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Strings for the Joe Pass.


TheX

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I normally don't post about strings but I go through a lot of them and use probably 10 different kinds from D'Addario to Savarez and who knows what else. I wanted to try a flat wound string since I had zero experience with them and after getting some advice from a friend that really knows his way around a jazz guitar I bought a set of Thomastik-Infeld Jazz and Swing strings (JS112). The gauge is .050 -.012 and they play wonderfully. The tone unplugged was a bit odd at first (less *brite*) but plugged in they are amazing.

 

Just thought I share a good experience in case any one of you guys likes to play that type of music and would enjoy a new string. They're a bit pricey at ~18 bucks at GC but they are *supposed* to last quite a while.

 

JS112.jpg

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Another option would be D'Addario Chromes' date=' which might not be up to Thomastik standards but they are about half as expensive.[/quote']

 

Hmmm..never tried 'the chromes", I just use D'Addario XL (EJ22) at $9 a pkg. (.013 - .056)..

my Emp IIs don't know the difference between expensive and acceptable strings,

with the t-o-m on them. The expensive strings might make a difference depending

on how hard the picks you use and your picking style..I just do the Wes Montgomery

thumb technique on them most of the time and classical finger style the rest of the

time, so the tone is already muted.

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Check this guy out for great prices on strings...a small guitar/luthier shop in TN..he also builds and sells lap top steels

Dan

 

https://ssl.perfora.net/www.musonmt.com

 

Click on the sidebar at "overview" if you dont see what you're looking for email Bob for info...he sells just about all brands of strings...at good prices. I buy "Chromes" from him...great strings.

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  • 1 month later...

I'd like some advice...currently I have d'addario EXL115 on my joe pass .011, .014, .018, .028, .038, .049...it sounds

good and is a guitar I pick up and play acoustic often enough...however, it is a bit hard for me barre cleanly...I believe the

truss rod needs a slight adjustment, but I was wondering about these d'addario strings:

 

EXL110 .010, .013, .017, .026, .036, .046 (I have these on all my other electrics and like them)

EXL140 .010, .013, .017, .030, .042, .052 light top / heavy bottom

 

remember, I do not play jazz but basic rock, blues, and folky stuff...I like the tone the heavy gauge

strings give the JP acoustic, but not at the expense of barre chords / ease of playing?

 

any thoughts? switch to the EXL110s or maybe a light / middle combo of EXL110/EXL115?

 

hopefully going to luthier tomorrow for another guitar, so timely advice appreciated...thanks

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yeah i use the t-i flats too. tried 11s, 12s and 13s and i liked them all. may stick to the 12s to make things a little easier on me. they make the guitar sound woodier and snappier, especially in the lower registers. mellower all around; leads are fat, warm and fuzzy (less articulation and bite than round wounds). with the maple body/neck of my sheraton, it is a weird combo of both warm and bright. it cuts but it doesn't bite/stab/ice pick (unless you make it with your amp settings). kinda hard to describe, but you'll definitely know who's who on stage.

 

first brand of flatwounds that i have tried. ordered a set of flats from webstrings.com but never tried them out. don't change them very often, only when getting a setup. had one pop at the nut once, but i have no idea how old the strings were at that point. maybe because they are flats the don't have as many surfaces to soak up oils and stuff from your fingers and therefore, last longer. or because they are just duller anyway and you can't tell the difference.

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from what I have read here and elsewhere, flatwounds do indeed sound interesting...but

aren't they usually heavier gauge? although my open chording, single note, and string

bending strength is good, I am still working on effective barres...that's why I was considering the

EXL110s like on my other guitars...thoughts?

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from what I have read here and elsewhere' date=' flatwounds do indeed sound interesting...but

aren't they usually heavier gauge? although my open chording, single note, and string

bending strength is good, I am still working on effective barres...that's why I was considering the

EXL110s like on my other guitars...thoughts? [/quote']

 

I was just looking - D'Addario has Chromes (their flats) in a 10-50 set. I'm gonna try them. Decades ago, I used flats on my Gibsons (no have any more) but haven't tried them yet on my new Dot.

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from what I have read here and elsewhere' date=' flatwounds do indeed sound interesting...but

aren't they usually heavier gauge? although my open chording, single note, and string

bending strength is good, I am still working on effective barres...that's why I was considering the

EXL110s like on my other guitars...thoughts? [/quote']

 

They are heavier...wound third string. But if you can barre on an acoustic with light strings, you can barre on an electric with flats.

 

Order the flatwounds from Webstrings. They're less than half the cost of the Thomastik, and you can see if you like them before you invest some coin. I tried Thomastik strings once...they sounded GREAT...but at that price, they'd damn well better!

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I played a bass with flatwounds and loved it so much I put flatwounds on my bass, and was thinking of putting them on my Joe Pass as well. Unfortunately, the more I played the bass, the less I liked them. Not so much me, but - hard to describe - like my brain kept making me think my fingers were numb just because I couldn't feel the normal bumps you'd excpect on roundwounds. And the lack of expected friction while sliding up and down the strings. Needless to say I'm not going to put them on my Joe Pass.

 

However, I did find that nylonwound roundwounds give me the exact same sound as the flatwounds did, without the wierdness. Anybody make nylonwounds for 6-string guitars?

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