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Topic: reso strings not a new subject |
Don Barnhardt
From:
North Carolina, USA
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Posted 7 Jan 2010 4:57 pm |
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| I've used quite a few types of strings ( don't think I've used stainless ) and my favorite is the Gary Morse Jagwire strings that Bobby Lee sells right her on the forum. Don't know if it's the material or the guage selection but they suit my playing style better than any others I've ever tried. |
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Greg Booth
From:
Anchorage, AK, USA
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Posted 8 Jan 2010 8:02 am dobro strings
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I looked at the Gary Morse set and those are nickel strings. Don, if you like the sound you are getting from them then that's great. I know at least one other player who likes nickel. I think you will find the vast majority of dobro players prefer and use phosphor bronze. I find the tone is deeper, more brilliant and louder. I realize that string sales here help support the forum but given the choice between nickel at $9/ set and my favorite GHS bronze set at $4, I'll take the GHS and buy a hat or something else. MHO, YMMV, etc.
_________________
Greg
Kathy Kallick Band
www.youtube.com/user/aksliderdobro |
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Bryan Bradfield
From:
Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada.
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Posted 10 Jan 2010 12:47 pm
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| Here's another vote for nickel. I used bronze for about 15 years, and then for the past 15 years, nickel only. Every so often I once again try bronze, but quickly return to nickel, both for tone & longevity. |
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Greg Booth
From:
Anchorage, AK, USA
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Posted 10 Jan 2010 4:59 pm
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After I posted here I got to thinking about string preference, so I conducted a poll over at Reso-Nation.org, probably the most complete resource for dobro players online.
http://www.reso-nation.org/polls/strings-how-many-use-phosphor-bronze-nickel-stainless-other
The poll asks: "What string material, never mind the brand, do you like and why?" The results after 2 days are Phosphor bronze, 30. All others, zero. The top recording and performing dobro players, Jerry Douglas, Mike Auldridge, Rob Ickes, Randy Kohrs, Andy Hall, Phil Leadbetter, Josh Swift, and many others too numerous to list all use phosphor bronze strings.
I'm not trying to take away your nickel dobro strings, and if you get the tone you like from them then that's great. I'm just curious why the only players I know of that use them are steel players and I'm guessing players of the dobro as a 2nd or 3rd instrument. Not that there's anything wrong with that! (Coming to the dobro from PSG myself) The title of this thread to me suggested that maybe there are some here that know enough already about reso strings. If you already knew PB is the overwhelming choice, then never mind.
_________________
Greg
Kathy Kallick Band
www.youtube.com/user/aksliderdobro |
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Don Barnhardt
From:
North Carolina, USA
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Posted 12 Jan 2010 5:18 am
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| Actually I didn't mean to start a new post. I was replying to a previous one; musta screwed up. But... what I said was that the Gary Morse strings suit MY playing best, don't really care what others prefer. I assume they play what suits them best not what the others prefer on a poll. |
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Don Barnhardt
From:
North Carolina, USA
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Posted 12 Jan 2010 5:20 am
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| P.S. Dobro is my main instrument. |
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Bryan Bradfield
From:
Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada.
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Posted 12 Jan 2010 3:17 pm
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My main instrument is dobro. I wrote to Jerry Douglas in early 1983 with some questions. He responded with answers, and also with a sample set of strings.
Here is a quote from his letter:
"For about 2 years I've been endorsing the #1600 set of GHS strings. I like the sound of them when you put them on. They last longer than bronze and you don't have to buy different gauges to make one set."
He then listed the gauges and stated that they were nickel steel strings.
I didn't immediately switch over, but after some experimentation, I permanently switched to nickel strings. |
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Dave Thier
From:
Fairhope, Alabama, USA
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Posted 12 Jan 2010 4:56 pm
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Bryan - In your Youtube videos, you appear to be using a magnetic pickup on your reso. I can see where nickle strings would be an advantage with that type of pickup. My casual observation of dobro players not only supports Greg's survey, but I know of very few that use magnetic type pickups.
Dave |
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Bryan Bradfield
From:
Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada.
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Posted 12 Jan 2010 5:45 pm
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It’s true Dave, that my current love is playing electric steel. However, it was an advantage that my preference for strings on both acoustic and electric instruments was nickel strings when I decided to lean toward electric.
On the other hand, here are some tracks I did in 2005 that are acoustic dobro, using nickel strings.
http://charlieewing.com/tracks.htm#
On tracks 1, 3, 5, and 8, I used a generic piezo transducer (not the electric pick-up) through a Pro-EQ preamp to one track, while miking through a good condenser mic to another track, and then blending to taste during mix-down. On track 6, it was pure acoustic dobro through a condenser mic. I don’t recall the microphone models. Track 6 was done in a different studio. |
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Dave Thier
From:
Fairhope, Alabama, USA
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Posted 12 Jan 2010 6:14 pm
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Thanks for the link Bryan, I enjoyed the clips and nice picking too. I think we all tend to use what works for us and what sounds good to our ears. Greg does make an interesting observation, though. Different sampling populations I suppose.
Dave |
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