Hey surfers! I'm fairly new to the surf guitar game and was wondering if more players are using wound or unwound G strings for their Jags, Strats, etc. I use D'Addario flatwound Chromes 11-50 with a wound G but feel an unwound G soul give a more "twangy" surf tone which I prefer. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. 
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SurfGuitar101 Forums » Gear »
Wound or unwound G string for surf guitar?
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Joined: Aug 18, 2008 Posts: 373 Orange, CA 
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Posted on Aug 20 2008 01:57 PM
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Joined: Aug 08, 2008 Posts: 89 |
Posted on Aug 20 2008 02:04 PM
I find bending on a wound G to suck. So, unwound for me plz. |
Joined: Feb 27, 2006 Posts: 1054 Chicago IL.
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Posted on Aug 20 2008 02:04 PM
I used a wound G string on my Jaguars. Plain G on every other type of guitar. —"as he stepped into the stealthy night air... little did he know the fire escape was not there" https://www.facebook.com/reluctantaquanauts/ |
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Joined: Aug 18, 2008 Posts: 373 Orange, CA
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Posted on Aug 20 2008 02:12 PM
Thanks for your responses! I don't mind the wound G on my Strat or Guild Starfire but on my Jaguar a wound G feels too stiff and sounds too warm so I think I'll go unwound G on that guitar. |
Joined: Feb 26, 2006 Posts: 12159 Seattle 
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Posted on Aug 20 2008 03:15 PM
Depends on the guitar. I don't like the plain Gs I have on my Jazzmasters. |
Joined: Feb 26, 2006 Posts: 3546 mojave desert, california
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Posted on Aug 21 2008 11:42 AM
I say: "Totally wound, no exception!" thank you for your attention to this matter at this time. |
Joined: Feb 27, 2006 Posts: 1062 Berlin, Germany
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Posted on Aug 21 2008 12:49 PM
Thats up to you. —The Exotic Guitar of Kahuna Kawentzmann You can get the boy out of the Keynes era, but you can’t get the Keynes era out of the boy. |
Joined: Feb 27, 2006 Posts: 58 Santander, Spain
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Posted on Aug 22 2008 02:11 AM
I think the unwound G has a little more "bit", at least with Fender strings. Still have to try D'Addarios, but I'll put a set of them on my Teisco this afternoon and see... — |
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Joined: Jul 14, 2006 Posts: 36 San Francisco |
Posted on Aug 22 2008 02:30 AM
G strings are every guitarist's least favorite. I use the D'Addarios Chromes .12-whatever, because the G string always breaks if I use anything smaller (maybe I play rhythm a bit too aggressively). Good luck in finding what works for you. |
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Joined: Mar 13, 2006 Posts: 108 Flemington, NJ |
Posted on Aug 22 2008 08:57 AM
I've found that it really depends on the guitar and the size of the frets. On a Mosrite, plain G's are fine, but on a guitar with higher frets I find that a plain G will tend to go a bit sharp unless you use the lightest of touches when playing chords. I always use a wound G on my Rickenbacker 12 string because using the G strings higher up on the neck with a plain string for the octave sound in some Byrds songs always seem a bit out of tune. |
Joined: Mar 02, 2006 Posts: 11077 Berkeley, CA
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Posted on Aug 22 2008 09:32 AM
waddaya mean "too aggressively"? Spank that bad boy Danny Snyder I am now playing trumpet with Prince Buster tribute band 'Balzac' Playing keys and guitar with Combo Tezeta Formerly a guitarist in The TomorrowMen and Meshugga Beach Party Latest surf project - Now That's What I Call SURF |
Joined: Jun 20, 2007 Posts: 351 Toronto, ON 
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Posted on Aug 24 2008 09:21 PM
Wound !!! I can't explain what makes me sonically prefer these but I guess it has to do with being able to do bar chords on the fourth string without it sounding all wrong. —Augusto Vite |
Joined: Jul 10, 2007 Posts: 919 San Pablo, CA
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Posted on Aug 24 2008 11:08 PM
well what i have been doing lately is buying 13 gauge Chromes, switched the B and G strings with lighter gauge strings, which have been G's and B's from a 10 gauge pack of Daddarios XLs. and kept the original 13 gauge E string from the chromes. i like the 13 gauge E because when i trem pick notes on that string the string doesnt feel all lose and slaps around like lighter strings do. and well the G string from the 10 gauge pack feels better and sounds better in my opinion, and it doesnt unwind when i abuse the whammy bar , which has happened at least 4 times and made me switch back to wound strings, and then i rememebred how i hated them and changed em back haha. Oh BTW these strings are being used on a strat. —-Zanti Instagram: |
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Joined: Jul 08, 2007 Posts: 106 Brittany |
Posted on Aug 27 2008 05:18 PM
If you're not playing 16-60 gauge strings like DD, it's not surf music. Also, you need tigers and lions in your backyard. —Matter is just energy waiting to happen. |
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Joined: Mar 02, 2006 Posts: 11077 Berkeley, CA
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Posted on Aug 27 2008 06:39 PM
Zanti, why don't you just buy some single 13's? —Danny Snyder I am now playing trumpet with Prince Buster tribute band 'Balzac' Playing keys and guitar with Combo Tezeta Formerly a guitarist in The TomorrowMen and Meshugga Beach Party Latest surf project - Now That's What I Call SURF |
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Joined: Jul 10, 2007 Posts: 919 San Pablo, CA
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Posted on Aug 27 2008 07:00 PM
im basically just taking off the B and G string of the 13 gauge flats Danny, and replacing them with lighter gauge B and G strings, so i just buy single B and G Ernie Balls, but since i ran out i had to put some from a Daddario set of XLS. the B and G strings are basically the strings i bend the most. and i hate bending wound G strings haha —-Zanti Instagram: |
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Joined: Aug 18, 2008 Posts: 373 Orange, CA
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Posted on Sep 09 2008 03:54 AM
I agree! |
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Joined: Feb 10, 2008 Posts: 109 West Los Angeles |
Posted on Sep 10 2008 09:48 AM
Lions and Tigers? What about Bears? Lions and Tigers and Bears..!!?? Oh My!!! |
Joined: Aug 23, 2006 Posts: 2123 The jungle 
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Posted on Sep 10 2008 04:28 PM
Wound. But I think it has to do with the gauge you buy more than anything, right? Thinner sets use an unwound kind, seems to me. I use 13s or bigger, so I always get a wound string. — |
Joined: Feb 02, 2008 Posts: 4557 Not One-Sawn, but Two-Sawn . . . AZ.
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Posted on Sep 13 2008 10:31 AM
As far as sets are concerned that is indeed the case. There are a lot of people, myself included, that substitute a plain 3rd string for a wound one. The 10-48 D'Addario Chromes I use on some of my Gretsches comes stock with a .020" wound third string but I replace that with a .017 plain string. The reason is that the core of the .020" wound string is actually smaller than the core of the .017 plain. The effect, simple, the wound string needs to be bent a greater amount than the plain string in order to acheive the same amount of pitch change. I have heard of some string sets that include both such as the Sadowsky 11 - 48 set that includes an .020 w and an .018p for the third string. —The artist formerly known as: Synchro When Surf Guitar is outlawed only outlaws will play Surf Guitar. |
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