Another nubie string question.

[BluesHowler]

I have a Ibenez Artcore semi hollow body guitar. When I bought it I immediately changed the strings because I heard that is where guitar company's save some money by putting on cheap strings.

I had read some good things about D'addario strings so I put a set of EXL115's on it and really liked the sound and how well the stayed in tune. I used that brand and style for a least seven string changes.

The problem is that two days ago I went to buy a set of strings and the place I went was out of the EXL115's so even though they had other D'addario sets I purchased a set of GHS GBM 11 gauge strings. My problem is that the sound is a bit muddy compared to the D'addarios and will not stay in tune. After a few minutes playing my guitar will sound out of tune and when I check the tuning the low E can be Eb and several other strings will be flat also.

The high E and the B string will be in tune most times.

I installed them the same way I installed the D'addario's so I don't think that's the problem.

Should I just stick with the D'addario's? I play mostly Blues and some times Blues with a bit of jazz influence.

[marnold***]

Well, the gages aren't exactly the same. The low E is slightly bigger in particular so you could get binding at the nut. I use Boomers all the time and have also used D'Addario. I didn't find a ton of difference other than the Boomers tended to be a little longer lived. I don't think I could tell the difference in a blind test. You might have gotten a bad/old set. Stick with whatever strings you like. Very few companies actually make their own.

[Spudman***]

Did you stretch them well?

[BluesHowler]

Did you stretch them well?

I didn't stretch them because I never had to with the D'addario's nor with the Martin's I use on my acoustic guitar.

After playing for around two hours last night they seem to be holding tune better.

[bigG]

Advice from an old fart: ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS pre-stretch a newly installed string or string set!!!! And once you've done it the first time and retuned your guitar, stretch 'em AGAIN!

Now tune up again and you should be set for the life of the strings. (Could go out of tune for various other reasons, but it WON'T be the strings!)

Btw, all Ibanez gits come strung w D'Addarios from the factory...

G

[evenkeel]

BigG is right. You should always stretch the strings. Give 'em a good steady pull, tune and repeat. When the string holds it's tune you're good to go.

You mention it's holding tune better now. Given enough time, playing and re-tuning will get the strings stretched and settled in. Stretching in the beginning accelerates the process.

[MAXIFUNK]

well I just learned something new

Thanks guys!

[BluesHowler]

Btw, all Ibanez gits come strung w D'Addarios from the factory...

G

When I did the first string change I thought the strings I was replacing looked just like the ones I was putting on.

But I'm still a nubie at guitars so I went and changed the strings anyways.

I will stretch my strings after every string change from now on.

Thanks to everyone that replied. I learned something new about guitars and I think that's very cool.

[Zip]

Boil your strings before you put them on. No need to stretch (old-timey bluesmen trick) :

[just strum]

Boil your strings before you put them on. No need to stretch (old-timey bluesmen trick) :

I've heard of doing that when they are old and you still want to use them, but never heard that for new ones.

Google "boiling guitar strings"

I would think it to be a waste of time, but people do a lot of time wasting.

I will say with the right sauce they aren't bad, especially with a side dish of sauteed picks.

[Zip]

Actually it stretches them out alot, and takes the temper out as well. Try it (dry off before you restring) and see what happens.

[BluesHowler]

Actually it stretches them out alot, and takes the temper out as well. Try it (dry off before you restring) and see what happens.

How long do you need to boil them? Do they need to be let loose from the way they are packaged?

[Zip]

'Uncoil' them from the package they come in, drop in boiling water for a few minutes (3-5 is fine), lay them on a towel to dry.

[peachhead***]

I've heard of doing that when they are old and you still want to use them, but never heard that for new ones.

Google "boiling guitar strings"

I would think it to be a waste of time, but people do a lot of time wasting.

I will say with the right sauce they aren't bad, especially with a side dish of sauteed picks.

You can't just leave me hanging like that- what kinda picks? I'm already drooling all over my tackle box.

[ThePeregrineFalconFlies]

Get some Elixers! Trust me they are the best acoustic guitar strings you'll find. Little bit expensive, but very well worth it. :

[Rampant]

Hey matey

I've recently gotten an Ibanez Artcore semi-acoustic. {It came strung with D'Addarios as standard.}

It's my pet hate that (my own experience) guitar shops don't actually know what gauge of strings are on the guitars they sell.
So I tried contacting Ibanez's UK partner customer support to find out - I got no response . I don't even know whether the guitar should have come with a manual (or a hex key for truss rod, etc...). Now that REALLY annoys me.

Anyways, after A LOT of angst and searching I found the downloadable manuals on the Ibanez website...

2009 Guitar Manual

Check out page 15 of the manual. The string gauge you probably need for your guitar is 10-52 ("light top heavy bottom" = 10,13,17,30, 42, 52).

I'll be re-stringing mine with the "Blues (10-52)" from here when the time comes...

Rotosound Strings

I use Rotosound Yellows (10-46) on my solid body Pacifica and like them a lot. They also come with an extra top e string as a bonus

Check out page 16 for the 'standard' action measurements as well.

Hope that helps...

Gotta echo the advice on stretching your strings. I always do it as part of the re-stringing process - gently lift each string away from the fretboard a few times. Once you've done all six, re-tune, and then repeat a second time. I find that if I don't do this, they'll be audibly out of tune after only 15 minutes of strumming or less as they stetch themselves from just being played. Stretching them during re-stringing and tuning prevents this and means that, personally, my guitar rarely goes out of tune. Even when put in a case and transported in a cold car when I go to lessons!

Cheerz

Mark H

[bigG]

This thread got me to thinking...I wonder how many guitarists don't know abt pre-stretching strings and, as seems to be de rigueur these days, immediately blame "stock" tuning machines as being cheap and swap out the stock tuners for more expensive ones, when, in fact, it was simply the need to pre-stretch the damn strings!

Be interesting to know how often that occurs, me thinks. I'll bet WAY many more times than necessary (even [or especially] w new instruments, which do not come w the stock strings pre-stretched, in my experience.)

[wingsdad]

Echoing Rampant and bigG, stretching (or, pre-stretching, if you will) the strings, as Rampant describes the process, is essential to properly stringing your guitar. It's not so much that the strings get stretched as it tightens the wraps of the string around the tuning machine's peg....like when you pull a knotted cord tight...to stabilize the bond of string-to-tuner and minimize the possibility of the string loosening its grip, thus lengthening itself and going flat. Loose strings render the best of tuning machines useless. It's not the tuning machine that's defective -- it's Operator Error. :

[Perfect Stranger]

Boil your strings before you put them on. No need to stretch (old-timey bluesmen trick) :

It's so hard to find a pot that my guitar will fit in.....