Strings and Bending =)? Tension of metals?

[johnplaysguitar99]

Hey there, so im doing another bout of testing looking for my ideal set up.

Lets say I have an identical GUAGE set of strings like 10-46 of

Stainless steel,

Nickle Plated

and Pure nickle

All Roundwound core.

 

Which of these types would be the hardest to bend? the easiest?

also which of these string types would yield the most vibration distance? the least vibration distance?

(basically which strings require higher action or lower action?) I dont usually play with the flat wound or hex cores, would these core types make any real difference at all? and I dont use cobalt strings either but whats up with these too? I used a standard strat scale neck

 

last question, I have been told by some that thinner strings require HIGHER action as somehow these thinner strings have a larger vibration distance ? is this true? 

 

[johnplaysguitar99]

bump

[WRGKMC]

Its all about the pounds tension on the strings. Different alloys do have differet lbs for their gauges that gradually increase as the strings get thicker. I buy my strings from a site called Just Strings. Some of the manufacturers used to list their lbs per string on the site and you could use the chart to buy a set that was evenly gauged in pounds stress.

They have since removed the specs from the site but I've pretty much memorized the sets that had a smooth incline from light to heavy strings. Sets like Boomers, GHS Progressives, D'Addarios, and Sfarzos have very good gauging so you dont have strings in the middle of the set that are too flexable in the middle of the set that make them twangy. When you grab the neck all the strings feel like that have even tension.

But as for your question, the metal type has very little to do with string bendability. Your fret height is whats going to make the difference way more than the strings do. The frets being crowned and polished will reduce friction on bends. A neck with some relief vs being flat and not having the strings too low is essential as well.

I do allot of string bending. I found the best string height to be 4/64ths on the high E and 6/64ths on the low E string with a .009 relief provides the best string bendability without having to monkey grip the barre chords. If yore frets are super level and well finished, you can bring the strings down to 3/64ths and 5/64ths but you need tall frets to bend the strings well. I do play slide too so I find the strings being a little higher is better for both.

I have this semihollow tele build of mine which I been playing allot lately. The frets were the stock fender type which are OK when they are new. I wore the frets down playing it for the past 2~3 years to where they were getting really low. Bending strings on the high strings and lower frets was getting to be impossible and it was really cramping my playing ability and slowing me down.

I finally got around to refretting it last friday night and had the whole thing done in about 4 hours. I used the highest frets made and did a good job seating them. I only had one fret that was high which I had to take a little off of but otherwise the rest were perfect.

The added height made a huge difference in being able to bend strings. I can even bend three strings at the same time with a single finger, and vibrados are like bending rubber bands.

The other thing I did was to cut a new nut. The frets were much taller and I couldnt raise the old nut enough to get the strings above the frets without an ugly shim. The old nut had the strings too close together. I had copied the old brass nut string placement from my stock tele which has a slightly narrower neck at the nut which made them a tad too close to each other.  

I have string spacing templates for Fenders, Gibsons etc and I wanted a little more specs and found the Martin Nut template gave me maximum spacing without being too close to the edges of the fret board.

Also when I installed the frets I went with a 30 degree bevil on the fret ends instead of the normal 45 degree bevil so I had maximum width on the frets vs the fretboard. This worked out perfectly with the martin nut spacing and I could get the strings spaced a little wider than a typical fender uses.

The extra spacing took a little getting used to but it made a big improvement in string bending. You can bend the string farther without having the next string adding additional resistance bending the notes up. The instrument is now a string bending monster.

The only thing string type would do is change the tone of the strings. Plain steel is brighter and tends to takes longer to break them in stretching. Your nickle coated and pure nickle tend to be a little mellower. Strings with a higher iron content tend to have a higher output. Ither than that having a well balanced set is much more critical. having a slightly thicker b string helps with the strings being too flexible in comparison to the third string, and having the core wires properly gauged for the wrapped strings is essential in having them provide even tension and preventing strings from twanging sharp or flat when you slam a chord which causes beating between the strings as the chord sustains. A chord should sound like a single note not 6 individual strings doing their own thing and even gauging is much more critical in comparison to what they are made of.