Elixir strings

richdaigle

OK around the house they were pretty cool but I just did a gig and heres the prob...they have half the sustain as most gypsy strings and lack the same punch...the third string is plain and it rattled in the saddle an easy fix but of course it didnt do it till I got on the gig...I'm back to "luke warm" about them...

MichaelHorowitz

Ok...I may have at least partially solved this mystery. I've noticed that Stochelo has been using a Stimer a lot lately. See:




It's an interesting development since he's always used a bigtone and/or microphone. He briefly used archtops as well...but I can't think of ever seeing him with a Stimer before. But lately I keep seeing vids with him using one. And since nickel strings are much more even with the Stimer, he probably just started putting Elixers on so the Stimer would work better.

So he's not using them for the acoustic sound, but rather for the electric sound.

It's a theory anyway...


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Bob Holo

Too bad - yeah, the plain steel G strings sort of suck. If you get them thick enough to keep from rattling they're too stiff and vice versa.

However... If you're still looking for alternate strings - I did have pretty good luck with GHS White Bronze XL (11-47) They're spankin bright out of the box but they calm down in a couple of days and they last forever.

I tried a LOT of different strings but returned to Argies because they have "that" sound - and besides, my hands don't eat strings, so they last fine for me and they do pretty well with my reissue Stimer & so I have no compelling need for another type of string.

Michael, I don't know if you have a disti for GHS, but you might try the White Bronze some day - just to see if you like them of if I'm all wet

a

maybe he's using the pickup because django did when he got older..

or maybe his finger's are tired.

frater

Stochelo is really in top form!

I think the Stimer, "sustainwise", makes sense with his incredible vibrato... now he can hold a note for days! Stochelo really tried a lot of different systems to get a decent acoustic sound on stage from the infamous "bigtone" days... he had a very good one lately but I suspect it wasn't exactly "hassle-free". On the other hand, plug a Stimer and play must be such a relief...

klaatu

Bob Holo wrote:

If you're still looking for alternate strings - I did have pretty good luck with GHS White Bronze XL (11-47) They're spankin bright out of the box but they calm down in a couple of days and they last forever.

I've used the White Bronze as well, but for a different purpose. I've got an Eastman AR805CE archtop with the stock Armstrong pickup. Early on, I discovered that the electric strings that it came with couldn't come close to bronze for acoustic playing, but bronze strings just don't work well with the magnetic pickup. The GHS White Bronze is an attempt at a compromise. They're actually made of a special steel alloy, so they work well electrically, but the acoustic sound is better than regular electric strings. However, like any compromise, they do both things pretty well but are not great at either, IMHO.

I eventually solved the problem by having two archtops, one set up for acoustic (my 1946 Epiphone Triumph, with HEAVY bronze - 59-14!) and one for electric (a '45 Epi Blackstone with a DeArmond Guitar Mic and electric strings).

Anyone want to buy a lovely Eastman? I need to sell it to make up for blowing my savings on my new incredibly beautiful new Dell'Arte:
http://www.djangobooks.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4536

MichaelHorowitz

a wrote:

or maybe his finger's are tired.

Actually...I think that may be true. Or he just doesn't want to practice 10 hours a day to have the technique to play hard AND fast.

On those early Rosenberg recordings like Caravan and Live at the North Sea he was playing like a man possessed. And his tone was amazing...my guess is he played with higher action and it probably took a lot more work to be able to play that way.

He's more sophisticated now and his tone is still great. But for me, the tone on those early recordings is the gold standard. Although not the very first CD titled Seresta. He was playing a Favino on that...didn't sound as good as his later Selmer recordings.



-Michael

richdaigle

that's gotta be it...I know folks will disagree, but, I kinda hope he leaves his Stimer at home when he plays at DFNW08. I'll buy him a set of argies!

Just my opinion but...to my ears stimers sound cool when you're plugged into a bare bones tube amp, recorded through 1940's ribbon mic, played on scratched vinyl, with a dirty stylus.(they need to make that pedal)

I'm sure he won't disappoint
RD