Question on Silk n Steel tension

Heretic

The Galli Gypsy Jazz GSL 0.10 come in a greenish box. They are very slinky across the board. I think they are a delight to play and to hear. In no way could they be considered stiff.

The Galli V027 (Folk Guitar) comes in a mostly white with green package.
I believe they are the older type, which although Stochelo plays them, I found that the plain strings were too stiff for me. But, they are based on 0.11's gauge. Stochelo is a god, I am a mere mortal.

The actual box of the Galli Gypsy Jazz silk and steel GSL 0.10 is not correctly illustrated in the store section of this website - as of this posting. It can be seen on the Galli web-site.

Disclaimer: I do not work for Galli or any string maker. I'm simply sharing my opinion and experience.

MichaelHorowitz

djangology wrote:

i haven't tried a set of Gallis since 2003. Do they still come out of the package kinda stiff (instead of slinky like Argentines) ?

Galli strings, like just about every other brand other then Argentine, use a hex core which is stiffer but also more reliable. So the GSBs do feel a bit stiffer then the Argies. But the GSLs or VO27s are silk and steel, so regardless of the core, they are much suppler then argies.

'm

MichaelHorowitz

OK...I'm shutting the political discussion down. Sorry, this is not the place for it...

Dr. Hall

I love the Galli V27 silk and steels which Stochelo uses. They are slinky as can be, not stiff at all, warm sounding, really easy to fret, bend, get good vibrato, and if I'm playing an amplified gig and don't have to worry about lots of volume, I prefer to use them since they are so easy on the fingers. With the V27s you do sacrifice a bit of volume that you get out of Argentine 11s, but not too much if your action is high enough. Michael said all of this above and is right on the money. My only problem when I switch from Argentine or D'Addario 11s is that I have more intonation issues with the B and D strings when playing octaves as I go up the fretboard and adjusting the bridge helps a bit but not quite enough. I assume the lower tension of the wound strings is to blame. Switching from 10s to the silk and steels, as Michael suggested, probably wouldn't have as much effect on the intonation.

Question: What is the difference between the V27s and the Gypsy Jazz Silk and Steel 11s apart from the guages of the D and A strings being slightly heavier on the Gypsy Jazz set? Is it that there's coating on the Gypsy Jazz Silk and Steels? Would the slightly heavier D and A strings of the Gypsy Jazz set help sort out the intonation issues somewhat which I have with the V27s?

MichaelHorowitz

I generally get better intonation with silk and steels then with Argies....the guitar also has a lot to do with it!

The Galli GSLs last a lot longer then VO27s...and usually sound a bit warmer as well.

'm

Dr. Hall

I just noticed on the D'Addario Gypsy Jazz 11s package I have it says the tension measurement is based on a 671mm scale length. I don't have a package of their silk and steels, but are they measuring the tension using the same scale length? If they measure the tension with a shorter scale length, that would make a difference right?

MichaelHorowitz

Dr. Hall wrote:

I just noticed on the D'Addario Gypsy Jazz 11s package I have it says the tension measurement is based on a 671mm scale length. I don't have a package of their silk and steels, but are they measuring the tension using the same scale length? If they measure the tension with a shorter scale length, that would make a difference right?

Good point!

Although, the silk and steels still feel looser too me so that's all the "data"I really need. But it would be nice to have some accurate measurements....

'm

MichaelHorowitz

djangology wrote:

yeah, Stochelo is also wearing a Galli t-shirt on the Dennis Chang videos... ;-)

Galli just sent me this....

McQ

I've currently got Galli VO27 on my Gitane DG-300, and the action is around 3-3.5 at the 12th fret/Low E string. I like the feel a lot--the tension to me seems to be just about right in the wound strings (could afford to have slightly more flexibility in the high e and b)--but I think the volume could be better.

Getting ready to place an order for strings, and the recent comments about Argentine inconsistencies got me thinking about getting some Galli. So...I was considering either the Galli GSB or the GSL, but I'm having a little trouble deciding which. According to lots of posts, Stochelo plays the GSL, but according to the Galli website, he endorses the GSB10 ball end. Anyone know if that's a change he's made or if the website got the GSB and GSL mixed up?

Also, if I'm going for an increase in volume and decrease in the wetness of the Gitane (not as flat/arch-topy sounding), should I go with the GSB10, GSB11 or the GSL11?

Thanks in advance to all!

HarryO

I'm wondering if the consensus is that if you are currently using Argentine 10's and want to try the Galli silk and steel should one switch to the 11's or stay with the 10's. H