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Bruce Boyd
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3/3/2008 2:14:41 AM
---- Updated 3/3/2008 2:22:28 AM
Zing Went The Strings
I always put fresh strings on my instruments before I record to get that nice zingy sound. I generally do this about 24 hours in advance to let them settle and the tuning become more stable.
For electric/blues songs I like to double track the rhythm in the left and right channels with 2 different guitars for a richer texture. I have two other guitars that I use for lead. As well there is the bass and an acoustic guitar (mebbe even a 12 string) as well as mandolin and dobro for those little "fill ins" that you only think of at the time.
For acoustic tunes it's even more complex - mandolin, bouzouki, dulcimer, acoustic guitars - both steel and nylon stringed.....( I won't mention the banjo...)
Under the duress of recording repeated takes etc these strings only keep that initial brightness for two or three days. I've tried all those old recipes for restoring string life - boiling in vinegar, spraying with WB 40 etc and none of them seem to work very well for me. And it can become pretty expensive if you have to change all those strings more than once.
So I tend to record an album's worth of material in one batch - string up the rhythm instruments and get all the backing tracks in a couple of sessions; string up the lead instruments and get them down etc etc.
This also helps me get a consistency of room sound, mike placement etc across the whole album.
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The CODE
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3/3/2008 2:58:50 AM
Bruce - I've used WD40 for over 20 years and it seems to work quite well!!!
But nothing beats a new set of 'zingy' strings!!!
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Bruce Boyd
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3/3/2008 3:40:31 AM
I did find WD40 worked but only for a short time. They say that it's organically based so it won't damage the wood or the finish but I'm not brave enough to put that to the test!
So I found that with the time taken to screen the neck and body with a handkerchief and the smell that was left it just wasn't worth it for that short extra period of life.
Likewise boiling in vinegar works but it STINKS and, what with taking the strings off and then replacing them, it wasn't worth it for the short extra life.
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the kozy king
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3/3/2008 3:53:10 AM
That's reminds me. I'd better change strings.
I just keep hacking away with the same old ones -- more distortion please.
I'm always amazed at how good the new ones sound, but as you say it's gone in a couple of days. My main guit has the double locking tremolo so it's a real pain in the butt to change strings altho they NEVER need tuning.
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Two Silo Complex
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3/3/2008 11:45:03 AM
Hey Bruce,
I used to play with baby power on my hands so that the strings did not get all the natural oils but I found out that they got even more clogged with the powder.
The only thing that I have found to help is to wipe the strings down directly after playing with a softh cloth. This is not much but every little bit helps.
TSC
Ken
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SILVERWOODSTUDIO
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3/3/2008 1:23:51 PM
I wipe the strings after each gig and spray the neck with Pledge----a furniture polish!!
It stops those little rust patches that form from sweat !
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Bruce Boyd
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3/3/2008 4:45:44 PM
Elixer strings are coated in a sort of teflon which prolongs the life but they're expensive - about $40 a set here in Oz!
I think part of the problem is that every time you fret a string the vibrations cause a rubbing which wears at the the winding. After a while you can even feel little "notches" where the string has been fretted.
What I was wondering is:
(a) Do you put new strings on every time you want to record a track
(b) Put on new strings and record a whole bunch of tracks at once.
(c) Neither
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Two Silo Complex
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3/4/2008 7:55:18 AM
Well Bruce the answer to that question would be it depends on the recording.
Lets say I am recording an acoustic piece that has a lot of picking then yes I would change the strings. As you said allow 24 hour at least for strings to settle.
If the acoustic piece is mellow stumming then maybe not as I might not want the bright quality but a more mellow sound.
If I am recording electric guitar with maybe some distortion and more bar chords then I would not change the strings. The difference would not be worth it to me.
The bottom line is that the new strings will add a brighteness that you can not get without changing the strings. So if you want this quality in your recordings then go for it. The guitar strings are sold in bulk packs of 10 sets. I recommend buying this way if you change your strings often as it saves money.
It is also best to record in batches if you change the strings or not. That way the recordings have a more consistant sound and flow then if they are recorded seperately.
Hope that answers the question
TSC
Ken
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Hugh Hamilton
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3/4/2008 8:02:38 AM
Not as an argument, but expressing a matter of personal preference - you have to rip my old strings from my axes when I'm not looking! I prefer a mellower sound, and I beat the heck out of my instruments for quite some time before I get the tone I enjoy most.
I'm tempted to post a pic of my Les Paul neck - it is absolutely disgusting right now - even by my standards - I do have my limit (lol)...! And it might just get new strings next week (don't want to rush things, after all)...and it might take a week or two of constant abuse to take the bright edge off...lol...ah, variety is the spice of life!!
:) H
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Black Velvet Lace
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3/4/2008 8:06:53 AM
I'm with Hugh, but it's because I hate to change my strings. I can never get the twirly ends right, one almost slashed my left eye out. Nevermind that, even which way to wind them confuses me. So I just beg one of the guys to do it.
~Lace~
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Pulse Eternal
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3/4/2008 8:15:31 AM
Larree and Hugh,
We need to start a new club for old strings!!
All the guitar sounds on Valentine, electric AND acoustic were recorded with really old strings. Like YEARS old!! I quite deliberately go for something different for my guitar sounds because, even though I am feline, I am not a copycat......... Oh jeez, that was REALLY bad!!!
When I break a string, I have to play heaps with dirty fingers just to get my sound back. New strings actually sound like crap if I use my normal amp and plugin settings!
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Pulse Eternal
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3/4/2008 8:18:57 AM
Lace,
Perhaps you'd like to be part of the 'old strings' club too. I was writing my last reply as you were.
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Hugh Hamilton
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3/4/2008 9:24:52 AM
hahaha - BRUCE! I have a present for you - a brand new self-indulgent recording (in the process of digitizing now...JUST recorded it in response to yer blog)...showing that in fact it IS time for me to put new strings on the Les Paul (LOL!)...still working on the title...you'll know it by it's title and pic though...lol lol lol...
Thanks, friends...
:)
H
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Bruce Boyd
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3/4/2008 5:06:41 PM
I must admit I don't have a routine for changing the strings on my Dobro - I've only done it ONCE since I bought it ten years ago. And then it was just to go to a much heavier gauge.
Because there's little finger/string contact and no string/fret contact the strings never seem to break. So they're shiny on top from the slide and gungy underneath. Gives that authentic '30s sound.
You can hear it on Bibbulmun
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Hugh Hamilton
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3/5/2008 4:24:10 AM
Got it! Will go have a listen...
So tell us the LADY MACBETH story - sounds fun - and a little scary!
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Bruce Boyd
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3/5/2008 4:38:09 AM
It was a 12th grade school production, it was a boy's school and I had long hair...so I was type cast!
But now as a bona fide Shakespearian actor (actress??) I'm never allowed to mention that play by name in the theatre again - I have to call it "The Scottish Play".
btw ALL the actors in Shakespeare's time were male with boys playing the roles of the women.
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the kozy king
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3/5/2008 4:39:22 AM
Elixirs -- don't like them, feel weird
Lacy - "twirly ends?" don't get technical on us
Hugh - In high school my son learned jazz with another teen who NEVER changed his strings and had all his treble turned down. I picked up his guitar, a 335 knock-off, and tried it -- thud, thud -- awful. But when he played it sounded great!! it's all about the talent not the gear once again.
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Hugh Hamilton
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3/5/2008 7:06:24 AM
Bruce - LOL! I've tried to get on stage now and then over the years but I have always been tossed into the orchestra pit instead - rather unceremoniously, I might add...that's part of why it was extra fun to get in front of the cameras for Mr. Murdock's shoot...
kozydood, I know what you're talkin' 'bout - I can relate totally to Bruce's fondness of a particular bright new-string-sound...just couldn't resist replying with my aversion for new strings. ON THE OTHER HAND, I do enjoy the new string feel...it's easy for me to spend hours jammin' away at the guitar store if I'm not careful...and I read recently a statement by Eric Clapton's longtime guitar tech in which he is quoted as saying that "the Clapton tone" comes from the fingers, not the guitar - and I know exactly what he means - I've become aware of playing really differently to get different tones - the guitar and the amp certainly make a big different - but there's a ton of variation in the sounds one can get simply from the manner of playing.
Here's a suggestion to frugal folks who love the "new string" sound but don't like paying for the privilege - pick closer to the bridge - automatically yields a much brighter sound. And enjoy watching John Lennon in a number of old videos holding his guitars up high on his chest...and picking right next to the bridge - probably had all the treble up and all the bass down on the guitar and the amp too - those guys LOVED trebley bright axes...
:)
H
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Bruce Boyd
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3/5/2008 7:40:00 AM
Lots of 60s rhythm guitar players slung their axes way high...
John McNally from the Liverpool band "The Searchers"
And George Young (Older brother to Angus and Malcolm) in 60s Oz supergroup "The Easybeats"
Both of them are using.....Hofner Club 50/60s
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Hugh Hamilton
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3/5/2008 9:22:31 AM
Good pics, Bruce - that second one is WAAAAAAAAY high! You da man!
H
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Bruce Boyd
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3/6/2008 12:07:22 AM
Yeah - Malcom and Angus didn't follow big brother's style:
(Dunno what those woosy half stacks are doin'...)
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Pulse Eternal
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3/6/2008 12:16:01 AM
Classic Acca Dacca shot there! Cool.
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