Members Armchair Bronco Posted October 21, 2006 Members Share Posted October 21, 2006 I've got a used Takamine EG-334SC on the way, and I'll probably be re-stringing it sometime next week. This is my first acoustic, and I've noticed that when I'm playing acoustics at GC I have a hard time bending strings. What would be some good strings for blues bending that won't compromise on a full sound, especially since Taks are known for not having a booming bass sound (and I like to have the bass strings ringing out when I'm playing blues licks on the higher strings)? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members scottgd Posted October 21, 2006 Members Share Posted October 21, 2006 Mine is a nice one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Armchair Bronco Posted October 21, 2006 Author Members Share Posted October 21, 2006 Thanks for the post, but I'm actually looking for string *gauge* and *brand* recommendations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members riffmeister Posted October 21, 2006 Members Share Posted October 21, 2006 I personally would not go any lighter than "light guage" .012, .016, .024, .032, .042, .053 Anything lighter compromises the acoustic sound too much for me. Of course, with a wound G string, you will have to adjust your playing style somewhat......hard to bend that sucker up a whole step. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Armchair Bronco Posted October 21, 2006 Author Members Share Posted October 21, 2006 Are there flat-wound strings for acoustics? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members scottgd Posted October 21, 2006 Members Share Posted October 21, 2006 Originally posted by Armchair Bronco Thanks for the post, but I'm actually looking for string *gauge* and *brand* recommendations. D'oh.............sorry. It was late. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members riffmeister Posted October 21, 2006 Members Share Posted October 21, 2006 Originally posted by Armchair Bronco Are there flat-wound strings for acoustics? yeah, I'm pretty sure arch-top jazz guitarists use them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DonK Posted October 21, 2006 Members Share Posted October 21, 2006 .012's would be the best bet IMO. Bluegrass and folk flatpickers often use .013's, but they typically don't do as much bending as a blues player. Anything lighter tends to rattle and buzz a lot, though I sometimes view that as part of the acoustic blues sound. Don't know about acoustic flatwounds, but the original Elixir Polywebs (which I ain't necessarily endorsing - satisfied, JT?) feel a bit like flatwounds due to the relatively heavy Gore-Tex coating. I used 'em a bit when they first came out. If I wanted a combination of easy bending and a smooth feel, a set of those in light gauge (.012's) would be worth a try IMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members KATMAN Posted October 22, 2006 Members Share Posted October 22, 2006 You could try some D'Addaio custom lights,.11-.53,tune a half step down. Perfect! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members kwakatak Posted October 22, 2006 Members Share Posted October 22, 2006 How much bending are you talking about? Mississippi John Hurt stuff (about a 1/2 step max) or Buddy Guy stuff? (Full step bends with vibratro) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Armchair Bronco Posted October 22, 2006 Author Members Share Posted October 22, 2006 Hey, I'll be happy if I can do *ANY* bending. I subscribe to the Jimi Hendrix school of bending...which is that if you hit the wrong note, just keep bending until it turns into the right note! (I don't know if Hendrix actually said that, but it seems reasonable enough to me.) Since I'm still a novice player still learning my chops...and I guess wrong on a lot of my homebrewed riffs, being able to bend a full note (...or two...) is a big help in my solos! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members EvilTwin Posted October 22, 2006 Members Share Posted October 22, 2006 Different brands may have some variation on the tension for strings that are the same gauge, but you're still gonna know you're playing .12's if you string up .12's and tune them to standard. Even Buddy Guy adapts his technique for acoustic. Listen to his recent "Blues Singer" CD. Buddy usually bends the G string WAY up on his Strats, but he mainly sticks to the B and high E on acoustic. You mentioned Hendrix...towards the end of his career, he sometimes tuned down a 1/2 or full step (and he also used slightly heavier strings). Stevie Ray Vaughan sometimes even used .13's...but tuned down a half step. And towards the end of his career, when he was touring VERY heavily, he went down as far as .11's. If you want to be comfortable bending, you're probably going to have to adapt your technique. Finding a short-scale guitar can help, but I'd recommend to try tuning down a half step. IMO, some guitars even sound better tuned down a half step. I've played some Taylor dreads that sounded pretty strident in standard. But tuned down a half step, a whole other instrument stepped out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Armchair Bronco Posted October 23, 2006 Author Members Share Posted October 23, 2006 Originally posted by EvilTwin IMO, some guitars even sound better tuned down a half step. I've played some Taylor dreads that sounded pretty strident in standard. But tuned down a half step, a whole other instrument stepped out. You're right about this. I started tuning my Jagmaster down a half-step at the end of the summer, then returned to a standard tuning a few weeks ago (for a little experiment). This weekend I tuned it back down again and felt like I was being re-introduced to an old friend I'd lost touch with. For whatever reason, that particular guitar sounds better (to my ears at least) with a lower tuning, and I'm really hoping that my new Tak will take to a half-step-down tuning as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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