A quick overview covering the difference in feel and sound of round core and hex core guitar strings. That sound varies extensively among acoustic guitar strings, depending on which materials and manufacturing techniques are used. This month begins the series, important moments in bass history. The whole concept of the guitar began many centuries ago, but the concept of a musical string began before the guitar.
Roto sound from england started marketing round wound bass strings some time in the 70s. The first known wound string was noted in the later half of the seventeenth century. A guitar string company buys a spool of round tin coated swedish steel music wire in. As it happened, laurence juber left us a set of the martin retro strings ljs choice, of course, so that took care of one alternative. Round wound nickel plated steel bass strings smooth round wound feel selected gauges are now available in taper core. Ryan montbleau daddario half round electric guitar strings. With depictions dating back to tomb paintings in ancient egypt, guitarlike. Classical guitar strings are strings manufactured for use on classical guitars. Home guitar strings bass strings nickel round wound. There are also a variety of ways for strings to be wound wrapped. Bass guitar instruction videos and dvds bass guitar instruction books and cds. If you are reading this, then you most likely know your stuff when it comes to guitars and equipment.
The birth of the roundwound bass string and how a small british company and john entwistle changed the sound of the bass guitar. They had a very warm rich sound, but they were terribly unstable, and lacked volume. Its a lot easier to bend a thin, plain string than a much heavier wound string, like a 24 or a 26. Xaviere medium heavy nickel round wound guitar strings. Although wound strings or wrapped strings have been around for many years, their design represents one of the biggest breakthroughs in string design. So, eventually, after these players had shown them the way, a lot of the big guitar string companies started putting out plain 3rd sets, with top gauges like 9 and 10, or even 11, a lot of the stuff that you see on shelves today. Discussion in techtalk started by cerb, dec 6, 2016. Roundwound strings discussion in guitars in general started. I have used both over the years and like each for specific kinds of playing on specific kinds of guitars. You may think that all electric guitar strings are the same, they just come in different coloured packets. Centerless ground stainless steel delivers round wound tension with a flatwound feel. Thomastikinfeld guitar strings for sale in stock ebay. Not sure when nickel plated roundwounds came on the scene. As the electric guitar came about, strings got smaller and lighter guaged, my 1st rememberence of flat wounds on electrics was 1960 when the surf music craze hit so.
A string is the vibrating element that produces sound in string instruments such as the guitar. Ug community bass guitar flat wound vs round wound strings. Roundwound strings are always a great choice for your guitar. The profile of the wrap wire also effects tone and feel with. Rotosound, a british string manufacturers, developed the first roundwound strings for electric bass guitars in 1962 the swing bass 66 set. He thought, well im the bass player in the who, but i can now compete with the guitarist, and as we now know the rest is history, and evidence that this was a. Now that our string history tale reached the middle of the blooming swing era, gibsons catalogs they can be found on acousticmusic.
Xl electric guitar strings are ideal for a wide range of musical styles. The most common material that the winding string is made of is usually phosphor bronzeplain bronze. Do you know anything about the history of guitar strings. How have guitar strings changed over the history of the. In the 1970s, when flatwound string usage began to decline, more people turned to the new roundwound strings. The way the wrap string is wound around the core string also affects tone. Whats the difference between the smooth strings and the. They are the perfect compromise between roundwound and flatwound strings. If youre after top notch tone from strings that will always be ready when you are, youll be glad to have a set of roundwounds.
Half round guitar strings have a warmer sound due to the strings being round wound, then ground down for a smoother feel. After the external wraps are put around the string. Funk players who slapped and rock players who liked the growl soon switcher. Enjoy the lowest prices and best selection of roundwound guitar strings at guitar center. Enjoy the lowest prices and best selection of ernie ball strings at guitar center. Learn how and when to remove this template message. Smoothest roundwound strings i have ever played and sound great. The simplest wound strings are roundwoundwith round wire wrapped in a. Some people will tell you however that round core wound strings vs. Daddario half round electric guitar strings wrapped with 430 stainless steel and then precision ground, these daddario half round electric guitar strings give you a smooth feel with round wound sound.
Paul tutmarc invented the first solid body electric bass guitar about 1936. Roundwound strings were a key element in the trend toward louder, more. I dont think they did, as rotosound claims to be the first to make roundwound bass strings, but i could be wrong. Rotosound flatwound black steel strings for electric bass guitar. I kinda think rounds are actually a scam and the never ending addiction to super bright zingy strings is just a way for the guitar string manufacturers to make more money, by encouraging guitarists to change their strings every week. String history what did guitar players use in the pre. The plain strings are just plain steel strings although sometimes theyre silvered or bronzed to that the plain string tone matches the tone of the wound strings with pure nickel sets. Xaviere nickel round wound hybrid light guitar strings. Daddario ehr370 half round electric guitar strings. Xl nickel wound, daddarios most popular electric guitar strings, are precision wound with nickel plated steel onto a carefully drawn, hexagonally shaped, high carbon steel core. You have probably used them for years and just havent been able to find them lately.
Difference between nickel round wound vs nickel plated steel if this is your first visit, be sure to check out the faq by clicking the link above. Daddario nyxl1046 nickel wound electric guitar strings 1046. Eastern instruments such as the rebab and other lute family instruments have existed since the early part of the. Enjoy the lowest prices and best selection of roundwound strings at guitar center. During the 30s companies like black diamond made very heavy steel and bronze round wound strings for all guitars. This new technology forever changed and helped to shape the modern music we hear today. Dont feel bad if you dont, theyre very similar both round wound and nickel wound strings use nickelplated steel wire to wrap around a steel core. A comparison of flat and round wound strings on a quincy vancouver 335 style guitar. When dealing with guitar strings, ground wound is a type of string most commonly associated with bass guitars. I will start by saying my first electric guitar had flat wounds on it when i got it used. In this issue, we will take a look back at the birth of the.
With a bright, punchy sound, these are the kind of string that youve no doubt heard on stages around the world throughout the history of. Its a great time to upgrade your home music studio gear with the largest selection at. Pyramid superior pure nickel hand round wound 12string. James made some enquiries for zither strings and for this particular zither, the concert zither, strings for this instrument in london was practically unknown, so substitute strings were used to make up a complete set of strings, using some violin strings, some guitar strings, some cello strings, until a reasonable balance was completed.
A quick internet search found a couple morenewtone nickel master class and john pearse acoustic guitar pure nickel wound strings and a. The plain treble strings in a set are straightforward. Roundwound acoustic guitar strings musicians friend. I have a set on ti jazz rounds on my bass at the moment. Pick of the ricks custom compressed wound guitar strings will feel very familiar.
In fact, there are huge differences in quality, feel, design, gauge, tension and of course price and when it comes to buying strings for your electric guitar, one mans ceiling as they say is another mans floor. Daddarios popular medium gauging with an exclusive semiflat surface. For me the best flat wound string ive ever used that gave my guitar an acoustic quality that i. String music news newspapers books scholar jstor january 2019 learn how and when to remove this template message. Xl electric strings deliver a bright tone with clear fundamentals and precise intonation. Stainless steel and taper core custom balanced strings. Guitar string buyers guide american musical supply. With nickel wound strings, the steel core is hex shaped. Rotosound introduced the roundwound bass string in 1962. The flat wound strings still were used on upright bass instruments. Elixir strings offer coated guitar strings in a range of different alloys for you to discover. Are there any fancy options for the plain unwound strings.
Roundwound, halfwound and flatwound the profile of the wrap wire affects tone and feel of guitar strings. Ground wound strings are manufactured in the same basic manner as round wound strings. Difference between nickel round wound vs nickel plated steel. When it comes to guitar strings, there are basically 2 main types. Daddario half round electric guitar strings ehr310 reg. Well starting from about the th century we had catgut strings, which arent what they sound like, theyre actually made of sheep intestine. Garth fielding on xl half rounds bass strings youtube. What is the difference between nickelwound and round. While steelstring acoustic guitar strings and electric guitar strings are made of metal, modern classical guitar strings are made of nylon and nylon wound with wire. Roundwound, halfwound and flatwound strings and beyond.
Strings by mail pyramid superior pure nickel hand round wound 12 string electric 942 pyramid electric guitar stringspyramid superior pure nickel hand round wound electric guitar strings 12 string 942, full setsuperior quality hand wound 12 string electric guitar string set from germany. They always sound great, and last as long as anything out there. The earliest stringed instruments date as far back as the egyptian dynasty. Halfwound strings, ground wound strings, or pressure wound strings are a cross between roundwound and flatwound. I havent changed my strings in months, and i play professionally every day, all day. Round wound guitar strings offer the the brightest sound, yet have more string noise due to their ribbed texture. Considering the companys long history manufacturing strings for.