done with daddario chrome 12s

[jaz]

i'm done with d'addario chromes. For about the last 4 years, the .012 set's G string is not ground flat. Very irritating. Tried over a dozen sets from different batches, different stores, different parts of the country. Not sure what happened with their manufacturing process but i can't deal with it anymore!

[Bill Godwin]

On Saturday, February 1, 2014 3:19:20 PM UTC-5, jaz wrote:
> i'm done with d'addario chromes. For about the last 4 years, the .012 set's G string is not ground flat. Very irritating. Tried over a dozen sets from different batches, different stores, different parts of the country. Not sure what happened with their manufacturing process but i can't deal with it anymore!

I recall a few years back there were some quality control issues with some D'addario strings. I think TD gave an email for a big cheese there. I think I got a new set of strings out of the deal. The takeaway sense I got was that they truly wanted to know about an QC issues and wanted to correct and keep the customer satisfied !!

Bill Godwin

[jaz]

i tried emailing the QC guy and he's no longer there. The email bounced. Anyone have another contact?

[TD]

They fired him for sniffing too many g strings on the light gauge machine. Contact me.

[SB]

On Saturday, February 1, 2014 1:19:20 PM UTC-7, jaz wrote:
> i'm done with d'addario chromes. For about the last 4 years, the .012 set's G string is not ground flat. Very irritating. Tried over a dozen sets from different batches, different stores, different parts of the country. Not sure what happened with their manufacturing process but i can't deal with it anymore!

Good ! I use round heavy strings for many reasons, and I use a wound G in a mixed set to achieve close tension between the strings (inherited habit, I'm a bad robot). I'd use a wound B if I could figure out how to get one. I'm addicted to great tone so I change them once a month for a treat. I say good because I am a grumpy cat today. Ha. Screw chromes and flats too for that matter. Enjoy Jack.

[ott...@hotmail.com]

On Saturday, February 1, 2014 3:19:20 PM UTC-5, jaz wrote:

> i'm done with d'addario chromes. For about the last 4 years, the .012 set's G string is not ground flat. Very irritating. Tried over a dozen sets from different batches, different stores, different parts of the country. Not sure what happened with their manufacturing process but i can't deal with it anymore!

I've been using Chromes for many, many years, and not had any issues, but they're .013 to .056 rather than 12's.
I had a set of D'angelico Stainless flatwounds hangin' around the house for years, but didn't use them because it had an 0.24 G and I prefer .026.
Anyway, I tried them on my old es125 that I use around the house, and enjoying them very much. They seem to have less tension than the Chromes.

Bg

[Gerry]

I started using Chromes this past year, the 11's, and like them. I've
had no qc problems yet; the g is fine. I'm think I'm going to keep up
with these for a while.
--
Those who wish to sing always find a song. -- Swedish proverb

[TD]

Been using Medium Chromes since God knows when. Never had a false string. Recently displaced 13 E for 14 E; loving it. D'Addario does make good on defective items. They never string you along. Chromes are stiff for first week or two, but afterward they open up nicely.

[GuyB]

D'Addario chromes are my fav too, I bought a pack of 10 sets a while back.
Guy

[ott...@hotmail.com]

> Been using Medium Chromes since God knows when. Never had a false string. Recently displaced 13 E for 14 E; loving it. D'Addario does make good on defective items. They never string you along. Chromes are stiff for first week or two, but afterward they open up nicely.

Hmm, stiff for a week or 2, eh wishful thinking :-)
Bg

[TD]

Not my experience. Perhaps, the observation goes my man hours?

[Gerry]

I thought the ads say one should seek a physician if stiff for more
than 6 hours...?
--
Those who wish to sing always find a song. -- Swedish proverb

[TD]

That's only for working stiffs.

[Gerry]

One year later, and a little over a year and half into using the
D'Addario chrome .011's, I too am moving on. The last three sets I had
have had a buzzing G. Convinced it was my frets, I took it to my
guitar tech. He said he'd never seen it before but my G string was worn
more dramatically then all the other frets, which were pretty
consistent in their wear.

My eventual conclusion to that oddity was informed by posts here at
rmmgj carping about "rought" G strings. I assume I had a rough one on
and so it wore the G frets more deeply than the others.

Once he dressed and crowned the frets he still had more buzzing. He
worked with the truss-road and other stuff. Still the buzzing. Then
he emailed me and said--"What are the odds that three g strings in a
row are bad?" Very good indeed. He replaced the 22w with a 20p and my
troubles vanished.

I still have 3 sets of this shit lying around, plus all the left-overs
from these two sets from which we plundered the 22w's. So now I'm
moving on to Pyramid or Thomastik or something. None seem to have
quite the same gauges though. Both their .12 sets have lighter gauges
inbetween and then bump up the low E to 53 from 50.

Anybody done the hard (read: expensive) work of deciding whether
Pyramid or Thomastik is the best play to migrate. The Thomastick GB112
(George Benson) seem like the best fit gauge wise, and are the most
expensive at $39 (Amazon).
--
Sunday is my new usenet day. All the others are for fun.

[David J. Littleboy]

"Gerry" wrote:
>
>Anybody done the hard (read: expensive) work of deciding whether Pyramid or
>Thomastik is the best play to migrate. The Thomastick GB112 (George
>Benson) seem like the best fit gauge wise, and are the most expensive at
>$39 (Amazon).

Until now, I normally prefer heavier than usual on the top two strings;
mostly because I think pickups have an easier time producing a fatter sound
with them.

I've been pretty happy with the Thomastic Jazz Swing .011 set. It depends on
the guitar though. They are great on the Carvin Holdsworth, good on the
Heritage L-4C look-alike, and a bit floppy feeling on the Holst 16"
hand-carved. The .012 set was somewhat floppy feeling on the Holst, and the
.011 is even more so. I may go back to the .012s on that guitar. (I had put
a .013 high E on it, and that was overmuch.)

I especially like the somewhat lighter low end on the Thomastic .011 for the
Carvin, because electrics are designed for .010 and lighter strings.

I have the problem, though, that I don't like new strings. It takes a week
or two of hard playing to get the snarl down to a reasonable level. At which
point, I don't feel like changing them until they're really dead. And with
four guitars that are fun to play (I lowered the string height on my Martin
a bit), strings take a long time to settle down, and with four guitars,
changing strings gets to be a pain...

--
David J. Littleboy
Tokyo, Japan

[Gerry]

Thanks for the input. I take it you've not tried the Pyramid?

[David J. Littleboy]

"Gerry" wrote:
>
>Thanks for the input. I take it you've not tried the Pyramid?

Not yet. The medium-heavy set looks like it might be the right thing for the
Holst. But Amazon won't ship them to Japan. Sigh. And they don't seem to be
on the Amazon Japan site.

[Gerry]

On 2014-02-01 20:19:20 +0000, jaz said:

Jack, it's been a year since you posted that. If you're monitoring
rmmgj, can you let us know what brand/set you've move to?

[Gerry]

On 2015-02-20 02:21:12 +0000, David J. Littleboy said:

> "Gerry" wrote:
>>
>> Thanks for the input. I take it you've not tried the Pyramid?
>
> Not yet. The medium-heavy set looks like it might be the right thing
> for the Holst. But Amazon won't ship them to Japan. Sigh. And they
> don't seem to be on the Amazon Japan site.

They won't, but I will. Email me if you like and I'll fetch them and
send them along.

You gave a list of the relative good vs. "floppy" on your clutch of
guitars. Can you tell us what their scales length they each are?

[David J. Littleboy]

"Gerry" wrote:
>
>You gave a list of the relative good vs. "floppy" on your clutch of
>guitars. Can you tell us what their scales length they each are?

Good = 25.5 Carvin
Nice = 24.7 Heritage
Floppy = 25.5 Holst

The Holst is lively acoustically, and I think that it's the top moving that
makes the strings feel different.

[Tim McNamara]

On Thu, 19 Feb 2015 15:46:23 -0800, Gerry <add...@domain.com> wrote:
>
> Anybody done the hard (read: expensive) work of deciding whether
> Pyramid or Thomastik is the best play to migrate. The Thomastick
> GB112 (George Benson) seem like the best fit gauge wise, and are the
> most expensive at $39 (Amazon).

First, check the prices at StringsByMail.com in Traverse City MI. I've
dealt with John Wunsch there for a couple of years and he's been great.
Prices are good and if you order during the business day your order
usually goes out that day.

Second, at least on my guitars I have found different results, but now
that I think about it this may be apples and oranges for you.

I switched from D'Addario Chromes .012s to TI BB113 rounds on my
archtop. They intonate almost perfectly on my wood bridge, unlike the
D'As. The string balance is better. I had previously tried the Pyramid
Gold .011 flats and I like them a lot- a whole lot- but decided I wanted
a bit heavier string. At the time John didn't have Pyramid Gold .012s
in stock but I see he has them now, both .012s and .013s. When I've
used up my TIs I'll try a set of the Pyramids.

On my Tele I didn't care for the TIs as much nor the .011 Chromes; I
used .012 Chromes for a cuple of years. They were punchy and all but it
wasn't the sound I wanted- I wanted softer, warmer, Ed Bickert-ish. He
used lighter strings than I care for with a plain G. But I really like
the Pyramid pure nickel hand wound .012-.052 rounds; they come with a
wound and plain G and I am happily using the latter much to my surprise.
If you want to capture the Ed Bickert sound without having to work to
develop Ed's elegant touch, these are the strings IME to get you close.

I have decided that my princess and the pea issue is going to be nickel
strings for a softer warmer sound and also round cores. Heck with ebony
versus rosewood, maple versus mahogany, alnico versus ceramic... I'm
going with the metal!

Both TI and Pyramid are German made and it wouldn't surprise me if they
were wound in the same factory.

[Gerry]

On 2015-02-20 04:13:20 +0000, David J. Littleboy said:

> "Gerry" wrote:
>>
>> You gave a list of the relative good vs. "floppy" on your clutch of
>> guitars. Can you tell us what their scales length they each are?
>
> Good = 25.5 Carvin
> Nice = 24.7 Heritage
> Floppy = 25.5 Holst
>
> The Holst is lively acoustically, and I think that it's the top moving
> that makes the strings feel different.

Thanks.

[Gerry]

On 2015-02-20 05:20:14 +0000, Tim McNamara said:

> On my Tele I didn't care for the TIs as much nor the .011 Chromes; I
> used .012 Chromes for a cuple of years. They were punchy and all but it
> wasn't the sound I wanted- I wanted softer, warmer, Ed Bickert-ish. He
> used lighter strings than I care for with a plain G. But I really like
> the Pyramid pure nickel hand wound .012-.052 rounds; they come with a
> wound and plain G and I am happily using the latter much to my surprise.
> If you want to capture the Ed Bickert sound without having to work to
> develop Ed's elegant touch, these are the strings IME to get you close.

Thanks for the overall analysis; duly clipped and stashed.

For me "Ed Bickert" is a dog whistle I can't avoid. I didn't know he
used light enough strings to provide a plain G. I believe the set
you're referring to is this:

Pyramid Gold Flat Medium/Heavy 12-52 ($32)

12
16
22w
33
42
52

Which is a little heavier throughout than the ECG24's I've been using
(see below). But it sounds like a good place to start experimenting.
I would always *like* to play a heavier gauge because there is more
room for controlling dynamic range.

For those following along in their hymnal regarding gauges, my recent
snooping may be of value. The prices are Amazonian and only a single
reference point. Stringsbymail sell them cheaper, in some cases by a
third. The current slop D'Addario is making isn't usable so if one is
going to double the price of strings, two bucks one way or the other
hardly matters. It's a different world. Additionally, I don't feel
the *need* to change the strings very often any more. Quality of
strings, shifts in ph as I age, cleaner hands when I play and less
sweaty operation all seem to make string changing more of an annual
event. With some of these strings who knows, maybe it will be bienniel.

- - - - -

D’Addario ECG24 (11’s) ($12)

11
14
22w
30
40
50

Dr. Thomastick JS111 “Jazz Swing” ($26)

11
15
19
25
35
47

Thomastick-infled JS112 “Jazz Swing” ($26)

12
16
20
27
37
50

Thomastik GB112 “George Benson” ($39)

12
16
20w
28
39
53

Thomastik-Infeld JS113 Jazz Swing ($26)

13
17
21
28
39
53

Pyramid Gold Flat Medium 11-48 ($32)

11
15
20w
30
35
48

Pyramid Gold Flat Medium/Heavy 12-52 ($32)

12
16
22w
33
42
52

[Universe]

On Thu, 19 Feb 2015 15:46:23 -0800, Gerry <add...@domain.com> wrote:

>On 2014-02-01 20:19:20 +0000, jaz said:
>
>> i'm done with d'addario chromes. For about the last 4 years, the .012
>> set's G string is not ground flat. Very irritating. Tried over a dozen
>> sets from different batches, different stores, different parts of the
>> country. Not sure what happened with their manufacturing process but i
>> can't deal with it anymore!
>
>One year later, and a little over a year and half into using the
>D'Addario chrome .011's, I too am moving on. The last three sets I had
>have had a buzzing G. Convinced it was my frets, I took it to my
>guitar tech. He said he'd never seen it before but my G string was worn
>more dramatically then all the other frets, which were pretty
>consistent in their wear.
>
>My eventual conclusion to that oddity was informed by posts here at
>rmmgj carping about "rought" G strings. I assume I had a rough one on
>and so it wore the G frets more deeply than the others.

You could try giving D'Addario a call. I've found them very
responsive. Their factories are in the US, so maybe it's possible to
reach someone who knows how the strings are made, and what other
options they may have. Or bring this thread to their attention. If
you can't find anyone that cares, let me know...I may have a contact
number.

I had suggested to Elixir (teflon coated strings) that they look into
making a flat-wound set. Their technology seems ideal for it. I
don't care for the slick coating when applied to their bass strings,
but for guitar strings (round-wound) it helps to subdue string squeaks
when changing position. That could translate to less fret wear as
well. Their strings last forever too.

I'm kind of surprised about the fret problems though. Maybe it's due
to thinner frets or different alloy on your guitars. I haven't had
that much trouble with fret wear, and I use round-wound strings and do
a lot of bends.

[Arthur Quinn]

On 2015-02-20 02:21:12 +0000, David J. Littleboy said:

> "Gerry" wrote:
>>
>> Thanks for the input. I take it you've not tried the Pyramid?
>
> Not yet. The medium-heavy set looks like it might be the right thing
> for the Holst. But Amazon won't ship them to Japan. Sigh. And they
> don't seem to be on the Amazon Japan site.

Thomann will ship to Japan, but it shipping is expensive at 50 euro per
package unless you buy 200 euro's worth, though the price of the
strings themselves is probably the lowest you will find anywhere.

http://www.thomann.de/gb/pyramid_gold_medium_heavy_flatwound.htm?sid=0175e9dd29c66efbae0104323b7c089a


Arthur

--
Arthur Quinn
real-email arthur at bellacat dot com

[Gerry]

On 2015-02-20 07:17:35 +0000, Universe said:

>> One year later, and a little over a year and half into using the
>> D'Addario chrome .011's, I too am moving on. The last three sets I had
>> have had a buzzing G. Convinced it was my frets, I took it to my
>> guitar tech. He said he'd never seen it before but my G string was worn
>> more dramatically then all the other frets, which were pretty
>> consistent in their wear.

I should clarify: The fret area under the G was worn more deeply from
around the 2nd to 9th fret. That's what he'd never seen before.

>> My eventual conclusion to that oddity was informed by posts here at

>> rmmgj carping about "rough" G strings. I assume I had a rough one on

>> and so it wore the G frets more deeply than the others.
>
> You could try giving D'Addario a call. I've found them very
> responsive. Their factories are in the US, so maybe it's possible to
> reach someone who knows how the strings are made, and what other
> options they may have. Or bring this thread to their attention. If
> you can't find anyone that cares, let me know...I may have a contact
> number.

I don't know what a chat would do. I've thrown two sets in the
trash--will they give me my money back?

We had at least two rmmgj people contact them over the past 4-5 years
regarding this issue. Check the various d'addario topics back to 2009
and you'll find them. If I recall correctly they were sympathetic, but
if you don't trust they, you're out $14 bucks every time. I've now
disposed of 4 sets because I can't find a single 22w to replace the the
messed up one in the packs. I think I can get pretty close to a plain
22. My guitar guy put a plain 20 on it before giving it back to me. I
figure I'll pick up a few of these to see if I can make some use of my
two remaining chrome 11's.

Mostly I'm glad to wash my hands of them. All I want is consistency.

> I had suggested to Elixir (teflon coated strings) that they look into
> making a flat-wound set. Their technology seems ideal for it. I
> don't care for the slick coating when applied to their bass strings,
> but for guitar strings (round-wound) it helps to subdue string squeaks
> when changing position. That could translate to less fret wear as
> well. Their strings last forever too.

I don't know why, probably my own ph, but when I play Elixir it smells
like fish.

> I'm kind of surprised about the fret problems though. Maybe it's due
> to thinner frets or different alloy on your guitars. I haven't had
> that much trouble with fret wear, and I use round-wound strings and do
> a lot of bends.

Certainly it could be something other than my analysis, but this is the
first time I've had problems like this in about 12 years, so I'm
confident in my conclusions: The fret wear, in my analysis, was due to
one string, the G, being slightly rougher and more abrasive than the
other strings. so one "trough" of wear appeared that was slightly more
than the other areas of the frets.

[Mark Kleinhaut]

Pyramids are the best strings ever. Spend the money....well worth it. I'm using the .012 nickel classics (round). I used to only play flats (chromes in fact) but these rounds feel as smooth, squeaks are manageable with a little effort, and the last for months and months if hard use. But mostly, they sound so much better than anything else I've tried (including TI's which I especially dislike).

[Gerry]

Good testimonial. I have two sets of the .012 flats on the way.

[Mark Kleinhaut]

Cool! Remember to hold off from judging for a few days of playing them in.

[rpjazzguitar]

I just had a series of audiograms. There's no way I should be posting about how anything sounds. Of course, that won't stop me.

I bought a set of Thomastiks a couple of years ago after reading about them on here. Three times the price of the usual strings I usually buy.

I didn't hear any difference and I don't think they lasted any longer.

My view: I use a medium high fret and have a fairly hard touch. When I remove a high E or B string and feel the string, it's kinked at every fret. So, I have to replace those strings fairly often. I do it when they don't intonate properly or I start getting obsessed with the lack of "singing" quality in the upper register (although the new string I put on is likely to be little better). My impression is that the thicker the string the less it's a problem. I don't replace the wound strings very often.

Sure, when a string is new it sounds livelier. But, it doesn't last that long. Also I play a solid body guitar and, lately, am soloing with a fairly heavily processed signal. And, I can't hear s*it. Maybe with an archtop mic'ed acoustically, you could hear the brilliance of a boutique string. I hope so.

[Gerry]

I want the strings to sound good and to last long. But this week I
just want to be assured of the quality of the wrapping for flatwound
strings.

[thomas]

On Thursday, February 19, 2015 at 9:37:07 PM UTC-5, Gerry wrote:
>
> Jack, it's been a year since you posted that. If you're monitoring
> rmmgj, can you let us know what brand/set you've move to?

I thought Jack was now ClevelandJazz? Or is that some other guy?

[Gerry]

The same.

[Tim McNamara]

On Thu, 19 Feb 2015 23:20:14 -0600, Tim McNamara <tim...@bitstream.net>
wrote:

Correction:

> On my Tele I didn't care for the TIs as much nor the .011 Chromes; I
> used .012 Chromes for a cuple of years. They were punchy and all but
> it wasn't the sound I wanted- I wanted softer, warmer, Ed Bickert-ish.
> He used lighter strings than I care for with a plain G. But I really
> like the Pyramid pure nickel hand wound .012-.052 rounds; they come
> with a wound and plain G and I am happily using the latter much to my
> surprise.

Actually it's the .012-.054 set that comes with wound and plain G
strings. That's the set I have on the Tele.

[Gerry]

What is/are the gauges of the G?

[Universe]

On Fri, 20 Feb 2015 08:51:51 -0800, Gerry <add...@domain.com> wrote:

>On 2015-02-20 07:17:35 +0000, Universe said:
>
>>> One year later, and a little over a year and half into using the
>>> D'Addario chrome .011's, I too am moving on. The last three sets I had
>>> have had a buzzing G. Convinced it was my frets, I took it to my
>>> guitar tech. He said he'd never seen it before but my G string was worn
>>> more dramatically then all the other frets, which were pretty
>>> consistent in their wear.
>
>I should clarify: The fret area under the G was worn more deeply from
>around the 2nd to 9th fret. That's what he'd never seen before.

I figured that from your comments. That would take an extremely
abrasive G to do that. I believe you completely, but it is
surprising.

>> You could try giving D'Addario a call. I've found them very
>> responsive.
>

>I don't know what a chat would do. I've thrown two sets in the
>trash--will they give me my money back?

They may. I called asking about a new type of guitar string, and they
just sent me a couple sets to try out. It's a pretty cool company.
I'm sure that if you connect with the right person, they'll take your
comments very seriously.

>We had at least two rmmgj people contact them over the past 4-5 years
>regarding this issue. Check the various d'addario topics back to 2009
>and you'll find them. If I recall correctly they were sympathetic, but
>if you don't trust they, you're out $14 bucks every time. I've now
>disposed of 4 sets because I can't find a single 22w to replace the the
>messed up one in the packs. I think I can get pretty close to a plain
>22. My guitar guy put a plain 20 on it before giving it back to me. I
>figure I'll pick up a few of these to see if I can make some use of my
>two remaining chrome 11's.

Ernie Ball makes plain .024 strings. D'Addario may have those too,
not sure. D'A also has a new alloy that supposedly has ultra high
tensile strength. Maybe they'll send you samples of .022's or .024's?
Worth a call.

>I don't know why, probably my own ph, but when I play Elixir it smells
>like fish.

Ha! No idea. Teflon is pretty inert. It shouldn't be reacting with
anything, but you never know.

>> I'm kind of surprised about the fret problems though. Maybe it's due
>> to thinner frets or different alloy on your guitars. I haven't had
>> that much trouble with fret wear, and I use round-wound strings and do
>> a lot of bends.
>
>Certainly it could be something other than my analysis, but this is the
>first time I've had problems like this in about 12 years, so I'm
>confident in my conclusions: The fret wear, in my analysis, was due to
>one string, the G, being slightly rougher and more abrasive than the
>other strings. so one "trough" of wear appeared that was slightly more
>than the other areas of the frets.

It must be tough to make flat-wound strings that thin, so I could
understand if there were manufacturing problems. Still odd that they
would not have fixed it though.

Most of my guitars have heavy frets, so I don't see much wear, even
with round wounds. And of course I don't use a wound G. Yeah, I'm a
wimp.

[Gerry]

On 2015-02-21 00:52:01 +0000, Universe said:

> Most of my guitars have heavy frets, so I don't see much wear, even
> with round wounds.

What's heavy in a fret?

I'm sure that the amount of hours per day makes for fret wear too. I
never worried about fret wear, never had frets dressed, in fact never
took a guitar for a setup for about 35 years except for mechanical
issues. Suddenly I'm jacking with fret issues once a year. I'm also
playing 3-4 hours a day, and sometimes 6. I think there may be a
correlation.

[Universe]

On Fri, 20 Feb 2015 19:52:01 -0500, Universe <Univ...@nospam.com>
wrote:

>On Fri, 20 Feb 2015 08:51:51 -0800, Gerry <add...@domain.com> wrote:
>
>>On 2015-02-20 07:17:35 +0000, Universe said:
>>
>>> You could try giving D'Addario a call. I've found them very
>>> responsive.
>>
>>I don't know what a chat would do. I've thrown two sets in the
>>trash--will they give me my money back?
>
>They may.

To clarify...I'm not saying that they'd refund your purchase price.
But if you connect with the right person, they may try to make good in
some fashion--sending replacement sets or whatever. Maybe they have
other types of strings that would be worth trying? I'm rather curious
about their new NYXL series (round wound, high tensile strength):

http://www.daddario.com/DADProductFamily.Page?ActiveID=3768&familyid=74&productname=NYXL

They also have coated EXP series strings that don't use that fishy
smelling teflon stuff :-)

http://www.daddario.com/DADProductFamily.Page?ActiveID=3768&familyid=6&productname=EXP_Coated_Nickel_Round_Wound

"Half rounds" are still pretty round-ish sounding but the surface is
ground smooth:

http://www.daddario.com/DADProductFamily.Page?ActiveID=3768&familyid=2&productname=XL_Half_Rounds

And nickel round-wounds should sound relatively mellow compared to
brighter steel round-wounds:

http://www.daddario.com/DADProductFamily.Page?ActiveID=3768&familyid=4&productname=XL_Pure_Nickel_Round_Wound


BTW, I just checked and they do have .026 unwound single strings.

http://www.daddario.com/DADProductDetail.Page?ActiveID=3769&productid=46&productname=Plain_Steel_Singles

and also in their new NYXL alloy:

http://www.daddario.com/DADProductDetail.Page?ActiveID=3769&productid=631&productname=NYXL_High_Carbon_Steel

[Tim McNamara]

E .012
B .015
G .018P and .024W
D .032
A .044
E .054

Since the Tele is a little light in the bass anyway the heaver low E is
helpful. I hadn't played with a plain G in probably 20 years so I put
it on as a whim. It's slightly louder to my ears relative to the rest
of the strings than the wound G was on other sets, which may reflect how
the pickup is balanced (Dimarzio Area T pickups whichI really like- they
are stacked humbuckers, dead silent making my Tele the quietest guitar I
own, and easy to find a nice jazz tone by rolling the tone off 50%).

[Gerry]

On 2015-02-21 01:24:44 +0000, Universe said:

> On Fri, 20 Feb 2015 19:52:01 -0500, Universe <Univ...@nospam.com>
> wrote:
>
>> On Fri, 20 Feb 2015 08:51:51 -0800, Gerry <add...@domain.com> wrote:
>>
>>> On 2015-02-20 07:17:35 +0000, Universe said:
>>>
>>>> You could try giving D'Addario a call. I've found them very
>>>> responsive.
>>>
>>> I don't know what a chat would do. I've thrown two sets in the
>>> trash--will they give me my money back?
>>
>> They may.
>
> To clarify...I'm not saying that they'd refund your purchase price.
> But if you connect with the right person, they may try to make good in
> some fashion--sending replacement sets or whatever. Maybe they have
> other types of strings that would be worth trying?

That may be. But I don't trust their quality now. Being given
"solutions" by people that caused the problem might be worthwhile if
the problem was a car or a guitar. I've wasted time and money and
incurred frustration, but at least I can call it quits and I'm all
done. The idea of pursuing the matter seems a further waste of time
and energy with the only possible payback being that I might get some
strings.

> I'm rather curious
> about their new NYXL series (round wound, high tensile strength):
>
> http://www.daddario.com/DADProductFamily.Page?ActiveID=3768&familyid=74&productname=NYXL
>
>
> They also have coated EXP series strings that don't use that fishy
> smelling teflon stuff :-)
>
> http://www.daddario.com/DADProductFamily.Page?ActiveID=3768&familyid=6&productname=EXP_Coated_Nickel_Round_Wound
>
>
> "Half rounds" are still pretty round-ish sounding but the surface is
> ground smooth:
>
> http://www.daddario.com/DADProductFamily.Page?ActiveID=3768&familyid=2&productname=XL_Half_Rounds
>
>
> And nickel round-wounds should sound relatively mellow compared to
> brighter steel round-wounds:
>
> http://www.daddario.com/DADProductFamily.Page?ActiveID=3768&familyid=4&productname=XL_Pure_Nickel_Round_Wound
>

ALL of these might be the best ever. On the other hand, they've lost
my trust, and Thomastik and Pyramid seem to have engendered much trust
and enthusiasm among others.

> BTW, I just checked and they do have .026 unwound single strings.
>
> http://www.daddario.com/DADProductDetail.Page?ActiveID=3769&productid=46&productname=Plain_Steel_Singles
>

Since I don't trust the winding on their lighter strings, I'm not
trying to find their replacement for their inconsistent .22w: I have at
least two sets where I'll need a replacement G. No one seems to sell
single 22w, so I figure a plain 22 might do it. I think I'd trust a
plain 22 from almost anybody as a *way* to avoid wasting more money.

> and also in their new NYXL alloy:
>
> http://www.daddario.com/DADProductDetail.Page?ActiveID=3769&productid=631&productname=NYXL_High_Carbon_Steel
>

Thanks for the labor involved in this post, Universe, honestly. But
I've already got too many hobbies. It seems a more direct course of
action to simply try another manufacturer, and I have.

[Gerry]

Thansk, Tim.

[Universe]

On Sat, 21 Feb 2015 08:27:43 -0800, Gerry <add...@domain.com> wrote:

>
>ALL of these might be the best ever. On the other hand, they've lost
>my trust, and Thomastik and Pyramid seem to have engendered much trust
>and enthusiasm among others.
>

>> BTW, I just checked and they do have .026 unwound single strings.
>>
>> http://www.daddario.com/DADProductDetail.Page?ActiveID=3769&productid=46&productname=Plain_Steel_Singles
>>
>
>Since I don't trust the winding on their lighter strings, I'm not
>trying to find their replacement for their inconsistent .22w: I have at
>least two sets where I'll need a replacement G. No one seems to sell
>single 22w, so I figure a plain 22 might do it. I think I'd trust a
>plain 22 from almost anybody as a *way* to avoid wasting more money.
>
>> and also in their new NYXL alloy:
>>
>> http://www.daddario.com/DADProductDetail.Page?ActiveID=3769&productid=631&productname=NYXL_High_Carbon_Steel
>>
>
>Thanks for the labor involved in this post, Universe, honestly. But
>I've already got too many hobbies. It seems a more direct course of
>action to simply try another manufacturer, and I have.

No problem, Gerry. I had just been researching some of their other
strings, do I had a general idea where everything was on their site, I
thought the direct links might save you time.

I do like D'Addario as a company. Still in the USA, and they try to
keep manufacturing and support local and personalized. I had inquired
about some other strings (new round-wound series), and they contacted
me to see if I wanted a couple sets to try out. I spoke to a very
nice guy there named George, one of their support people.

So I called George back to thank him after the strings arrived, and I
mentioned the problems with their Chrome flatwounds. He said that if
you (or anyone) has any problems, that he'll try to make sure that
they're resolved and that you're happy. I know you're disillusioned
with D'Addario at the moment, but I got his direct line for you in
case you want to give him a call:

George Santos
Consumer/Customer Service Product Specialist : CR-Fretted,
CR-Planet Waves, CR-Evans & Puresound , CR-Pro mark.
T: 631 439 3216 or 1 800 323-2746 Ext 216
E-mail: Geo...@daddario.com

He did say that there were some manufacturing glitches with that set
at one time, but that they thought they had been resolved.

I dunno...maybe it's worth a minute to see what he says.

I'm not pimping D'Addario, much as I do like the company (and George).
I love the sound of their strings, but I'm a string killer, so I use
Elixirs.

[Gerry]

On 2015-02-26 04:27:05 +0000, Universe said:

> So I called George back to thank him after the strings arrived, and I
> mentioned the problems with their Chrome flatwounds. He said that if
> you (or anyone) has any problems, that he'll try to make sure that
> they're resolved and that you're happy. I know you're disillusioned
> with D'Addario at the moment, but I got his direct line for you in
> case you want to give him a call:

Thanks, I'll do that. Shall I tell him "Universe" from usenet's rmmgj sent me?

[clevelandjazz]

After some complaints to them, I was told they'd send me a new batch and that they'd fixed the problem. I got the replacement and it still had the same issue. I told them about it and they said they'd fix and send me another set. About 3 months later, I came home from work and saw an info notice from USPS. Went to the post office to see what it was (sender wasn't specified) and it was a COD package of strings from d'addario.

I said no thanks and left. Last I dealt with it. I like their roundwounds. I'm actually thinking of changing back to rounds on my 175.

[Gerry]

Were your issues pretty much isolated to the G string? What flats did
you switch to?

[clevelandjazz]

On Friday, February 20, 2015 at 12:24:39 PM UTC-5, Mark Kleinhaut wrote:
> Pyramids are the best strings ever. Spend the money....well worth it. I'm using the .012 nickel classics (round). I used to only play flats (chromes in fact) but these rounds feel as smooth, squeaks are manageable with a little effort, and the last for months and months if hard use. But mostly, they sound so much better than anything else I've tried (including TI's which I especially dislike).

i love the TIs so it's hard to know whether I'd like the Pyramids. I tried them once and didn't bond with them. Part of it is the sound I expect an archtop to have is derivative of Benson and Metheny so it always feels foreign for me when I play an archtop with roundwounds.

But the other issue is feedback. The pyramids I tried were way more susceptible to feedback than the TI's.

And the last thing is string tension. The wound TI strings have way less tension than the pyramids or other rounds I've used.

[Mark Kleinhaut]

Viv a la difference! It's always interesting that some combinations work for some and not others.

[Universe]

On Wed, 25 Feb 2015 23:53:56 -0800, Gerry <add...@domain.com> wrote:

>On 2015-02-26 04:27:05 +0000, Universe said:
>
>> So I called George back to thank him after the strings arrived, and I
>> mentioned the problems with their Chrome flatwounds. He said that if
>> you (or anyone) has any problems, that he'll try to make sure that
>> they're resolved and that you're happy. I know you're disillusioned
>> with D'Addario at the moment, but I got his direct line for you in
>> case you want to give him a call:
>
>Thanks, I'll do that. Shall I tell him "Universe" from usenet's rmmgj sent me?

Ha! George will figure it out. I usually keep my personal life
partitioned from Usenet, mostly due to the influx of whackos in the
past 10 years (you know the type, see alt.guitar.amps)..

I like George He seems like a good ol' down-to-earth gentleman.
I think he'll do his best for you. Let me know how it goes.

[Universe]

On Thu, 26 Feb 2015 06:05:08 -0800 (PST), clevelandjazz
<jackz...@gmail.com> wrote:

>After some complaints to them, I was told they'd send me a new batch and that they'd fixed the problem. I got the replacement and it still had the same issue. I told them about it and they said they'd fix and send me another set. About 3 months later, I came home from work and saw an info notice from USPS. Went to the post office to see what it was (sender wasn't specified) and it was a COD package of strings from d'addario.

Given what I've seen from them so far, I'm surprised. They sent me
several sets to try just based on my inquiring about them. You could
try giving them another call. I posted the number and extension.

It did sound like they had spotted a problem in production of their
flatwounds, but I wouldn't know if it was addressed efficiently.

> I like their roundwounds. I'm actually thinking of changing back to rounds on my 175.

The last flatwounds that I used were probably Black Diamonds on an
ancient warped Harmony piece o junk. Not even gonna guess the year.

Elixirs eliminate some of the typical round-wound string squeak, but
they're not for everyone. I do love 'em.

D'Addario also makes 'half-rounds' which may be somewhere in between
rounds and flats tonally.

[Jonathan]

What TI set do you use?

[Universe]

On Wed, 25 Feb 2015 23:53:56 -0800, Gerry <add...@domain.com> wrote:

>On 2015-02-26 04:27:05 +0000, Universe said:
>
>> So I called George back to thank him after the strings arrived, and I
>> mentioned the problems with their Chrome flatwounds. He said that if
>> you (or anyone) has any problems, that he'll try to make sure that
>> they're resolved and that you're happy. I know you're disillusioned
>> with D'Addario at the moment, but I got his direct line for you in
>> case you want to give him a call:
>
>Thanks, I'll do that. Shall I tell him "Universe" from usenet's rmmgj sent me?

Gerry, Just checked in and noticed jaz's comments about D'Addario
Chromes (separate thread). In case you didn't see that, Jack said
that the newer strings did not seem to have the same problem with the
G.

If you talk to George, just tell him that a friend from the jazz
newsgroup sent you, and he'll infer the rest.

If you still need heavy plain steel G's, George also knew about
choosing gauges to match tensions of the other strings. You may want
to see if they can get you a couple extra strings from their new
high-tensile strength line (NYXL). I saw a video of their torture
test rig in action, and the NYXL's survived while other strings were
popping left and right.

[Gerry]

On 2015-03-06 09:37:38 +0000, Universe said:

> If you talk to George, just tell him that a friend from the jazz
> newsgroup sent you, and he'll infer the rest.

I'll do that.

> If you still need heavy plain steel G's, George also knew about
> choosing gauges to match tensions of the other strings.

I only needed them as a make-do replacement since there doesn't seem to
be anyone selling singles in flatwounds.

> You may want to see if they can get you a couple extra strings from their new
> high-tensile strength line (NYXL). I saw a video of their torture
> test rig in action, and the NYXL's survived while other strings were
> popping left and right.

I still have a few Pyramid sets to work my way through and
additionally, unrelated to D'Addario's quality-control issues, am
considering heavier gauges.

[clevelandjazz]

Thomastik .012 flats

[Jonathan]

On Friday, March 6, 2015 at 11:16:22 AM UTC-5, clevelandjazz wrote:
> Thomastik .012 flats

Is that the George Benson GB112 set, or just the ordinary JS112 medium light?