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Keith

The 50th has Fender Super 250R .010 - .046's P/N 0047366000

Have to say I'm not yet sure what to replace them with when the time comes but I guess I'll do a bit of experimentation til I find what suits me.

Regards

Unsospero wrote:Keith

The 50th has Fender Super 250R .010 - .046's P/N 0047366000

Have to say I'm not yet sure what to replace them with when the time comes but I guess I'll do a bit of experimentation til I find what suits me.

Regards

Keith, Graham, here's a suggestion. Since your guitar is a reincarnation of 34346 and is made to have the same look, feel and sound, why don't you fit it with Gibson L-5 strings, which themselves are a reincarnation of the Gibson Sonomatics that Hank used on his first Strat and throughout most of the early Shadows period. To me that would make perfect sense.

Good luck with your guitar . . . it is indeed a rare and beautiful instrument !

Hi Keith,

Good to hear from you, and that all is well with both versions of '05'

When I got my 50th Anniversary I was contemplating having the Fender 10-46 set that it came with replaced by 12-52's (which I used on all my other guitars). But then I thought - fitting heavier strings would reguire a complete new set up. So on reflection I thought - let's not upset Gregg Fessler's wonderful set-up, let's leave it as it comes and see how I get on with it. Well, apart from changing the plain third to a wound third (I used a D'Addario 18w from a set of 10-46 D'Addario's - EXL110W) I have left it alone. The new wound third is just a little quieter than the plain third, but it only marginal and something I can live with.

I run the 50th through a Q20 into a Vox AC30 Heritage - EF86 Channel, and the sound is something to die for. That early growl so recogniseable on tracks like 'The Frightened City' is there, along with the sweet more gentle tones for tracks like 'Blue Star'. The pick-ups are a lot different to a standard 56 NOS and I've found I've needed to change my normal volume settings on the guitar and amp, but I am very pleased with the results. It's the closest I have come to achieving my version of 'That Sound' and has dispelled my belief that you always need 12-52s to get the right sound.

As a result I am changing all my strings on all guitars to D'Addario EXL110 W (10-46), and I must say, I have been extremely pleased with the results on all guitars. My advice would be to leave the set-up as is and stick with the lighter strings.

Hi Bojan,

Yes, I was very interested in trying a set of Gibson L5 900L (10-46 with 18w) but I couldn't find a set for sale anywhere. Whether there is a shortage I don't know, but everyone seemed to be out of stock here in the UK when I tried.

ScouserJoe wrote:Hi Bojan,

Yes, I was very interested in trying a set of Gibson L5 900L (10-46 with 18w) but I couldn't find a set for sale anywhere. Whether there is a shortage I don't know, but everyone seemed to be out of stock here in the UK when I tried.

I think they are harder to obtain in Europe. I had a friend of mine in Vancouver send me a dozen sets a few years ago and I still have some unopened ones. I would be glad to send one to you, but they are 12-56 . . .

You know, perhaps you might want to consider going for a compromise. Gibson L-5 has a set of medium light strings (11-14-19w-30-41-52) that would not require you to make any changes on your truss rod, only on the bridge, and still they would give you a much better sound (in my opinion). The thing is (and this is purely my personal reasoning), if you are prepared to go all out to get your dream sound, and if you have practically the same gear that Hank himself had, the only element missing is the heavier strings. If I were you (and unfortunately, I am not ), my curiosity would probably get the better of me and I would at least try the 11's and if I still thought the 10's were just as good after trying the 11's, I would stick with them. This way, you will always be asking yourself: "could I have come even closer to nailing THAT SOUND!?"

And perhaps, if the 11's turned out to be substantially better, then you could go one step further and put the 12-56 set . . . so what if you have to adjust the truss rod a bit, I'm sure your guitar is not made of sugar . Because, lets' face it, the laws of physics speak unanimously in favor of heavier strings, and THAT SOUND was achieved with strings that are now referred to as heavy but are in fact medium.

But I'm sure you know all this

Good luck with you guitar Ian

Hi Bojan,

That's very interesting Bojan and probably a few months ago I would have gone down that route. But having the 50th, (and the other guitars) set up the way they are now with the 10-46, I find I am very 'comfortable' with the sound I have and the easier playing action that lighter strings offer. I think there is a balance between the enjoyment of working with the mechanics of the guitar and sound, and the enjoyment achieved through the simplicity of playing music on it. For me the latter of these two has finally taken over from the former.

It was Keith who initially raised the question of re-stringing, so perhaps I'll withdraw from the thread at this point and let him take this up with you if the Gibson's are an option he might consider.

Hi Ian and all Shad fans many thanks for your input, I have a set of L5's 11-52, 19 wound third, like you say this might be the road to try, but i will try a slightly heavier 3rd with original set-up first. (i think i got my L5's from stringsdirect or stringslingers) all the very best Keith. just checked L5's available from strings direct 10-46 3rd 18w £7.50

Hi Keith,

Are you sure the Gibson L5's are available in 10-46s from Strings Direct Keith ? Their website has a ' x ' beside that gauge and you cannot put a set into the basket. If they are readily available, then I might try a set.

Sorry Ian , Only checked their shop board, it looks like only Med light available, Keith. (have sent them an email asking if they will be stocking 10-46's)

I wonder which tracks or numbers he used the new 50th Anniversary guitar on ? all the shots I have of him he is playing a Strat with a black Teflon nut
and then he plays the "Newspaper Strat" on C'mon Everybody, does anyone know anything about this guitar ? I havent heard it mentioned
A terrible photo but you can see the print "The Scotsman"