question for the guitar guys

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ramenth

ramenth

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My acoustic needs to be restrung.

Which strings? Been quoted between $6.50 a string to $19.95 a string. Steel strings on it now. Opinions?
 
My personal preference for all my acoustics are D'Addario's Phospher Bronze wound steel strings. I use them on my 6 & 12 string guitars as well as my mandolin. Just my personal preference though.
 
I like the D'addario Bronze as well...I haven't bought any lately but I would think you'd get a full set for $20.00...when my guitar store opens today (12noon), I'll call and get a price. Guage of string is another thing to think about. What guitar are you stringing? What type of music do you play? strings range from x-tra light to x-tra heavy..the lighter the string the easier to play but takes the tone of the guitar up...heavier strings are harder to push but can give you a lower tone.
 
Elixer Nano web strings are my string of choice on acoustics. Cost a little more but LAST alot longer. Depending on how much you play would dictate what type of string. If you play quite often then the Nano-web would be the best bet. You would not have to change as often. The coating on the wound strings gives them a soft feel. Steel strings are used an almost all acoustic guitars except classical guitars where nylon are used.

http://www.elixirstrings.com/products/index.html?s_kwcid=TC|8649|guitar strings||S||5361185107

John B.
 
cuda34067 said:
My personal preference for all my acoustics are D'Addario's Phospher Bronze wound steel strings. I use them on my 6 & 12 string guitars as well as my mandolin. Just my personal preference though.
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X3 here, I do not like their coated strings either, I put some on my 12 and they seemed like they wold slip on the tuner and were really hard to keep in tune. Also changed the sound, less bright, kind of dead... I ended going back to the regular D'Addario's.

I have not bought any strings in a while, last time I bought them was 20 (for a 12-string set). Ask for a deal, most of the time they will sell you a 2nd set for a buck. (at least around here they do).
 
talking to the guy who's going to do my re-string for me, he's recommending a medium style string.

I am looking for something which lasts.

I play roughly an hour a night. I'm self taught on a lot of things, but taking some lessons for others, more advanced than I can wrap my head around just trying to pick up on my own. That's the reason he's recommending a medium string.

As for the guitar itself it's a six string Infinity.
 
Ramenth,
As a pro guitarist I recommend the lightest guage you can get away with. Sound/feel to your liking. You may have to audition a few brands and guages before you can decide. Also please learn how to re-string and tune your guitar! It's not that hard. As far as tuning stability with the coated strings. I have never had a problem. Taylor acoustic guitars come from the factory with Elixirs on them. The quality of your tuning machines and the way in which you re-string your guitar has alot to do with tuning stability.

If you are learning at this point then comfort should be your number one concearn not tone. If you hurt after a short time playing then you won't play as much and practice is the only way you get better. Trust me on this. I may not be the best mechanic on Fabo but when it comes to guitars I know what I am talking about. Hands down comfort is the key when learning, So I highly suggest the coated strings. Your hands will thank you for it!!


John D. Beckerley
 
Fishthatkills said:
Ramenth,
As a pro guitarist I recommend the lightest guage you can get away with. Sound/feel to your liking. You may have to audition a few brands and guages before you can decide. Also please learn how to re-string and tune your guitar! It's not that hard. As far as tuning stability with the coated strings. I have never had a problem. Taylor acoustic guitars come from the factory with Elixirs on them. The quality of your tuning machines and the way in which you re-string your guitar has alot to do with tuning stability.

If you are learning at this point then comfort should be your number one concearn not tone. If you hurt after a short time playing then you won't play as much and practice is the only way you get better. Trust me on this. I may not be the best mechanic on Fabo but when it comes to guitars I know what I am talking about. Hands down comfort is the key when learning, So I highly suggest the coated strings. Your hands will thank you for it!!


John D. Beckerley
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As far as re-stringing my own, I'll be watching my buddy do it so I can do it next time. I look it at kinda like my cars. Only I should be working on it. And that goes for tuning, too.

One benefit to working on cars as a profession for the last twenty years is that my fingertips are nice and calloused. My elbow is the biggest issue. I'm left handed with a bad left elbow, so reaching around can get to me after a while. Lot's of stretching prior, some during, and a lot after helps.

One of the things that I will tell you up front is that I'm making a commitment to myself at this point to learn. And that's not just the music, but the instrument itself. I understand that the Infinity, bought for $189 off Amazon, may not be the best guitar in the world, but my perfectionist mindset means that I need to understand about all these things about the instrument. So if it sounds like I'm asking some dumb questions then it's just me trying to learn more and more. For me to learn then I have to ask question from those who know more than I do.
 
I agree with the coated strings. I hear alot of people don't like them, but I put a set on my acoustic and I'm liking them. Definately agree with the comfort issue also, nothing worse then sore fingers after a few tunes. I use light gauge on all my guitars. Like John said, comfort is more important then tone at this point. And restringing, tuning is not difficult. There are all sorts of electronic tuners available. I personally use a pitch pipe most of the time, playing alone, it's quick and easy and no batteries to go dead. If I'm playing with others or when playing an electric plugged I use an inline electronic tuner.

John, are you a weekend warrior like so many of us, or is that how you make your living? Just curious, you being in Austin...
 
GTGrinly I used to make my living playing but like so many others I had to get a real job. Now days I supplement my lifestyle by playing and I do alot of recording for others. As a recording engineer I see so many folks that are new to the game of music getting tired so quickly because they want that "sound" be it an electric or acoustic. Now Ramenth being a mechanic, has an advantage with calloused finger tips. However the tips are not the only part of the hand that gets tired. The bigger the guage string the more pressure needed to make a clean note. Then there are barre chords to consider. Really it one has to try alot of different strings before you find a set that does all the things you want a string to do. On my electrics and I have 9 I use GHS Boomers in .10 guage. That's .10 thru .52 Stevie Ray Vaughn used a .13 guage as his 1st string but he played 10 to 13 hours a day and played his guitars very hard.
I would say try a set of whatever brand you want. Then two weeks later try another set of different guage or brand and judge for yourself what works for you.
John D. Beckerley

John on Stage.jpg


HPIM1125.jpg
 
I just go down to Pets music in Temecula and ask the guys there what they think. They are always giving me some kind of D'addario strigs.
 
Got it re-strung. (For the most part. F***ed up the 1E.) It did it myself with some guidance from a buddy. D'Addario's, coated, medium. Tried the lights on a guitar in the store, interesting feel, but not what I'm used to at the moment. When the wife gets home I'll go up and get another set so I can finish it out.

Yeah, I f***ed one up. Guess that's what learning is about. 2-6 are tuned in. Got a tuner while I was there, too. Took me a little while to get used to the thing, but after a few minutes of watching it and listening I could tell when a note was off. Started closing my eyes and just listening. Got it close by ear, then finished it with the tuner.
 
I do one string at a time with the guitar mostly in tune before starting..this way you have a reference and it avoids overtightening...once I get the new strings on and initially in tune I'll pull on the strings to get any slack out of the tuners and give the strings an initial stretch then retune and it'll hold tune better.

Dave
 
GTGrinly said:
I do one string at a time with the guitar mostly in tune before starting..this way you have a reference and it avoids overtightening...once I get the new strings on and initially in tune I'll pull on the strings to get any slack out of the tuners and give the strings an initial stretch then retune and it'll hold tune better.

Dave
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It wasn't from overtightening. I clipped it too short and it wouldn't tighten. It was the first string I did. Learned from it and went from there. . Fed it through and once I get it wound I clipped it off. Problem was I didn't leave enough string for it to stay. The rest are golden. All six are in place now and man, what a difference!
 
chuckwagon2004 said:
Awesome thread ramenth... Wish I had the patience to learn... Guess a dog is never too old huh :)
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I've been wanting to learn since I was in my teens. Never could afford even a second hand guitar, especially in lefty. The wife got tired of hearing me say "one day I'm gonna learn." She bought me this as a Valentine's Day gift a few years ago. Like I said earlier, self taught on some things, but then I realized I needed some lessons. Couldn't afford them.

Got a customer. She charges $12 an hour for 1/2 hour sessions. I charge $25 an hour working on cars for pocket money. We worked a deal. :-D

As far as learning. This thread has taught me a lot, just on strings for it!
 
I've been playing for 36 years now and I'll throw in another vote for the phosfer bronze strings for an acoustic guitar and I prefer a light guage but not the lightest because sometimes I like to beat it pretty hard and don't like buzzing strings off frets with a really light string. On my electric I prefer D'Adarrio 10 guage like a past poster mentioned. I don't pick up either guitar much anymore but when I do those bronze strings on the acoustic still sound very crisp and brite and they're a couple of years old now. ;)
 
Ah Robert, you've hit a subject that I see debated a lot on my other favorite website...UMGF (the Unofficial Martin Guitar Forum). The first thing you need to know when using coated strings is that they need to be tightened and brought up to pitch before you cut the excess off, especially the wound strings. The inner core is seperate from the wound coating and stretches at a different rate. The wound part of coated strings is also very slippery and does not have the bite that an uncoated string has and takes being seated and under tension to settle in before you cut it. Next, the more you play, the more you will get "in tune" with your guitar, learning about how certain things such as strings effect the tone, and as you get feeling more confident about your lutherie, you will probably want to branch out and try different strings. I personally change my strings about every 2 weeks, I usually use D'addarrio EJ-17 strings, but I also use a lot of Martin strings as I can get them free. I always use medium guage to give my guitar a "growl" in the low end, and they snap back faster than a light string during fast solo's.

If you'd like to visit a very informative site, try the UMGF, or if you'd like to visit the website of a very knowledgeable luthier, try Bryan Kimsey's site. He explains every aspect of re-stringing procedures, guitar setup, common issues and repairs of acoustic guitars and much more. Frank Ford is also another great luthier and has a great website too.

I wish you many years of happy pickin, you and your guitar. It's a source of great enjoyment for me and I'd have to say that I love playing music as much as I love Mopars. Pick on my friend and keep at it!!! Geof
 
cosgig said:
Ah Robert, you've hit a subject that I see debated a lot on my other favorite website...UMGF (the Unofficial Martin Guitar Forum). The first thing you need to know when using coated strings is that they need to be tightened and brought up to pitch before you cut the excess off, especially the wound strings. The inner core is seperate from the wound coating and stretches at a different rate. The wound part of coated strings is also very slippery and does not have the bite that an uncoated string has and takes being seated and under tension to settle in before you cut it. Next, the more you play, the more you will get "in tune" with your guitar, learning about how certain things such as strings effect the tone, and as you get feeling more confident about your lutherie, you will probably want to branch out and try different strings. I personally change my strings about every 2 weeks, I usually use D'addarrio EJ-17 strings, but I also use a lot of Martin strings as I can get them free. I always use medium guage to give my guitar a "growl" in the low end, and they snap back faster than a light string during fast solo's.

If you'd like to visit a very informative site, try the UMGF, or if you'd like to visit the website of a very knowledgeable luthier, try Bryan Kimsey's site. He explains every aspect of re-stringing procedures, guitar setup, common issues and repairs of acoustic guitars and much more. Frank Ford is also another great luthier and has a great website too.

I wish you many years of happy pickin, you and your guitar. It's a source of great enjoyment for me and I'd have to say that I love playing music as much as I love Mopars. Pick on my friend and keep at it!!! Geof
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Thanks, Geof! I found out the hard way about the strings, seeing as how I ruined the one on my first shot. Figured I did something wrong, sat for a moment and studied what I did, then got an ah-ha moment.

The strings I got are medium phosphor bronze coated and they feel lighter than my previous strings. I'm also finding that my fingers are hitting the chords easier, not overlapping and deadening other strings. Could it be my frustration in learning could be the idea that my instrument was strung wrong for me personally? (That and the idea that finding someone within my price range to give lessons to teach a lefty was like pulling teeth. Even my old music teacher, whom I went to church with just a few years ago, wasn't comfortable in teaching me, and he got me to sing!) Maybe that's the reason the lights felt so, well, light, on the guitars I tried in the store?

Thanks for the website suggestions. I'm going to look up a couple, but probably stay away from the forums for now. My personality is one that if I don't learn in the right here right now, then I get frustrated. I know it's a matter of patience, but it's also a matter of me pushing myself. I'm my own biggest critic and if I don't pick up on something as quickly as I think I should then I get frustrated. An overload of information might not be a good thing.
 
Way to go Robert! Your never too late to learn anything. Keep it going!! As with any hobby in life, sometimes it doesn't seem that you are making any headway, and you will want to keep practicing for the sake of getting better at it. But sometimes it is a good thing to put it down for a while. I heard a quote from Eric Clampton once, and it still rings true, even with my car. "Sometimes you have to miss it (playing the guitar)", and you will pick it up and find yourself wonderfully entertained with the sounds you can then produce from your guitar. Keep playing and have fun with it. As stated by the other fine members above, comfort is the utmost important issue, and the sound quality will be second. As your playing ability progresses, your needs for comfort and sound WILL change. Don't be afraid to try different types of equipment along the way, as you find what best suits your needs.
I taught myself the guitar, CNC mill machinist (my career for the last 25 years), shady tree machanic, etc. And now in just a few days will be graduating from a vocational school for Power Generation, at the ripe age of 46! Anything is possible!!
 
cuda34067 said:
Way to go Robert! Your never too late to learn anything. Keep it going!! As with any hobby in life, sometimes it doesn't seem that you are making any headway, and you will want to keep practicing for the sake of getting better at it. But sometimes it is a good thing to put it down for a while. I heard a quote from Eric Clampton once, and it still rings true, even with my car. "Sometimes you have to miss it (playing the guitar)", and you will pick it up and find yourself wonderfully entertained with the sounds you can then produce from your guitar. Keep playing and have fun with it. As stated by the other fine members above, comfort is the utmost important issue, and the sound quality will be second. As your playing ability progresses, your needs for comfort and sound WILL change. Don't be afraid to try different types of equipment along the way, as you find what best suits your needs.
I taught myself the guitar, CNC mill machinist (my career for the last 25 years), shady tree machanic, etc. And now in just a few days will be graduating from a vocational school for Power Generation, at the ripe age of 46! Anything is possible!!
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Moving forward, learning something new, looking to try it, and if failing the first time, then perhaps the timing wasn't right. I'm not afraid of failure. It's what makes the successes all the sweeter. At the age of 46 and I'm 38 we're willing to move onward and upward! Way to go, buddy!
 
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