Mixing string sets

[mugbucket]

While I was changing strings last night I came across an imcomplete set of J74's and started to wonder what the tonal response would be if I were to run one course of the J74's and the other with my Ernie Ball mediums...

Then reality hit me, don't start improvising with something that important prior to playing in public (duo for a spceial at our church homecoming tomorrow).

Not sure what the stuctural impact would be either.

Anyone tried this?


Thanks!

Ski
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Eastman 615

[John Flynn]

Are you talking about mixing strings within a course or having different courses having matched pairs from different sets? And is there a difference in gauge and string type between the two brands?

My reaction is that each pair should probably be the same kinds of strings. If both strings in a pair are say, .026 PB wound, but they are just different brands, that's probably OK. But on the other hand, if one is a .24 and the other is a .26 or one is PB and the other is nickel, or one is a coated string and the other is not, it seems to me that you may get intonation mis-matches up the neck, especially as the strings age. But I don't think there is any hazard in trying it. There shouldn't be any structural issues.

One thing you can try that is fun: My mando-mentor, Curtis Buckhannon, has a Gibson A-50 that he sometimes strings with the lower courses in octaves, versus unison. So he will take like a .15 plain string and pair it with a .40 wound for the G course and a .11 plain and a .26 wound for the D course. It sounds pretty cool.

[mugbucket]

Well, the simplest way to put it I guess would be taking one each of the J74's (.011/.015/.026/.040), and right beside it stringing up one each the Ernie Ball set ("Earthwood" bronze wound .010/.014/.024/.036).

I didn't consider the intonation aspect, but it as both are bronze wound maybe not so much.

Thanks for the response!

Ski

[12 fret]

No string winding expert but my understanding is that strings of the same gauge/type from two different manufacturers will vary considerably. Core size, winding densities, etc. I think when most people refer to mixing a set, they are using strings from the same manufacturer but mixing gauges only to get a particular type of sound. Liked the Buckhannon idea. Sort of like the old Nashville High String guitar set up.

[MandoSquirrel]

That octave thing goes back to at least the 1920's, with blues & some old time players & others.