What strings do you use on a 575 (or other Heritage full archtop)

[Teeky]

I'm interested to know what gage strings folks use to give a warm jazz sound. At present I've got 11/53s with a wound G on my 575. I'd like a better tone separation for bass lines especially.

 

Any preference for flatwound to ordinary wound strings?

[big bob]

I have 10's on my 575, have had 11's and 12's and 13's I like them all, I'm using 10's now because I have them on all my guitars except the acoustic.

[Teeky]

I have 10's on my 575, have had 11's and 12's and 13's I like them all, I'm using 10's now because I have them on all my guitars except the acoustic.

Yeah I generally have 10's on my other guitars. They're good all round strings which you can bend easily and I certainly use them in my band work for rock and blues.

I'm using the 575 for jazz, softer tones and no bending required (really).

[Windstring]

Hello Sir,

I'm not sure you are still monitoring this post, but I thought I'd give my 3 cents' worth. Strings are a very personal thing, but I have found that archtop guitars definitely have a warmer jazz tone with flatwound strings. I find that many players accustomed to roundwound strings on their solidbody guitars have difficulty adjusting to the flatwound sound, which is smoother, less bright but provides a beautiful blend with chordal playing. Furthermore, flatwounds take less toll on your fingertips and frets, avoid the "whine" when sliding to different positions on the fretboard, and if made of stainless steel, have good longevity. I now cannot take the sound of roundwound strings on a hollow archtop - flatwounds all the way! They can be expensive, but one can sometimes find Fender, D'Addario and D'Aquisto brand strings at fairly good prices. Elderly Instruments is currently doing a 20% discount sale on all strings (www.elderly.com).

Cheers.

[Windstring]

Sir,

I apologise for not taking note of your location (UK). The sale at Elderly Instruments (in Michigan, USA) is probably not worth your while. As for gauges, that too is very personal, but I generally oscillate between 13-56 or 12-54, depending on how low I can make the action (bigger strings with lower action - I'm not a masochist!). I'll also use bigger strings if I intend to play acoustically most of the time. Hope this helps.

[Teeky]

Hello Sir,

I'm not sure you are still monitoring this post, but I thought I'd give my 3 cents' worth. Strings are a very personal thing, but I have found that archtop guitars definitely have a warmer jazz tone with flatwound strings. I find that many players accustomed to roundwound strings on their solidbody guitars have difficulty adjusting to the flatwound sound, which is smoother, less bright but provides a beautiful blend with chordal playing. Furthermore, flatwounds take less toll on your fingertips and frets, avoid the "whine" when sliding to different positions on the fretboard, and if made of stainless steel, have good longevity. I now cannot take the sound of roundwound strings on a hollow archtop - flatwounds all the way! They can be expensive, but one can sometimes find Fender, D'Addario and D'Aquisto brand strings at fairly good prices. Elderly Instruments is currently doing a 20% discount sale on all strings (www.elderly.com).

Cheers.

Hello Windstring - what an appropriate handle for this thread! Thanks for your comments - really useful. I often look at the Elderly site as mail order for small items is fine. They did have some Bigsby floating bridges compensated for plain G which I'd like for my Kay so I check whether they have any more in stock.

Do you find you need to adjust the truss rod to when you fit 13s?

 

Come on guys, I thought there'd be a lot more interest in this thread - you all use strings don't you?

[ronalr]

I use flat wound 11's on my h-575 and get a real nice jazz tone on the neck pickup.......I use 11's on all my hollow body guitars but round wound on the ...Gretsch 6120....&

PRS hollow body 1... and flats on the Epiphone Joe Pass model...all with wound g string...I use 10's on solid body's

[111518]

I like having guitars with different feels and sounds, and that goes for archtops as well as other guitars. At the moment, I have flats on my H550 and on my Eagle Custom, but I also have 11 or 12/wound-3rd sets on a 350t and a 175. As Windstring noted, flats can last a long time; I often change the unwound strings three or four times before changing the set, vs. perhaps one change of unwounds between full set changes on roundwound sets.

 

To me, "the" traditional jazz sound comes from flats (and heavy picks), and the feel and decreased noise help a lot with chord melody playing ...but archtops also sound great for other styles, some of which demand the greater edge/attack that comes from roundwounds. (...and, even if all of this is complete and absolute B@#l S@%t, it is a jiffy way of justifying having a house full of guitars).

 

I recently started a thread to get some recommendations on flats. Here's the link. I ended up ordering some TI's, which I've used in the past and liked, and some DR's, which I haven't tried. I haven't had a chance to go through and change strings and test them out, but when I do I'll revisit that thread.

 

http://www.heritageownersclub.com/forums/i...?showtopic=6247

[hubberjub]

I use flatwound Thomastik-Infeld strings on my Eagle. I think they are 13's. Personally, I wouldn't go with flats on a 575 because you lose a lot of high end. Some companies actually make halfround strings as well. They are a decent compromise.

[RJLII]

I use .012 flatwounds on my H-550. They give great balance with the Schaller pickups and I didn't notice much for losses at the high end. The wound strings are a little less "spanky" but in a good way.

[SouthpawGuy]

I use 12 roundwounds on my 575, been thinking of changing to 10s for easier bending or flatwound 13s for a jazzier tone.

 

I'm undecided at the moment ...

[Teeky]

I like having guitars with different feels and sounds, and that goes for archtops as well as other guitars. At the moment, I have flats on my H550 and on my Eagle Custom, but I also have 11 or 12/wound-3rd sets on a 350t and a 175. As Windstring noted, flats can last a long time; I often change the unwound strings three or four times before changing the set, vs. perhaps one change of unwounds between full set changes on roundwound sets.

 

To me, "the" traditional jazz sound comes from flats (and heavy picks), and the feel and decreased noise help a lot with chord melody playing ...but archtops also sound great for other styles, some of which demand the greater edge/attack that comes from roundwounds. (...and, even if all of this is complete and absolute B@#l S@%t, it is a jiffy way of justifying having a house full of guitars).

 

I recently started a thread to get some recommendations on flats. Here's the link. I ended up ordering some TI's, which I've used in the past and liked, and some DR's, which I haven't tried. I haven't had a chance to go through and change strings and test them out, but when I do I'll revisit that thread.

 

http://www.heritageownersclub.com/forums/i...?showtopic=6247

You're right about justifying the need for a house full of guitars. My wife keeps saying to me 'why do you want another guitar?'. That's exactly it - you often use them for different styles and they all sound, and play different. She plays piano. It's just as well I don't - she'd certainly complain if I had the house full of pianos. And you can't even hang 'em on the wall!

 

Thanks for the link to your thread on flats. Did a search beforehand but did'nt come across that one.

[Teeky]

I use flatwound Thomastik-Infeld strings on my Eagle. I think they are 13's. Personally, I wouldn't go with flats on a 575 because you lose a lot of high end. Some companies actually make halfround strings as well. They are a decent compromise.

Well there's a thing. Halfrounds - never even comtemplated that! Certainly worth trying.

What a wealth of knowledge lurks in the HoC.

[Spectrum13]

I like 12 flats for the warmer tones. Using TI and D'Addarios.

[ingeneri]

All respect, but anything below .12s is probably too thin to properly drive an archtop. The plunk from the thicker strings will really get that top vibrating.

 

I always come back to TI Swing .13s (flatwounds). I have them on my Super Eagle, and am switching to them on my 575. Perfect for that thick Wes/Burrell sound. You can get them to sound pretty bright too if you know how to dial in your amp.

 

I go back and forth between rounds and flats on my D'angelico NYL2. The TI flats sound great, but the rounds get a nice acoustic tone since the D'angelico has a floating pup. Plus, Johnny Smith used rounds (except on the low E string).

 

I experimented with Sadowsky Jimmy Bruno strings on the D'angelico over the summer, they're round wounds with a coating that cuts down on the squeaking. Good sound, but the strings always felt like they had something on them.

[barrymclark]

I tend to use 10's or 11's. Even used 12's. I liked the sound of all three. All depends on what you like the sound of.

[barrymclark]

I tend to use 10's or 11's. Even used 12's. I liked the sound of all three. All depends on what you like the sound of.

As Ingeneri says, though, you will lose reaction from the body the lighter you go. There is definitely a trade off. I went from 12's to 10's on my acoustic. I like the sound but there is a HUGE, HUGE drop in volume. Went lighter due to high action. Hope to have that remedied soon but, for now, lighter strings.

[Windstring]

Well, there, now we have had a discussion on the subject! Strings are very important to the enjoyment of guitars, and they are too often neglected. As I said earlier, it is a very personal/subjective thing. For me, archtops played acoustically sound nicer with flatwound strings (and I find this is true despite advanced hearing loss, of the high frequencies in particular). Teeky, you did ask about truss rod adjustments with heavier strings like 13s. Yes, I frequently tighten the truss rod when I put on heavier strings, but again the whole issue of fretboard relief is a very personal thing. I like the board to be absolutely flat, and the action to be as low as I can get it. I play my archtops acoustically nearly all (99%) the time, but I still like to be able to play fast easily and painlessly, especially with chordal runs. A flat board with heavier strings demands a tight truss rod. One final point: lighter strings (eg 11s) make good sense if one is going to play amplified most of the time. For example, I believe Pat Metheny uses quite light strings (10s or 11s) on his ES-175 or Ibanez or whatever. His sound is somewhat processed (chorus, Lexicons, etc) but the light strings probably contribute to his astounding dexterity on the guitar. Another little insight: if you set up some of guitars with heavier strings and higher action, you can use these to develop finger strength. When you next pick up a guitar with lighter strings and lower action, you will be astounded at how your playing seems to become more effortless! At the end of the day, one has to experiment with different gauges and styles (round, flat) of string until one finds the feel and sound most conducive to creative and inspirational playing. All the best in your musical travels.

[unikh550]

Have a H-550 with a Charlie Christian pickup. To mellow out a little of the brightness and eliminate some of the feedback (two characteristics of this pickup), I use flatwounds. I know that you want note separation. However, I have found that mixing D'Addario Chromes flatwounds gives a great balance. It does not cost much money to do this for a set will last at least three months. I use heavy gauge flatwounds on the first three strings and lights on the fourth, fifth, and sixth. Thus, I go from .014 to .050. Flatwounds heavier than .050 or .052 can sound tubby, wheras roundwounds of that diameter often don't. Using .014's on the first string and .018 on the second assumes that you don't do serious bending or BB King tremolos. If you do, forget my suggestions. I play jazz in the Barney Kessel and Tal Farlow styles primarily. These heavier flatwounds on the treble strings really quiet the fretboard when I change positions or move up the neck, too. Have played three 575's and found them all to be a little brighter than ES-175's (not necessarily a bad thing). All 550's that I've tried were more mellow than the 575's, but are not as woody-sounding as L-5's, Super 400's, Eagles, etc. If your pickup on the archtop you buy has a mellow sound already, forget the flats- stick with rounds or semiflats. Have found that if I need a little extra brightness, I adjust my Polytone or tone knob on the guitar to get it. As far as cost, there are usually no volume discounts on flatwounds. So, forget First Quality Music in Louisville's nice string discounts. However, they usually run around $8.50 a pack at small dealers (not sure if the chains carry them). If you mix like I do, that's only $17 for 3-4 months. You'll go through at least three sets of roundwounds in that time, so the total cost differential is negligible. Good luck!- Charles Bevell