My Ovation needs a new set of strings. And I love the sound of Phospher Bronze on an acoustic. I think I'll pick up two sets and put a set on one of my X170's. The flatwounds that are on it of course sound..... well.... kinda flat. After all it is an acoustic guitar and since acoustic strings are steel it ought to amplify as well.... right :? ? If anything it oughta look real perty against the gold hardware 8)
Phospher Bronze on my X170?
- Thread starter Ravon
- Start date
Uh, well... no. The X170 is a great electric guitar... I love them! Of course you can hear it acoustically but as a thinline with 2 set-in pickups it's not really intended for that application. Phosphor Bronze string do sound great on an acoustic but not so hot on electrics. Your unwound strings will be hotter than the wound ones when you plug in and I think you'll be disappointed with the sound.Ravon said:
Many people love flats for electric applications, but as you've discovered, they lack the bright highs of phosphor bronze and don't sound so hot when played acoustically.
Fortunately, there is a middle ground that works quite well for electric archtops:
These are round wound strings that are not quite as bright as PBs, but they are noticeably brighter than flats with better volume and stronger overtones. They also love magnetic pickups, last longer than PBs, and they're cheap. They'll give you a lot more sparkle than flats when played acoustically and are one of the few sets I've found that come with both a wound G and an unwound G.
Any music store should have them or be able to order them.
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/acce...edium-electric-guitar-strings/101056000000000
I've been playing for 30+ yrs. and have always been curious about doing the switch. I've really never seen this subject adressed much. I used .012 flatwounds on my AA yrs. ago and for the big band sound and solo stuff I was doing it was made for that. But since I'm playing more of a variety of styles now and going after a little more volume and brightness, acoustically and amped, the flatwounds (T/A's and D'A's) just aren't versatile enough for me. And the rounds that I had initially on the X170 were what I had been using on my Strat, still kinda dead in the water. Joe, good price and kind of interesting as well the cyrogenic strings. I'm gonna get a set of those instead. Just trying to find that perfect match 
. Thanks
. Thanksa.modernist
Junior Member
Another option to consider might be Newtone's Archtop Strings:
http://www.newtonestrings.com/electric_page.htm
They describe them as "A Double wrap of Nickel over a Round core gives these strings a unique feel and sound. They are warm and melow without the string squeal of single wrap strings."
Up until the beginning of this year I was a dyed-in-the-wool flatwound fan. After I started using 80/20 bronze strings on my '40s Epiphone Broadway, I started experimenting with nickel rounds. I like the Newtones a lot. They are somewhere in between bronze rounds and nickel flats. There is some string "squeal" and they aren't as smooth as some half-wounds/ground-wounds/etc. but they do manage to have punch and be mellow at the same time. The tension feels good. The pick-up response is good. I am currently using them on my Telecaster playing R&B and on my Guild AA playing jazz and are versatile enough for both instruments and settings.
Nick Rossi
www.facebook.com/nickrossimusic
San Francisco, Calif., U.S.A.
http://www.newtonestrings.com/electric_page.htm
They describe them as "A Double wrap of Nickel over a Round core gives these strings a unique feel and sound. They are warm and melow without the string squeal of single wrap strings."
Up until the beginning of this year I was a dyed-in-the-wool flatwound fan. After I started using 80/20 bronze strings on my '40s Epiphone Broadway, I started experimenting with nickel rounds. I like the Newtones a lot. They are somewhere in between bronze rounds and nickel flats. There is some string "squeal" and they aren't as smooth as some half-wounds/ground-wounds/etc. but they do manage to have punch and be mellow at the same time. The tension feels good. The pick-up response is good. I am currently using them on my Telecaster playing R&B and on my Guild AA playing jazz and are versatile enough for both instruments and settings.
Nick Rossi
www.facebook.com/nickrossimusic
San Francisco, Calif., U.S.A.
Nick, that sounds a lot like my take on the blue steels... maybe I'll have to try those too. Thanks for the tip!ner1971 said:
I use the Blue Steels on my '46 Triumph and the '48 Broadway because I use the old DeArmonds frequently, but I take them off when done and I think the attachment bracket dampens some overtones and shortens the sustain a bit. I also have a prejudice against historically incorrect PB strings on old acoustic archtops. I just prefer the more vintage sound.
-jw
ps - I'd LOVE to see some pics of your Broadway... they're considered Guild ancestors around here, and if you show me yours I'll show you mine. :lol:
a.modernist
Junior Member
AlohaJoe said:
You are welcome jw. I am very pleased with them. Give them a try. I'd be curious to see what other people think, if only as they are not getting a lot of attention as far as I can tell.
I have the same prejudice against Phosphor Bronze strings on old archtops and likewise prefer a vintage sound. On top of that, I've found that I have much more success using 80/20s with my '40 DeArmond "Guitar Mike" than I have with PBs. I can at least coax a decent sound and tone out of the former. The string balance is a whole 'nother story. It takes a really good ear/touch to compensate and I just find myself struggling to do so much of the time.
Since you asked, here is a link to some photos of my Broadway. It's a beautiful guitar with a wonderful sound.
http://gallery.me.com/nicolas.rossi#100202
- Nick
a.modernist
Junior Member
AlohaJoe said:
I am fairly certain the finish is original. There have been some crack repairs made to the top and at some point of time it was a lefty. But, yes, it is in very good condition. Based on the neck wear, it's been well played - but obviously it's been well taken care of.
