Do y'all use plain or wound 3rd strings?

[Rex_Rocker]

If you use a wound 3rd, does your set come with a wound 3rd or do you buy it separately?

I use the Ernie Ball 11-54 on my Strat and 12-56 on my Les Paul. I really HATE the plain 3rd strings. I don't hate plain 3rd strings by default, but the way they designed these sets... that plain 3rd is just too much.

I know they do make a 12-56 set with a wound 3rd, but it seems to be OOS everywhere. Wondering if I should maybe buy it separately somewhere.

So... what do y'all use?

 

[Seashore]

When I'm in standard tuning I'm fine with a plain 3rd. I usually use the EB Skinny Top Heavy Bottom set, and for my 7 string I buy a separate .070 for the low B.

Tuning any lower than D, I vastly prefer a wound third and I usually order strings at whatever gauges they need to be for the tension I like in a specific tuning, either from Stringjoy or Kalium.

 

[Rex_Rocker]

Overall, I think I prefer wound thirds, but don't mind plain thirds on lighter gauges. If a set was well planned-out, I don't mind a plain third. I mean, I think a 20 or 19 gauge would be fine on the 12-56. But I don't know who in their right mind would think a plain 24 gauge would sound or play well.

 

[Seashore]

.022 was the iffy gauge for me. I didn't like the sound or feel of a plain one, but the core of the wound ones was so thin it was prone to breaking.

 

[GuitarStv]

I usually use .11s in standard tuning. Tried with a wound third, but find it really hard to do deep bends so have stuck with a plain 3rd. I think if I played mostly jazz or some style without bending I'd go back to the wound third.

 

[GuitarDoc]

Plain...every time, all the time.

 

[JMP/HBE]

Nobody uses a wound 3rd.

 

[Mincer]

Plain...every time, all the time.

Same here, always.

 

[ICTGoober]

Depends on the guitar. My Eastman archtops have wound 3rds (.012 high E), and most of my guitars have plain 3rds (mostly .010 high E). On the mandocello it's all wound, no plains. It's a mix on my acoustic instruments that are not guitars. I haven't looked at the lap steel in a long time, so I can't remember.

 

[Seashore]

Plenty of people use wound 3rds. Just not a lot of rock guitarists who play electrics in standard tuning and never use a 3rd string over .018.

 

[Rex_Rocker]

Nobody uses a wound 3rd.

Everyone who plays a baritone plays a wound 3rd, LOL.

 

[jeremy]

most guitars are in std with an 11 set and plain 18 3rd string. 12-54 flat wounds on the old hollow body which has a wound 24 3rd. all my acoustics have wound thirds as does the baritone.

i agree a plain 24 is crap, anything above a plain 19 and i dont like em. and as mentioned a small core wound string can be more prone to breakage and the feel is quite different

 

[Napthol]

Don't know why anyone would use a wound third, unless you're playing an acoustic. I use .010-.046.

 

[Rex_Rocker]

Don't know why anyone would use a wound third

Because not everyone uses light gauge strings. At some point, really thick plain strings feel and sound like shit.

 

[dave74]

For Eb; 9.5, 12, 16, 26, 36, 46

For D; 10, 13, 17, 28, 38, 48

For C#; 11, 14, 22w, 30, 40, 52

So for me a 17 plain is OK but anything more and I go wound.
I even have some 18w and 20w that come into play for my Carvins since they are shorter scale. Like on my Carvin in D-std I use 10.5, 14, 20w, 30, 40, 50.

 

[JOLLY]

I don't think I've ever even played a guitar with a wound 3rd.

 

[Chistopher]

My ES-175 has a wound third. Makes me wonder why I don't try it on more guitars. I usually play 11's

 

[marcello252]

wound 3rd only with the 0.13 I use tuned down two whole steps