National style strings on an Archtop

[mikenewport]

Has anyone tried putting national style strings on an archtop? It's a modern built guitar solid spruce top, I'm thinking of trying heavier strings because I think it may benefit from the extra weight. Your advice or experience would be most welcome.

Mike

[slide496]

Maybe a string tension calculator would help you? - www.mcdonaldstrings.com/stringxxiii.html

I have done this on a parlor sized flattop that looks like an archtop with Newtone low tension strings, tuned down to c# and I am mindful of the fact that if brace issues happen, its not going to be easy to fix.

Good luck!

[snakehips]

Hi there !

Do you mean any 16-56 strings, or (some variety of) Newtone Michael Messer National guitar strings ?
Ie. Heavy guage strings ?

I have mediums (13-56) on my 1940's Gibson L50 and get along fine with them.
I tend to play this guitar bare fingered (no finger&thumbpicks, like I do for National guitars) -- and so sometimes change to 12-54 strings if I have a gig coming up and I'm out of practice (more common these days, what with work & family) - ie. My finger pads have gone soft !

I can't imagine needing heavier guage than 13-56.
If it is an archtop you have, can you adjust the height of the bridge to raise it up a bit ?? That should help a bit.

[Deleted]

Why not just put the heavier strings where you really need them -- I'm assuming the first, maybe second treble string?

Also, don't archtop fretboards have more of a radius than a typical resonator (or flattop)? Mine does at any rate -- it makes playing slide a lot more difficult, unless you're using a curved slide, anyway. I'm pretty sure I've seen one or two old blues guys playing archtops, but I don't recall if they were playing slide.

[Michael Messer]

I use 15/56 on my National Aristocrat arch top.

Shine On
Michael

[mikenewport]

Thank you all for the responses. I put some 13-56 strings on and it sounded a bit thin, so ...

Harriet- thank you for the words of warning, I thought about 'choking' the top but not damage to the braces etc.

snakehips- Yes that's what I meant but didn't want to name names. I have tried raising the bridge slightly and it has filled out the sound slightly.

mickeyz- Mine has a flatter radius than an acoustic, Robert Johnson played archtop slide I think. I thought about changing the odd string or two but I'm a bit weary of paying the extra for single strings on top of a set. I guess I'm just trying to find a set that suits this guitar.

Michael- Is that in standard tuning? My guitar would be tuned to standard and played either with bare fingers as snakehips does or with a fatpick.

What I may do is put the standard Newtones on and if still unsuccessful I'll try the heavier ones.

Thanks again to you all, Mike

[mikenewport]

Just an update,
Raised up the bridge and fitted Newtone 12-54 phos.bronze strings. I also have a set of Newtone's 13-56 and the resonator strings, but for now the 12's seem to be working out fine.

Thanks to all for your input once again. Mike

[andy15]

Ihave an old 1950s egmond arch top and use medium gauge strings but put a 14 on as a first and a17 on as a second gives it the bite I need when playing slide in open g tuning whicvh is what i use it for .I usually take three guitars to a gig a duolian in d tuning the archtop in g and a 70s yamaha 440 Changing tuning mid gig I find nerve racking bound to break a string keep it real keep it live Andy15

[Deleted]

I've had a fairly decent egmond archtop or two. The one I left as an archtop sounded thin if the bridge wasn't settled in with maximum wood to wood contact.
The one I've got left is a converted dobro also in G - sounds really great with a cheapo artec pickup (way better than the ultraslim, which was way too middy).
TT

[dbs]

'lo Mike-just a thought but sometimes the bridge on an arch top is just too heavy -in other words there is too much mass there & this will dull or deaden the sound considerably-if it's a modern built arch top there is a possibility that not much thought went into putting the guitar together for optimal tone-there are many alternative bridges available just need to find the right size in a lighter weight wood perhaps...dbs