Acoustic archtop players - what strings?

[Freeman Keller]

Not quite sure where to post this but there is a current acoustic archtop thread here and its getting quite a few hits. I don't want to hijack it so I thought I would start another.

For those of you playing unplugged non electric carved topped archtop acoustic guitars, what strings are you using? Do you play with a pick or flesh and nails? What guitar are you playing? What is the top wood?

Thanks.

 

[BuckNekkid]

I play with my fingers. The strings on my custom archtop are Thomastik-Infeld GR112 George Benson Roundwound Jazz Guitar Strings - .012-.053.

Swiss Spruce is the top wood. Flamed maple B&S. Ebony board.

 

[Dan German]

Nothing fancy, archtop-wise, and I’m a creature of habit. I string my Godin 5th Ave with the same D’Addario EJ16 Phosphor Bronze 12-53 as I have always used on my acoustics. I have tried others, mostly because I would like to use my DeArmond monkey on a stick (which doesn’t seem to like the PB strings), but I keep coming back to the EJ16.

Cherry laminate top, and I do some finger-picking, some flat-picking/strumming.

 

[Freeman Keller]

I play with my fingers. The strings on my custom archtop are Thomastik-Infeld GR112 George Benson Roundwound Jazz Guitar Strings - .012-.053.

Swiss Spruce is the top wood. Flamed maple B&S. Ebony board.

Beautiful guitar, Buck. And that is a string choice I hadn't thought of - I run Thomastik flat wounds on my electric hollowbody but had not thought of their offerings for an acoustic. Not available locally, would have to order them.

 

[RomanS]

Loar LH300 - Martin Retro monel 13s - used to play rhythm guitar for Western swing / Americana / classic country stuff.

 

[Buckocaster51]

Flatwounds

 

[drmordo]

I don't have a non-electric archtop.

However, if I did I would probly start with roundwounds around 11 or 12.

I prefer flats on electric archtops, but for a fully acoustic guitar I would start with rounds for a bit more volume and clarity.

I play with a pick although chickenpick a decent amount (no matter what style of music) so there is always some bare finger picking as well.

 

[RomanS]

Yeah, you definitely don't want flatwounds on an acoustic archtop (and during the heydey of that type of guitar - pretty much the 1930s and early 40s - flatwounds had not even been invented yet).

I use Martin Retro monel strings on my acoustic archtop - those are period correct for that type of guitar, and bring out the best that type has to offer - chunky, fundamental mids - while taming zingy, jangly treble (acoustic archtops don't really have a lot of bass, no matter what type of strings you use...)

 

[bottlenecker]

Based on your post in the other thread, what pick are you using?
If I go from a dunlop heavy celluloid pick to a casein 2mm, it's equal to the overall brightness change of moving my telecaster's pickup switch one notch towards the neck. The change on my acoustics is similar. That pick plus monel wound strings would probably tame any guitar for me, if there's enough bass. What has kept an archtop from being a keeper for me is a lack of bass on a 16" that I sold.

 

[loco gringo]

Phosphor bronze 13's. Daddario ej something. It is a '34 Epiphone Triumph.

I have Monels on it right now, but they are coming off as soon as I have time to do it.

 

[chezdeluxe]

1950 Epiphone Broadway tuned to Eb phosphor bronze 13-56
2005 Gibson 1934 L 5 reissue concert tuning pb 12-53
2018 Rizzolo 18 inch tuned to F pb 11-52
2000s Les Korn 17 inch pb 12-53
2002 Gary Albrecht 16 3/4 inch pb 12-53

 

[RomanS]

Based on your post in the other thread, what pick are you using?
If I go from a dunlop heavy celluloid pick to a casein 2mm, it's equal to the overall brightness change of moving my telecaster's pickup switch one notch towards the neck. The change on my acoustics is similar. That pick plus monel wound strings would probably tame any guitar for me, if there's enough bass. What has kept an archtop from being a keeper for me is a lack of bass on a 16" that I sold.

I use Dunlop Primetone picks with my acoustic archtop (but also with my flattop) - you definitely need a thick and stiff pick, that kind of guitar needs to be driven hard to bring out the best tone, no soft caressing the strings...
That top has to be made vibrating, and that needs more effort than with a flattop.

 

[loopfinding]

Based on your post in the other thread, what pick are you using?
If I go from a dunlop heavy celluloid pick to a casein 2mm, it's equal to the overall brightness change of moving my telecaster's pickup switch one notch towards the neck. The change on my acoustics is similar. That pick plus monel wound strings would probably tame any guitar for me, if there's enough bass. What has kept an archtop from being a keeper for me is a lack of bass on a 16" that I sold.

I don’t have an acoustic, just a single pickup lam top, but I will say I find that I can get a lot more body out of it acoustically for swing type comping if I use either the black stiffo jazz iii xl or the jim root picks (basically a 351 made out of the stiffo nylon). Thicker nylon (1.38mm) is fairly dark and bassy sounding, but the black ones are inflexible enough that they add some beneficial percussive chirp. I think it could work close mic’ed...definitely sounds way more bassy to my ear than like “Virtuoso” (my thinner nylon or celluloid picks sound more like that). I’m curious to hear that pick material on an actual solid top acoustic for solo stuff.

 

[loopfinding]

Yeah, you definitely don't want flatwounds on an acoustic archtop (and during the heydey of that type of guitar - pretty much the 1930s and early 40s - flatwounds had not even been invented yet).

Def agree, but on a lower tuning (Db or C standard) or on a 7 with Van Eps tuning for quiet solo arrangements they can cop a pretty decent upright bass-like tone.

 

[KeithDavies 100]

Roundwound 11s for me and - sacrilege!! - a plain third, so I can bend more easily. It's a 1963 Hofner Senator, so I think the top is spruce. Same age as me - we met when we were both 21.

 

[Freeman Keller]

Thanks guys - there are several votes here for monels which have been on my list to try - I'll pick up a set today.

In answer to the pick question, when I use a pick it is at least a medium and often a heavy generic plastic pick - Martin or Fender medium usually. But mostly I don't play with a pick and this particular guitar is just too darn brash and loud with one. In fact I even trimmed my nails back to get more flesh and less nail.

A couple of other things that might be important - this guitar is a 16 incher so pretty small by archtop standards. When I built it I debated between parallel and X bracing - parallel is supposed to be louder and I knew I was going to be playing in a big band so I went with X bracking. The top is profiled following Benedetto's recommendation, if anything slightly on the thicker side which is supposed to mellow it a bit.

As I've said elsewhere, I think what I'm hearing is more or less what an archtop is suppose to sound like, its just a new voice for me.

 

[buster poser]

Thomastik flat 10s for me

 

[Freeman Keller]

For what it is worth, there are no monels or retros in town. However my local music store did have D'Addario nickel-bronze acoustic strings which are supposed to be somewhat like monel - in theory they bring out the sound of the guitar, not the string. What the heck, put them on the guitar, got to admit seeing silver strings on an acoustic looks weird, but they sound...

....really good. More finger squeak than I like, I've grown accustom to Elixers, but the sound is better than the PB's and much much better than the 80/20's. I'll play them for a while and see what develops.

And I have been playing with a pick, medium Martin, which is darn loud and will never do for sitting on the couch by the fire but at least has the sound I think I want.

Oh, and when I was at the music store I ran into one of my jazz playing buddies and I asked him to come over and play this thing and tell me if its a bad guitar or not. Progress.

 

[Tricone]

Hello FK. I like the Martin Monel .012-.054 strings for my acoustic archtop. One thing I have noticed about Monel strings is that they have to be played a few hours and "broken in" before they sound "right" and good.

I really like these also. The D'Addario ECG25 Chromes are very warm, strong fundamentals, no overtones.

For warmth with decreased string noise I use D'Addario EFT13 Flat Tops on my acoustic Mule steel tricone. Very warm tone and long life. I love these strings but have not tried them on an archtop.