Help: Do acoustic nickle strings exist?

Subject: Do acoustic nickle strings exist?
From: GUEST,TomK
Date: 27 Feb 01 - 05:47 PM

I believe I read somewhere here in Mudcatland that nickle plated (?) strings work best for magnetic pickups of which I have in my acoustic. The problem is that I only can find nickle ones sold for electric guitar. I suppose I could use them, Right? Any thoughts or places I could get nickle one for acoustics. Thanks. Tom

Subject: RE: Help: Do acoustic nickle strings exist?
From: DonMeixner
Date: 27 Feb 01 - 07:20 PM

I am of the opinion that nickel plated strings for electrics should work fine for you. Though you may want heavier gauge strings than is typical for electric guitars. Its the magnetic pick up that transfers the sound to the amp and not a tranzducer which relies on wood, bone. or other non metallic structure to vibrate and there by generate the sound. Its the string in the magnetic field which makes the signal. I will grant that different strings and their constituent structure will affect the sound to some degree but it is predominatly the magnetic nature of the string itself that is the catalyst for the sound.

Is nickel itself a magnetic attractor? I don't know. But it is a component in the stronger magnetic alloys. The magnetic pick ups will read the signature of the steel cores in Bronze wound strings but not as readily as if you were using all steel strings.

Try searching Strings.Com and see what you get.

Don

Subject: RE: Help: Do acoustic nickle strings exist?
From: Justa Picker
Date: 27 Feb 01 - 07:24 PM

I think Don meant JustStrings.Com.
Going to "strings.com" will take you somewhere that has nothing to do with strings.

Subject: RE: Help: Do acoustic nickle strings exist?
From: Sorcha
Date: 27 Feb 01 - 07:29 PM

i doan know, but i could get you a dime bag outta the evidence locker.........for a price)

Subject: RE: Help: Do acoustic nickle strings exist?
From: Sarah2
Date: 27 Feb 01 - 08:30 PM

John Pearse has some nickle wound for Hawaiian guitars. Me, I use his bronze wound light -- they all last and last and sound good.

Click here

Sarah

Subject: RE: Help: Do acoustic nickle strings exist?
From: Sarah2
Date: 27 Feb 01 - 08:32 PM

Sigh...

Sumpin' wrong there. Well, try again:

Click here

Sarah

Subject: RE: Help: Do acoustic nickle strings exist?
From: Sarah2
Date: 27 Feb 01 - 08:34 PM

Okay, I give up for this thread. Go to:

www.jpstrings.com

I'm back off to the blueclicky practice thread...

Sarah

Subject: RE: Help: Do acoustic nickle strings exist?
From: Justa Picker
Date: 27 Feb 01 - 09:33 PM

Here's Sarah's link.

Subject: RE: Help: Do acoustic nickle strings exist?
From: Justa Picker
Date: 27 Feb 01 - 09:34 PM

(Sarah when you put a link here in the forum you have to also include the http:// ahead of the www.)

Subject: RE: Help: Do acoustic nickle strings exist?
From: Sarah2
Date: 27 Feb 01 - 09:52 PM

Justa Picker,

I thought I did...the dangers of copy and paste, I guess.

Thanks for fixing that and for spotting the problem. Will try to watch more closely, although the senility attacks do get in the way.

Sarah

Subject: RE: Help: Do acoustic nickle strings exist?
From: DonMeixner
Date: 28 Feb 01 - 12:44 AM

Yes, Juststrings.com is exactly what I meant. Thanks

Subject: RE: Help: Do acoustic nickle strings exist?
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 28 Feb 01 - 12:59 AM

Sarah, you did add http:// but you added it to what you had copied and pasted. The end result was http://http://www.jpstrings.com

Jon

Subject: RE: Help: Do acoustic nickle strings exist?
From: Extra Stout
Date: 28 Feb 01 - 01:09 AM

Regular bronze strings work just fine for my pickup.

Subject: RE: Help: Do acoustic nickle strings exist?
From: GUEST,TomK
Date: 28 Feb 01 - 05:43 AM

Don: Thanks for the info. The electrics are a bit light, I use mediums mostly. I would need to try a side by side comparison to really hear if there's that much difference in sound.

Sarah2:Good luck with The Blue Clicky Thing.

Sorcha: Is it a two or three finger dime?

Thanks all, off to Juststrings. Tom

Subject: RE: Help: Do acoustic nickle strings exist?
From: GUEST,Boredatwork
Date: 28 Feb 01 - 12:14 PM

A couple of years ago I bought a resonator guitar with a lipstick-tube pickup that came with regular bronze strings. The unwound treble strings were much louder than the wound strings when plugged in. So I put on a spare set of electric strings and it sounded better plugged in but lousy when unplugged. Finally remembered a guitar workshop where Richard Leo Johnson said he uses GHS's "White Bronze" strings on guitars with magnetic pickups. Bought a set and no more problem. They have a decent unplugged sound and the tube picks them up very evenly.

Subject: RE: Help: Do acoustic nickle strings exist?
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 28 Feb 01 - 04:26 PM

So that's where John Pearse wound up! I used to go to lessons and sessions run by him at Cecil Sharp House in London, back in 1959 I think. Good enabling teacher.

Subject: RE: Help: Do acoustic nickle strings exist?
From: GUEST,TomK
Date: 28 Feb 01 - 05:30 PM

Ahhh,GHS. Their factory was about 20 miles from I grew up but I never tried their strings. I'll look for some White Bronze to try. Thanks alot, Boardatwork. Tom

Subject: RE: Help: Do acoustic nickle strings exist?
From: GUEST,Boredatwork
Date: 01 Mar 01 - 09:41 AM

After posting the GHS White Bronze suggestion it later occurred to me that magnetic pickups actually come in two different flavors. My reso has a lipstick tube which is essentially an electric quitar pickup pushed into an acoustic application. The "after-market" products like Duncan's Woody and Fishman's Rare Earth are made to use on acoustic guitars. I would hope that the engineeers at Fishman et al realize that most acoustics are going to have bronze-wound strings and tweak the relative strengths of the pole pieces appropriately. I don't personally own any such pickups, but I have played other people's guitars that have them and the tone seemed balanced with regular bronze-wound stirngs.

Subject: RE: Help: Do acoustic nickle strings exist?
From: GUEST,TomK
Date: 01 Mar 01 - 12:11 PM

Bored.. I have a Fishman Rare Earth and although I haven't noticed a glaring difference between the wound and unwound strings, it seems like a pretty even response from all the strings, I was curious to see if I could hear much of a difference. The GHS site discribes the White Bronze strings as having a magnetic coating on them to improve magnetic pickup performance. Tom