The "G" String

**Tim** · August 2nd, 2007, 10:51 AM

This post is to calm Tone down from being bored, at work no less. It has no relationship to a Fret Net member of the same name.

The question is: why is the "G" string on a guitar so hard to keep in tune? I normally have to find a happy medium between the open "C" chord, the open "G" chord and the open "D" chord. If I set the "G" string with the tuner the "C" and "G" chords are right on target. But the "D" chord is off.

Can anybody explain this phenomenal?

**Tone2TheBone** · August 2nd, 2007, 10:57 AM

What I'm wondering is what happened to a member named The G String.

Tim the G string was normally wound like on acoustic guitars. People got tired of broken nails and fingers trying to bend those wound strings so companies started making them unwound. Problem with that is that there is very little tension placed on that unwound string at the pitch it's tuned to so it tends to feel and sound wobbly. Thanks for the interesting post btw. +1

duhvoodooman*** · August 2nd, 2007, 11:14 AM

So let me get this straight--the raison d'etre of the FretNet has degenerated to one of keeping Tone entertained??

**Tim** · August 2nd, 2007, 11:18 AM

No, he is not being entertained. He is "moderating"!

**Tone2TheBone** · August 2nd, 2007, 11:19 AM

Originally Posted by duhvoodooman

So let me get this straight--the raison d'etre of the FretNet has degenerated to one of keeping Tone entertained??

Well since I don't post videos like Robert does and since he's gone I noticed that it's been pretty slow in here lately. Good word choice there...raison d'etre.

**weeladdie** · August 2nd, 2007, 01:01 PM

Try taking a look at this explanation, it seems to cover just about every thing.

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

**Plank_Spanker** · August 2nd, 2007, 03:43 PM

The guitar is intrinsically an imperfect instrument. It's all a balancing act.

**SuperSwede** · August 3rd, 2007, 03:47 AM

Originally Posted by duhvoodooman

So let me get this straight--the raison d'etre of the FretNet has degenerated to one of keeping Tone entertained??

Guitar playing is all about Tone..

**WackyT** · August 3rd, 2007, 05:31 AM

Does anyone here run a wound G string on their electrics?

**weeladdie** · August 3rd, 2007, 10:21 AM

Originally Posted by WackyT

Does anyone here run a wound G string on their electrics?

Almost always.

**sunvalleylaw** · August 3rd, 2007, 11:35 AM

Originally Posted by weeladdie

Almost always.

What strings do you use to do that? I might try it.

**guitartist** · August 3rd, 2007, 03:36 PM

Originally Posted by WackyT

Does anyone here run a wound G string on their electrics?

I always have. In a video I've got on playing countryish steel pedal-type bends on guitar, the instructor suggested getting a g string that was unwound...I've thought about that, but I'd have to switch to much lighter strings (although I do suppose I could just get a lighter g string, but having a g string that's around the same weight as my high e string just strikes me as weird). I've gotten pretty used to bending that wound G string now....I like the tone of the thicker strings.

A while back I told my girlfriend that i broke my g string...she gave me the weirdest look. Then I explained to her that it was a guitar string!

**weeladdie** · August 3rd, 2007, 07:31 PM

Originally Posted by sunvalleylaw

What strings do you use to do that? I might try it.

D'Addario EXL110W, 10-46.

To me the unwound G string sounds like it never stretches out and settles down properly.

**sunvalleylaw** · August 3rd, 2007, 07:37 PM

Originally Posted by weeladdie

D'Addario EXL110W, 10-46.

To me the unwound G string sounds like it never stretches out and settles down properly.

Great. I run D'Addario 10-46s as it is, so will just look for the set with the wound G string. My local shop has a separate wound G I can try too. Might as well try it I say!

**Tone2TheBone** · August 3rd, 2007, 08:01 PM

Wound G's feel so good on an acoustic. They always sound in tune also, especially when fretting chord structures on the G, B & E unison all the way up the neck.

**tot_Ou_tard** · August 5th, 2007, 05:15 PM

I've been wAAAyyy busy & away from The Fret.

But somewhere in my nightmarish delrium I heard little wee laddie voices telling me that Tone was bored...so (several days late) I arrive to find that that damn suckin' sour G-string that drives me nuts is being discussed.

Will trying a wound G srew cut too large a groove in the nut to go back to sour skinnys?

Hi-ho fretters!

**weeladdie** · August 7th, 2007, 08:25 PM

Originally Posted by tot_Ou_tard

I've been wAAAyyy busy & away from The Fret.

But somewhere in my nightmarish delrium I heard little wee laddie voices telling me that Tone was bored...so (several days late) I arrive to find that that damn suckin' sour G-string that drives me nuts is being discussed.

Will trying a wound G srew cut too large a groove in the nut to go back to sour skinnys?

Hi-ho fretters!

You might find the wound string sticking in the nut when tuning sometimes, it's about a thousandth of an inch thicker than the unwound (.018 vs .017).

It won't recut the nut on it's own though.

Even if you opened up the nut you could still go back to the unwounds with no problem.

HTH

**tot_Ou_tard** · August 8th, 2007, 06:40 AM

Originally Posted by weeladdie

You might find the wound string sticking in the nut when tuning sometimes, it's about a thousandth of an inch thicker than the unwound (.018 vs .017).

It won't recut the nut on it's own though.

Even if you opened up the nut you could still go back to the unwounds with no problem.

HTH

Yes it does help. Thanks wee-one.

pes_laul · August 17th, 2007, 07:56 AM

ok wait you mean the guitar string right?!

hmmmm maybe its the intonation?

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