Thomastik flatwounds -- HEAVENLY. Long-lasting, even tension, no need to replace the two high strings with heavier ones for fatter sound. D'Addario - go dead instantly, E and B too flimsy.
Makes perfect sense. I have fought this same battle for years. Following the path of strings swapping. My mistake was not breaking up a set like you did. Thanks for sharing this with us.
Glad it helped, picker! I appreciate you watching and commenting!! It's a struggle for a lot of us and it can often turn into a very expensive and time consuming struggle!
One of the best and most honest discussion of strings I've ever heard. When I've asked other great players, I usually get the stock answer "I use xyz" without any comment on why, or how they got there. Thanks, Rich!
Thanks for sharing your experience, Kenneth. I have heard story after story of this happening for player all over the world which is why I decided it was time to start selling the strings. Thank you so much for watching, commenting, and your overall support for my channel 👍
I tried this string combo earlier, after watching this brilliant video. My guitar sounds so balanced now and it’s not hurting my fingers to play. Great advice Rich
I’ve been using that string set for a couple of years and love them. I added the 13 and 15’s and they are a nice addition. I also took your advice and started wearing a strap. That’s a game changer. Thanks for passing on your knowledge.
Rich Severson I use Thomastik Jazz Swing Extra Lights which have a slightly lower tension because the Trebles are Brass Plated & the Wound Strings (even the Wound G) are Compound Wound (Multiple Wrap Wires wound around the Core) to make them easier to play. My pickups are voiced to work w/ any gauge of strings.
Dear Rich Just tried the D'Addario 010 Chromes. The bass strings of this fresh set had all a very unpleasant metallic, hard tone that I didn't like at all. Therefore, I switched to Thomastik-Infeld 012 Swing set and instantly got a very nice, warm jazzy tone. The strings of this set are well-balanced so imo there's absolutely no need to change the 012 e string with a heavier gauge like 013.
Rich Severson I stuck to the 10 & 14 because I replaced the Original Pickups w/ Rail Hammer Humbucker Pickups. They have Rails for the Bass Strings to get Tight Lows & Poles for the Treble Strings for Fat Highs.
Rich I received 2 sets of your strings and strung up the Eastman Pisano and Andersen Vanguard archtops. I noticed a remarkable improvement in the tone of the guitars, particularly the 1st and 2nd strings; wonderful tone without the tinny overtones. Great feel. You, as usual, have offered very helpful insights and reflections. Thank you.
Thanks for taking the time to let us know, Moondawg! I am so happy you tried them and like them. I think they make a world of difference on the high end strings. I really appreciate all your support for my channel!
Rich Severson Well I stuck to the 10 & the 14 on the Original Extra Light Chromes, I never had any string Buzz because the frets are Special Ultra low Profile Frets & the Pickup magnets are extra strong so they're making the strings move around less.
Rich Severson I replaced the Original Pickups w/ Railhammers so I can switch to Lighter Gauge Strings (like the Magma GE140SF Strings) because these have an Extra Winding in the Coil to compensate for the reduced volume.
What a great video this is Rich. Many thanks for this info. I live in the Uk(Scotland) and had trouble getting your string pack here, so I purchased the D'Addario set you recommended and ordered a single 13 and 15 gauge for the tops. The set and the single 15 arrived fine but the 13 got lost for over a week so I used the 14 in the set for the top e meaning to change to the 13 when it appeared, but I like the way the playability is on my archtop as it is now. Never ever thought of doing this idea of yours, but I love the way it sounds and feels. I’ve tried the heavier flatwounds before but found the bass end too muddy and the top too thin. Top marks to you my friend👍
It's great to hear all these insights into your string preferences and why you like them. I use chromes lite myself but I believe I'd sure like to try your set even though I play fingerstyle rather than jazz. Will definitely give it a try!
Thanks for watching and commenting, Rick! I think my strings will make your fingerstyle pieces sound more balanced with the added fatness on the high-end. Please follow up with me and let me know how they work for you. Thanks for your support!
Thank you Rich!!! I’ve just put a set of your recommended strings on my Ibanez 2455 and it’s absolutely perfect. I would never have figured out that combination. Wow.
Heritage makes awesome instruments. The first "Les Paul" I ever held was a Heritage at Fords music store in Fords, NJ. But, they need to do something about that fugly headstock!
You are so right. I've been playing guitar for 45 years. Originally Classical Guitar, Rock and Jazz Guitar. Strings are the issue for me on Ibanez AF-200 Jazz guitar. I used to play with Thomastic/Infeld 0.12 Flatwounds, Whenever I found in İstanbul preferabbly 0.13's even I've put Geeorge Benson's 0.14 Flat Wounds. Of Course I've used D'adario strings, just like you did, I've changed 0.11's to 0.13's and 2nd string to 0.16's. I bought them seperaely all the time. I'm happy to meet with your video because, I don't want to be in the frequency with a Double Bass Player, I don't want 0.56 on the low (6 th) string, your choice and experience just fits me, and my taste of playing. I would like to try your strings. I'm in just the same idea and I've never found my choice of strings for many years. With regards Rich Severson. Regards from Turkey. :)
I have several sets of TI JS 111 Swing flat wounds and will try replacing the 11 with a 15 as you suggested, the rest of the strings are somewhat close, 15, 19W, 25, 35, 47. If that does not work I'll get your set, thanks! J
Even Jimi Hendrix used a set of 10’s for treble and 9’s for bass. I think that string makers are still stuck in the days of parlor guitars strumming cowboy chords behind a singer. They never adjusted to the guitar as a part of a band, where the bass aspect can get overbearing.
Just changed to strings I purchased from Rich on my Eastman AR810. Gonna test drive them for a while, but so far I am impressed! Thanks for sharing your years of experience with a newby to the Jazz world. Tom
I went thru a similar search/trial-and-error process with picks, which can achieve wildly varying tones on the same set of strings. My faves now are the D'Andrea Pro Plec 358 1.5mm teardrops. To my ears, best for a rich, deep jazz tone...(these are slightly smaller, stiffer and darker in sound than the Fender 358 Heavies, which I played for years and also like)..
Very informative and fun, like all your videos. I mzst admit i just stumbled onto your stuff on you tube recently, but I am a fan. I play mainly blues and rock, but jazz guitar has always been on the radar. Loved the sound of jazz, and the atmosphere, just spento alot of time with the other styles. I think there is alot to be learned from different styles no matter what you play. One of the videos i saw recently was where you were playing a ventura 175 styles. Funny story- in the 70s i bought one at a swap meeting for 50 bucks. Right about when they were importing them from japan. I dintorni know how to fix guitars at all then, and i h a d buzzing pretty bad. So I went back and tragedia him for a 335 knockoff and it wanted much better. Always sorry i gave it up, maybe i will find another. I did find a other years later, a ventura 175 sunburst 69. If only i knew about truss rod and bridge adjustments then. Anyway i really enjoy your show and take care....
Hi Rich. Saw this vid a couple of days ago and yesterday happened to purchase for the first time a 2005 L5CES. The seller was using your choice of gauges! The guitar has a lovely feel and is so easy to play. I think the guitar has something to do with it but that is in combination with strings. The odd thing was the bottom 4 strings were roundwounds! When I have a new guitar I always change the strings anyway so I shall be using your recommended set. I'm in the UK so probably buying from you may be pricey with the shipping? One question, would you recommend the same strings for a totally acoustic archtop such as an early L5 or Epiphone? I currently use a regular set of Martin Monels on my fully carved Loar early L5 'copy' which I generally have to hit quite hard. Thanks
Great video! I've been experimenting with strings for quite some time, partly due to tone/response chasing but also having a multitude of hand issues. I like how you go in depth on things like core size. Another thing of note is round vs hex core. It seems to me round cores(if the main outer size is the same) have more mass than hex core and end up having a little more tension. I find that hex cores are a little less tense and I need to raise the action a little or lower the action for round cores. It seems that I can negate maybe 90% of gauge tension for the fretting hand by lowering the action and adjusting the neck etc. Part of the trick there, I think, is using larger plain strings. If one imagines for a moment that they only have strings E through G which are all of increasing tension string to string, then you can simply grade the action down to accommodate this and you'll have a similar feel on each string. The issue is the plain strings which do not continue the increase in tension curve from low to high. There is a sudden drop in tension there. So if you lower the action on this "grade", the plain strings are now too low and buzz/choke. Upping those plains a gauge or two can help get them lower and help maintain an even feel across the fretboard. Even so, I definitely feel the issue of the G string in a traditional gauged set, especially. Trying to do finger rolls with the 4th digit from the B to G is awkward. I do admit I enjoy the response and right hand feel of the larger gauges. I have Thomastik 13-53 flats on my main guitar (Eastman AR371ce) which feel and sound decent but I do miss the Pyramid flats I had on(14-56 or 13-52). I do appreciate the facilitation of technique that even tension strings like TI's offer. Always a trade off I suppose. I just love those big string sounds guys like Barry Galbraith, Billy Bean and Barney Kessel had...
Thanks, Vayabroder! I actually just bought a Tal Farlow a couple days ago. It is in the mail as we speak and I am very excited for it. I have never had one of my own! Keep an eye out for that video coming soon! Thanks for supporting my channel!!
About a month ago I found your old video where you recommended this. I tried it on my Eastman AR-810CE. The guitar has never played or sounded better. This is the coolest discovery in years. I wish I had known about this trick years ago when I was still gigging. Thanks Rich.
Rich, In fact, your solution is close to the balanced sound of a classical guitar with nylon strings. You've done a great job. It is the aspects of the uneven tone of the strings from E to E that leads to an uneven arrangement of pickups. I constantly see the lowered end under the thick strings on the pickups to compensate for the thin upper and thick lower strings. In the context of clear jazz sound, your string set is perfect for most guitarists. For solid-body guitars that don't have such a big body in the sound, I would recommend taking slightly thicker lower strings, say 50, etc.
Great point, ozotel! Thanks for weighing in! I appreciate you watching and commenting. You could definitely get away with a fatter low end on a solid body guitar, especially if you are using round wounds.
Huh. I did just tilt my pickups heh. Not sure that was the best call. It looks a bit funky but sounds pleasant, but I’m also fairly new to really ‘hearing’ the sound, so I may change my mind later. Thanks for the awesome video!
Thanks Rich! So helpful. Been getting some ring finger pain in my left hand from playing the g + plus playing for hours. Excited to try this set out and get my new guitar set up correctly.
Thank you Rich. I have felt like string packets have never gotten it right and I have been playing since 1968. I just bought a Samick Lasalle after many years of not having a jazz box. I played a 175 next to it and chose the Samick. I can't believe I am saying that. The Samick is an L5 copy and plays well but the strings are so weeny. I will look at your site on the website. Be well my friend.
Interestingly, John Stowell uses 10-38 flatwounds and gets a very fat sound out of his solidbody travel guitar. I think one thing that people forget is that the dynamics of the neck pickup also make a huge difference: he uses a Dimarzio Air Zone, which is super hot (17.5k with alnico 5 magnets), and even light picking comes through sounding huge.
His guitar has incredibly low action, and he plays with incredibly little effort as well, and the amp volume cranked up a bit. A very small change in amount of force to pluck can result in drastic dynamics.
Thanks for your help.I have sorted out my set of strings as per your advice. I started my guitar journey aged 12 yrs mainly because the guy in the flat above us was the guitarist who played with a dance orchestra in London.There were a lot of coming and goings as he was also giving guitar lessons. The instrument he had was a Grimshaw Elite with strings like telephone cables fitted . He was a wonderful player and teacher and I learned a lot from him as I became another one of his pupils. Well he had massive hands with long tapered fingers( Tal Farlowish ) The gauge he played was 13/60 and he used to crush these with lightest of touches. When I got to know him he was the guitarist with the Cyril Stapleton Orchestra that played mainly for the BBC during the 1940's thoughout the war years and beyond. Great guy and player.
Wow, What a cool story Peter! That is a very thick Low E string at 60 but I bet it sounded very warm and fat! Thanks for sharing your story and leaving this comment.
Rick, thanks for the video. Wish it showed up a week ago, before I spent 15+ hours fiddling with every setting I could think of on both channels of my old Hartke GT60, the tone and volume controls on my various Arch tops, every mike in my arsenal with various off-Axis positions, 10 different picks, and the tone controls on my mixer. Never could get past some really irritating "clangs" without losing too much treble and some mid range. I got so frustrated with the Hartke, I gave up on it and, in total despair, ordered a cheap no frills tube amp off E-bay. So, all that being said. . . I have a few extra singles in my string dungeon, so I'll try this out. If I'm even remotely successful, I'll order a new set from you and take the worst of the amps with all the crappy guitars I've bought over the years to the Flea Market when the weather warms up! Thanks, Jon PS: Still haven't converted that Kawai, but did scrounge up a P90 for it.
I have D'Addario Chrome XL .011-.050 flatwounds on my D'Angelico Premier EXL-1. I have a Graph Tech ResoMax bridge. I hit the bogey on tone and playability. Speed. I do occasional bending.
The only thing that seems might be concerning is that .015 B string. Seems like maybe a .016 might be better - closer to the midpoint between the .013 E and .020W G strings. Seems like the .015 might be too close to .013 and then your fingers feel a bigger change to the .020W. Or drop the .013 E string to a .012, if the tone is OK and not too tinny.
Late to the game question: Have you ever seen extremely small plastic tubes that the string(s) run through, for the purpose of mellowing the brightness of a string? When used these sit on the violin bridge. Hadn't thought about this for a long time, but these were used on some violin strings and they generally worked to improve the tonal quality of a string's tone.
I’m glad you mentioned the wierd tone of smaller 1st and 2nd strings. I have been struggling with this on my archtops and flattops for years and when I mention this to others, even experienced luthiers, I get strange looks (stranger than usual). I have purchased 2 sets of your strings and am hopeful. I will put them on my Andersen archtop and Eastman Pisano archtop ( I bought from you about 10 years ago) and , perhaps, share my experience with you. Really genuine information. Thank you
That's Wonderful, Moondawg! So glad to hear this! I know the strange looks that you are talking about because I have gotten them too. Thank you for buying my strings and I encourage you to follow up with me after you put them on. I have them on my Eastman Pisano and they sound awesome. They also made all my guitars easier to play. Leave me another comment once you put them on! or email me directly at rich@guitarcollege.com and let me know how they sound and feel for you. Thank you very much for supporting Guitar College and my channel!
It's amazing isn't, I've also tried all sorts - roundwounds and flats etc and all different guages etc etc. However I always come back to Ernie Ball regular 10 guage roundwounds with low action and everything is great again. The guitar and amp can be adjusted to get that jazz tone but the strings need to feel great for your fingers. I can't get on with flats or heavy guage strings. I play Ibanez LGB30 and Hofner Verythin Contemporary guitars and I get a cool jazz tone playing through a Boss Katana amp.
Hi, Palmtree!! Thank you for that feedback! I was curious what people would think about it. I added it because the video is much longer than other videos and there is not very much playing. My hope is that the background music would help "move things along" a little more. But, I do understand that it can also be a distraction. I hardly use background music and haven't received much feedback on it, so your comment is very valuable to us. Thanks for supporting my channel!
Completely agree with you, bass strings are always too fat compare to unwound strings if you want a balanced guitar... one more thing you can adjust to get the perfect tone, is pole pieces of your pickups! It helps a lot and can "compensate" for an unbalanced set of strings.
I am so happy to hear this, Roland! I am glad you are getting a better sound. Thank you for taking the time to comment and I appreciate you supporting my channel!!
I play an ES-175. For years now I've used Flat Wounds D'Addario 11/50. I find that these strings are perfect for me. I also use the same strings on my Fujigen MFP Archtop. Works very well too. Just my opinion.
To quote you from several years ago Rich, "big top, small bottom, come to think of it, it works for a lot of things"....lol lol I absolutely love your playing Rich. And your tone in my opinion is simply impeccable. Would that configuration of strings work in a big band setting as well, playing swing stuff? I'd be using an L4 or a 165. Thanks
Haha! How are you doing, Bob?? Guitars are a great analogy for a lot of things in life. And absolutely they would work in a big band setting. I have used them on many gigs with big bands and got many compliments from fellow members in the band! It will add to the fullness of not just the guitar, but the whole band. Thanks for watching and commenting, buddy!
Great insights, Rich. I've been taking a set of pure nickel 11's and bumping up the botton two strings to 12 & 15 on my semi. Very happy with the result. Also, I see you're using an Aviator Cub now... how do like it compared to the micropro? Do you find the speaker to be too bright for jazz?
Rich... you made no mention of one other factor... The Amp you play through. Doesn't that also play a role in the warm buttery Jazz sound? Also are these strings flat wound or rounds?
man.. Ive noticed the same thing (the thicker core eh ?) I bought a stunning Guild X700 a couple years back (it arrived super well set up with round wounds) sit rang so nice I found myself fingerpicking country/folk stuff (and I liked it a lot) then I listened to my brother.. went and got flat wounds.. (and havent liked it or really played it much since).. yes... just too stiff..too much work (so that thicker core diagram.. is exactly what I was feeling) and it loses some resonance...I often tune my Strat down 1/2 to Eb and .. it just gets really nice and easy to play ..thanks Rick.. I enjoy your page (I bought one of those Quilters Mach III (8") and was very happy with it (except the on/off switch .. has failed and effectively made it obsolete (I should probably write the guy and have him send me the part (rather than take it in and get charged $300 ) ...but yeah... that string balance stuff.. super important
I’m going to kick myself when somebody answers, but what’s the tune at the beginning of this video? I know it well but can’t place it. Wonderful playing and arrangement!
Hey, David! The tune at the beginning is 'When You Wish Upon A Star' from the old Disney movie 'Pinocchio.' Thanks for watching and commenting. I appreciate your compliment!
I can't stand flatwound strings. They sound bad in a couple days, and my fingers tend to stick to them for some reason. I am using D'Addario EHR350 sets, a half-round set that runs from 12 to 52. They have a fat 60's jazz tone with no finger squeaks, and the feel is very supple, especially with low action. I have a lot of young clients who play metal who try out my Eastman AR810 and Eastman AR804 and they don't believe they are playing 12's until I show them the string packs.
I keep it simple. I put GHS or D'Addario 10 or 10.5 sets on my archtops. It keeps the playability consistent with my solid body guitars. Does it sound somewhat less "jazzy"?? HA!! I couldn't care less as I like a brighter sound. Also, there's magic knobs called "tone" controls. I'm damn anal about a lot of things but what strings to use, I'm not. 😊
Headed to your site right now. I love this video. Something I have wrestled with for decades. I even went further and low tuned a half step. Then a whole step. I got so confused I almost gave up the instrument. Started playing mandolin and baritone uke. Went back to playing horn for a while. Circled back and decided I would have different guitars in different gauges for different music. Tried slide. Open tunings. Never really happy. Guitar room littered with half used packages and free strings lying around. Cats went nuts digging them out of trash can and running thru house dragging them around So here I am, as Frank says, In the Autumn of My Years. ( Could you do that song? It was a Very Good Year? Never tried it. Orchestral parts might be tough). And I would like to get this Finally Right! At least before arthritis and senility degrade me further… Thanks for everything. You Da Man!!! As we say here down da bayou….Shally
Thanks for the comment, Shally! Let me know how you like the strings. I feel your frustration about trying everything under the sun. That's cool you know how to play all those other instruments and that you didn't give up the guitar. I also know what you mean by the cats! They go nuts over those strings lol. I have heard the song many times but do not have an arrangement for it. Good suggestion though and I will see what I can do with it! Have you worked up any type of arrangement for it? Always appreciate your support, buddy!!
No I don’t have an arrangement but pulled a chart off of internet site I frequent Here is what prompted interest. Have you ever heard of Rickie Howard? Pro guitarist around our age from South Florida area. He posts regularly on Facebook and yesterday posted a video performing this song with his combo. Live No vocals but swings really really hard. I can’t get it out of my head. Check it out He is a very good player and singer. Would love to catch him live if I am ever around his area Let me know what you think of the arrangement All the best Shally
…and I copied a link and send myself the video. If you would like me to e mail it to you I can. Will save you the effort of searching thru a lot of other videos if you wish. Just let me know and I can forward sing to you. Interesting format. Goes from Latin in the head portion to swinging during the blowing solo sections. Very professionally done Hope you enjoy. I sure did Shally
another great video - why did you move away from the TI? i find myself mixing two sets in similar matter (11s and 12s TI bebop or swing, i actually dont hear much difference between the two without doing proper A/B), there is however some metallic overtones (for better way of describing it) on the high E - i cant afford to try every string, not just money wise but time wise :)
I switched from the TI strings mainly because of the price. I haven't looked at their prices lately but years ago when I make the switch I felt they were a lot more expensive with not much of a difference. It would be fun to an A-B on string comparison. I have marked that down in my notes and hope I can do that soon! Thanks for watching and commenting, Pierre!
I tried swapping gauges from 12s to 13s and 11s. One thing that is overlooked is plectrum gauge. I’ve got hand pain by using heavy flats and heavy pick. Medium pick and flats work perfectly. For me 12 gauge flats and medium pick will do it. Heavy picks for jazz and heavy flats aren’t good combination when it comes to playing chord melody with a pick or strumming a guitar in a band because of the clicking sound. I prefer the curvy part of a standard medium pick!
Where do I find your strings? When I click the link, I get this message: Hmmm… your Internet access is blockedFirewall or antivirus software may have blocked the connection. Is there another website or page where I can buy your strings? Thanks.
