Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Keni Lee Burgess on December 8, 2009 at 1:34am

The possibilities are endless. Basically in "open tunings" the guitar is tuned to produce a chord. This requires three tones to make a major chord. Ex: Key of g (gbd)

If you make a one string: (g) ...a two string, a partial chord or interval: (gb or gd) ...a three string (gbd or GDg)... a four string: (Dgbd)...the 4 string is the four highest strings of a standard six string guitar in Open G Tuning (DGDgbd)

Ex: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sqLc5zjp-po

The 3 string is very popular: You can us the A,D,g from a standard set and tune to GDg.

Ex: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMdRMFN_5Ck

Medium gauge strings (13-52) with a standard scale length of 23" should provide the proper tension.

Happy Holidays. Enjoy.

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Permalink Reply by Ben on December 8, 2009 at 4:51am

Keni Lee summed that stuff up pretty good. You want raw blues sound? Go with 3. You want more open strummy stuff? Go with 4 (just suggestions of course. Like you said each person had a different answer). As for acoustic vs. electric strings...acoustic will have more tension on them and will give you more acoustic sound. Depending on how many strings you decide on, they will probably bend your poplar neck pretty good. The electric strings are the safer bet and will probably be sufficient since you've got that hot piezo in there. I hope between our two posts we covered everything. I'm sure someone else has a couple of cents to add though.

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Permalink Reply by Rand Moore on April 20, 2011 at 8:45pm

Hi Ben.

When you say "Go with 3", or "Go with 4", do you mean "make all the strings "3" (or "4")" or do you mean "go with strings 3, 4 & 5 (or go with strings 4, 5 & 6"??? I remember reading that people who use a slide to play the Delta Blues like the strings at the same height (which planted the idea in my head that maybe they use the same string for each string position). Please clarify. I'm a novice when it comes to the Blues.
-Rand.

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Permalink Reply by MichaelS Country Boy Guitars on April 21, 2011 at 2:41am

I have used both the electric and the acustic and they both sound fine. Use what you bought and try acoustics on the next ones, see if you notice a difference.  The biggest difference with acoustic and electric strings is the outer winding on the low strings. Electric are steel, or some alloy of, so they work with a magnetic pickup, Acoustic have non magnetic windings, alloys of brass I think.  The plain strings are the same, for the most part.

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Permalink Reply by Bruce Trappes on June 6, 2011 at 9:13pm

Rand Moore said:

Hi Ben.

When you say "Go with 3", or "Go with 4", do you mean "make all the strings "3" (or "4")" or do you mean "go with strings 3, 4 & 5 (or go with strings 4, 5 & 6"??? I remember reading that people who use a slide to play the Delta Blues like the strings at the same height (which planted the idea in my head that maybe they use the same string for each string position). Please clarify. I'm a novice when it comes to the Blues.
-Rand.

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Permalink Reply by Bruce Trappes on June 6, 2011 at 9:22pm

Rand Moore said:

Hi Ben.

When you say "Go with 3", or "Go with 4", do you mean "make all the strings "3" (or "4")" or do you mean "go with strings 3, 4 & 5 (or go with strings 4, 5 & 6"??? I remember reading that people who use a slide to play the Delta Blues like the strings at the same height (which planted the idea in my head that maybe they use the same string for each string position). Please clarify. I'm a novice when it comes to the Blues.
-Rand.

 

G'day Rand.

I think ben was referring to either a 3 string guitar, or a 4 string guitar.

For my liking I've settled on electric guitar strings.

On a 3 string guitar I've used the strings available from Ben at C.B. Gitty.

They are: G (.018 Nickle wound), B (.013 plain), and D (.010 plain) you can wind the D string up to an E if you would prefer.

If you are building a 4 string guitar, just order a 4string set from Gittys.

Some people take strings A,D & G from a 6string pack to use in a 3 string CBG.

These can then be tuned to AEA, GDG, AEG, AEF" or GDA which ever you prefer.

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Permalink Reply by Craig Cox on June 7, 2011 at 2:31pm

Lots of possible combinations. here is my standard for 3 stringers:

D'Addario 80/20 Bronze acoustic light. They are cheap ($5.99/set at my local shop) and they have lovely color-keyed ball ends that look cool on the guitar. Use the A (.042), D (.032), and G (.024). You could also use the D, G, and B strings from the same set.

Of course, if you use a magnetic pickup instead of the piezo, you'll need electric strings, as pointed out above. I like the heavier acoustic strings (rather than lighter electric) on my piezo-powered cbgs, but your mileage may vary. Experiment, play, have fun!

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Permalink Reply by The Phrygian Kid on June 7, 2011 at 9:44pm

you can use any consecutive strings from a guitar set.  How fat they are and your scale length will determine the pitch you wind up at.  Its simple.  Over a typical guitar scale length a guitar string has a decent range between too flabby to sound and too tight, might break too, at least a fouth, so theres more flexibility there than you might think.  Its only as scale lengths become shorter its more critical.  If you're smart you could use the lowest three, and design a second instrument to use the other three.

 

Acoustic strings (bronze) will not have more tension than nickel or stainless, the tension is determined by the tension, as set at the tuning mechanism.  It is only true in that a typical acoustic set will probably be heavier strings, thats all.  But it all depends on the pitch you wanna tune it to and the length you wanna reach that pitch over dont it ? One tuning will not sound more like the blues or more like this or that than any other.   Its what you do with it.  I sound like me in any tuning.  So does Keni Lee.    Yes a different tuning brings out different licks and voiceings, of course, otherwise why would we bother? but any tuning is capable of many many things.  Does suite Judy blue eyes sound remarkably like Muddy Waters early chess shit ??   I would characterize Bronze strings as 'warmer' and 'darker' and stainless steel strings as 'brighter'  and nickel as somewhere between.  Stainless strings do last a lot longer.  So the question is (imho) which tuning is easiest to learn first? or which tuning will i achieve stuff in fastest, that i feel gratified with my practice, apply myself even more, reap the benefits of the snowball effect etc....

 

also, contrary to popular belief, bronze strings will excite a signal from a mag pup, the core of the string is still a ferrous material, its only that the windings are not.   This obviously will impact on the sound but how ??  in a bad way?  well, im sure people will argue it is so, but this is opinion only, conjecture, like a lot of what you read about this place..  Truth is, there is a place for every kind of guitar sound.   Perhaps that pissy thin sound will be perfect for some bass heavy mix in the future when you need a funky little rhythm part to stick its head out..

 

I like GDG with the lowest (fattest) three from a guitar set at a 600mm (23 5/8) scale, so that might be cranked a wee bit tighter than Keni Lee is talking about.  I also do a lot of three pair ones, with paired strings like a 12 string guitar, and i use a full set of guitar strings for those.  But my main motivator is this:  I dont like spending money, cos i dont have any!   I hate wasting strings, i like to buy em by the set, and i like to use the whole set.

 

edit..   this thread is 2 years old ?  haha how does that even happen ?

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Permalink Reply by colin mcgrath on June 8, 2011 at 11:10am

Funny how threads will pop back up sometimes, I sure hope he got the info he was looking for!

Jef Long said:

you can use any consecutive strings from a guitar set.  How fat they are and your scale length will determine the pitch you wind up at.  Its simple.  Over a typical guitar scale length a guitar string has a decent range between too flabby to sound and too tight, might break too, at least a fouth, so theres more flexibility there than you might think.  Its only as scale lengths become shorter its more critical.  If you're smart you could use the lowest three, and design a second instrument to use the other three.

 

Acoustic strings (bronze) will not have more tension than nickel or stainless, the tension is determined by the tension, as set at the tuning mechanism.  It is only true in that a typical acoustic set will probably be heavier strings, thats all.  But it all depends on the pitch you wanna tune it to and the length you wanna reach that pitch over dont it ? One tuning will not sound more like the blues or more like this or that than any other.   Its what you do with it.  I sound like me in any tuning.  So does Keni Lee.    Yes a different tuning brings out different licks and voiceings, of course, otherwise why would we bother? but any tuning is capable of many many things.  Does suite Judy blue eyes sound remarkably like Muddy Waters early chess shit ??   I would characterize Bronze strings as 'warmer' and 'darker' and stainless steel strings as 'brighter'  and nickel as somewhere between.  Stainless strings do last a lot longer.  So the question is (imho) which tuning is easiest to learn first? or which tuning will i achieve stuff in fastest, that i feel gratified with my practice, apply myself even more, reap the benefits of the snowball effect etc....

 

also, contrary to popular belief, bronze strings will excite a signal from a mag pup, the core of the string is still a ferrous material, its only that the windings are not.   This obviously will impact on the sound but how ??  in a bad way?  well, im sure people will argue it is so, but this is opinion only, conjecture, like a lot of what you read about this place..  Truth is, there is a place for every kind of guitar sound.   Perhaps that pissy thin sound will be perfect for some bass heavy mix in the future when you need a funky little rhythm part to stick its head out..

 

I like GDG with the lowest (fattest) three from a guitar set at a 600mm (23 5/8) scale, so that might be cranked a wee bit tighter than Keni Lee is talking about.  I also do a lot of three pair ones, with paired strings like a 12 string guitar, and i use a full set of guitar strings for those.  But my main motivator is this:  I dont like spending money, cos i dont have any!   I hate wasting strings, i like to buy em by the set, and i like to use the whole set.

 

edit..   this thread is 2 years old ?  haha how does that even happen ?

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Permalink Reply by Bruce Trappes on June 8, 2011 at 11:28am

2 year old thread?

I'm not surprised. There is some wonderful information on this website. However trying to wade through hundreds of posts to find the information you are looking for (and then perhaps it is posted in a different/similar forum), is extremely time consuming. And then you find something along the way of your search that catches your eye and distracts you from your original search :-)....

So I'm wondering if there perhaps needs to be a special section containing just the barebones (apologies to any member with the name Barebones) of that really important but basic information, with perhaps a reference to the forum that deals specifically with that issue......or is that getting too technical?? Then again I guess one could just use the search engine.......

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