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Post subject: Any1 know string companies that'll let me order cust sets?
Posted: Tue Aug 16, 2011 7:52 am
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Quick rundown on how/why i string up my strats;

First, I use pure nickel. I find nickel plated steel, while having more output, have a very unpleasant sound on the wound strings, especially the low E. Acoustically, it makes a clang sound than a ring like you want. This is more apparent on strings heavier than 9's.
The first time i gave pure nickel a shot (Fenders at the time, which i'd still use if they made mixed sets), the clang was gone, it had a musical quality to the tone, like I want. Plus it's a bit warmer sounding, and IMO, lends itself better to bright sounding guitars with single coils. I use regular nickel plated on the PRS, and jump between the 2 with my ES345 and old Sheraton.

I jumped around gauges for a while once I focused more on electric again (I played acoustic all along, but stopped really playing electric when I started skydiving, and sold everything I owned so I could do that exclusively for a few years). Started with 9.5's, once, then went right to 10's, then 11's, then 12's (but the 12's were tuned to Eb).

I settled on 11's for a long time. When I started playing with a band that required me to play faster, with a more technical approach, i went down to 10's, but they sounded too thin, so I mixed heavy bottoms(from an 11 gauge set) and light tops (from a 10 gauge set).

I always liked GHS Nickel Rockers and Burnished Nickel's. Then I discovered the Eric Johnson signature strings. THEY WERE PERFECT!. They are a mixed set, but instead of the standard heavy bottom light tops, they were a different mix: heavier gauged on the low E, A, and G, and lighter for D, B and high E. I find its a better balance across the 6 strings.
The problem is; I have to order them because most shops don’t carry them, and no other mixed sets I found are the same; first they’re usually nickel plated steel, or they’re the typical heavy low E,A and D, and lighter G, B and high E.
I prefer to use regular pure nickel than the rockers (I like those more on Humbuckers). They flatten the string slightly, so they are brighter, as opposed to flat wound that are warm.

I’d like to find a company that will make sets for me where I can pick the gauge of EACH individual string.

Any thoughts?


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Post subject: Re: Any1 know string companies that'll let me order cust set
Posted: Tue Aug 16, 2011 10:24 am
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I know that the music stores can buy single strings in bulk. I was just on GHS's website, they have a phone number and email for contact info. Maybe you can order in bulk without being a business. That's the way I would do it.

As far as having your own custom set, well I would just send them a pic that they could use as the cover, and demand a well packaged set, because you deserve it just as much as EJ, or anybody else for that matter. :D

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Post subject: Re: Any1 know string companies that'll let me order cust set
Posted: Tue Aug 16, 2011 10:34 am
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http://www.juststrings.com/singlestrings.html

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Post subject: Re: Any1 know string companies that'll let me order cust set
Posted: Tue Aug 16, 2011 10:43 am
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BLUESMAN1904 wrote:
I know that the music stores can buy single strings in bulk. I was just on GHS's website, they have a phone number and email for contact info. Maybe you can order in bulk without being a business. That's the way I would do it.

As far as having your own custom set, well I would just send them a pic that they could use as the cover, and demand a well packaged set, because you deserve it just as much as EJ, or anybody else for that matter. :D


All the music stores seem to carry nickel plated steel , and all Ernie Ball. I hope you know I mean a custome set for me to use, not for sale...
I usually order a dozen sets at a time, but lately i just havent been able to. And I use different strings for all my guitars, different metals, gauges, and brands depending on what they're going on.

I use 12's (but with a plain G, i hate wound G's, they're too bright, which is counter intuitive, i thought they'd be rounder, but a Jimi Hendrix set proved me wrong. Plus wound strings you have to bend twice as deep to get to the same pitch as a plain string), tuned standard, but down to Eb on the ES.
And 10's on the PRS Custom 22.

11's on the Sheraton.
String buying is a major pain in the neck. I have every string guage you can think of at the shop, but they're all just regular strings, so except for the PRS, i dont use them.


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Post subject: Re: Any1 know string companies that'll let me order cust set
Posted: Tue Aug 16, 2011 10:47 am
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Voodoo Blues wrote:


Checked them out, thanks, just too much money. It'd be like $9 for a set.


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Post subject: Re: Any1 know string companies that'll let me order cust set
Posted: Tue Aug 16, 2011 3:23 pm
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Oh yeah! I knew what you meant about the custom set for you only. I would just try and get ahold of the companies themselves and see if they can make it happen. The worst they could tell say is no.

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2000 American Deluxe Stratocaster
2011 Gibson Les Paul Trad Pro 50's
2007 Epi Les Paul Custom
90's ESP Eclipse
JH-1B Jimi Hendrix Crybaby
Analogman KOT
Korg Pitchblack
Boss NS-2 PH-2
Blues Deluxe Reissue
1999 & 2007 Marshall TSL 100 w/1960BV cab


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Post subject: Re: Any1 know string companies that'll let me order cust set
Posted: Tue Aug 16, 2011 7:48 pm
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BLUESMAN1904 wrote:
Oh yeah! I knew what you meant about the custom set for you only. I would just try and get ahold of the companies themselves and see if they can make it happen. The worst they could tell say is no.

This is true. I wonder if there's a middle man, you know, some company that buys bulk and will do it cheaply.


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