Wound wire strings

Subject: RE: Wound wire strings
From: Extra Stout
Date: 03 Jan 01 - 02:23 AM

The winding on a string also serves as a handy place to store dust and fingertip skin cells. Dr. John, you may need to have your frets dressed if they're tearing up your strings. My string problems usually go away if I change strings every week, but that makes a flat spot in my wallet.

Subject: RE: Wound wire strings
From: Bill D
Date: 03 Jan 01 - 12:14 AM

well, autoharp players REALLY love to replace the low A# and B strings with wound Bronze guitar strings, so there is some ability to get sound from that area...(and for us, oil IS a real option! Even vaseline where the string goes around the post will cut way down on breakage)

(yeah...sort of off topic...but...)

Subject: RE: Wound wire strings
From: catspaw49
Date: 02 Jan 01 - 09:59 PM

Just to clarify the Goretex thing. Elixir Strings are made by the same folks as goretex and they have been out for a few years now. Larrivee is using them as standard equipment on their new guitars. The strings are more costly and have very different feel. Just as any new product might, especially one that's very different, they are getting very mixed reviews. If you care to look back, we have had numerous discussions on them here at the 'Cat and their website is HERE.

Spaw

Subject: RE: Wound wire strings
From: Willie-O
Date: 02 Jan 01 - 09:27 PM

I just put the first set of Elixir strings I ever tried on. So far I'm very pleased. _Nice_ mellow sound, bright enough but not jangly. Suppose there is less scratchy sound, but it's still there. Hold tuning well.

They cost $15 US. Seem worth it. Pay a lot more for decent fiddle strings and there are only four (and they're a lot shorter).

W-O

Subject: RE: Wound wire strings
From: MarkS
Date: 02 Jan 01 - 08:29 PM

Nancy - It's Bush-Tex and Gore-Tenn. You see.....oops, thats another thread. Sorry.
MarkS

Subject: RE: Wound wire strings
From: Mark Clark
Date: 02 Jan 01 - 08:05 PM

Dr John, I'm surprised that slides are causing so much string wear. I'd expect bends to wear the strings more than slides. With bends you're using the frets like little hack saws. If you experiment with other winding alloys, make sure your winding is softer than your fret wire or you'll be replacing frets every week instead of strings.

      - Mark

Subject: RE: Wound wire strings
From: GUEST,Nancy King
Date: 02 Jan 01 - 07:54 PM

DaveO-- Are you thinking of Gore-Tex, maybe? I never heard of instrument strings with Gore-Tex, but there's a lot of stuff I've never heard of. --Nancy

Subject: RE: Wound wire strings
From: MarkS
Date: 02 Jan 01 - 07:41 PM

Don't use oil, true, but there is (or was?) a product called "Fast Fret" which put a light coat of lube on the strings and made getting around the fingerboard a lot easier, particularly if you are into slides. When the lube in the applicator gave out, you could refresh it with a shot of WD-40. I always liked the results, as long as you do not overdo it.
Any other comments?
MarkS

Subject: RE: Wound wire strings
From: Bert
Date: 02 Jan 01 - 05:44 PM

Despite Bernard's urggh!, you could give flatwound strings a try. Yes, they'll sound different, not so 'bright' but may be acceptable, depends on your style.

It's all very subjective and my poor ol' tin ear doesn't hear much difference. They are really easy on the finger tips and make a lot less string noise. And it's FUN trying different things.

Why half round? because the second moment of area of the cross section is greater and it's 'supposed' to sound brighter than tape wound.

Subject: RE: Wound wire strings
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 02 Jan 01 - 05:44 PM

Are these lubricated things (keep it clean) elixir strings? If not, what are elixir strings?

Subject: RE: Wound wire strings
From: Uncle_DaveO
Date: 02 Jan 01 - 05:41 PM

There are strings available--VERY expensively--in which the wound strings has coated with a plastic-type coating. I'm kicking myself because I can't think of the name, which you would recognize instantly. It's the stuff that's used on outdoor clothing, which has micropores and won't let water through as a liquid but will let it through as a vapor. As I say, when someone comes up with the name I'll probably shoot myself for not remembering it.

Now the water-passing/resisting feature of this coating is not in question with strings, of course, but slides on the wound string don't whistle or whine at you. Seems to me that I've heard that the strings are supposed to wear longer too, which is what we're talking about.

Since only the wound strings are treated, there would be no point in buying whole sets of this expensive brand, whatever it is; just the wound strings.

Dave Oesterreich

Subject: RE: Wound wire strings
From: Bernard
Date: 02 Jan 01 - 04:40 PM

A wound string is more flexible, Jon - the core is much thinner than a plain string of the same gauge. If you catch my drift...

It's all down to balancing tension, flexibility and sound - oh, and in your case, Jon, the amount of rust!

Wound strings sound very different from plain - I went through a phase of putting wound second strings on my mandolin to make the sound 'warmer', but they didn't last long, and I no longer bother!

Subject: RE: Wound wire strings
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 02 Jan 01 - 04:25 PM

I have noticed that there is some degree of overlap with gauges and wound vs plain. I use an 18 on the second string on my banjo and very much prefer a wound 18 to a plain one - I don't know why but it seems easier to play.

Jon

Subject: RE: Wound wire strings
From: Bernard
Date: 02 Jan 01 - 04:07 PM

There is no solution (trite remarks being carefully avoided!)!

The windings thicken the string, as you suspected. Friction between the fret and the winding cause wear, and oil isn't an option!

There are concoctions around which are supposed to help, but are more beneficial to the manufacturer than the poor sucker who buys them!

If it's a major problem, and you are using bronzewounds, perhaps you need to consider stainless instead. A different sound, but not necessarily inferior. Depends on what you play.

There have been many fads during my shuffling around this mortal coil - tapewound (urggh!), half-round (why?!) and 'straights' - they claim they last longer because they aren't coiled up in the package! What crap! Don't they know they stretch on the instrument?!! Of course they do!! Laughing all the way to the bank - and some people seriously believe all the hype!

Sorry - had to have a laugh!

There are other considerations, though. What about the profile of your frets? If the fretwire is thin, or very 'proud', there is less contact between the fret and the string, which increases wear.

String tension, too - bending works better with lighter strings, but you lose volume if the instrument is acoustic. Not as big a problem on an electric, but tuning can suffer instead.

Oooh! Worra can of worms!!

And I've been as much help as a sick headache!!

Good luck!

Subject: Wound wire strings
From: Doctor John
Date: 02 Jan 01 - 03:45 PM

Is the only function of winding wire around the lower strings of guitars, mandolins etc to thicken the string and hence lower the note? I find that doing lots of slides causes these windings to wear through over the frets fairly quickly; any solutions please? Dr John