Right now I don't own my own guitar, but I play my dad's old Washburn, or my sister's Takamine if it's available, and both use Elixer light-gage strings. In my dad's opinion, the light gage get the best and brightest tone. However, they're very thin and tight, and can break easily, and I'm starting to play a lot more, and sometimes a bit harder too. What would be the best strings, gage, and such for playing ITM?
A heavier string will give you more volume and let you beat on it without overdriving to the point of distortion, but I have found that over time mediums do bad things to the guitar top of even well made instruments, like bulges at the bridge, etc. Even though the sound was WAY better with Mediums, I have returned to lights. My experience has been that the D'addario bright phosphor-bronze strings sound best for the longest, but most of that is a matter of personal preference. Washburns generally seem to be built a little heavier and tighter than some others and may take a somewhat heavier string without damage. If you buy singles you can build a set in between med and lght, but the experimentation takes time and cash.
In a tuning like DADGAD you can use mediums without long-term damage to the guitar. And for ITM backing, mediums given more percussive effects than lights.
For some reason I break Elixer G strings like crazy, so I have D'addario medium on the G-string and Elixers on all else.
Based on what you can afford, of course.
Try www.juststrings.com -- you can get a good deal there. If you can talk your local music store into matching their price, buy locally.
Oh, and to make sure that no post I make here is 100% serious, what did the duck say when he wanted to leave the bar?
Thoughts on strings
Thoughts on strings
Right now I don't own my own guitar, but I play my dad's old Washburn, or my sister's Takamine if it's available, and both use Elixer light-gage strings. In my dad's opinion, the light gage get the best and brightest tone. However, they're very thin and tight, and can break easily, and I'm starting to play a lot more, and sometimes a bit harder too. What would be the best strings, gage, and such for playing ITM?
# Posted on July 3rd 2008 by JosephofCK
Re: Thoughts on strings
A heavier string will give you more volume and let you beat on it without overdriving to the point of distortion, but I have found that over time mediums do bad things to the guitar top of even well made instruments, like bulges at the bridge, etc. Even though the sound was WAY better with Mediums, I have returned to lights. My experience has been that the D'addario bright phosphor-bronze strings sound best for the longest, but most of that is a matter of personal preference. Washburns generally seem to be built a little heavier and tighter than some others and may take a somewhat heavier string without damage. If you buy singles you can build a set in between med and lght, but the experimentation takes time and cash.
# Posted on July 3rd 2008 by justjim
Re: Thoughts on strings
In a tuning like DADGAD you can use mediums without long-term damage to the guitar. And for ITM backing, mediums given more percussive effects than lights.
For some reason I break Elixer G strings like crazy, so I have D'addario medium on the G-string and Elixers on all else.
Based on what you can afford, of course.
Try www.juststrings.com -- you can get a good deal there. If you can talk your local music store into matching their price, buy locally.
Oh, and to make sure that no post I make here is 100% serious, what did the duck say when he wanted to leave the bar?
# Posted on July 3rd 2008 by Eliot
Re: Thoughts on strings
The G string is the one I break the most
By the way, the head stock has split 2 or 3 times and has been fixed too, with little pegs in it, does this change much?
# Posted on July 6th 2008 by JosephofCK