One caveat about Fast Fret, Express Shine, etc. : Be careful about what chemicals and products you use on instruments. Some can soak into the wood, or remain on the finish, and wreak havoc for future repair or touch-up. And, just because a product is labeled for instrument use, doesn't mean that it is safe for all instruments and finishes. If you must use, use sparingly. And, never use any product containing silicone!
__________________
Daver
Inveterate Tinkerer
Tobie :
from
South Africa with
posts since02.21.2006...
I was just wondering since regular string replacement is a fact of life for all of us: why don't we maintain a "Strings and Suppliers" thread in the Sticky section and as we buy (or discover bargains), we update it with the best price & the relevant supplier?
MikeConner :
from
Seneca SC with
posts since07.08.2008...
String gauges…another subject I can’t pass on. A little history and experience FWIW.
Not too many years ago…mid 60’s to mid 70’s…there were NO DOBRO SETS. Everybody bought guitar strings and changed one or more to a different gauge.
My son and I decided to make up properly sized gauges for a Dobro set. (Stacey Phillips did that at about the same time). We decided that the cone would work more evenly with even tension on all strings. So we came up with a set the best as we could. We used the data printed on D’Addario strings and went for the target of about 35 lb. per string. This would result in 6 X 35 or 210 Lbs total tension on the tailpiece.
Let me say here that I’m not using exact figures …I’m using nice round numbers to make the example easy.
The strings won’t let you get exact. For example on their 18 plain, they have it listed for the notes of B-29.5…G-18.6…A-23.4. The second # is the tension AT that note. You can see where the tension goes up with the note. Most of their strings have the same info for 2 or 3 note usage for that string.
So, with all that said, with 2 later changes, I have stayed with the original sizes. I find it interesting to see that many of today’s sets have similar gauges with only minor differences in most cases.
If I were sizing for different tuning, I would go for the gauge that would give me the note I wanted when the tension was in the 30 to 40 lb. range. When at proper tune, one should be able to press down on the individual strings and feel about the same tension on each. I believe this helps get a more even tone and volume across all stings.
Now…the exception…and this ALWAYS rules…what do you want it to sound like? I love the "slack" tuning sound on some tunes and on some instruments. The Old Spinning Wheel in slack "D" Like Frank Poindexter does it is great.(using the original G tuning strings) Banjo tuning for Home Sweet Home in "C" or "D" is what I want to hear.
For general usage, I think the Resonator works best within the tension range mentioned but with modifications to get the sound you want out of each string.
MikeConner :
from
Seneca SC with
posts since07.08.2008...
So what are the gauges you settled on for standard G tuning? As I was compiling the overview I saw some tension information and considered adding it, but thought it might make the table(s) too busy. I think JustStrings has tension data for some of the brands or sets. If you have some information at hand or can point me in the right direction I would be happy to add another page to the overview with tension tables and your comments from above!
Comments
Mike: Thanks for the compilation.
One caveat about Fast Fret, Express Shine, etc. : Be careful about what chemicals and products you use on instruments. Some can soak into the wood, or remain on the finish, and wreak havoc for future repair or touch-up. And, just because a product is labeled for instrument use, doesn't mean that it is safe for all instruments and finishes. If you must use, use sparingly. And, never use any product containing silicone!
Daver
Inveterate Tinkerer
I was just wondering since regular string replacement is a fact of life for all of us: why don't we maintain a "Strings and Suppliers" thread in the Sticky section and as we buy (or discover bargains), we update it with the best price & the relevant supplier?
I updated the attachment in my original post above based on the comments. //mike
Oops, update didn't take! I'm attaching thre revision here. Is there a way to fix the original post with the new attachment?
Grrr! I don't know how to do this correctly. I've renamed the file and attaching again!
No success. Can someone help me with some instructions on how to repalce the attachment with the update?
-- I'd rather perish in justice than prosper under imperialism --
Nice work, Mike -
Perhaps a future update could include Paul Beard's strings...
Gary
East Snook, TX
String gauges…another subject I can’t pass on. A little history and experience FWIW.
Not too many years ago…mid 60’s to mid 70’s…there were NO DOBRO SETS. Everybody bought guitar strings and changed one or more to a different gauge.
My son and I decided to make up properly sized gauges for a Dobro set. (Stacey Phillips did that at about the same time). We decided that the cone would work more evenly with even tension on all strings. So we came up with a set the best as we could. We used the data printed on D’Addario strings and went for the target of about 35 lb. per string. This would result in 6 X 35 or 210 Lbs total tension on the tailpiece.
Let me say here that I’m not using exact figures …I’m using nice round numbers to make the example easy.
The strings won’t let you get exact. For example on their 18 plain, they have it listed for the notes of B-29.5…G-18.6…A-23.4. The second # is the tension AT that note. You can see where the tension goes up with the note. Most of their strings have the same info for 2 or 3 note usage for that string.
So, with all that said, with 2 later changes, I have stayed with the original sizes. I find it interesting to see that many of today’s sets have similar gauges with only minor differences in most cases.
If I were sizing for different tuning, I would go for the gauge that would give me the note I wanted when the tension was in the 30 to 40 lb. range. When at proper tune, one should be able to press down on the individual strings and feel about the same tension on each. I believe this helps get a more even tone and volume across all stings.
Now…the exception…and this ALWAYS rules…what do you want it to sound like? I love the "slack" tuning sound on some tunes and on some instruments. The Old Spinning Wheel in slack "D" Like Frank Poindexter does it is great.(using the original G tuning strings) Banjo tuning for Home Sweet Home in "C" or "D" is what I want to hear.
For general usage, I think the Resonator works best within the tension range mentioned but with modifications to get the sound you want out of each string.
Bob,
So what are the gauges you settled on for standard G tuning? As I was compiling the overview I saw some tension information and considered adding it, but thought it might make the table(s) too busy. I think JustStrings has tension data for some of the brands or sets. If you have some information at hand or can point me in the right direction I would be happy to add another page to the overview with tension tables and your comments from above!