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Post by windmill on Sept 17, 2020 22:41:20 GMT -5
So I have been reading up on acoustic archtops and noted that a lot are strung with 12's some with 13's.
And I did see an gibson L48 which is the spitting image of the ES 125 without the electronics so it got me wondering how much differnce it would make on the ES 125.
All suggestions welcome.
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Post by Peegoo 🏁 on Sept 18, 2020 6:57:20 GMT -5
If you're playing unamplified (no pickup in the guitar itself), you need to get the top of the guitar moving so it projects the full range of tone. The best way to do that is with heavier strings than usual. This means at least 12s with a wound G--otherwise the guitar may sound a bit too 'plinky'.
The good news is if you're used to playing Fenders, Gibson's shorter scale has the effect of making the strings feel a gauge or two lighter than they would feel on a Fender. This means 12s on a Gibson feel like 10s or 11s on a Fender; it's due to the slightly reduced tension created by the shorter scale. Heavier strings as well as a higher action will make the guitar project even better (increased volume)...but then you sacrifice ease of playability, especially if you do a lot of single-note lines and bluesy bendy stuff.
Early large-bodied acoustic archtops such as Strombergs used in orchestras had insanely fat strings and high action because big, loud chords and that percussive "chop" were the thing at the time. Later, as guitarists began to be featured as soloists, strings started getting skinnier and that necessitated the need for amplification.
Remember that a wound G string requires opposite intonation than a plain G does.
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Post by LTB on Sept 19, 2020 22:38:23 GMT -5
Remember that a wound G string requires opposite intonation than a plain G does. Can you tell me what Opposite intonation of wound G vs plain G is?
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