Good piece on DR Strings and Guild

[Kslam]

written by the proprietor of one of my favorite local guitar stores.

 

[fronobulax]

Thanks.

 

[SFIV1967]

Thanks for posting this! Nice to see Mark with that "first" Guild ever made (a X-330, see Hans book page 51). In Hans' book on page 45 he wrote that no instruments with a S/N lower than 1001 are known to exist, but he mentioned that there might be a S/N 1000. So Mark's seems to be S/N 1001 anyway.
Fits to this previous discussion: viewtopic.php?f=2&t=26447&p=286709&hilit=1001#p286709

Ralf

 

[Scratch]

I was once DR's most vocal advocate on this site. Not so anymore. Could be the economy's effects, but they are not of the same quality as once produced.

 

[davismanLV]

I think DR strings are hit and miss. And I've had a couple of misses in a row. So with 2 out of 3 sets being not quite what I'd expect, I just decided they weren't for me. Maybe the human equation is not always good thing. But a great article and interesting read. Nice to see that #1001 Guild guitar from 1952. That's how it all started...... :wink:

 

[SFIV1967]

Nice to see that #1001 Guild guitar from 1952.

Tom: It seems to be also a '53 guitar, Hans wrote in the book on page 45 that no guitar he knows of (when he wrote the book at least) had a potentiometer date code before week 5 of 1953. And I bet he inspected Mark's #1001.
Ralf

 

[dougdnh]

I've used DR Tite Fits for many years and always found them to be the best out there. I hope the quality isn't slipping. Didn't know they had a link to Guild!

 

[evenkeel]

Interesting article. Thanks for the post :!: :!:

 

[Treem]

DR Pure Nickel 11s are on all my Guild electrics! I like em very mucho! 8)

 

[Bill Ashton]

I bought a ton of them (at a good show price) at a local guitar show run here several years ago. Most sets were great, but there were some with singular dead wound strings...

Buying in more recent history, I also found completely dead sets and completely wonderful sets. Their flatwounds are very nice and last a long time (they are flatwounds, how do you tell? :lol: )

Flatpicker Steve Kaufman endorses them, swears by them and sells them...they gotta be making them right for somebody...

When they are good they are very, very good, great even...but when they are bad they are very disappointing

(Does Mark Dronge look like his father or what!)

 

[SFIV1967]

Most sets were great, but there were some with singular dead wound strings...

I only bought two acoustic sets (DR Sunbeam) and after putting them on the guitar the low E-String in both sets was dead after one day only. (not tightly wound, so the winding got lose). With the first I thought I maybe did not string the guitar well enough and maybe damaged the string, but after I had replaced it with the second set and the same happened I was really angry about them...
But that is maybe 5 years ago and I never bought DR again after.
Ralf

 

[Ridgemont]

Funny. I will not buy DR strings because of Guild. I had some terrible intonation issues with DR a while back. I would rather buy a string with more consistency.

Here was the issue: viewtopic.php?f=11&t=26298&hilit=Intonation+issue+F30&start=0

 

[mr.d.bluster]

Most sets were great, but there were some with singular dead wound strings...

I only bought two acoustic sets (DR Sunbeam) and after putting them on the guitar the low E-String in both sets was dead after one day only. (not tightly wound, so the winding got lose). With the first I thought I maybe did not string the guitar well enough and maybe damaged the string, but after I had replaced it with the second set and the same happened I was really angry about them...
But that is maybe 5 years ago and I never bought DR again after.
Ralf

Bill, Ralf, & Ridge,

Sunbeams (and some other DR strings) are wound on a round core, and therefore subject to slip and unwind, causing deadening & bad intonation. DR acknowledges the problem, and they print instructions inside the box on how to avoid it.

Here is a picture of the text, and one of the illustration from inside the box. It's very easy to miss if you're not looking for it. Not sure if they had anything like this 5 years ago, but they probably added it in response to user complaints.

Don

 

[Ridgemont]

Don,

I am aware of the differences in Round core and Hexagonal core strings from DR. In fact I did try a set of Sunbeams before my intonation issue, and having installed them correctly on a different guitar, they were fine. My intonation issue was with DR Rare. These have a Hex core and do not need to be anchored.

 

[mr.d.bluster]

Ridge,

Sorry, I looked through your thread, but didn't pick up on the difference in your issues. Strange to have a compatibility problem between guitar makes, and stranger still to be a problem with Guilds, considering the heritage of DR. Maybe not so strange to have QC issues with hand wound strings.

Don

 

[Ridgemont]

No worries Don. There are those who really love DR so that has to be worth something. I ended up selling that specific F30 and replaced it with a Martin. Maybe giving DR another try is in order.

 

[Bill Ashton]

My error also, as my post was mainly about DR Rares. As to the Sunbeams, while they are nice sounding strings, I have not found them particularly low tension when I have used them in the past; never did have the unwinding troubles that some have.

 

[MLBob]

Use DR Pure Blues on my Starfire and really have been pleased.

 

[SFIV1967]

Sunbeams (and some other DR strings) are wound on a round core, and therefore subject to slip and unwind, causing deadening & bad intonation. DR acknowledges the problem, and they print instructions inside the box on how to avoid it.

Hi Don, thanks for providing those instructions! I might have not noticed them if they were there, at least I can't remember that I ever saw them. Actually I believe it is longer than 5 years when I had bought them...
Ralf

 

[davismanLV]

When I strung the Guild up with the DR Sunbeams I had to do it WITHOUT cutting the strings to length first, which is my normal stringing routine. So I had to thread them through and then wind with that extra string length flying round and round and then cut the excess off after. At least, that's what they recommend. And they were okay. Just okay. Not as good as GHS Bright Bronze or Vintage Bronze. Those strings are great and consistent as HELL!!