What good is a wound G string?
- Thread starter Hecubus
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St_Genesius
New member
Re: What good is a wound G string?
It's good for keeping me from being able to bend worth a damn!
It's good for keeping me from being able to bend worth a damn!
daemon barbeque
Zuhahahaologist
Re: What good is a wound G string?
Yeah for baritones with 12/70 is good i think!!!I want to give it a try.Better riffing for shure.But for soloing???
Yeah for baritones with 12/70 is good i think!!!I want to give it a try.Better riffing for shure.But for soloing???
frankfalbo
In Fluence Y'all
Re: What good is a wound G string?
I hate 'em on electrics. I'd rather play a plain .019. A wound .2x actually feels like it's under less tension because the inner core is so much thinner. But then when you go to bend, you have to travel farther to reach pitch, and it tightens up during the bend much sooner. On a Baritone it might make sense, but on my long scale 7 (Schecter 26 1/2") I use a plain G, but I tune to standard pitch. I got the long scale to sound clearer at A440, not to get lower notes.
The wound G is kind of a must if you're playing an electric guitar with piezos and you want to really emulate the acoustic sound. But if you favor the electric feel, then stick with the plain G. And of course on Jazzboxes I feel it's a must for tonal purity. If you aren't bending that string, it's more about how it sounds acoustically.
I hate 'em on electrics. I'd rather play a plain .019. A wound .2x actually feels like it's under less tension because the inner core is so much thinner. But then when you go to bend, you have to travel farther to reach pitch, and it tightens up during the bend much sooner. On a Baritone it might make sense, but on my long scale 7 (Schecter 26 1/2") I use a plain G, but I tune to standard pitch. I got the long scale to sound clearer at A440, not to get lower notes.
The wound G is kind of a must if you're playing an electric guitar with piezos and you want to really emulate the acoustic sound. But if you favor the electric feel, then stick with the plain G. And of course on Jazzboxes I feel it's a must for tonal purity. If you aren't bending that string, it's more about how it sounds acoustically.
some_dude
Raging BB Gunologist
Re: What good is a wound G string?
I use a custom guage set of GHS Boomers that's basically a DYM set (13-56, wnd 3rd) with a .070 on the 6th string (C# or drop B) on my Strat. I use this axe for alot of heavy chord work and not alot of soloing, thus my preference for the wound 3rd. If you like to bend alot, you probably won't like a wound 3rd.
I use a custom guage set of GHS Boomers that's basically a DYM set (13-56, wnd 3rd) with a .070 on the 6th string (C# or drop B) on my Strat. I use this axe for alot of heavy chord work and not alot of soloing, thus my preference for the wound 3rd. If you like to bend alot, you probably won't like a wound 3rd.
BigDreamer
New member
Re: What good is a wound G string?
i use em (though they are actually bass G strings) on my super 7-string baritone which i tune 4 octaves down and then use a few octave lowering effects to get where i need to be. because like many death metal bands have proven, "the closer you are to the brown note, the cooler you are." :laugh2: jk..................................not really.
but seriously, i'm not sure if i'd like it or not. i'm considering down the line, if a ever have an extra guitar to keep in Db, at least giving them a shot.
i use em (though they are actually bass G strings) on my super 7-string baritone which i tune 4 octaves down and then use a few octave lowering effects to get where i need to be. because like many death metal bands have proven, "the closer you are to the brown note, the cooler you are." :laugh2: jk..................................not really.
but seriously, i'm not sure if i'd like it or not. i'm considering down the line, if a ever have an extra guitar to keep in Db, at least giving them a shot.
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Zerberus
Baron Von Shred
Re: What good is a wound G string?
I love wound G strings, unwound strings just generally sound like **** to me, too jangly and piercing....
Dude, the range of Human hearing only extends 2 octaves down from a normal seven string´s B string
Said "subcontra B" is already 18Hz (1 octave under the normal B on a standard 5 tring) and is already inaudible for most. 2 further octaves down from that would be 4.5 Hz, you can very literally SEE the string going back and forth at that frequency.... the only thing any person can hear at those frequencies is noise from crappy electronics (which is a much higher frequency).... Right now I think you´re stretching the truth just a LITTLE bit
I love wound G strings, unwound strings just generally sound like **** to me, too jangly and piercing....
BigDreamer said:
Dude, the range of Human hearing only extends 2 octaves down from a normal seven string´s B string
Said "subcontra B" is already 18Hz (1 octave under the normal B on a standard 5 tring) and is already inaudible for most. 2 further octaves down from that would be 4.5 Hz, you can very literally SEE the string going back and forth at that frequency.... the only thing any person can hear at those frequencies is noise from crappy electronics (which is a much higher frequency).... Right now I think you´re stretching the truth just a LITTLE bit
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Loserchief
SwingingIdiot
Re: What good is a wound G string?
i'm using 11-52s on fender-scale in standard tuning, with a wound G(0.20). it just sounds better and also feels better. The difference for bends and vibrato is neglectable for myself,but it gets better tone imo.
i'm using 11-52s on fender-scale in standard tuning, with a wound G(0.20). it just sounds better and also feels better. The difference for bends and vibrato is neglectable for myself,but it gets better tone imo.
BigDreamer
New member
Re: What good is a wound G string?
I know that. The brown note, if it exists, is completely inaudible. The only thing you'll be hearing is the sound of your bowels a' shiftin'. :laugh2:
I know that. The brown note, if it exists, is completely inaudible. The only thing you'll be hearing is the sound of your bowels a' shiftin'. :laugh2:
L
Lewguitar
Guest
Re: What good is a wound G string?
A wound G string sounds better and balances with the other five srings better!
The only reason I put up with the lousy tone of an unwound G string on my electric guitars is so I can bend notes more easily...but the unwound G does not sound as good to me.
I use wound G's on all of my acoustic guitars and resonator guitars...I don't tend to bend notes so much on those.
Lew
A wound G string sounds better and balances with the other five srings better!
The only reason I put up with the lousy tone of an unwound G string on my electric guitars is so I can bend notes more easily...but the unwound G does not sound as good to me.
I use wound G's on all of my acoustic guitars and resonator guitars...I don't tend to bend notes so much on those.
Lew
danglybanger
ReelItInologist
Re: What good is a wound G string?
I used flatwounds on my Jag for a year, 11s with wound G.
Tone was great. Bending was nightmarish.
Eventually I decided it would be a decent tradeoff to pull them off for normal 10s. Sounding more like Sonic Youth than the Beach Boys ain't a bad thing
slade
I used flatwounds on my Jag for a year, 11s with wound G.
Tone was great. Bending was nightmarish.
Eventually I decided it would be a decent tradeoff to pull them off for normal 10s. Sounding more like Sonic Youth than the Beach Boys ain't a bad thing
slade
Zerberus
Baron Von Shred
Re: What good is a wound G string?
the balance is especially true of staggered strat singles, where the disproportionately high G pole causes a larrge outüput jump when sed with modern lighter sets..., the problem is that a plain G is actually the thickest core in a standard 3 plain /3 wd set, and the thick core causes that output jump in combination with the now too close pole
Lewguitar said:
the balance is especially true of staggered strat singles, where the disproportionately high G pole causes a larrge outüput jump when sed with modern lighter sets..., the problem is that a plain G is actually the thickest core in a standard 3 plain /3 wd set, and the thick core causes that output jump in combination with the now too close pole
Davey
Goliath of Tone
Re: What good is a wound G string?
i cant say i prefer either..
though fat strings definately felt better under my palm/fingers.
i had a 7 string 11 to 58 set .. which made for a 14-58 6 string set and tuned that to drop B. tension remained kind of the same and i havent felt any decrease in bending ability.
i cant say i prefer either..
though fat strings definately felt better under my palm/fingers.
i had a 7 string 11 to 58 set .. which made for a 14-58 6 string set and tuned that to drop B. tension remained kind of the same and i havent felt any decrease in bending ability.
ErikH
Well-known member
Re: What good is a wound G string?
And that makes perfect sense considering that when the Strat came out in 1954, the then normal strings had a wound G. Maybe Jimi was on to something (his poles were reversed putting the G pole on the D and so on)...Hmmmm (pondering).....nahhh, it's cause he was lefty.Zerberus said:the balance is especially true of staggered strat singles, where the disproportionately high G pole causes a larrge outüput jump when sed with modern lighter sets..., the problem is that a plain G is actually the thickest core in a standard 3 plain /3 wd set, and the thick core causes that output jump in combination with the now too close pole
L
Lewguitar
Guest
Re: What good is a wound G string?
Yep. Prior to about 1966 or so almost everyone used a wound G string on thier Strats, Teles, etc. And the stagger of the polepieces was designed for a wound G string.
There were a few guys who were hip to the unwound G string (James Burton with Ricky Nelson was one) and what they'd do is buy a set of Gibson Sonomatics and throw away the low E string. Then they'd move them all down one so the A string became the Low E string, etc. The unwound B string would become the G string and for the high E they'd use a banjo string!
George Harrison did not use an unwound G string on most of the Beatles early stuff...and you can hear him struggling to bend the ocassional note too! One reason his playing sounded a little stiff...especially live.
First set of strings I ever saw with an unwound G was the Fender Rock N Roll set...would've been around '66.
I didn't like them at first! But I learned to like 'em when I started listening to more blues and started wanting to bend notes instead of slide up on the string to raise the pitch. I was just a kid...
But I went back and forth for a while...took me a while to get used to the strings being so loose!
Lew
Zerberus said:the balance is especially true of staggered strat singles, where the disproportionately high G pole causes a larrge outüput jump when sed with modern lighter sets..., the problem is that a plain G is actually the thickest core in a standard 3 plain /3 wd set, and the thick core causes that output jump in combination with the now too close pole
Yep. Prior to about 1966 or so almost everyone used a wound G string on thier Strats, Teles, etc. And the stagger of the polepieces was designed for a wound G string.
There were a few guys who were hip to the unwound G string (James Burton with Ricky Nelson was one) and what they'd do is buy a set of Gibson Sonomatics and throw away the low E string. Then they'd move them all down one so the A string became the Low E string, etc. The unwound B string would become the G string and for the high E they'd use a banjo string!
George Harrison did not use an unwound G string on most of the Beatles early stuff...and you can hear him struggling to bend the ocassional note too! One reason his playing sounded a little stiff...especially live.
First set of strings I ever saw with an unwound G was the Fender Rock N Roll set...would've been around '66.
I didn't like them at first! But I learned to like 'em when I started listening to more blues and started wanting to bend notes instead of slide up on the string to raise the pitch. I was just a kid...
But I went back and forth for a while...took me a while to get used to the strings being so loose!
Lew
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frankfalbo
In Fluence Y'all
Re: What good is a wound G string?
I like the Jimi stagger. I don't know why all the manufacturers have stuck so dilligently to the Fender stagger. I'll take a flat any day. On all my pickups where I can control the stagger, I pretty much reverse the stagger between the G and B.
I like the Jimi stagger. I don't know why all the manufacturers have stuck so dilligently to the Fender stagger. I'll take a flat any day. On all my pickups where I can control the stagger, I pretty much reverse the stagger between the G and B.
jacksonknox27
New member
Re: What good is a wound G string?
for me, if the g string gets thicker than a .020 than i like it wound. Having a thick plain string is painful to my ears and fingers
for me, if the g string gets thicker than a .020 than i like it wound. Having a thick plain string is painful to my ears and fingers
