Whats the largest diameter unwound strings for E9th

bill dearmore · From: Belton,Tx.,USA

I am trying to add tonal body to my E9th neck on the unwound strings of my Zum. I thought I'd try some larger strings. All the pulls are standard. If anyone has experimented in this area it might save me some trial and error time. Any help is appreciated! Thanks gang,...Bill

Don Sulesky · From: Citrus County, FL, Orig. from MA & NH

Most sets come with either a .036 or a .038 wound string.
I've never done it but you might try a .042 from a C6th set on your 10th string.

bill dearmore · From: Belton,Tx.,USA

Just talking about the UNWOUND strings Don...Thanks anyway. I know a few people use 12's for the third, anyone tried a .013? How about a .015 for the 4th? .019 for the 5th?

John Bechtel · From: Nashville, Tennessee, R.I.P.

My largest unwound-string on my E9 is #6 [G# to A) The reason for the size it that I also Lower it from [G# to F#]. I use a .022p. If I didn't Lower it, I'd be using an .020p.
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Jerry Overstreet · From: Louisville Ky

Been using 12's on the third for many years on all my other guitars, but I have a .013 G# on the E9th neck of my Zum. It works ok. I've only broken one in 2 months playing it several hours a week.....but....if and when they do go, it's a serious concussion. It do hurt if it gets your finger.

I don't know why, but this gauge seems to work well on this old Zum along with the .015 on the 4th string E. I have used .018 for the 5th and .022 for the 6th, however I'm currently using .017 and .020. respectively. Still on the fence with those 2. I suppose reason would dictate that the heavier 5th and 6th strings would balance better when using heavier gauges on the 3 and 4...we'll see.

Best of Luck Exclamation

Ron Randall · From: Dallas, Texas, USA

Plain 022's are available. These might give you the sound you are looking for. They do sound different than the 022w.

R2

Jody Sanders · From: Magnolia,Texas, R.I.P.

Hi Bill, I use .013P,.015P, .012P, ,015P, ,018P ,022P, on my plain strings. My wounds are .026W, ,030W, .034W, and .038W. The larger strings seem to give a little more "bounce to the Ounce.". Have a good one, Jody.PS I think I got this idea from Paul.,

Cartwright Thompson · Posted 16 Aug 2008 8:24 am

You can buy .026 unwound, sometimes they are hard to find.

Dave Mudgett · From: Central Pennsylvania and Gallatin, Tennessee

I sometimes use a .012 for the high G# on my Zum. I did experiment with .013, .015, .012, .015, .018, .022p on strings 1-6. It sounded OK, but I reverted back to the regular set with .014-.020p on strings 4-6. The heavier set seemed to lose some chime, to my tastes. Ultimately, I got the "body" I was looking for by switching pickups from a lightly-wound Truetone to a Lawrence 912, which retained a lot of the high-end chime but added some beef in the midrange.

But I prefer Sho Buds - with their shorter scale length - with that heavier set, plus a .022w for string 6. I even tried raising those a thousandth, but it was too much for me.

Sometimes I'll raise a single plain string a thousandth or two just to be able to keep the stop travel shorter and the tone more clear on an extreme change, like more than a whole-tone lower.

I've had no trouble finding gauges up to .022p plus .024p and .026p. Even www.juststrings.com has that selection in their very inexpensive bulk-string packs, but I normally have my music store buds order me anything I want.

YMMV on all of this. But I never found it very difficult to try things out, especially when going up in gauge a thousandth or two.

Michael Barone · From: Downingtown, Pennsylvania

Bill, for just over a year now I’ve been using this.

F# .014 (raise only to G)
D# .016
G# .012
E .015
B .019
G# .022p
F# .026
E .030
D .034
B .038

For me, it all started when I switched the .0115 to .012 on the 3rd. At the same time I switched from .015 to .016 for the 2nd. After reading a comment by Paul Franklin about 2 years ago I switched from .014 to .015 on the 4th. The .015 for string 4 created a slightly harder pull on the E to F lever. I readjusted a pull rod and made my own raise-assist spring. After that I thought the 3rd & 4th strings sounded good together, but the 1st string didn’t match the volume and tone of these. So I then went from a .013 to .014 for the first. I figured that since we commonly raise a .014 to F# anyway (on string 4) why not go to G (on string 1)? One thing led to another and I decided to try .019 for the 5th. At first, I didn’t like the .019 on the higher frets. After a while though, my hands and ears adjusted to it. The 3-4-5 group really sings. I’m thinking about heavier wound gauges in the future.

I usually change strings after 3 weeks. I play an hour or more every day. A few months ago I waited too long, and after a lot of pedal mashing a .019 snapped. It broke at the changer, didn’t hurt, but it knocked the bar out of my hand. This was the only time I broke a string with this set in just over a year. But the key is to recognize when the strings need to be changed, before you break one. It is also important for me to polish the changer when changing strings. I think that this helps to avoid breakage, especially when you risk using these heavier gauges.

The other thing is – I use only Jagwire strings, from the Forum.
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Jeff Harbour · From: Western Ohio, USA

This may be slightly off-topic... but I just wanted to add to Dave's post by saying that I've made two orders to www.juststrings.com recently and was VERY impressed with their timely service both times. Good place.

Jeff

Jerry H. Moore · From: Newnan, GA, USA

I use the .026 unwound. A definite difference. Shocked

bill dearmore · From: Belton,Tx.,USA

Thanks Gang, with all this info I'm going to start with a 13,16,13,15,19,22. I'll let you know what happens. Thanks again,...Bill

John Billings · From: Ohio, USA

Jerry, I used to sit in front of the tv my dad built watchin' that test pattern whilst wain' for Howdy Doody to come on!

John Groover McDuffie · From: LA California, USA

FWIW the larger the (plain) string, the stiffer it will be, which IMHO adversely affects the overtones the string is able to generate. A wound string of similar gauge has a thinner core, thus more flexibility and a different balance of the overtone series, and sounds much livelier to me.

To my ear plain strings larger that ~.017 sound thuddy and seem to sound out-of-tune more than wound strings.

bill dearmore · From: Belton,Tx.,USA

Well gang, I'm reporting on the new string arrangement...I think it's going to work real well! I haven't tried it on a job yet but it sounds bigger here at the house and after I repositioned a few of the pullers in different holes to get the pulling balance back I think I'm going to be happy. Smile

Thanks for the help...weeeeeeee! I used .013,.015,.013,.015,.019,.022

Ron ! · Posted 23 Aug 2008 9:14 pm

bill dearmore · From: Belton,Tx.,USA

Hi Gang, I tried this at my sit down job (Cotton Club and Steakhouse) tonight...WOW! I loaded my Emmons push pull and brought it back home. I never thought I'd do that. WOW...WOW...WOW!

Jody Sanders · From: Magnolia,Texas, R.I.P.

Hi Bill, Do ya'll still have the JAM at the club on Sundays?. Jody.

bill dearmore · From: Belton,Tx.,USA

Hi Jody, before I forget it, thanks for your input on this thread! What a world of difference that made.
You bet,the Sundays are bigger than ever at the "Cotton Club". Always a full house every Sunday, and you can never tell who you'll run into. Some great guitar players here lately...Bobby Whitton, Benny McArthur,Rick McCrey,Kenny Fraisher,and last night a kid from Scotland that played his butt off. His name is Craig Smith. That's not to mention our regular staff player Jim Lutz that plays with the best of them. Please grab your guitar and come pick with us one Sunday...I'd love to see and hear you again. We start about 5pm. and go til 11pm. or so. Just pic ac Sunday and come on...bring a friend. Good to hear from you Jody, ...take care pard,...Bill

Ronnie Crecelius · From: Texas

Hey Bill, I'm gonna try to come see you one of these Sundays. You may not remember but I played a gig with you years ago at the Legion Hall in Cleburne with my friends the Cadillac Cowboys...does that ring a bell? BTW...I'm a guitar player, just now startin to hack on the steel a little.
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bill dearmore · From: Belton,Tx.,USA

Hi Ronnie, you bet I remember you...gosh that's been many moons ago...we had some great times there with Jimmy, Rodney and all the guys. That must have been in the late 80's or early 90's. Thanks for bringing back those wonderful memories. Yes, grab that steel and guitar and come to Granger,Tx. There is only one blinking light in Granger, when you find it turn east and go 2 blocks..it will be on the right side of the street. Hope to see ya soon,...Bill

David Mason · From: Cambridge, MD, USA

I tried some .024" and .026" strings on my C6th to see if I could get a whole 'nother unwound string - see above comment about tone and tuning... anybody wanna buy some 24s and 26s cheap, let me know. Crying or Very sad

bill dearmore · From: Belton,Tx.,USA

Well, a month and 2 days have passed since I installed the bigger strings....still no breakage Smile

and it still sounds GREAT! It really made a difference in the ZUM. Thanks Gang,...Bill

Charlie McDonald · From: out of the blue

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