String selection in realtion to pickup choice.

[Artie]

Let me ask this question in two ways: In general, and as it relates to my specific needs.

Lets talk about a Strat. You can do "vintage" singles; SSL-1/2's, or Antiquity's.
You can do the new noiseless singles, as in the STK series.
Or you can do single-sized hums. Lil 59, JB Jr, etc.

Does that affect your choice of string gauge and/or brand? Or, is a Strat a Strat?

In my specific case, I'm going with a set of STK-S4/S4/S6 for N/M/B.
Do I just do my favorite Strat string set, or do I adjust for them being noise-less?

Am I over-thinking this?

Artie

 

[mrpinter]

Re: String selection in realtion to pickup choice.

I think that with each new guitar, and each change in pickups, your string selection should be re-visited. I've got two teles: one is a 72 Thinline style with two humbuckers, and the other is a traditional body. I am using Thomastik-Infeld Blues Sliders on the Thinline, but when I got the other Tele - that I had built with a Seymour Duncan Vintage single coil in the neck, and a SD Broadcaster in the bridge position, the guitar seemed to want something to build on it's inherently mellower sound. So I put on a set of Thomastik Jazz Swing flatwounds. That is a great string for old school r & B and soul, as well as jazz. I'm very happy with the way each guitar sounds, and they're both really different.

 

[Artie]

Re: String selection in realtion to pickup choice.

I think that with each new guitar, and each change in pickups, your string selection should be re-visited.

Yeah, that makes sense.

But I'm still curious where to start. Since I'm going noise-less, I wonder if I should go with a little more "girth". I normally play 10's.
Should I start with 11's, to give a little more "bite". Or should I step back to 9's to compensate for the slight loss of "bell" and "chime" of the noise-less? :scratchch

 

[kramersteen]

Re: String selection in realtion to pickup choice.

I use the same strings/picks on all my guitars.

Best combo known to man. Jazz 3 picks with Ernie'z ball'z 9-42 super slinkersereresdffshdgfsyidt

 

[Artie]

Re: String selection in realtion to pickup choice.

Jazz 3 picks with Ernie'z ball'z 9-42 super slinkersereresdffshdgfsyidt

Oddly enough, I know exactly what you're saying. I'm having an IPA myself.

 

[JeffB]

Re: String selection in realtion to pickup choice.

Every guitar and pickup set reacts differently. Even among the same model guitar. Every brand and type of strings within the brand sounds and feels different. .I always try several different sets of strings to find what feels and sounds best for each guitar. I have a few go to sets, and a few never works for me no matter what brands (usually cos I hate the tone).

 

[Artie]

Re: String selection in realtion to pickup choice.

Thanks Jeff. That's pretty much what mrpinter said. I guess I'll just start with my favorite Everly B-52 10's.

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: String selection in realtion to pickup choice.

I tend to use the same strings...both brand and gauge on all my guitars regardless of pickups, scale, etc...

Sometimes I go up a gauge for some applications but I try to keep everything the same.

 

[Artie]

Re: String selection in realtion to pickup choice.

That's interesting. I would've never guessed that. Now I'm wondering if string gauge has more to do with fingers than guitars.

 

[uOpt]

Re: String selection in realtion to pickup choice.

I use pretty thin strings normally but a vintage class Strat pickup just gets too wimpy with them.

On bass it makes a huge difference, I've been cross-testing different strings and basses for months.

 

[PFDarkside]

Re: String selection in realtion to pickup choice.

You should probably reevaluate, but I just use Slinky 10's. then again, I try to make the pickups a function of the guitar, not the other way around. (Select the correct pickups based on what the individual guitar needs)

 

[Artie]

Re: String selection in realtion to pickup choice.

Ernie Ball Slinky's were my "go-to" strings for a long time. But lately, I've liked D'Addario's for my humbucker guitars, and Everly B-52's for my Strat/Tele's. They just have that "spank" that I like.

 

[aleclee]

Re: String selection in realtion to pickup choice.

I choose strings based more on feel than tone. It's not that strings don't affect tone but it's not so much that I can't account for the difference elsewhere in my signal chain.

 

[erksin]

Re: String selection in realtion to pickup choice.

It's been my experience that each guitar eventually tells you what the right gauge is for it - and it depends on a number of factors like fret height, bridge type, set up, scale length, string pull from the pickups, etc.

I used to just use the same gauge on every guitar I owned regardless of type - LP, Strat, Danelectro - didn't matter. I was never 100% satisfied with any guitar I owned and would chase my tail with hardware or pickup swaps, still wasn't content. I found years later on a suggestion by a friend to try some different gauges that I was missing out on a lot of nuances of certain instruments because I was using either a gauge that was too light or heavy for the particular guitar.

The differences after switching were not always subtle either - especially on guitars with lower output pickups or simple bridge designs where a lot of harmonic transients are transmitted.

It definitely pays to experiment - not only with gauges but materials too. It's amazing what a $7 pack of strings can do for your sound.

 

[AlexR]

Re: String selection in realtion to pickup choice.

I don't change brand, but the gauge and whether I choose the guitar to be in standard or 1/2 step down all depends on the setup and how it feels. Some guitars for inexplicable reasons just sound better with a certain combination.

 

[erksin]

Re: String selection in realtion to pickup choice.

I don't change brand, but the gauge and whether I choose the guitar to be in standard or 1/2 step down all depends on the setup and how it feels. Some guitars for inexplicable reasons just sound better with a certain combination.

It's not really 'inexplicable' - strings are part of a system of components that make a guitar sound the way it does. Some guitars need a higher tension string to make them resonate properly, others don't require it - some can't handle a fatter gauge and over-compress, etc. It's a balancing act.

My main guitar is LP Special with P-90s and a wraptail bridge. I've tried several types and gauges on it - 9-42s up to 11-54s, nickels vs. steels, roundwounds/flatwounds. Certain combinations of these ingredients just did not work on this guitar - too light a gauge and it was just acoustically dead and lost a lot of zing and sustain when plugged in. Too heavy and my neck pickup was muddy on the wound strings. A steel 10-46 set was what this guitar wanted to see - just enough tension to get the bridge resonating, but not so fat on the wound side that the neck pickup over-compressed and turned flabby.

 

[SongsForTheDeaf]

Re: String selection in realtion to pickup choice.

I use Ernie Ball regular slinkys on my Tele deluxe and Ibanez Roadcore... tried GHS boomers once and did not like them. Been with Ernie Ball strings since I started!!

 

[uOpt]

Re: String selection in realtion to pickup choice.

I don't want to go all meta here, but...

... the important thing I realized lately is that it's actually worth the effort to find out an individual guitar's preference. I have been using Dean Markley NickelSteel 09-46 or 10-52 since -waht- 1983 on all my guitars, so I never noticed. Now that strings are cheaper than a starbucks coffee there's no excuse.

 

[MacBradley]

Re: String selection in realtion to pickup choice.

I don't want to go all meta here, but...

... the important thing I realized lately is that it's actually worth the effort to find out an individual guitar's preference. I have been using Dean Markley NickelSteel 09-46 or 10-52 since -waht- 1983 on all my guitars, so I never noticed. Now that strings are cheaper than a starbucks coffee there's no excuse.

I tend to be more metaphysical, minus the meta. If it has an F-hole, I'll usually fill that how see how it reacts to the size/gauge. If there is no F-hole, I wank around with it for a bit and just see how if it feels right.