moving down a gauge and easing up on the trem screws will not only ease the tension, but improve the sustain a bit too. (I'm also after that elusive twang, maybe this is one step in the right direction.) — Mike http://www.youtube.com/morphballio Top
crumble Joined: Sep 09, 2008 Posts: 3158 Guildford England	Posted on Jul 23 2009 03:39 PM morphball All right, I've come to the realization that .12 chrome flats are just too tense for me, so just ordered a set of DR Pure Blues .11's for the strat. I'm hoping that moving down a gauge and easing up on the trem screws will not only ease the tension, but improve the sustain a bit too. (I'm also after that elusive twang, maybe this is one step in the right direction.) My strat isn't right with .11 chromes but .12 chromes work well with my Jazzmaster. Top
thesjkexperience Joined: Jul 02, 2009 Posts: 56	Posted on Aug 07 2009 08:36 PM I love the sound of the DRs, but unfortunately I have gotten batches of strings where one of the wound strings wont intonate at all. I am using the D'Addario pure nickel Blues/Jazz Rock set that is 12 - 51. I really like them, but it seems the high E breaks at the ball pretty fast on my Jazzmaster. I want to try the Pyramids, but it is almost $18 for a set of 12s!! Any other brand recommendations for Jazzmasters? — Owner of Gunbarrel Custom Guitars! Top
Chemo Joined: Sep 15, 2008 Posts: 69 Kirkkonummi	Posted on Aug 21 2009 04:21 AM I'm using Elixir 11-strings with my Mosrite. They sound just right and last almost forever. They are also great if you have tuning problems when using the trem arm - Elixirs slide beautifully over the nut because of the coating. — It's go-go, not cry-cry. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9C-ojWHp1ek Top
josheboy Joined: Mar 13, 2009 Posts: 2365 Twin Cities, MN	Posted on Aug 21 2009 03:41 PM I've been a fan of surf music pretty much my whole life, but I've only recently started to try playing surf style guitar. So after reading this thread, I took my guitar (Gretsch G5235T w Bigsby) to a local tech who put on some Thomastik-Infeld flat 12s on it. HOLY COW. I feel like my fingers are going to fall off, but the sound is AMAZING. Top
DeadRanchHands Joined: Apr 15, 2008 Posts: 1281	Posted on Sep 21 2009 10:32 AM I tried some Fender flats for the first time. Actually, they sound pretty good, and have a balanced sound overall, without a huge volume/tone difference between the wound and unwound strings. They're pretty stiff, though. — http://www.reverbnation.com/thedeadranchhands http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZEW74mHjQk Top
Drippy Joined: Oct 10, 2009 Posts: 6	Posted on Oct 11 2009 05:44 PM Ivan - You're using a wound 3rd? I've had bad luck breaking those on bends. Top
synchro Joined: Feb 02, 2008 Posts: 4413 Not One-Sawn, but Two-Sawn . . . AZ.	Posted on Nov 09 2009 10:51 PM DannySnyder String changing. I do it fairly often, typically after around 6 or 8 hours of heavy use, which is usually some practices and a gig. I find I don't break nearly as many strings as I did, and they sound brighter. My question, is htis necessary for the lower strings D-A-E(low). I would think by there thickness they last longer. They also don't seem to get as rusty/dirty on the back side of the string like the thinner ones. On the other hand, buying 3 singles is as much as buying the set, so should I just not worry about it and spend the extra 5 minutes and put on all new? I know that this is an old post but I thought I'd chime in. IMO, replacing the plain strings more often makes good sense. Flat-wound strings are capable of lasting a short eternity. Double bass players, some of the most finnicky people on the planet, tend to think little of replacing strings piecemeal. Paul Warbuton, a Jazz bassist of some note, recently replaced the low B string on his Bohmann double bass for the first time since buying the bass in the late '70s. If you comparison shop at amazon and/or Musician's Fiend you can find 10 packs of un-wound strings for a pittance. I do this to have an un-wound 3rd string on my Gretsch guitars and I rarely pay more than fifty cents a piece for a .017" or .018" string. I buy them 10 or 20 at a time and store them in sealed containers with dessicant packs. They last for years without corrosion. (It may help that I live out in the desert.) — The artist formerly known as: Synchro When Surf Guitar is outlawed only outlaws will play Surf Guitar. Top
SGF Joined: Jul 08, 2007 Posts: 106 Brittany	Posted on Nov 14 2009 05:42 PM If you want plain strings that last forever, look for Martin silvered steel. — Matter is just energy waiting to happen. Top
JakeDobner Joined: Feb 26, 2006 Posts: 12159 Seattle	Posted on Nov 14 2009 05:51 PM I must say I am coming to the realization that I prefer the sound and feel of older strings. Especially for acoustic. Top
planish Joined: Jan 09, 2008 Posts: 473 Sackville, New Brunswick	Posted on Dec 10 2009 04:53 PM UmaFloresta I tried some Fender flats for the first time. Actually, they sound pretty good, and have a balanced sound overall, without a huge volume/tone difference between the wound and unwound strings. I had some Fender Stainless Steel flats (.012 - .052, IIRC) on my Strat and I didn't like them at all. The B always sounded harsh or shrill somehow, and the low E and A just thudded, even when new. I recently broke the B string and took that as a sign to change them out. I got a set of D'Addario Nickel Wound XL "EJ21 Jazz Light" (.012- .052), round-wounds. I like to buy local as much as possible, so I buy my strings from an older gent in town that runs a shop out of his converted garage, and gives guitar lessons. Fun to chat with too. Oh hey, he has some DR strings too, but not in the gauge I was looking for. Anywhoo, I doubt I'll ever go back to flats again. I don't think it's just that "new string smell" either. They sound way better to me than the D'Addario Chrome flats that I had on before the Fenders. More twang in the low end, less thump. It was like a whole different instrument. — I'm not a complete idiot. Some parts are missing. Top
Bill_Ashton Joined: Nov 15, 2008 Posts: 124 Massachusetts	Posted on Feb 21 2010 06:48 PM Old thread I know, but I have had a set of Thomastik Infeld "Swing" Series flats on my 60's Classic Strat for perhaps better than a year, and they play and sound fine. Granted I do not play out, but the feel is good and they aren't completely over the top in price like Pyramids. I am using the .010 to .044 set. I also have them on my Classic Player Jag. I always though the D'Addario Chromes I bought for my son's Vox Hurricane some years ago felt very stiff, though the sound was familiar as to what I remembered in the 60's. Then when I got cut on a barb sticking out from the ball end, that was it and I haven't purchased those again. I believe at the time they were an .011 set, but they may have a lighter gauge now. But for flats, I'm a "T/I man" — Of all the things I've lost, I miss my mind the most... Top
Icetech Joined: Dec 16, 2006 Posts: 892 Macomb Mich	Posted on Mar 08 2010 10:44 AM I recently started using .11's on my dano and want to switch my SG's and strataturd to 11's where do you guys buy online? — I wanna play just like him when i grow up... Top
JakeDobner Joined: Feb 26, 2006 Posts: 12159 Seattle	Posted on Mar 08 2010 10:59 AM I think Elderly Instruments has the best deal for DR Pure Blues on line. Those are my personal favorite strings. Especially for Gibsons. 5 sets for $25. Can't beat that deal. Top
dp Joined: Feb 26, 2006 Posts: 3546 mojave desert, california	Posted on Mar 08 2010 11:09 AM Icetech I recently started using .11's on my dano and want to switch my SG's and strataturd to 11's where do you guys buy online? www.juststrings.com Top

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