Wimping out

[MikeEdgerton]

I did myself a favor. I used to play J-75's but dropped to J-74's (now EJ-74's). Today I put a set of EJ-73's on my F5G and I have rediscovered the joys of clean picking

I'll attribute it to old age. I should have done this sooner.

[MediumMando5722]

I've been using EJ75s, and restrung with EJ74s after fitting my new bridge. After watching some Mike Marshall videos on proper left hand placement, I figured maybe the lighter strings would help me ease up a bit. In addition to Marshall, I've also been listening to a lot of Kym Warner and Matt Flinner, and all three use this set, so I figured why not give them a shot.

So far, I'm happy I did. The tone maybe isn't quite as full, but I bet I get it back by being able to play better.

[Mike Snyder]

I went from EFW74s to EXP75s because of a shift from old-time and ITM focus to bluegrass band mandolinist. Just had to wring every bit of chop and double-stop ring out of the old F5G. I really loved the flatwound feel. They were plenty loud and it's all in my head, after all. Hand fatigue and arthritic pain happen whatever strings I use. Past 60, get on nsaids and get used to it.

[CES]

I remember reading a FB Journal interview with a guitarist who had always played the heaviest strings he could find. An older BB King was back stage with him, and they were discussing string gauges. Iirc, BB's advice was, "Boy, why you working so hard?" Turns out he was playing "9s" at the time...

I've gone the other direction lately based on what my current mandolins like, but I'm only 42 and work out. Ain't no shame in making changes that help you play/sound better!

[MediumMando5722]

...based on what my current mandolins like...

This is key. I have a cheap Alvarez guitar that gathered dust for years. Recently, after re gluing the bridge, I switched the 13-56 strings to 10-47 to help it not break loose again. All of a sudden, this muddy and dull sounding guitar came to life and sounds very nice and balanced.

[Tom Wright]

I remember learning that many old Martin guitars suffered from the use of heavy strings, in the effort to be louder.

My Buchanans lack an adjustable truss rod and I stay with very light strings to keep the neck and fingerboard straight. Given that any performance is likely to be amplified this is not a problem, and the light strings do make some things easier--reduced fretting pressure and easy bending. The drawback is they are more fussy about accurate fretting to avoid uneven pressure, or too much pressure behind the fret making the strings go sharp. I'm using .009 for E and .034 for the G, on a 14.25" scale (.047 C).

For me, the challenge is not playing loud but playing softly and gracefully. It's easier to make sure all notes speak when just pounding, but the result is like the amateur pianist who sounds clunky and heavy-handed. Working the bottom of the dynamic range allows me to run amplification higher and get a fuller and more pleasing tone. It also means hammer-on and pull-off slurs speak usefully.

[colorado_al]

I've been using EFW74 and replacing the E strings with 115 D'Addario NYXL High Carbon Steel Single Strings
http://www.stringsandbeyond.com/dnyhicastsit.html
Keeps the great sound and ease of play of the flatwounds, and gives the high end more punch and clarity, without making a big change in fretting force.

[UsuallyPickin]

Well .... it's about tone, and over gripping, and joint wear, and anti inflammatory drugs, and setup, and technique. I play with a .115 E string set and have thought lately , at 64 years old, about slipping some .11's into the mix. My real problem is with my D18 and .13's so I started with taking that instrument to the luthier for a touchup on the setup. We shall see where I go from there. R/

[Denny Gies]

Mike, there are two things about getting old that are a problem. Number one is you can't remember anything and number two is.........................durn.

[guidoStow]

I love EFW-74 flatwounds. I wish they made a lighter gage version...

[colorado_al]

I love EFW-74 flatwounds. I wish they made a lighter gage version...

You can make your own set with the D'addario flatwound electrics by buying singles and removing the ball
http://www.stringsandbeyond.com/dsichststflw.html
You can drop the G to a 35 from the 36, and go from a 26 to 24 on the D. Then get your A & E from the NYXL chromes in any size you want down to a 7
http://www.stringsandbeyond.com/dnyhicastsit.html

[mandroid]

Oddly, same 11-40 like the 74 feels different on the old A4, than the Carbon A5 Mix, ..

[David L]

I remember reading a FB Journal interview with a guitarist who had always played the heaviest strings he could find. An older BB King was back stage with him, and they were discussing string gauges. Iirc, BB's advice was, "Boy, why you working so hard?" Turns out he was playing "9s" at the time...

I've gone the other direction lately based on what my current mandolins like, but I'm only 42 and work out. Ain't no shame in making changes that help you play/sound better!

Yes, but B.B. was playing an electric guitar and doing lots of string bending. String gauges on electric don't make nearly the difference in the tone as all the other tone factors.

[guidoStow]

You can make your own set with the D'addario flatwound electrics by buying singles and removing the ball
http://www.stringsandbeyond.com/dsichststflw.html
You can drop the G to a 35 from the 36, and go from a 26 to 24 on the D. Then get your A & E from the NYXL chromes in any size you want down to a 7
http://www.stringsandbeyond.com/dnyhicastsit.html

Very interesting idea! I'll have to try that. Thanks!

[pops1]

I custom make my strings all the time. I now use 11 16 26 42 in a GHS white bronze guitar string taking the ball end off. I do have mandolin that I thought needed lighter strings and put a 10-36 on. I thought they would go out of tune easier, but they don't and they sound good on this mandolin. Plays easy, may have to rethink gauges. Guitars have had custom gauges for decades, I never buy a set, but singles to make what I want, usually lighter on the E-A and a heavier low E so it's not wimpy.

Yes I am an old geezer.

[MediumMando5722]

Yes, but B.B. was playing an electric guitar and doing lots of string bending. String gauges on electric don't make nearly the difference in the tone as all the other tone factors.

Excellent point. IMHO, the amplifier is by FAR the biggest factor in your electric tone, as well.

However, I do not like the sound of ultra light gauge strings with low action, even on electric guitar.

[fscotte]

Some mandos are easier to play with heavier gauge strings. It isn't the gauge that matters as much as its responsiveness. If a mando needs heavier gauge strings to respond, then lighter gauge will require more work to get tone.

And electric guitars don't apply here. Their responsiveness is electronic, so the lightest gauge string is heavy enough.

[pops1]

Electric guitars respond to heavier gauge strings just as acoustic instruments do. The heavier the string the more the pickup responds. Old recordings were made with heavy strings and it makes a difference. Hard to believe, but cutting the lines of flux is what makes the sound and a heavier string gives more umph from the pickup and a better sound just like an acoustic instrument. A very lightly built acoustic instrument will respond to a lighter string, and a hotter pickup may respond to a lighter string, but your typical pickup will sound better with heavier strings. Even the finish on an electric guitar makes a difference in the sound.

[billkilpatrick]

I did myself a favor. I used to play J-75's but dropped to J-74's (now EJ-74's). Today I put a set of EJ-73's on my F5G and I have rediscovered the joys of clean picking

I'll attribute it to old age. I should have done this sooner.

Oooo ... explain, please - OBOMs need all the help they can get. I just popped for a set of EXP 74's after watching Sharon Gilchrist exthol their virtues on her Peghead Nation video.

I'm in love with Sharon Gilchrist. You read it here first.

[Billy Packard]

I'll start with a PS to Bill Kilpatrick re. Sharon Gilchrist.

I have done two concerts that she was also on the bill so I got to meet her and hear her mandolin playing. All good.
THEN I went to a concert that was billed as "The Annual Banjo Extravaganza" which featured various musicians including John Reishman AND Sharon Gilchrist. Guess what Gilchrist played almost the whole gig--- Upright Bass! And, man--did she smoke! I have to say I have a special affection for great bass players and she is solidly on my A list. I didn't get to talk much with her that night but i gotta believe the bass is her first instrument with the mandolin coming much later. She was so, so good on the bass with lines, dynamics, stage presence, the right note at the right time every time. Don't get me wrong, she's a very good mandolin player and all...I'd hire her in a heartbeat to play bass for me.

Sorry to hijack the thread.

I wanted to say I used Medium gauge strings on my 1979 M38 Martin from the day I bought it new. Some 25+ years later I was late to a recording session and desperate for a new set of strings when all I could get was a light gauge set. Well...it changed my whole way of thinking. The light gauge had such a wonderful, chimmey sound with great sustain, I was totally charmed.

A few years later I had an identical experience with my Gilchrist A3. All I could get in a last minute rush was a set of Martin brand "Bluegrass" strings that are a 11-38 set. Again the sustain and chime won me over.

I will say that these days I am experimenting. It started with the set that Roger Siminoff came out with, then I tried DR and most recently Mapes, (cured with Appalachian Moonshine!) I like the first set of Mapes a lot. If anyone is interested in Mapes you have to buy them directly from the manufacturer. BUT you can make your own sets up, both gauge-wise as well as material. Check them out.
https://www.mapesstrings.com
Don't be distracted by the 'piano' string thing.

Billy Packard

billypackardmandolin.com

[billkilpatrick]

I'll start with a PS to Bill Kilpatrick re. Sharon Gilchrist.

I have done two concerts that she was also on the bill so I got to meet her and hear her mandolin playing. All good.
THEN I went to a concert that was billed as "The Annual Banjo Extravaganza" which featured various musicians including John Reishman AND Sharon Gilchrist. Guess what Gilchrist played almost the whole gig--- Upright Bass! And, man--did she smoke! I have to say I have a special affection for great bass players and she is solidly on my A list. I didn't get to talk much with her that night but i gotta believe the bass is her first instrument with the mandolin coming much later. She was so, so good on the bass with lines, dynamics, stage presence, the right note at the right time every time. Don't get me wrong, she's a very good mandolin player and all...I'd hire her in a heartbeat to play bass for me.

Thanks, Billy. Been watching her videos on youtube and the thing I like about her style of play is the balance she has between a lyrical - slidey/chordy - sound and her fluid, seemingly effortless way of picking. Just right. She can do the "too many notes" thing without making it sound like a flash mob at the firing range.

I tried light gauge strings once on a bowlback mandolin but wasn't impressed with either - an odd, german-made, ebay cheapy with an awful neck.

[MikeEdgerton]

I play Martin mediums on my guitars, always have, always will. I'm really enjoying the J-73's on my mandolin as they have changed my approach to the instrument. YMMV. I like the way the J75's sounded, but they are a bear to play no matter what anyone else seems to think.

[Drew Egerton]

You can make your own set with the D'addario flatwound electrics by buying singles and removing the ball
http://www.stringsandbeyond.com/dsichststflw.html
You can drop the G to a 35 from the 36, and go from a 26 to 24 on the D. Then get your A & E from the NYXL chromes in any size you want down to a 7
http://www.stringsandbeyond.com/dnyhicastsit.html

I started to order some of those the other day. I switch between 74s, EXP74s and EXP74CMs a good bit so I like to keep a stock of the plain single strings from the 75 set. I wear out the A and E the fastest with corrosion so sometimes I will just switch those out between full changes.

I know from Just Strings you can buy the individual strings from the 75 set exactly. Strings and Beyond has won my business over the last year with prices and customer service but it looks like the only option they have currently would be to buy ball end and cut them out. Maybe I will send them an email asking if it will be possible to get some loop ends.

(Sorry for the hijack Mike. I've never played the 73s before, I think I would break them too easily when I get onto the Monroe stuff.)

[colorado_al]

I know from Just Strings you can buy the individual strings from the 75 set exactly. Strings and Beyond has won my business over the last year with prices and customer service but it looks like the only option they have currently would be to buy ball end and cut them out. Maybe I will send them an email asking if it will be possible to get some loop ends.

I like Strings and Beyond and Just strings. I know that you can buy the loop end singles from Just Strings for $1 each:
http://www.juststrings.com/plainstee...lestrings.html

I have found that I like the NYXL better, and those only come in ball end, so I get those from Strings and Beyond for $1.50 each:
http://www.stringsandbeyond.com/dnyhicastsit.html

[CES]

Yes, but B.B. was playing an electric guitar and doing lots of string bending. String gauges on electric don't make nearly the difference in the tone as all the other tone factors.

True, but the point was BB squelching propagation of the myth that the old school blues players went as heavy as they could, as a rule. Maybe to try to get more volume and tone out of the often inexpensive instruments they played, maybe to allow for easier slide playing...or maybe it's just a myth born out of a little truth and a lot of exaggeration. If you're having trouble playing well because of injury, arthritis, loss of strength, etc, then by all means, try some lighter strings! Fortunately, I haven't had to make such a change yet, because my current mandos, other than my Flatiron 1N and Martin A style (which require lighter gauges), like EJ-75s...