Put 13s on my Dot Deluxe today...

[JB_From_Hell]

... and thought it sounded and felt really great. Then I remembered that Billy Gibbons uses 7s and realized I was wrong

Seriously, I’ve been making a go at learning real jazz. Setup this way (Uber-heavy strings, wound G, lower action), the Dot is a bebop machine. Even with the stock pickups, switch to the neck, roll back the tone just a little, and it’s like it was designed for this.

The store didn’t have 13s, so I useda D’Addario 7 string set minus the .010. The .059 is kinda boomy, so maybe I’ll go with 12-52 next time and get a .013 and .017 for the top.

 

[Silence Kid]

Re: Put 13s on my Dot Deluxe today...

For a while I used flatwound 13s on a guitar (Dadarrio Chromes.) Jazzy for sure, but I got tired of being double cock-blocked by the wound G when doing bends out of instinct. Finally took them off when I got scared of what I might be doing to the neck (that neck is fine to this day, btw.) Even large gauge round-wounds are much more adaptable to me than flats; but I have a feeling for your goals, flats might work even better.

 

[Clint 55]

Re: Put 13s on my Dot Deluxe today...

Happy times. Yep, Billy Gibbons uses 7s and tone is in the fingers so you're wrong What tunes are you working?

 

[Chistopher]

Re: Put 13s on my Dot Deluxe today...

Heavy strings definitely help for Jazz, but a set of Charlie Christian style pickups and a strap done up way too high will make you an out of this world jazz machine.

 

[JB_From_Hell]

Re: Put 13s on my Dot Deluxe today...

Silence Kid - I might try Chromes at some point, simply because I never have, and I agonized over the wound G. Ultimately, I went with it (and heavier than necessary, I know the 12s would've been fine) because I bend so much. I'm trying to get more into sliding, and less bends and vibrato.

Christopher - I wear it almost like I'm holding it under my bicep. For this style, it's comfortable like that. If I'm playing blues, it slides down a little

What tunes are you working?

Do you listen to Guitar Wank? If not, it's a jazz-centric podcast featuring Scott Henderson and Bruce Forman. Bruce just did a rundown of the top 10 songs for a beginner to learn, and here they are:

1) Summertime
2) Honeysuckle Rose
3) Take the A Train
4) Autumn Leaves
5) All the Things You Are
6) There Will Never Be Another You
7) Just Friends
8) Green Dolphin Street
9) Ain't Misbehavin/It Could Happen to You (he likes both for the same reason)
10) Stella by Starlight

I figured I'd start at the top of the list and work my way through it. I'm working on getting a playlist of really good versions of all of them together to really learn the songs before I try to learn to play them. My favorite jazz guitarists are all current people (Bruce, Julian Lage, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Scofield), so I need to work my way back to Wes and go forward. Oddly, I'm more well versed with jazz sax players than guitarists.

 

[Clint 55]

Re: Put 13s on my Dot Deluxe today...

Good tunes. No bluez?!! That's probably the easiest for a beginner to learn. I haven't heard of that podcast. I'm mostly into ded guys, but I'll investigate those players.

Listened to Bruce Forman - $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

 

[ItsaBass]

Re: Put 13s on my Dot Deluxe today...

I learned guitar with 15-58's on my '80's MIJ '50's-style Strat (which had EMG pickups), and played it that way for 10 years before ever using another gauge. My go-to now is heavy-bottomed 11's or straight 12's, though I do put straight 10's on a guitar or two. Welcome to the club!

As for wound G, I do that on a few guitars. I like it a lot on Fenders (it absolutely kills on vintage style Strats), but not so much on Gibsons.

Flats: never anything but flats on bass, but I don't use them on guitars.

 

[ehdwuld]

Re: Put 13s on my Dot Deluxe today...

I have lately become fond of ground round strings
Daddarrio grinds round wound strings to flat outer layer
This is supposed to give you the feel.of flats with the sound of round

 

[DavidRavenMoon]

Re: Put 13s on my Dot Deluxe today...

... and thought it sounded and felt really great. Then I remembered that Billy Gibbons uses 7s and realized I was wrong

Seriously, I’ve been making a go at learning real jazz. Setup this way (Uber-heavy strings, wound G, lower action), the Dot is a bebop machine. Even with the stock pickups, switch to the neck, roll back the tone just a little, and it’s like it was designed for this.

The store didn’t have 13s, so I useda D’Addario 7 string set minus the .010. The .059 is kinda boomy, so maybe I’ll go with 12-52 next time and get a .013 and .017 for the top.

If you really want to be proper old school jazz you need flatwounds on that guitar. Seriously. I had them on an ES-330TD.

Also remember that jazz players didn’t normally bend strings. That’s why all the early rock guys (Hendrix, Page, Beck, etc.) put banjo strings on their guitars, and why EB made slinky’s. Page also uses 7s or 8s

Lots of modern jazz guys use light gauge strings these days.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[PFDarkside]

Re: Put 13s on my Dot Deluxe today...

So Bluesy Jazzy....

Try a lighter wound G.

I’d like to throw some Chromes on a guitar sometime.

 

[JB_From_Hell]

Re: Put 13s on my Dot Deluxe today...

The only flats the local place stocks are Chromes 11-50. I did get to try a used Epiphone Joe Pass strung with flats... It was interesting. The ES-175 needs a little TLC, so maybe I'll order some heavier ones and try them on that. I think I'm going to stick with round for the Dot since it sounds way better than my playing as is. I am going to drop down to the 12-52 set, though, once I get my bending & shaking tendencies under control.

Did I mention how awesome it is to get the tone I'm after by plugging straight into the amp and playing at a sane volume?

 

[Clint 55]

Re: Put 13s on my Dot Deluxe today...

That is awesome to get good tone without having to blast it. I love d standard for that.

 

[dazzlindino]

Re: Put 13s on my Dot Deluxe today...

One should never use 13's...thats bad luck...or be post #13....

 

[Clint 55]

Re: Put 13s on my Dot Deluxe today...

Workin the tunes.