|
Post by Stevie on Jun 8, 2021 13:12:55 GMT
For some years now, I have been edgermurcating my folks that presents for your scribe are easy to guess- either a real (not PU) leather padded strap without any buckles, or a set of round cored strings, and in the absense of robust UK market representatation of DR Strings, that makes Malcolm's strings of choice a knee-jerk suggestion. Sure beats socks! However, I have long developed a preference for a wound third string on electrics, and after a recent perusal of Newtone's website (!) I found that I couldn't furnish a link with a wound third on a round cored set. Hex cored OK, but nice whippy round cored types nope. Of course I could custom specify sets at a good 50-60% premium or I could just buy a dozen round-cored wound thirds (assuming that such is actually available?) and augment the vanilla sets, but I'm not clear whether that would finish up advantageous in outlay.
Am I alone in expressing a preference for the often glowing voluminous electric tones emanating from a wound third? Given the recent introduction of the (by now extant) Monel as a wrapping, does anyone else remember wound thirds on electrics? Sure it makes wig-out bends a little harder, but like everything it's character-building, and I find that just like getting to grips with 15 thou' top strings- there is a pot of gold at the end of the that initially bleak rainbow.
e&oe ...
|
|
|
Post by Michael Messer on Jun 8, 2021 13:32:14 GMT
Hi Steve
I use MM nickel Resonator Strings on my electrics because I like the wound round cores on electric guitars. The hex core MM Slide Classics are very popular, but my preference is to use MM nickels on electrics. I've tried monels on electrics, but for me they're not pliable enough.
Just to bring things up to date; Malcolm Newton is no longer the owner of Newtone Strings. The company has been owned and run by Neil Silverman for quite a few years. Malcolm still does part-time work there, but no longer runs it.
Shine On Michael
|
|
|
Post by Pickers Ditch on Jun 8, 2021 14:31:03 GMT
Stevie, I'm old enough to remember my Framus Strato followed by my Hofner Verithin being strung with wound thirds, mostly flatwound. The main advantage being that my later change to bass guitar was easy. Like MM, I use Newtone Nickel Reso strings on my Danelectro but the Sigma 0015 with a Dearmond feels and sounds better with Newtone Monels.
|
|
|
Post by Stevie on Jun 8, 2021 14:40:23 GMT
I was aware that someone had taken over the day to day machinations, but not that Malcolm had ceased from executing any control over proceedings. It's wound thirds that are my personal deliberate peccadillo MM, but I know that I'm in a minority amongst electric players.
It's odd how preferences change over time- I used to use Guild Sidebenders even on my dreadnought because I have always been rather heavy on strings, and back in the 1970s with precious little disposable cash, the Guilds were very long lasting with regard to breakage, and they had plain thirds as you'd expect which wasn't de-rigueur on an acoustic then as now.
e&oe ...
|
|
|
Post by Michael Messer on Jun 8, 2021 15:08:34 GMT
I don't use plain third strings on any guitars. Thinking about it, which I don't often do, I haven't used a plain third for probably more than 40 years.
Shine On Michael
|
|
|
Post by Stevie on Jun 8, 2021 17:42:31 GMT
I have just taken another look and confirmed that the only sets with round cores and wound thirds are the double-wound series. Using the MM strings gets you a wound third, but only if you want hexagonal cores and a 15 thou' top string (which is great for your slide style and material but man-up or not, such a heavy top string isn't my first choice for a non-slide dedicated instrument.) Perhaps there isn't sufficient detail on the website because none of the gauges in the "Lucidity" matrix are denoted with a "W" so it's possible that one or more of those sets have a wound third.
All this started for me when I bought a dozen packets of "Olympic" strings at a giveaway price, and I was immediately smitten with the sound of the wound third on an electric. Less so with the bottom "E"s that refused to intonate on any guitar on which I tried them. The eBay vendor kindly refunded me half of the string sets and with the cash I bought a dozen Rotosound low "E"s, but what a palaver? And that is what buying individual wound thirds to add to other sets from (eg) Newtone would be. The strings themselves are as most of us are aware fantastic.
e&oe ...
|
|
|
Post by Michael Messer on Jun 8, 2021 18:20:10 GMT
Steve, Maybe I am misunderstanding you, but MM nickel Resonator Strings have a round core that makes them more flexible than hexagonal core strings. They come in three sets 13/56 / 15/56 / 16/59. The 13/56 set should be fine, and as the top two strings are just plain unwound steel, you could a 12 and 15 on there. It is the MM Slide Classics that have a hexagonal core, and I tend to mostly use the nickel Resonator Strings on my electrics.
Shine On Michael
|
|
|
Post by Stevie on Jun 8, 2021 21:59:18 GMT
OK thanks Michael. I was just looking through the electric guitar section. The resonator strings should be fine if I stick to the 13 thou' set, if not then I can use my spare D'Addario top "E"s from the coated sets I use on my Sobell. I didn't intend this to be a discussion about MM strings but it has gone down that route. Perhaps you would rather this thread moved to the Main Street section?
Thanks for the lead on not being restricted to electric guitar strings, I should have realised since I have long used the coated D'Addario acoustic strings on my Heritage Sweet16. I tried Newtone's Double Wound "jazz" strings on that guitar, but it was a rare exception in not working very well with Newtones.
e&oe ...
|
|
|
Post by leeophonic on Jun 9, 2021 3:51:02 GMT
I tried a plain 3rd after watching a stefan Grossman slide video, it was not for me but seemed to work on his vintage stella.
Lee
|
|
|
Post by Michael Messer on Jun 9, 2021 7:18:31 GMT
OK thanks Michael. I was just looking through the electric guitar section. The resonator strings should be fine if I stick to the 13 thou' set, if not then I can use my spare D'Addario top "E"s from the coated sets I use on my Sobell. I didn't intend this to be a discussion about MM strings but it has gone down that route. Perhaps you would rather this thread moved to the Main Street section? Thanks for the lead on not being restricted to electric guitar strings, I should have realised since I have long used the coated D'Addario acoustic strings on my Heritage Sweet16. I tried Newtone's Double Wound "jazz" strings on that guitar, but it was a rare exception in not working very well with Newtones. e&oe ...Steve, a plain unwound D'Addario is identical to a plain unwound Newtone. This is because both companies use the same wire supplier. Shine On Michael
|
|
|
Post by Stevie on Jun 9, 2021 8:47:05 GMT
Yes I know that MM. That's why I said I could use the unused top "E"s from the D'Addario sets. Wound thirds are a different matter though, you don't find spare wound tbirds in sets of strings!
Actually, I like an 11 thou' top string set and generally go for heavier bottom strings if there's an option. I stuck with tens for years but moved on to elevens a good decade ago. I have a Warmoth neck / Koa Schecter body S-type that I made donkey's years ago, but I could never get it to play to my taste, so I deployed the services of a high-ish profile "luthier" down here in the south. I left him a set of Nickel Masters in 11 thou' gauge to put on the instrument. When I went to collect and pay the (by now) £160 bill (he insisted the frets had needed re-profiling) he had put on a set of tens and said "you don't want elevens." I got the Newtones back of course, but I was livid. OTOH, fair play to the man; he did make a very good job of the guitar which has stainless-steel frets on a compound radius neck ... It still doesn't "fight back" like all the other electrics with elevens though so it's still not quite to my taste. Perhaps I'll chance a set of heavier strings on it one of these days, but the memory of the £160 set up still stings a bit and I don't want to chance it really.
My obsession with wound thirds is a more recent thing.
e&oe ...
|
|
|
Post by slide496 on Jun 9, 2021 14:03:25 GMT
I have wound 3rds on all my acoustics, and I'm not sure why some vintage acoustic players seek out plain, but they do - I've read it has to do with bending, maybe it has to do with ladder bracing, also I found if I was bar sliding including that one (non-slide) it was noisier than the 2nd, 1st.
The D'addario sets that I have for electric that have 24 gauge wound 3rds 12-52 are the Pro Steels and Half Rounds (EPS590, EHR350)
I also have a set of D'addario Chrome 11-50 with a 22 w (ECG24)
H
|
|
|
Post by Stevie on Jun 9, 2021 14:51:50 GMT
The D'Addario Chromes appear to be good on the face of it for both gauge and wound third criteria. Are they round cored Harriet? One of the things about this Forum is that I long ago discovered that I preferred the "feel" of round cored strings, and that's at least a part of moving up through the gauges. I'm more than happy with MM Resonator strings on my Lightning/Blues, but those gauges don't lend themselves to my current approach to electric playing.
e&oe ...
|
|
|
Post by slide496 on Jun 9, 2021 15:16:41 GMT
Hi Stevie,
Those are hex-core. I just bought them for testing and mainly use a standard nickel hex-core 12-52 set, occasionally I switch off to a pro steel, BUT if you are interested in wound you might substitute a wound one from their packs and see if you like it. I can't really tell the difference other than whenever I've tested other than the standard D'addario so far, those strings don't stay on more than a day - maybe I am just used to the nickel, or it's what the electric requires. My parlor resonators on the other hand demand -and get - roundcore MM Newtones, cheeky little things...
H
|
|
|
Post by leeophonic on Jun 9, 2021 18:42:08 GMT
Daddario chromes are my preferred string, on electric spanish and lap steels, I have had sets on literally years, in the long run good value for money. Lee
|
|