crazy idea of the day

woodamand

Here this will make you laugh: I love GJ guitar full stop, but love playing my archtops just as much, more sometimes, and I am crazy about flat wound strings. I like the feel on my fingers and I like the tone.
My GJ guitar has all the volume you could ever want, and top end galore. But - even though it has the Favio size body, I would love to get more bottom end on it.
So - could you even try to use flatwounds on a GJ guitar? I would imagine the tension would hoark the neck, and I am sure as hell not going to try it on mine - but has anyone else ever thought of this?
There it is your laugh of the day, enjoy!

ChrisMartin

No idea how flatwounds would work, but I just wondered why you think you need "more bottom end"?
Have you had the chance to compare with other guitars in the same room or environment?
Is that how you hear your guitar, or is that according to an audience or someone who is a few feet away in front of the guitar, because what sound goes across the room will often be different to how it sounds to the person bent over the instrument.
Then there are other considerations, if you regularly play in a 'bright' sounding room, where the highs are reflected off the walls, and maybe introducing some soft fabrics would alter the tone.
Then there is picking technique too, but the biggest variable affecting the tone of any acoustic guitar, and certainly applies to GJ playing, is how one holds the guitar. I see many who hold it too tight against their body which has the effect of damping much of the tone. It should be held away from the body so the back is free to vibrate.
Meanwhile, sorry for the distraction but now you have my curiosity regarding how flatwounds would sound.

jonpowl

Dana, you have probably seen String Tension 101 from D'Addario. They say: String tension is determined by vibrating length, mass, and pitch. The string diameter alone does not determine a string’s tension. By using different raw materials (nickelplated steel or phosphor bronze, etc.) or by varying the ratio between the core and the wrap wire, two strings with the same diameter, tuned to the same pitch, could have two different tensions. There is an available chart with a lot more information.

Buco

I'm not sure if it's the deep bass frequencies that you're missing out on your JWC, I'd think it's more of a character of the bass that gets a bit masked with all the brightness.
Somebody on the forum said how they used to make flatwounds themselves back in the 60s when they weren't widely available. I forget the details though. I imagine you would use a fine sand paper and give each wound string several passes. You could try that with the GJ string set. It's an interesting idea.
Have you tried a silk string set? They have less bright sound. Maybe if the high end was a little bit tamed, low end would come through more to your satisfaction.
LaBella makes a silk strings GJ set with the low E going to 0.50 gauge so you get a little fatter low end and less bright sound. You could try a set and give them a DIY flatwounds treatment.

spatzo

I think the tension of those strings can easily deform the neck of your GJ guitar

Stringswinger

Thomastic-infeld makes a low tension set of flatwounds in 10's that would do no harm to anyone's selmac. But they are nickel plated, not silver plated and the guitar will have a very different tone. I have tried bronze and nickel strings on selmacs and have always found the tone to be lacking. YMMV

AndrewUlle

Buco wrote: »

Somebody on the forum said how they used to make flatwounds themselves back in the 60s when they weren't widely available. I forget the details though. I imagine you would use a fine sand paper and give each wound string several passes. You could try that with the GJ string set. It's an interesting idea.

I don't think Argentines could handle much, if any, sanding - just regular playing wears them out such that the windings come loose.

Buco

Andrew Ulle wrote: »

I don't think Argentines could handle much, if any, sanding - just regular playing wears them out such that the windings come loose.

Good point.
I see that besides Thomastic, LaBella and D'addario also make low tension flats, both .11s. D'addario is chrome over stainless, LaBella stainless steel.

woodamand

Thanks for all the ideas. I play in different environments so I dont think it is the room. And I dont hug the body either. Nickel plated, interesting idea. As is the sik, in the larger guage. I like the heavy bottom on any guitar, just feels right to me.
I will check out some of these ideas and if any work out I will let you know.