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Question about magnetic pickups and strings

Posted by Pinkie Stanley on April 10, 2011 at 3:22pm in Building Secrets, Tips, Advice, Discussion

Hi, I am currently working on my second CBG build and plan on using an old Telecaster-style neck pickup in it. I've heard that bronze-wound acoustic guitar strings are the best choice for CBGs, but I am wondering if they are electrically conductive enough to work right with a magnetic pickup.

 

Ironically, I hadn't yet read the bronze string suggestion when I strung up my first build (which has a piezo) and I used Ernie Ball electric guitar strings. Anyways, I am open to any and all suggestions. :)

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Replies

  • colin mcgrath April 14, 2011 at 5:29pm
    Just busy talk here, but I had a Gibson Epoch student model with 2 hums a while back. I switched out the strings for copper wound, it was all I had at the time. The sound was what some would call weak, but I liked the softness of the tone. And the guitar had loud acoustic qualities for a solid body. So I guess I just wanted to jump in this conversation with my experience, whether it helps or not ?.
  • Pinkie Stanley April 14, 2011 at 2:58pm

    Well, I had time over the last couple of days to finish the build and experiment a bit with different string types. To my ear anyways, the bronze wound strings just didn't sound as rich as the regular electric guitar strings. I ended up using a plain string on the high end instead of a wound string too, as I like having one string that sounds conspicuously different than the others.

    All in all I'm really impressed with how cool the Tele p'up sounds in my little CBG, and thanks again to all for your input. I'm looking forward to trying some old humbuckers and P90s in a the near future.

     

    I hear you, I have a number of guitars but the one I have the most of is the telecaster including a 3 string.  I have a four string tenor tele about half done.

     

     I've always loved tenor Teles, but a 4-string tenor? That is just pure awesome! I do hope you'll post pics when you get it finished! :)

     

    ~Shannon

     

  • Sharecropper April 11, 2011 at 10:36pm
     Hey, Josh , I was surprised !  Nickel strings are quite a bit louder.                                                                         
  • Don Goguen April 11, 2011 at 7:24pm

    I hear you, I have a number of guitars but the one I have the most of is the telecaster including a 3 string.  I have a four string tenor tele about half done.


    305718552?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024
    PinkieStanley said:

     

    When I'm not playing CBG I'm a Tele player, so I sorta got the need for the twang thang.

     

  • Mike Bingham April 11, 2011 at 7:04pm
    I recently added a magnetic pickup to an acoustic guitar with bronze wound strings.  It was really weak in the bass department.  A set of medium gauge electric strings woke it up and gave a very strong clean sound.  The piezo will work with any strings, even nylon.  Good Luck!!!
  • Pinkie Stanley April 11, 2011 at 6:52pm

    Thank you for the suggestions, everybody. Josh, I might be interested in trying out those pickups you mentioned that are designed for bronze strings, if they are not too expensive.

     

    I'm getting very close to having my current CBG build finished, so I'll probably just take your suggestion and try the different strings and see what I like. One more question I have about using bronze strings, is how is the treble response? When I'm not playing CBG I'm a Tele player, so I sorta got the need for the twang thang. Lack of good treble response was also one of the things I was kinda dissatisfied about with the piezo disc pickup I used in my first CBG build.

     

  • Josh Gayou (SmokehouseGuitars) April 11, 2011 at 12:36pm
    You should try comparing nickel vs bronze on one of your guitars some time.  Record yourself so you can play both results side by side.  I think you'd be surprised.
  • Sharecropper April 11, 2011 at 8:51am
      I use bronze strings with my pickups.  I"ve never noticed a difference in volume.(I'm sure there must be though!)   I like the wound G string.  Easier on my fingers and fingernails ! (GDg tuning)  I feel the tone of the wound G string matches the other strings better . Also the thickness of the wound G string makes it easier for all my strings to be closer to the same height for slide . Which I like.  ALL of this just MY opinion. Which may change at any time !!   
  • Josh Gayou (SmokehouseGuitars) April 11, 2011 at 12:40am
    They also make magnetic pups specifically designed to work with bronze strings to get more pop out of em.
  • Pinkie Stanley April 10, 2011 at 4:45pm
    Cool, then I will just go ahead and put another set of electric guitar strings on this one. Thank you so much for the info, Don!
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