Is Anyone Using "Wound" G Strings? Whaddayathink?

[FenderGuy53]

Guys, I'm considering moving from the D'Addario EXL110 (WWWPPP) to the D'Addario EXL110W (WWWWPP). The only difference between the two sets is a "wound" G string in the EXL110W set.

When I play my Strat or Tele, I have noticed that I sometimes mis-finger chords which include the G string. I don't seem to make those same mistakes when playing my Martin acoustic (WWWWPP).

Anyhow, does anyone else use "wound" G strings?

Any feedback is welcome.

Thanks.

 

[boris bubbanov]

I've got wound 'G' strings on a small percentage of my electrics, but I must confess my curiosity with them has faded. For chords, I think they do have merit. But for playing individual notes, for all the devilment a plain 'G' string can cause, it is in some ways my favorite string.

If I may be so presumptuous, look over the differences in neck girth, nut width, scale and board radius as to other culprits that may be making rapid conversion back and forth from 25.5 scale Fender electric to common acoustic guitars a bit of an issue.

 

[graphs]

I like the wound G but not on every guitar. Now that I'm down to one electric I just keep a plain G.

 

[Mike Bruce]

Usually on one Telecaster I use a wound third (D'Addario). It gives the Thinline a bit more growl.

Mike Bruce

 

[dsharman]

I use flat wounds with a wound G on my Ibanez GB 20 that I use for jazz gigs.

 

[Tele Fan]

I only use D'addario .011 w/ a wound 3rd. To me they just have a much smoother sound and I like the way they feel under my fingers. They're also great if your a Bigsby fan like I am because they hold tune much better than lighter strings. I've heard people complain that the wound G wears out faster than an unwound string but I've never had that problem. Grab a set and give them a try. One warning though, say good-bye to ever getting a bulk deal on them.

 

[FenderGuy53]

Grab a set and give them a try. One warning though, say good-bye to ever getting a bulk deal on them.

Tell me about it. I've already been scoping out the vendors and not only are they a bit more $$$, but they don't sell them in multi-set packs! Arrggghhhh!

 

[Lawn Boy]

I use flatwound Tomastik '12's on my archtop and Tomastic
'11's on the Telecaster. Both with wound g's
I love them ,chords are very well defined.
The Fender is due for a new set and it's going up
to a 12 set also. They really last and hold tuning very well. Highly recommended. LB

 

[Doug Ferguson]

Use a set of Thomastik-Infeld flat wound .011's with a wound G on a hollow body that I mainly use for jazz stuff. I'm thinking of putting a set on a tele and setting it up for slide work. For me, a wound G has very limited applications -- just jazz and slide work.

 

[boris bubbanov]

Tell me about it. I've already been scoping out the vendors and not only are they a bit more $$$, but they don't sell them in multi-set packs! Arrggghhhh!

And what is worse (although it hasn't happened much lately) is the wound G strings in my experience had the highest incidence of breakage or just going "dead", even more than the high E strings will. I played mostly flatwounds with a wound G when I was small, and over and over that string broke first (yeah, I had no money and played them til a string broke).

 

[bradpdx]

I bend strings so much, and the G string probably gets the most workout. Wound ones just don't work for that, especially doing double and triple stop bends. At least not for me.

The old staggered pole pickups were meant for wound Gs, but an entire universe of playing has evolved around using plain Gs with these old pickups. Apparently the last 50 years of players didn't mind too much.

I use 10s on my electrics with .016 Gs. Acoustics use light or medium gauge (.012 or .013 high E)

On my acoustics they are of course wound, but then I'm not bending the G.

 

[MarkyMayhem]

And what is worse (although it hasn't happened much lately) is the wound G strings in my experience had the highest incidence of breakage or just going "dead", even more than the high E strings will. I played mostly flatwounds with a wound G when I was small, and over and over that string broke first (yeah, I had no money and played them til a string broke).

I noticed the same thing. For awhile I got in to swapping the 18p from a set of .011 - .048 with a .020w [thinnest I could get] and even a .022w and it just kept breaking at the most inopportune moments.

 

[Michaell]

not for me

On my Strats ( & Tele ) I tune to pitch.

I use a custom guage set.....

10-12-16-26-36-46

In wound " G " would not work.

I do use a wound G on my Martin acoustic electric OOO-CXE

( Actually tried an unound on the acoustic and it did not work )

 

[dangerine49]

I use nothing but wound G's. Mostly D'Addario Chrome flatwound 10's. I have no problem bending, and never break any. Plain G's just don't sound "right" to me, and I can never get them to tune properly.

http://images.onstagemag.com/files/46/0202Setuptxt.html

 

[Alex W]

I always use a wound G string.

 

[jefrs]

The thinnest wound thirds don't work for me i.e. 19W with an 11 set. The lightest set I can get a wound G to work on is like 12-53 or so with 24W or 26W G on the jazzbox. They're not super bendy but I have no problem bending them enough if I want to: in fact there's less stretch per semitone. It's probably just me but I like an accoustically balanced set. Usual gauge plain G 10-45 or 11-46.

Fyi Picato 'Ultra Light' used to have a 16W - not available now.

 

[Jack]

I just put a set of D'Addario 10's with a wound 3rd on my Tele today. This is the first time I've tried this and at first it sounded strange, but the more I got used to it the better I liked it. Just seems to have a better balance. Don't know how they will work on my Strat and LP Special, but I'm going to give them a try on all my guitar and will use them on my Tele from now one.

BTW, anyone else make 10's with a wound 3rd that are better than the D'Adarrio's?

 

[e-merlin]

I tried a wound 3rd set years ago. My biggest problem was that it was too hard to bend the third string. It gave me problems with my fretting hand. I went back to a plain 3rd set. The set I used was equivalent to the plain 3rd set I always used.

 

[NormanGreenbaum]

The thinnest wound thirds don't work for me i.e. 19W with an 11 set. The lightest set I can get a wound G to work on is like 12-53 or so with 24W or 26W G on the jazzbox. They're not super bendy but I have no problem bending them enough if I want to: in fact there's less stretch per semitone. It's probably just me but I like an accoustically balanced set. Usual gauge plain G 10-45 or 11-46.

Fyi Picato 'Ultra Light' used to have a 16W - not available now.

FWIW, La Bella makes a .010 gauge set with an .018 third:

http://www.juststrings.com/lab-el-lw.html

 

[sjtalon]

plain G strings go.................thud

wound G strings go....................RINGGGGGGGGGG !!!!!