Blog - occasional, random thoughts on music - March 2016
Strings
6.3.2016
It's been some time since I added to the blog section of the site - gigs and other activities have kept me busy recently - but I thought I'd write a paragraph or two on the strings that I use, and why I use them. Strings are a very personal choice, and every musician has the sound they prefer - so this blog page describes what suits me. It may or may not suit you.
I use different gauge strings on different instruments - more on that below - but all the strings that I use have one thing in common: the make. I started to use Elixir strings some years ago, and have stuck with them ever since. The reason is quite simple; the acid in my skin can kill a set of ordinary phosphor bronze strings stone dead after a morning's playing! I tried all sorts of uncoated makes such as D'Addarop, Martin, Earthwood, etc., and the effect was the same. When I came across coated strings, I tried various options - and Elixir Nanoweb came out tops for me. I don't care for the feel of Elixir's Polyweb strings - where each string strand is coated - because I find them slightly dull. The topcoated Nanowebs do me.
On my two mid-jumbo acoustic guitars, the Martin and the Chisholm No. 18, I use what Elixir call "Lite" gauge - .012 - .053. Phosphor Bronze These have just the right tension and bass/treble balance for what I need. I play these guitars mainly (but not totally) with a pick, and they project nicely. They also have enough power to make gentle fingerpicking ring out. The Chisholm 0 model goes up a gauge in lightness. I use .011 - .052 Bronze on this guitar, which is used mainly (but not totally) for fingerpicking. For the Chisholm tenor guitar, I use the 2nd, 3rd and 4th from a .010 Phosphor Bronze set, but replace the 1st (.010) string with a separate .009. The scale length and tuning of the CGDA tenor guitar put a .010 top string at the very top of its maximum tension.
My thin Chisholm cutaway is used for amplified band work, and I use .010 Phosphor Bronze for this guitar - plenty of bend available there!
6.3.2016
It's been some time since I added to the blog section of the site - gigs and other activities have kept me busy recently - but I thought I'd write a paragraph or two on the strings that I use, and why I use them. Strings are a very personal choice, and every musician has the sound they prefer - so this blog page describes what suits me. It may or may not suit you.
I use different gauge strings on different instruments - more on that below - but all the strings that I use have one thing in common: the make. I started to use Elixir strings some years ago, and have stuck with them ever since. The reason is quite simple; the acid in my skin can kill a set of ordinary phosphor bronze strings stone dead after a morning's playing! I tried all sorts of uncoated makes such as D'Addarop, Martin, Earthwood, etc., and the effect was the same. When I came across coated strings, I tried various options - and Elixir Nanoweb came out tops for me. I don't care for the feel of Elixir's Polyweb strings - where each string strand is coated - because I find them slightly dull. The topcoated Nanowebs do me.
On my two mid-jumbo acoustic guitars, the Martin and the Chisholm No. 18, I use what Elixir call "Lite" gauge - .012 - .053. Phosphor Bronze These have just the right tension and bass/treble balance for what I need. I play these guitars mainly (but not totally) with a pick, and they project nicely. They also have enough power to make gentle fingerpicking ring out. The Chisholm 0 model goes up a gauge in lightness. I use .011 - .052 Bronze on this guitar, which is used mainly (but not totally) for fingerpicking. For the Chisholm tenor guitar, I use the 2nd, 3rd and 4th from a .010 Phosphor Bronze set, but replace the 1st (.010) string with a separate .009. The scale length and tuning of the CGDA tenor guitar put a .010 top string at the very top of its maximum tension.
My thin Chisholm cutaway is used for amplified band work, and I use .010 Phosphor Bronze for this guitar - plenty of bend available there!