Strings dilemma

[pauldb38]

Hi folks in a bid to get closer to the sound i was recommended D'addrario Nickel wound 10/46 with a wound 3rd EXL110w , genuinely happy with the tone of the strings but i hit a snag with the wound 3rd , ie My Fender Stratocaster is a 2005 Crafted in Japan model. It is noticeably quieter than all the rest of the strings. My fretboard is a 7.25 radius. The only way i can match the volume of the rest of the strings is to lower the saddle on the 3rd but its not following the radius of the rest of the strings. Its annoying me and isnt right. can anyone suggest anything that could help please.

Paul

[scouserjoe2]

Hi Paul,

This is an issue frequently raised on this forum; the problem being the lower set magnet for the third string. Lowering the saddle for the 3rd string is certainly not the solution. When I have had guitars with this problem I have simply purchased a a slightly heavier wound single string to replace the standard wound G supplied in the set of choice. Most manufacturers do offer single strings so you can usually achieve something that works for you. Alternatively, although it won't give you an ideal early Shadows' sound if that's what you are looking for, you could replace the wound third with a plain third.

Personally, and I think many members here feel the same, I do believe that you get a better early sound with heavier strings - either 11-49 or 12-52. However you will always come across the same problem if you use a wound 3rd on a guitar with a lowered 3rd magnet. A more expensive but perfect solution is to change the pickups to a set which contains the raised 3rd magnet - seems a little drastic maybe, but it works !!

Good Luck,

Ian

[JimN]

Before you do anything drastic or serious, try this £2.50 trick.

1. Buy a set of these small button magnets.

2. let one of them sit atop the magnet for each of the third string polepieces on your Strat.

I bet it gives you at least 90% of the solution you want, and all for £2.47.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Spider-Magnetics-Ltd-Magnets-Neodymium/dp/B00Z6RCPGO/ref=sr_1_26?crid=EKBSMFUF9WOL&keywords=small%2Bneodymium%2Bdisc%2Bmagnets&qid=1694375955&sprefix=small%2Bneodymium%2Bdisc%2Bmagnets%2Caps%2C80&sr=8-26&th=1

[pauldb38]

Thanks guys the wound is a 18w so i might try a heavier string any recommendation's on the gauge ?

Paul

[dave robinson]

Over the past couple of years I have has issues with string gauges and scale length with my instruments due to the effects of my cancer treatment, that thankfully cured the cancer, but left a crapload of other issues fir me, playing guitar being one of them.
Using an app that I stumbled across which tells you the string pressures on any string you wish to name, I worked out what gauges of strings I needed to be comfortable of my different guitars, as they vary on scale length from brand to brand. I've found exactly how to do do that and finally it's all good.
The downside is that the 'string voicing' has suffered a little and I now have to compensate and tweak my amp and guitar controls to get it to sound 'right'. It took some hard work and a lot of time but I got there.
I can say with confidence that the best and only accurate way to emulate Hank's early recorded sound, is to used the same gauge of strings that he used back in the day, which makes the guitar a lot more difficult to handle than if you are using 10-46, as is the ball park these days. A set consisting of 13-56 will certainly have the correct wound 'G' that is required , but they are hard work to play. When you start coming down in thickness, it's the wound 3rd string that always becomes the problem, simply because of the mechanics of it. Good luck with your search.

[pauldb38]

Over the past couple of years I have has issues with string gauges and scale length with my instruments due to the effects of my cancer treatment, that thankfully cured the cancer, but left a crapload of other issues fir me, playing guitar being one of them.
Using an app that I stumbled across which tells you the string pressures on any string you wish to name, I worked out what gauges of strings I needed to be comfortable of my different guitars, as they vary on scale length from brand to brand. I've found exactly how to do do that and finally it's all good.
The downside is that the 'string voicing' has suffered a little and I now have to compensate and tweak my amp and guitar controls to get it to sound 'right'. It took some hard work and a lot of time but I got there.
I can say with confidence that the best and only accurate way to emulate Hank's early recorded sound, is to used the same gauge of strings that he used back in the day, which makes the guitar a lot more difficult to handle than if you are using 10-46, as is the ball park these days. A set consisting of 13-56 will certainly have the correct wound 'G' that is required , but they are hard work to play. When you start coming down in thickness, it's the wound 3rd string that always becomes the problem, simply because of the mechanics of it. Good luck with your search.

Thanks for this Dave , like you i have health issues ie had a massive stroke and as a result my hands aren't as strong as they where hence why i opted for 10-46 , Although the guitar sounds good at that gauge i have never been happy with the sound of the g string its the one string that stand out as been wrong tonally when playing along with the Shads from the 60's , with the wound G its allot closer in tone just not in volume. Thanks for your reply i love the sound you get on your video btw

[scouserjoe2]

Hi again, Paul,

Dave has made a very good point that to achieve Hank's early sound you need to be using heavy strings. I accept that they are not easy to work with if you have been using 9-42s or 10-46s but that's exactly the problem Hank found in the early days and why he developed the use of the tremolo the way he did.

Many here favour 12-52 Elixir Nanowebs which have the required wound 3rd String. They are a little more expensive than most but they produce a great sound and they last well. Indeed Paul Rossiter uses them to great effect on many of the records by the TVS3 team. However, whether you would get the required balance of sound across all six strings with your pick-ups (particularly with the lowered 3rd magnet) is a matter of trial and error.

One trick you might try is this ... Some time in the past when I owned a copy of the 'Oasis' Stratocaster (which was an exact replica of Hank's original Strat - including the lowered 3rd string pole magnet), I fitted it with a set of 11-49 Elixir Nanowebs ( 11, 14, 18, 28w, 38w, 49w) and replaced the 18 plain string with a separately purchased 24w which Elixir make commonly available. The end result sounded fine to my ears and I was very happy with the simple yet relatively inexpensive solution.

If you don't want to invest in Elixirs then you might find a similar option with other manufacturers, goodness knows there are enough of them.

Good luck

Ian

[dave robinson]

I have found the 18 wound third to be a problem every time I have stumbled upon them. For some reason, on a Strat they just don't perform.
From experience I know that by experimenting with different brands and gauges that it is possible to find a solution and although I no longer favour a wound third I still get the sound I'm looking for by playing stuff in a different position on the neck and using my wound 4th string if I want that particular 'vibe'. A plain string and a wound string sound completely different playing the same note in the same register. It's something I've picked up on and recently it's helped me understand some of the things that I've seen Hank play on various video clips, positioning particularly.

[roger bayliss]

You may be able to move the actual pole piece. On modern pickups the pole is in a plastic sleeve and some wax to hold it. Heat a soldering iron and apply heat to the metal pole piece for about 15 secs to melt wax and push with say a screwdriver head till it moves desired amount (probably same as D string) . I have done this on some of mine to use plain G and dropping the height.

There is some risk I suppose in doing this, but lots of folk have done it successfully. Your risk of course !

I recall that the G pole on Hanks original strat was actually low as if for a plain string and no one really knew why when we discussed it

I have tried the little magnets as suggested by Jim Nugent and it does work if you are not keen on doing the above.

[pauldb38]

Thankyou all for your post's i have taken all possible solutions on board. Interestly i reached out to D'addrario and they recommended using a 21w string, so much so they are sending me 3 strings for the 3 pack i bought at 21W free of charge and also they want me to try flat wounds as well so chucking a pack in with the wound strings there sending me. So its not costing me anything to try which is good of them. Will keep you all posted.

Paul