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SurfGuitar101 Forums » Gear »

Permalink String Gauges Poll

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Ok, so I am terribly confused on this so here goes. My Tele came with what I assume are medium/ light strings. Time to change them and I want to go with a heavier gauge. Are 13's the thickest? I was also considering using a wound 'G' string for a meatier string response and tone. Mosly Rhythm on this guitar so I was going nickel rounds.

Wanted to add I have a bit of a death-grip on my barre chords which tends to push a string or two a smidge out of tune. That is what got me thinking about it in the first place.

11-52 GHS Boomers on both start & jaguar (once I stopped using light gauge like 9's could never go back to them)

'Surf Music Lasts Forever'

Went ahead and ordered a set of these: Fender 150M Original Pure Nickel Electric Strings - Medium They are 11's I'll give 'em a try!

Pyramid 11 flatwound set... the only way to surf.

Are Pyramids really worth the extra dough? Louie7 wrote:

Pyramid 11 flatwound set... the only way to surf.

Squink Out!

JObeast wrote:

Are Pyramids really worth the extra dough?

I'm in the process of finding out: I switched to Pyramid Gold flats 12-52's on the Jazzmaster a couple of weeks ago after playing d'Addario Chromes for years and years, and so far I'm pretty impressed. They stay in tune almost immediately after you put them on, they have -to my ears- a richer, warmer sound and they feel a bit more loose than the Chromes do, almost as if I were playing a lighter gauge string (roundcore vs hexcore I guess ?). Now time will tell if they will keep sounding good longer than the Chromes do. I put a set on my Jag last week as well, but I have a feeling 13-56's would work even better with the 24" scale length.

I don't know the retail price for Pyramids in the US, but I paid about 2 Euros (about 2.65$) more for a set than for a set of Chromes.
My biggest issues with the Chromes are that they start sounding dull very quickly and that they tend to break rather quickly as well, especially at the ball ends (even had that happen more than once while putting on brand new strings...). So if the Pyramids would prove to last longer, they'd definitely be worth the extra dough to me.

"Duck Tape is like The Force: it has a light side and a dark side and it holds the universe together"

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Speedball-JR/151771678181829?fref=ts
https://twitter.com/SPEEDBALLJR
https://itunes.apple.com/be/artist/speedball-jr/id389972205

SaschaReynders wrote:

I don't know the retail price for Pyramids in the US, but I paid about 2 Euros (about 2.65$) more for a set than for a set of Chromes.
My biggest issues with the Chromes are that they start sounding dull very quickly and that they tend to break rather quickly as well, especially at the ball ends (even had that happen more than once while putting on brand new strings...). So if the Pyramids would prove to last longer, they'd definitely be worth the extra dough to me.

Unfortunately Pyramids are about twice the price of Chromes here in the U.S. I believe that if they were as close in price here as the are in the EU, Chromes would become extinct...

Last edited: Sep 02, 2014 20:28:22

Its absurd how expensive Thomastiks have gotten and how much Pyramids have been for sometime.

Thomastik makes a really really fine string, both roundwound and flatwound. They are not, worth $25 a string. I use to put a 2-4 news sets on each month when I got them for $14 a pop. I even consider $14 too much these days.

If I were to go flatwounds... I couldn't go for chromes so I would probably go Thomastik.

Chromes on my Teiaco Swankcaster so far sound no better than the "Brite Flats" I replaced with them after more than a year. So I'm not impressed. Maybe when I get the Surfy Bear reverb up it will make everything golden.

Squink Out!

mike_fried wrote:

Unfortunately Pyramids are about twice the price of Chromes here in the U.S. I believe that if they were as close in price here as the are in the EU, Chromes would become extinct...

Ah, I see...over here in Europe it's rather the other way around (made in USA vs made in Germany, import taxes, vat etc...pretty logical actually): I've been checking some US sites and Chromes are usually around 10$ or less but in Europe they Retail for 12 to 13 Euros, which amounts to 16 - 17$... Pyramid Golds set you back between 17 and 20$ around here, so for me it's a no-brainer really.

"Duck Tape is like The Force: it has a light side and a dark side and it holds the universe together"

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Speedball-JR/151771678181829?fref=ts
https://twitter.com/SPEEDBALLJR
https://itunes.apple.com/be/artist/speedball-jr/id389972205

I mentioned these Webstrings.com flats in another thread -
image

I didn't like Chromes and was using D'Aquisto flats until I found these. I'm fairly certain they are unbranded (and cheaper) D'Aquisto strings, they look and feel identical. Plus they're under 8 bucks a set...

Bill S._______
image

HELLDIVER on Facebook

Well, to be accurate... I use a Pyramid 12~52 set, but I sub the 12 to an 11 and the second string down to a 15. That let's me bend a little easier in the trebles.

Are Pyramids worth the do-re-me ? I think so. Reason? I keep waiting for string changing time, but it never seems to arrive. They just don't go bad.

I bought three cartons (10 sets each, so that's 30 sets I guess) to start with. I put a set on my Fender Jaguar, my Squier Jazzmaster and my VM Jaguar. That means I have about 27 sets left.

The guitar I gig with is the Squier JM-Jazzmaster, and those Pyramids went on about 18 months ago and except for the 1st and 2nd strings (which I do change because they are plain strings), the 3,4,5 and 6th string Pyramids are for all practical purposes the same as the day I installed them.

Now, there is one factor. I'm nutty about clean hands, and I do not have the kind of acids in my skin oil that some guys seem to have that tears up strings fast. So that's probably one reason they have lasted so long, but I don't ever get that kind of longevity with round-wounds.

L7

P.s. yes, and let me add that I tried a set of 'chromes' once on a Stratocaster and I hated them. And I put some 'Chrome' bass flatwounds on a Jazzbass and they were way inferior (IMO) to the Fenders. Ok....

Last edited: Sep 06, 2014 01:13:14

Been playing D'Addario Medium Top/X Heavy Bottoms on my strats for quite some time now 11 - 56. Great mix.
Ernie Ball Beefy Slinky's are solid too but a tad lighter on the wound strings.
I just strung my main strat up with D'addario 12 flatwounds recently and am digging them more than usual. I seem to try them out again every year or so only to switch back to roundwounds only days later. I'm two weeks in and still rocking the flats.

I run .012-.052 Chromes on my Tele. really dig the sound. If I'm playing bass, its Labella Flats, 43-104.

PhantomOperators.bandcamp.com
Reverbnation.com/PhantomOperators

I just put D'Addario NYXL medium 11/49's on my new VM Squier Jag.
So far, so good. Still letting everything settle in. I've only had it a few days and only a few hours playing time. But like them so far!!

I've been using GHS 10-46 recently.

GuitarMuk wrote:

I just put D'Addario NYXL medium 11/49's on my new VM Squier Jag...

I just had my Strat setup and got it 'tuned-up' for 11-49 (just started to use NYXL like you, GuitarMuk) instead of the 10-46 I used to use.

The 11s are a happy medium because I use my Strat for both my standard cover band and the surf band...having 12s on it would be too tough for those bluesy string bends when playing those chilly, outdoor gigs I do with my regular covers band.

Lorne
The Surf Shakers: https://www.facebook.com/TheSurfShakers
Vancouver BC Canada

Last edited: Jun 18, 2015 15:21:19

11-50 "DR" pure nickel strings on my Strat, love the way they feel and sound.

MooreLoud.com - A tribute to Dick Dale.

Surprised at how many are using flatwounds........gotta try 'em!

I've always used them on my jazz guitars, but never for rock. Surf rock may be the ticket!

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