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Topic: 3rd string G# on 25.5 |
Ian Rae
From:
Redditch, England
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Posted 5 Mar 2020 5:01 pm |
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As starting new threads is topical just now, here's one. This may have been raised before but facts can go out of date.
I have had my long-scale Excel uni 12 for 2 years and I decided to change the strings. This may sound like a long time but it's my gig guitar so this equates to playing it every day for three months.
It came with GHSs on it and a spare set which I installed the other day. I messed up putting on the top G# and broke it (totally my fault, not the guitar or the string - it was fine for a while). I tried three other brands that I had around and have used on 24" guitars (Ernie Ball, d'Addario, Rotosound) and they all failed. I eventually got hold of a GHS and it's fine.
So my question to players of long-scale instruments is, which brands are up to this extreme task?
_________________
Make sleeping dogs tell the truth!
Homebuilt keyless U12 7x5, Excel keyless U12 8x8, Williams keyless U12 7x8, Telonics rack and 15" cabs |
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Chris Reesor
From:
British Columbia, Canada
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Posted 5 Mar 2020 7:46 pm
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Jagwire 11 ga. have not yet broken on my 25.5 Superb.(Touch wood.) I have no idea who actually manufactures Jagwires, but they are good.
This is a bedroom guitar and I play more six string than steel, but still, nearly seven years and six sets is a good run.
Are the GHS strings that are working for you marked as pedal guitar strings?
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Excel Superb U12, MIJ Squier tele, modified Deluxe Reverb RI, Cube 80XL, self built acoustics & mandolins |
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Dave Mudgett
From:
Central Pennsylvania and Gallatin, Tennessee
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Posted 5 Mar 2020 10:40 pm
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I have a slide guitar at 25.5" with a G#4 or A4 on top. No mechanical bending, but I convertibly tune from open E with 3rd on top to open A with root on top. It's always a bit dicey keeping them from breaking, but I generally use the GHS Pedal Guitar 11p strings for them if I have spares around. These are the ones in the GHS E9 Boomer or Super Steel sets like these - https://www.ghsstrings.com/products/11404-pedal-steel-super-steelstm. Even so, they break more often than, e.g., 11p on a 24" scale pedal steel. But it sort of works.
I tried doing this on a 27" scale 8-string guitar - one of these - https://www.guitarcenter.com/Ibanez/S8-Series-8-String-Electric-Guitar.gc. No dice - no matter how thin I made the string, I couldn't get it stably up to pitch without breaking. I discussed the general issue of trying to push string tension up into the general region of breaking strength here - https://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?p=2904395. |
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Pete McAvity
From:
St. Louis, Missouri USA
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Posted 11 Mar 2020 12:17 pm
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Heya, Ian. I have the exact same issue w/ my Excel D10.
George L reinforced is the only string that doesn't break immediately. Best of luck!
_________________
Excel Superb D10, Sarno Black Box or Freeloader, Goodrich L120, Boss DD5, Baby Bloomer, 1965 Super Reverb chopped to a head, feeding a mystery PA cab w/ a K130.
They say "thats how it goes". I say "that ain't the way it stays!" |
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Pete Burak
From:
Portland, OR USA
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Posted 11 Mar 2020 2:59 pm
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Try a 12. That's what I use.
Where is the string breaking? There is a string with soldered windings if it is breaking at the ball end. |
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Pete McAvity
From:
St. Louis, Missouri USA
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Posted 11 Mar 2020 4:20 pm
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I’m not up on the physics involved, but my understanding is that heavier gauge = greater tension required to pull up 1/2 step= more likely to break. 11ga George L reinforced have worked for me, but even then I’d advise getting it to pitch gradually over 1/2 hour or so. I’ve broken those too in the course of being impatient. Once on & tuned- no problems.
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Excel Superb D10, Sarno Black Box or Freeloader, Goodrich L120, Boss DD5, Baby Bloomer, 1965 Super Reverb chopped to a head, feeding a mystery PA cab w/ a K130.
They say "thats how it goes". I say "that ain't the way it stays!" |
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Ian Rae
From:
Redditch, England
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Posted 11 Mar 2020 4:22 pm
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I'm very happy with the GHS .011"
It's not sold as a specialised PSG string. It's the original fitment as supplied by Mitsuo Fujii.
I'm not sure how a heavier string would help. Wouldn't it require even more tension?
_________________
Make sleeping dogs tell the truth!
Homebuilt keyless U12 7x5, Excel keyless U12 8x8, Williams keyless U12 7x8, Telonics rack and 15" cabs |
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Pete McAvity
From:
St. Louis, Missouri USA
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Posted 31 Jul 2021 3:32 pm And then…
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Heya, Ian. You been having any more string breakage on that high G#? I just popped three 12ga in various places (can’t find reinforced George Ls anymore). This shit is bananas. Every time I find a solution on this 25.5, they start breaking again when up to pitch (A).
-no burrs at roller or changer
- brought up w/ b pedal gradually
- every brand & gauge from 11 to 12 has blown, except for George L reinforced 11’s, which I can’t find.
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Excel Superb D10, Sarno Black Box or Freeloader, Goodrich L120, Boss DD5, Baby Bloomer, 1965 Super Reverb chopped to a head, feeding a mystery PA cab w/ a K130.
They say "thats how it goes". I say "that ain't the way it stays!" |
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Jerry Overstreet
From:
Louisville Ky
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Posted 31 Jul 2021 3:48 pm
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You're asking a lot of a 12 ga. string to reach A pitch on a 25.5 scale guitar.
I have owned a few Sierra 25 Crown 14 keyless guitars and through my stubborness to stick with the 12s that I used with my conventional D10s, I stayed with it on the keyless. I had to swap out the tuning screw for a longer one in order to get the lever to travel enough to go up to A pitch.
Changing the 3rd string was always a pain. My advice for a long scale guitar like that is to stay with an 11. A reinforced one if you can find it. You ain't gonna notice a lot of difference in the sound or he feel, and you'll avoid some frustration.
If you have a bunch of strings in a row that pop before reaching pitch, you might just have a bad bunch of strings. |
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Larry Bressington
From:
Nebraska
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Posted 31 Jul 2021 3:50 pm
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Have you tried doing like 10-15 wraps around the peg? Layer the string on top of the string for cushion.
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A.K.A Chappy. |
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Pete McAvity
From:
St. Louis, Missouri USA
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Posted 31 Jul 2021 4:28 pm
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Thanks, Jerry. YeH- I stuck w/ wrapped 11s for years & out of desperation I tried 12s & the first one took for a good run. I just dug out two GHs 11s I didn’t know I had, so Imma follow Ian’s lead & see if I can’t keep one on there.
_________________
Excel Superb D10, Sarno Black Box or Freeloader, Goodrich L120, Boss DD5, Baby Bloomer, 1965 Super Reverb chopped to a head, feeding a mystery PA cab w/ a K130.
They say "thats how it goes". I say "that ain't the way it stays!" |
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Pete McAvity
From:
St. Louis, Missouri USA
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Posted 31 Jul 2021 4:29 pm
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No windings, Larry. This is a keyless design & flawless except for this fire drill I seem to do every 2 years or so.
_________________
Excel Superb D10, Sarno Black Box or Freeloader, Goodrich L120, Boss DD5, Baby Bloomer, 1965 Super Reverb chopped to a head, feeding a mystery PA cab w/ a K130.
They say "thats how it goes". I say "that ain't the way it stays!" |
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Jim Palenscar
From:
Oceanside, Calif, USA
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Posted 31 Jul 2021 9:45 pm
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| There was a time in the early 90's that I could not get any .011 string hold up to a 25"scale G#-A on a guitar that I built and ultimately changed the scale back to 24 1/4" (real pain as I had embedded LED's at the fret markers). It turns out that lots of other folks w 25" scale guitars had the same problem at the time and we all tried different brands and finally found out that there was a bad batch of wire that most folks were using at that time and it was rectified a few months later. Lately I've been experiencing instant failures at the shop w several .011's from seemingly different manufacturers on 24 1/4" scale guitars and am just gonna hang loose until it stops being a problem. |
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Scott Swartz
From:
St. Louis, MO
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Posted 31 Jul 2021 9:57 pm
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I had a Sierra 25 scale keyless for about 5 years and I used an E9 set with every gauge one step thinner .010-.036 for the E9, and it worked great
.036
.032
.028
.024w
.020w or p
.017
.013
.010
.014
.011
did the same thing on the C6 neck
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Scott Swartz
Steeltronics - Steel Guitar Pickups
www.steeltronics.com |
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Dennis Detweiler
From:
Solon, Iowa, US
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Posted 1 Aug 2021 4:59 am
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I've never had an issue with breaking with the GHS steel guitar.011 and .017 and they get a lot of playing hours. I've had good luck with Jagwire.
I have a set of SIT stainless coming to give them a try. I couldn't use the original SIT's because of my ph factor would result in strings getting sticky and corroded. Even cleaning them with alcohol didn't work.
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1976 Birdseye U-12 MSA with Telonics 427 pickup, 1975 Birdseye U-12 MSA with Telonics X-12 pickup, Revelation preamp, Carbon Copy Delay and Hall Of Fame Reverb, Crown XLS 1002, 2- 15" Eminence Wheelhouse speakers, ShoBud Pedal, Effects Pedals. 1949 Epiphone D-8. |
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