"blues" guitar strings?

Jamal Bucket

Jamal Bucket

New member
they make these sets of strings with a wound 4th string ..is the purpose of this to keep that string in tune better due to all the bending and stuff associated with blues playing?...anyone ever used them before?..i play alot of lead lines with that "octave" chord using the 2nd and 4th strings ..and the 4th goes out of tune ALOT ...Would this maybe a cure for that?
 
Some people just prefer a bigger G-string..... ;)

Seriously, the G-string seems to always be the biggest pain in the ass string....kind of on the verge of whether it would be better wound or not. I believe a wound G does intonate and stay in tune better, but I don't like them for the very reason that I want to bend the hell out of it and it doesn't feel right to me. Sometimes the G string sounds kinda funny too. It just doesn't ring out as well or as strongly as it should. I think that's a big reason why some people prefer them wound because it remedies that.
I'm sure somebody around here has a more scientific explanation for these things than I do tho! :D
 
It's the third string you are talking about, the G, right?

Most guys who use them don't bend much, it's too hard. The wound string was first, the unwound developed when people made bending a common technique.

If you don't do a lot of bending, a wound G is great. Lots of jazz guys I know use them, as well as some chug-chug metal guys. Better tone from a wound G, too, IMO.
 
hey thanks guys

yeeah i dont bend at all....i think this may the fix im looking for !

fuck thats sweet !!!!! i hope it works ..im off to the music store. :)
 
metalhead28 said:
Some people just prefer a bigger G-string..... ;)

Seriously, the G-string seems to always be the biggest pain in the ass string
Click to expand...

Yup, just enough friction to get hung up and go out of tune from looking at it, and just small enough that it is almost too floppy at pitch to get good tone out of. That also contributes to it getting hung up all the time.
 
Actually, a wound G-string is favored by many jazzmen. I'm more of a folk-rocker, and they're all I use. I find them much better for playing full chords, as in the Who, but most real lead guitarists don't love them. For whatever reason, they are much less prone to intonation problems and being knocked out of tune when playing full chords. The jazz guys go for big fat ones, like .013's, or flat wounds. I prefer .011's, but not very many people make them. Personally, I use D'Addario EXL115W on my Les Paul, my Tele, and my Casino. They are perfect for playing fingerstyle. Basically, I use an electric to impersonate an acoustic, and I have always hated plain G-strings.-Richie
 
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