Strings....The Missing Link?

[James C]

I Just got my vigier back from the local guitar tech loaded up with nailbombs and a trilogy suite and i tested it out through several different amps and the bass sounded 'woolly' a little bemused i played unplugged and still very dull on the wound strings. This was all using the supplied 10-46 rotosounds from BKP.

my question (yes there is one eventually ;) ) do other users find certain strings better than others for their BKPs and if so, what do you use? D'addario XL's are my usual strings but i'll try anything once (as the tele i sold to my brother will attest)

[38thBeatle]

I wouldn't have thought it would be the strings but I could be wrong. As the work was done by a tech I assume the pickup height was set correctly ( though that in itself can be a matter of taste). Also your ears may be acclimatising but certainly BKPs should never sound woolly-quite the opposite in fact. Perhaps some of the other guys can offer suggestions.

[Jonny]

I don't think it's strings either, but I have experienced the comfort side of different strings, notably Nanowebs and EBs

[Fourth Feline]

If I've been getting 'wooly' bass with good pickups ( notably on Gibson / Mahoghany type guitars )  I change the 10 - 46  set to 10 - 52 and the detail returns nicely. I usually use D'addario 10 - 52s - but get a bit miffed as the top 'e' tends to unwind at the ball end if you release the tension ( i.e. to clean the fret board ) and re- tune. This issue never seems to happen with Ernie Balls - but I am used to working with the tonality of D'addarios.  I tried some of the ( B.K.P. supplied ) Rotosounds, but they left me feeling a bit neutral tone wise.

As has been previously mentioned , B.K.P. are very sensitive / responsive to pickup heights - and I find a gap from the top of the two 'E' pole pieces to the underside of the string ( held down at the last fret ) of about 2mm is a good place to start. For a darker and more compressed sound, I go to a gap of about 1.6 mm , - but for a nice 'open' sound - between about 2.5 to 3mm. 

Hope that helps you too.  :)

[James C]

Cheers for the info guys, the p/up heights were set up nicely, i think it may just be the difference in tone between rotos and d'addarios which are quite bright because when i play unplugged with the guitar the wound strings don't have such a pronounced resonance as the unwound.

I'll pick up some D'add XL's today and restring, any more problems and i'll buy guinness too!  :lol:

[Spitfire]

i used to always use ernie balls... but changed to d'ardianianorianos... but since dolphin sell ernie balls for about £3.50 i got a few sets of them.  I dont think either are particully amazing.. around the same quality.  Im pretty happy using them tho.

[Fourth Feline]

Cheers for the info guys, the p/up heights were set up nicely, i think it may just be the difference in tone between rotos and d'addarios which are quite bright because when i play unplugged with the guitar the wound strings don't have such a pronounced resonance as the unwound.

I'll pick up some D'add XL's today and restring, any more problems and i'll buy guinness too!  :lol:

If using D'addario 10 - 52s instead of 10 - 46  - a 16th of a turn clockwise on the truss rod might be a good idea, to preserve the same low action ; especially as I percieve  D'addarios to have a little more tension than Ernie Ball or Rotosound, but not as tight as GHS.  I also love using 'heavy bottoms' - as you can drop the string height / action even lower on the bass end without rattles e.t.c. 

Meanwhile,  Guinness is always a great idea for helping you set up and play a guitar...  8)

[dave_mc]

i can hear a tonal difference in strings- rotos are quite warm (i like them because of that). it's not necessarily the strings (it'd be unlikely), but it's not beyond the realms of possibility that it might be, especially if you've changed from brighter strings...

[Bob Johnson]

I generally fit D'Adarrio EXL's to every job I do if I can get away with it (some people have a fanatical loyalty to certain "brands"). If a guitar sounds great when a customer tries it out your halfway there. D'Adarrio's are cheap, last well, they're totally consistent, and sound great. A lot of "branded" guitar strings are made in the same factory so you could be paying more for the same product if your prejudices rule your head (ears).

[MrBump]

I've had a duff set of EBs before - just sounded bad, didn't stay in tune. 

I put it down to a bad batch from the factory.  It must happen.

Mark.

[James C]

XL's Fitted - BKPs given a full test...................... AMAZING, i never really used the middle p/up when i had strats but it nails a twangy Skynryrd tone and the neck and bridge p/ups have me covered for my Thrash and Blues musings. I think it may have just been a duff set of rotos, but i am used to bright strings so it may just be my XL biased hearing.

At the end of the day EMG's are gone and BKP's are in. RESULT

Thanks for all your comments guys!!!

[Fourth Feline]

Great to hear you got there mate !  :)

[Doadman]

I also tried the Rotosounds that BKP supplied and I wasn't impressed at all. I changed them in just over a week. I've tried loads of different strings over the years and I've liked a few different brands. Ernie Ball were always good to me, D'Adarrio were also excellent and I was quite impressed with Skull strings. I moved to Elixir primarily so I didn't have the pain of changing strings as often but as well as amazing longevity, I also find the tone to be excellent. I use 10-46 and there's certainly more tension in the Elixir strings as opposed to any other brand I've tried and that must be down to the coating. Still, I've got used to them, I like them tonally and compared to other strings they last forever so I think I'll stick with them now.