Menu
Try GHS Burnished instead of those D'addiairo
roundwounds, and not only is sound superior, but it's
the only round-wound I've found that has enough tone
content to use with heavy reverb. As far as bends with
flats, start your bend one half step up if you a whole
step effect!
-dave
--- Dan Bartley <> wrote:
>
> I confess to using D'addiairo roundwounds,
> 11-49ish, on a '59 Gretsch Dual Annie. I'd like to
> use the bigger gauges but my tendons won't let me.
> This leads me to my own surf question...To bend a
> whole tone, or to only bend a half?
> Dan
>
> sidewalksurf <> wrote:
> I'm sure this has been covered here before,
> but.....what kind of
> strings is everyone using and on what? For everyday
> use, I'm
> partial to 013-052 ghs flatwounds on my Jag and
> 011-048 ghs
> flatwounds on my JM. When I feel like getting
> fancy, then it's
> Pyramids.
>
>
>
> .
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> for archived messages, bookmarks, files, polls, etc.
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I have to agree. I play an SRV Strat and a Custom Classic Tele both
are strung with .13's and sound just fine. I do downtune to Eb
though, that may explain my success. Are you doing the same or do
you have it up to E? I use the GHS Boomers as well as the Gibson
Powerlines and find they both are awesome strings for tone quality.
Go through a set about every month (3 to 5 weeks depending on
frequency of playing as I'm just a home hacker :-)).
/Bodie
--- In , "Marty Tippens"
<mctippens@e...> wrote:
> If Dale has really given' the truss a good tightening, the only
thing that I can think of that is causing the issue with the 13's on
the Highway 1 Strat is that the truss may not have been installed
enough towards the back of the neck. Thus it would not be able to
counter-act the pull of the heavy strings. If this is the case, over
time even the 10's will bow the neck. I've had no prob with 13's on
three recent Mexi-Strats so I don't think it's a case of not
makin' 'em like they use to.
It's standard E tuning for me. On two of the strats I have the flat-wound
chromes and on a third I have roundwounds of the same 13-56 gage. The rounds are
Ernie Balls.
-Marty
----- Original Message -----
From: Reid
To:
Sent: Saturday, September 04, 2004 7:32 AM
Subject: [SurfGuitar101] Re: Strings?
I have to agree. I play an SRV Strat and a Custom Classic Tele both
are strung with .13's and sound just fine. I do downtune to Eb
though, that may explain my success. Are you doing the same or do
you have it up to E? I use the GHS Boomers as well as the Gibson
Powerlines and find they both are awesome strings for tone quality.
Go through a set about every month (3 to 5 weeks depending on
frequency of playing as I'm just a home hacker :-)).
/Bodie
--- In , "Marty Tippens"
<mctippens@e...> wrote:
> If Dale has really given' the truss a good tightening, the only
thing that I can think of that is causing the issue with the 13's on
the Highway 1 Strat is that the truss may not have been installed
enough towards the back of the neck. Thus it would not be able to
counter-act the pull of the heavy strings. If this is the case, over
time even the 10's will bow the neck. I've had no prob with 13's on
three recent Mexi-Strats so I don't think it's a case of not
makin' 'em like they use to.
.
Visit for archived messages,
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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
I have a 1993 USA Strat which is possibly the crappiest time these
guitars were made and I've had D'addario Chromes 13s on it with no
problem...however I've had what I thought was a frozen truss rod and
had to carefully use more force than usual on it to move it. Maybe
you should take it into a qualified tech.
Bill
--- In , "Marty Tippens"
<mctippens@e...> wrote:
> It's standard E tuning for me. On two of the strats I have the
flat-wound chromes and on a third I have roundwounds of the same 13-
56 gage. The rounds are Ernie Balls.
> -Marty
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Reid
> To:
> Sent: Saturday, September 04, 2004 7:32 AM
> Subject: [SurfGuitar101] Re: Strings?
>
>
> I have to agree. I play an SRV Strat and a Custom Classic Tele
both
> are strung with .13's and sound just fine. I do downtune to Eb
> though, that may explain my success. Are you doing the same or
do
> you have it up to E? I use the GHS Boomers as well as the
Gibson
> Powerlines and find they both are awesome strings for tone
quality.
> Go through a set about every month (3 to 5 weeks depending on
> frequency of playing as I'm just a home hacker :-)).
>
> /Bodie
>
> --- In , "Marty Tippens"
> <mctippens@e...> wrote:
> > If Dale has really given' the truss a good tightening, the
only
> thing that I can think of that is causing the issue with the
13's on
> the Highway 1 Strat is that the truss may not have been
installed
> enough towards the back of the neck. Thus it would not be able
to
> counter-act the pull of the heavy strings. If this is the case,
over
> time even the 10's will bow the neck. I've had no prob with 13's
on
> three recent Mexi-Strats so I don't think it's a case of not
> makin' 'em like they use to.
>
>
>
>
> .
> Visit for archived
messages, bookmarks, files, polls, etc.
>
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> Get unlimited calls to
>
> U.S./Canada
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of Service.
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> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Maybe there is something up with the truss rod? I had a tech check it out when I
first
bought it, but the only thing he noticed was the truss was shoved way down
there. I
thought I cranked truss rod pretty good, but maybe not enough? I'm afraid to
snap
that sucker. I used to have a mid 80's Strat with big honk'n strings and it just
wanted
more, so that's why I was a little shocked with the bowing. It's tuned to
standard E
and the nut has been filed to string gauge.
After hearing the feedback, I'm going to take it back and have it checked out
again. I
do love the sound of this thing. The paint is flaking off, it's cocco brown, not
pretty,
but it sounds like a real meaty Stratocaster. Not thin and twangy.
Thanks!
Dale
--- In , "supertwangreverb"
<supertwangreverb@y...> wrote:
> I have a 1993 USA Strat which is possibly the crappiest time these
> guitars were made
You've obviously never played late-seventies and early-eighties
Strats....
I have two late '80s US Strats, and they're both great guitars,
incidentally.
Ivan
Here's my two cents:
I'm completely addicted to these British strings: Rotosound Roto
Purples 12-52. They're pure nickel strings, which I think is the key
to getting a vintage sound. Steel strings, which is what most
strings today are, will not sound naturally as classic. You can get
them to sound vintage, but it takes a lot more work.
I used to use D'Addario 11-49 nickel-wrap/steel-core strings, and
swore by them on my Strat until '98. Since '98, I've migrated to the
heavier gauge on all three of my Strats. I first started using Roto
Purples in order to get a good Shadows tone, but soon found that they
work really well for surf, also. (I don't really like the sound and
feel of flatwounds on the Strat, and I don't think it's 'authentic'
in any way, since it sounds to my ears as though most Strat users,
including DD, used roundwounds from the early days - certainly the
Shadows and the Atlantics did - I love the flatwounds on my
Jazzmaster, though - D'Addario Chromes 12-52 - I know, they're not
pure nickel, but pure nickel flatwounds are few and expensive.)
For a while I also used Gibson L-5 Pure Nickel 12-56 (also known as
340 Nickel Plus). These are vintage strings that used to be known as
Sonomatics. Hank Marvin used these exclusively in the early days of
the Shadows, and they have been discountined for a many years until
very recently (interestingly enough, Malcolm Young of AC/DC also
swears by these strings!). They're great sounding strings, but I
found their tension to be too high for me. I just couldn't bend
those suckers at ALL! Anyway, if you want to try something great
sounding, and you feel up to the challenge of the heavier tension,
I'd highly recommend these.
Finally, bend as much as you want! However, original surf guitarists
didn't do a whole lot bending, and half-step bends were more common
than full-step (with some exceptions - Eddie & the Showmen' "Scratch"
comes to mind). Also, I have been moving up gauge sizes gradually
over the entire 20-21 years of my playing. I started with 9-42,
moved to 10-46 after 8 years of playing, moved to 11-49 after another
5 years, and then another 3 or 4 years before the move to 12-52. I
highly recommend this way of doing it - you can gradually build up
your finger strength and make sure that you don't develop
tendonitis.
There you go! (Certainly more than two cents worth in terms of the
number of words, though not necessarily in the value it provides for
the reader! :)
Ivan
PS I get all my strings from juststrings.com - incredible selection,
GREAT prices, and fast shipping. Can't recommend them highly
enough. If they went out of business, I'd be traumatized and would
probably cry....
--- In , Dan Bartley <bigtwangguy@y...>
wrote:
> I confess to using D'addiairo roundwounds, 11-49ish, on a '59
Gretsch Dual Annie. I'd like to use the bigger gauges but my tendons
won't let me. This leads me to my own surf question...To bend a whole
tone, or to only bend a half?
> Dan
>
> sidewalksurf <sidewalksurf@y...> wrote:
> I'm sure this has been covered here before, but.....what kind of
> strings is everyone using and on what? For everyday use, I'm
> partial to 013-052 ghs flatwounds on my Jag and 011-048 ghs
> flatwounds on my JM. When I feel like getting fancy, then it's
> Pyramids.
>
>
>
> .
> Visit for archived
messages, bookmarks, files, polls, etc.
>
>
>
> Yahoo! Groups SponsorADVERTISEMENT
>
>
> ---------------------------------
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>
> To visit your group on the web, go to:
>
>
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>
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>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Ivan, Can you find those at the "Dark Side"? ie.
Guitar Center?
-dave
--- ipongrac <> wrote:
> Here's my two cents:
>
> I'm completely addicted to these British strings:
> Rotosound Roto
> Purples 12-52. They're pure nickel strings, which I
> think is the key
> to getting a vintage sound.
_______________________________
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<<You've obviously never played late-seventies and early-eighties
Strats....
I have two late '80s US Strats, and they're both great guitars,
incidentally.
Ivan>>
Yeah, I was talking about the USA strats that they refered to as
the "American Standards." Sorry I should have been more to the
point. I still think the early 90s were one of the crappiest years
for those standard models. Veneer body and most of them weren't
alder as Fender had said, but they were poplar or might have been
basswood.
Bill
--- In , "ipongrac" <ipongrac@g...>
wrote:
> --- In , "supertwangreverb"
> <supertwangreverb@y...> wrote:
>
> > I have a 1993 USA Strat which is possibly the crappiest time
these
> > guitars were made
>
> You've obviously never played late-seventies and early-eighties
> Strats....
>
> I have two late '80s US Strats, and they're both great guitars,
> incidentally.
>
> Ivan
Dave, sorry, dunno. I live in the sticks, and rarely get to a Guitar
Center store. I seem to remember trying to find these strings in
stores before, and not having much luck. juststrings.com is your
best bet.
Ivan
--- In , dave wronski <stickmandw@y...>
wrote:
> Ivan, Can you find those at the "Dark Side"? ie.
> Guitar Center?
> -dave
>
> --- ipongrac <ipongrac@g...> wrote:
>
> > Here's my two cents:
> >
> > I'm completely addicted to these British strings:
> > Rotosound Roto
> > Purples 12-52. They're pure nickel strings, which I
> > think is the key
> > to getting a vintage sound.
>
>
>
> _______________________________
> Do you Yahoo!?
> Win 1 of 4,000 free domain names from Yahoo! Enter now.
>
--- In , "supertwangreverb"
<supertwangreverb@y...> wrote:
> Yeah, I was talking about the USA strats that they refered to as
> the "American Standards." Sorry I should have been more to the
> point. I still think the early 90s were one of the crappiest years
> for those standard models. Veneer body and most of them weren't
> alder as Fender had said, but they were poplar or might have been
> basswood.
Well, they may not have been as good as many others, but, again,
trust me, they were much better than late-seventies and early-
eighties Strats, which were atrocious! There was a reason why Fender
was losing money and almost was shut down by CBS before they decided
to just sell it.
One of my three Strats is a '89 Strat Plus, which was an 'upgraded'
American Standard (it had a Wilkenson roller nut, Spertzel locking
tuners, and Lace Sensor pickups). I bought it new in '90, and this
has been my main guitar until at least '99, and I continue to play it
a LOT. Most of Interstellar Stomp by the Space Cossacks was recorded
with that guitar in the original configuration. Two years ago I had
my tech change it pretty dramatically to basically vintage specs: put
in the '57/'62 reissue pickups, get rid of the Wilkinson nut with a
regular white fake-bone nut, and replace the two-point AmStd tremolo
with a vintage-style Fender tremolo. I LOVE this guitar now. It
sounds every bit as good and maybe a bit better than my two '62
reissue Strats, and it plays like a dream.
Why did you come to the above conclusion? Just because your guitar
may not be good, doesn't mean that all of them from that era were
bad. I think it's universally agreed that Fender quality has been
pretty high once the pre-CBS era began, and that includes Fender's
AmStd models.
Ivan
<<Why did you come to the above conclusion? Just because your guitar
may not be good, doesn't mean that all of them from that era were
bad. I think it's universally agreed that Fender quality has been
pretty high once the pre-CBS era began, and that includes Fender's
AmStd models>>
No my Strats fine but there are better ones out there. The original
poster thought his strat was too cheap to hold the heavier strings.
I was trying to point out to him that I have one of fenders low mark
guitars as far as the American Standards go and it can hold the
heavier strings. Like I said before. when I bought this guitar I
read in the "Frontline" magazine that the body was alder. I was kid
at 13 and had been mowing lawns for three summers so I could go out
and buy this Stratocaster. Then I find out a few years later its
probably not alder and it has a veneer cap on it. You keep refering
to the late 70s and early 80s strats. Like I said before I was
talking about the American Standard which was started in the late
80s. It's well known that the early American Standards are not as
good as the newer ones. Fender eventually discontinued the line and
made them look more attractive and gave them a new name.
--- In , "ipongrac" <ipongrac@g...>
wrote:
> --- In , "supertwangreverb"
> <supertwangreverb@y...> wrote:
>
> > Yeah, I was talking about the USA strats that they refered to as
> > the "American Standards." Sorry I should have been more to the
> > point. I still think the early 90s were one of the crappiest
years
> > for those standard models. Veneer body and most of them weren't
> > alder as Fender had said, but they were poplar or might have been
> > basswood.
>
> Well, they may not have been as good as many others, but, again,
> trust me, they were much better than late-seventies and early-
> eighties Strats, which were atrocious! There was a reason why
Fender
> was losing money and almost was shut down by CBS before they
decided
> to just sell it.
>
> One of my three Strats is a '89 Strat Plus, which was an 'upgraded'
> American Standard (it had a Wilkenson roller nut, Spertzel locking
> tuners, and Lace Sensor pickups). I bought it new in '90, and this
> has been my main guitar until at least '99, and I continue to play
it
> a LOT. Most of Interstellar Stomp by the Space Cossacks was
recorded
> with that guitar in the original configuration. Two years ago I
had
> my tech change it pretty dramatically to basically vintage specs:
put
> in the '57/'62 reissue pickups, get rid of the Wilkinson nut with a
> regular white fake-bone nut, and replace the two-point AmStd
tremolo
> with a vintage-style Fender tremolo. I LOVE this guitar now. It
> sounds every bit as good and maybe a bit better than my two '62
> reissue Strats, and it plays like a dream.
>
> Why did you come to the above conclusion? Just because your guitar
> may not be good, doesn't mean that all of them from that era were
> bad. I think it's universally agreed that Fender quality has been
> pretty high once the pre-CBS era began, and that includes Fender's
> AmStd models.
>
> Ivan
> Ivan Pongracic wrote:
>
> (I don't really like the sound and
> feel of flatwounds on the Strat, and I don't think it's 'authentic'
> in any way, since it sounds to my ears as though most Strat users,
> including DD, used roundwounds from the early days - certainly the
> Shadows and the Atlantics did - I love the flatwounds on my
> Jazzmaster, though - D'Addario Chromes 12-52 - I know, they're not
> pure nickel, but pure nickel flatwounds are few and expensive.)
I put D'Addrio Chromes 12's (flats) on my Strat, and wasn't entirely happy
with that either. However, they are really great on my Jaguar. I talked to
Rick Mills from the Volcanos, and told me he uses GHS flats (13's !!) on
both his Strat and Jazzmaster. After hearing the GHS endorsement by Dano
from the Nebulas, I may try those out on my Strat before going back to
roundwounds. But I'll also try the roundwound Rotosounds you mentioned Ivan.
Thanks.
BN
I think we can all agree that no matter what era, you have to play a few Strats
before
you find the right fit. It's just inherent in the design. Some years better than
others,
but there are gems from every year.
You guitar slinging brethren that remember the mid 70's...almost everything made
was CRAP (insert Scottish accent) and fell apart. I had a 74' Strat with the
thin frets,
high pitched tone....firewood. Well, today on Ebay that big headstock firewood
would
definitely bring a nice chunk of change. Should have kept it. Doooh!
Dale
--- In , "supertwangreverb"
<supertwangreverb@y...> wrote:
> <<Why did you come to the above conclusion? Just because your guitar
> may not be good, doesn't mean that all of them from that era were
> bad. I think it's universally agreed that Fender quality has been
> pretty high once the pre-CBS era began, and that includes Fender's
> AmStd models>>
>
> No my Strats fine but there are better ones out there. The original
> poster thought his strat was too cheap to hold the heavier strings.
> I was trying to point out to him that I have one of fenders low mark
> guitars as far as the American Standards go and it can hold the
> heavier strings.
I thought the Nebulas were die-hard Gibson Flat Wire fans?
I saw a set at Sam Ash mis-marked for $4.99 (they list at 19.99!
Yikes!) and bought them. I just put them on my CIJ JM.
Wow is all I can say.
Phil
On Sep 5, 2004, at 12:05 PM, Brian Neal wrote:
> After hearing the GHS endorsement by Dano
> from the Nebulas, I may try those out on my Strat before going back to
> roundwounds.
Yeah, I might have gotten GHS and Gibson mixed up there...Dano?
BN
--- In , Phil Kucer <philx@m...> wrote:
> I thought the Nebulas were die-hard Gibson Flat Wire fans?
>
> I saw a set at Sam Ash mis-marked for $4.99 (they list at 19.99!
> Yikes!) and bought them. I just put them on my CIJ JM.
>
> Wow is all I can say.
>
> Phil
>
>
>
> On Sep 5, 2004, at 12:05 PM, Brian Neal wrote:
>
> > After hearing the GHS endorsement by Dano
> > from the Nebulas, I may try those out on my Strat before going
back to
> > roundwounds.
I wrote:
> I think it's universally agreed that Fender quality has been
> pretty high once the pre-CBS era began, and that includes Fender's
> AmStd models>>
Ooops, it should be clear that I meant to say "once the POST-CBS era
began"....
--- In , "supertwangreverb"
<supertwangreverb@y...> wrote:
> when I bought this guitar I read in the "Frontline" magazine that
> the body was alder. Then I find out a few years later its
> probably not alder and it has a veneer cap on it.
Bill, are you sure about this? What is a veneer cap, anyway? I was
also under the impression that the bodies were alder. I would be
very surprised if they weren't as these guitars were Fender's main
sellers from '87 or something through the mid-'90s. But I'll be
happy to consider the evidence...
> You keep refering
> to the late 70s and early 80s strats. Like I said before I was
> talking about the American Standard which was started in the late
> 80s. It's well known that the early American Standards are not as
> good as the newer ones.
Sorry, I misunderstood. I thought you said that these AmStd models
were among the worst Strats Fender EVER made. I understand now what
you're saying.
> Fender eventually discontinued the line and
> made them look more attractive and gave them a new name.
Didn't they simply make them look more vintage? Give the body the
same contours as the vintage models, and make the neck more like the
vintage Strats. Oh, and have the body routing underneath the pickup
like the vintage models, too. Though I appreciate all these little
touches, and would prefer them, they really don't affect the sound at
all, do they? It's just cosmetic, for those like most of us here.
(Though it's strange that they would do all these ultimatelly
insignificant things while still keeping the two-post tremolo which
is a major tone-sucker - the vintage tremolos sound quite a bit
better. I can vouch for this since my Strat Plus had a two-post
tremolo that I replaced with a vintage one - huge improvement, at
least for the kind of music we play. Hank Marvin agrees - his early
signature models were outfitted with the two-post trems, but he
eventually switched to vintage trems on all his guitars.)
Ivan
Ivan,
It's easier to tell if your strat's body has the veneer if it's
finish is sunburst. When you check the back body contour on the
sunburst models and find it to be all black then its veneered.
meaning its another piece of wood on top of the body. You see this
on a lot of MIM standard strats and on alot of the late 80s early 90s
American Standard strats. What they were saying on the fender forum
a few years ago was that the bodies on these were poplar veneered
with alder. From what I remember people were taking apart off their
pickguards and checking out the swimming pool routes and actually
finding that their bodies were poplar with alder caps.
Here I dug this up from the archives. There are hundreds of topics
in there when you do a search regarding this topic
Ivan, does your Strat Plus have the swimming pool route? I'm not
trying to knock these guitars. I've seen you play that thing live
and I know you sounded great.
--- In , "ipongrac" <ipongrac@g...>
wrote:
> I wrote:
>
> > I think it's universally agreed that Fender quality has been
> > pretty high once the pre-CBS era began, and that includes Fender's
> > AmStd models>>
>
> Ooops, it should be clear that I meant to say "once the POST-CBS
era
> began"....
>
> --- In , "supertwangreverb"
> <supertwangreverb@y...> wrote:
>
> > when I bought this guitar I read in the "Frontline" magazine that
> > the body was alder. Then I find out a few years later its
> > probably not alder and it has a veneer cap on it.
>
> Bill, are you sure about this? What is a veneer cap, anyway? I
was
> also under the impression that the bodies were alder. I would be
> very surprised if they weren't as these guitars were Fender's main
> sellers from '87 or something through the mid-'90s. But I'll be
> happy to consider the evidence...
>
> > You keep refering
> > to the late 70s and early 80s strats. Like I said before I was
> > talking about the American Standard which was started in the late
> > 80s. It's well known that the early American Standards are not
as
> > good as the newer ones.
>
> Sorry, I misunderstood. I thought you said that these AmStd models
> were among the worst Strats Fender EVER made. I understand now
what
> you're saying.
>
> > Fender eventually discontinued the line and
> > made them look more attractive and gave them a new name.
>
> Didn't they simply make them look more vintage? Give the body the
> same contours as the vintage models, and make the neck more like
the
> vintage Strats. Oh, and have the body routing underneath the
pickup
> like the vintage models, too. Though I appreciate all these little
> touches, and would prefer them, they really don't affect the sound
at
> all, do they? It's just cosmetic, for those like most of us here.
> (Though it's strange that they would do all these ultimatelly
> insignificant things while still keeping the two-post tremolo which
> is a major tone-sucker - the vintage tremolos sound quite a bit
> better. I can vouch for this since my Strat Plus had a two-post
> tremolo that I replaced with a vintage one - huge improvement, at
> least for the kind of music we play. Hank Marvin agrees - his early
> signature models were outfitted with the two-post trems, but he
> eventually switched to vintage trems on all his guitars.)
>
> Ivan
i've been doing what I can since 1990!
-d
--- ipongrac <> wrote:
> I wrote:
>
> > I think it's universally agreed that Fender
> quality has been
> > pretty high once the pre-CBS era began, and that
> includes Fender's
> > AmStd models>>
>
> Ooops, it should be clear that I meant to say "once
> the POST-CBS era
> began"....
>
> --- In ,
> "supertwangreverb"
> <supertwangreverb@y...> wrote:
>
> > when I bought this guitar I read in the
> "Frontline" magazine that
> > the body was alder. Then I find out a few years
> later its
> > probably not alder and it has a veneer cap on it.
>
>
> Bill, are you sure about this? What is a veneer
> cap, anyway? I was
> also under the impression that the bodies were
> alder. I would be
> very surprised if they weren't as these guitars were
> Fender's main
> sellers from '87 or something through the mid-'90s.
> But I'll be
> happy to consider the evidence...
>
> > You keep refering
> > to the late 70s and early 80s strats. Like I said
> before I was
> > talking about the American Standard which was
> started in the late
> > 80s. It's well known that the early American
> Standards are not as
> > good as the newer ones.
>
> Sorry, I misunderstood. I thought you said that
> these AmStd models
> were among the worst Strats Fender EVER made. I
> understand now what
> you're saying.
>
> > Fender eventually discontinued the line and
> > made them look more attractive and gave them a new
> name.
>
> Didn't they simply make them look more vintage?
> Give the body the
> same contours as the vintage models, and make the
> neck more like the
> vintage Strats. Oh, and have the body routing
> underneath the pickup
> like the vintage models, too. Though I appreciate
> all these little
> touches, and would prefer them, they really don't
> affect the sound at
> all, do they? It's just cosmetic, for those like
> most of us here.
> (Though it's strange that they would do all these
> ultimatelly
> insignificant things while still keeping the
> two-post tremolo which
> is a major tone-sucker - the vintage tremolos sound
> quite a bit
> better. I can vouch for this since my Strat Plus
> had a two-post
> tremolo that I replaced with a vintage one - huge
> improvement, at
> least for the kind of music we play. Hank Marvin
> agrees - his early
> signature models were outfitted with the two-post
> trems, but he
> eventually switched to vintage trems on all his
> guitars.)
>
> Ivan
>
>
>
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Pyramids are nice, too...
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regards,
DP
--- ipongrac <> wrote:
> Here's my two cents:
>
> I'm completely addicted to these British strings:
> Rotosound Roto
> Purples 12-52. They're pure nickel strings, which I
> think is the key
> to getting a vintage sound. Steel strings, which is what
> most
> strings today are, will not sound naturally as classic.
> You can get
> them to sound vintage, but it takes a lot more work.
>
> I used to use D'Addario 11-49 nickel-wrap/steel-core
> strings, and
> swore by them on my Strat until '98. Since '98, I've
> migrated to the
> heavier gauge on all three of my Strats. I first started
> using Roto
> Purples in order to get a good Shadows tone, but soon
> found that they
> work really well for surf, also. (I don't really like
> the sound and
> feel of flatwounds on the Strat, and I don't think it's
> 'authentic'
> in any way, since it sounds to my ears as though most
> Strat users,
> including DD, used roundwounds from the early days -
> certainly the
> Shadows and the Atlantics did - I love the flatwounds on
> my
> Jazzmaster, though - D'Addario Chromes 12-52 - I know,
> they're not
> pure nickel, but pure nickel flatwounds are few and
> expensive.)
>
> For a while I also used Gibson L-5 Pure Nickel 12-56
> (also known as
> 340 Nickel Plus). These are vintage strings that used to
> be known as
> Sonomatics. Hank Marvin used these exclusively in the
> early days of
> the Shadows, and they have been discountined for a many
> years until
> very recently (interestingly enough, Malcolm Young of
> AC/DC also
> swears by these strings!). They're great sounding
> strings, but I
> found their tension to be too high for me. I just
> couldn't bend
> those suckers at ALL! Anyway, if you want to try
> something great
> sounding, and you feel up to the challenge of the heavier
> tension,
> I'd highly recommend these.
>
> Finally, bend as much as you want! However, original
> surf guitarists
> didn't do a whole lot bending, and half-step bends were
> more common
> than full-step (with some exceptions - Eddie & the
> Showmen' "Scratch"
> comes to mind). Also, I have been moving up gauge sizes
> gradually
> over the entire 20-21 years of my playing. I started
> with 9-42,
> moved to 10-46 after 8 years of playing, moved to 11-49
> after another
> 5 years, and then another 3 or 4 years before the move to
> 12-52. I
> highly recommend this way of doing it - you can gradually
> build up
> your finger strength and make sure that you don't develop
>
> tendonitis.
>
> There you go! (Certainly more than two cents worth in
> terms of the
> number of words, though not necessarily in the value it
> provides for
> the reader! :)
>
> Ivan
>
> PS I get all my strings from juststrings.com - incredible
> selection,
> GREAT prices, and fast shipping. Can't recommend them
> highly
> enough. If they went out of business, I'd be traumatized
> and would
> probably cry....
>
> --- In , Dan Bartley
> <bigtwangguy@y...>
> wrote:
> > I confess to using D'addiairo roundwounds, 11-49ish,
> on a '59
> Gretsch Dual Annie. I'd like to use the bigger gauges but
> my tendons
> won't let me. This leads me to my own surf question...To
> bend a whole
> tone, or to only bend a half?
> > Dan
> >
> > sidewalksurf <sidewalksurf@y...> wrote:
> > I'm sure this has been covered here before,
> but.....what kind of
> > strings is everyone using and on what? For everyday
> use, I'm
> > partial to 013-052 ghs flatwounds on my Jag and 011-048
> ghs
> > flatwounds on my JM. When I feel like getting fancy,
> then it's
> > Pyramids.
> >
> >
> >
> > .
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> messages, bookmarks, files, polls, etc.
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