Time to hear from the guitar player...And... surprise surprise, I’m going to talk about guitars. Over the past couple of days my mind has been crammed full of guitar stuff, it’s almost all i’ve been thinking about on my spare time. This is mainly do to a documentary I watched the other day called “It Might Get Loud" (<-- click for trailer). If you are a guitar player, you must watch this film. It’s life changeingly good. Three generations of guitar players, each with a unique approach to playing, get together and chat about the one thing they share in common, a burning passion for the guitar. Anyway, enough about the movie, check it out it’s great.
For all the guitar players out there, I want to talk about gear for a minute . I have never claimed to be the greatest guitar player out there, I know I have so much to learn, and lots of improving to do. But, one thing I’m always very interested in, and have spent a lot of time learning about, is the more technical side of guitar playing, and how different types of hardware effect our sound. For me, it’s a super important factor and something i’ve become rather obsessed with. The pursuit of the best guitar tone possible... of course in relation to my playing style and level of ability.
For me, good tone is the number one factor concerning good guitar playing. It’s all very simple... DOES IT SOUND GOOD? I’ve met so many guitar players who are so much better than I am in technical ability. Guys who can shred a crazy solo, or play with tons of energy and can do things with the guitar neck i’ll practice my entire life and never get right. But so many times, it just doesn't do it for me. Sure it’s crazy, and looks amazing... but it just doesn't sound that great. And what good is the toughest guitar solo in the world, if at the end of the day it sounds like garbage. When all is said and done (especially when playing worship music) it is most important that what I’m playing sounds good, and improving the overall sound quality of the band you’re playing with. (by the way, this isn’t just a guitar players concern...)
Anyway... I bring all this up because I want to talk about guitar strings. I’ve spend so much money in the past on pedals, amps and guitars but have overlooked the most simple part of hardware that effects my tone... the strings. Sounds silly right, spend thousands on gear that will help me sound good, but then just pick up the cheapest or simplest pack of strings to slap on. They’re very important, and if your a guitar player it’s something that you should be thinking about too... what type of strings compliment me most?
Basically this is how it boils down. On my tele (my main guitar) I have played GHS Boomers 11’s since my last setup. I went up a string gauge 2 years ago when talking to a guitar tech about how a thicker string gauge helps your guitar stay in tune better and improves tone for a variety of reasons. Before that I played some kind of Ernie Balls, and Elixirs. But, after talking to some older guitar guys, who I consider the best kind of expert, I’ve made what I consider to be a significant switch in strings.
So here’s a little history to explain what I’ve been thinking...
Back in the day, when electric guitars were really starting to pave the way, guitar strings shifted from being made of primarily out of brass and bronze to nickel. In the late 50’s early 60’s Nickel was the industry standard for electric guitar strings. However, because of the increasing need during the Korean and Vietnam war, quantity of nickel decreased, and subsequently prices increased. So... in the late 60’s string manufacturers started marketing steel strings, with nickel plating to cut costs. Since then nickel-plated steel strings are almost exclusively used by electric guitarists. All the brands I mentioned above are steel core strings.
So here’s where my shift began. I began reading about pure nickel strings and found out that they are characterized my a warmer, mellower sound. Steel core strings tend to be louder, and brighter. Brightness is a good thing and sought after for many guitar players. But if any of you have heard me play, you know the last thing I need with my tele and vox is a brighter sound. So I’ve decided to switch to pure nickel strings. I just feel that a more original and natural approach is better in this situation, and that it is possible that string manufactures use steel core as a cost efficient way to distribute their product. But I would l like to find out if it is the BEST way. Pure Nickel strings are a little more expensive... but again, why spend so much on you guitar and then skimp on something as important a strings.
Recently I loaded up my guitar with DR ‘pure blues’ strings (11-50), and so far so good. They feel nice, and are easy to play. Nickel strings are softer I guess... so there is less string tension. They are easy to play, I may even go up to 12’s. The thing I like about DR strings is that they are handmade, and have a round core opposed to a hexagonal core which is part of the reason they bend easier and feel nice. The pure nickel strings help take the edge of my tone and definitely have a nice bluesy sound. If you’re a metal player, you might need that additional output you get from the nickel plated steel strings. but so far I don’t feel I’m lacking in loudness. So I’m going to stick with these for a bit, and see how they fare in the long run. I think it is important to test out new strings to help tune in the best sound to fit my style. I mean, I could try out 20 different kinds of strings, 20 slightly different sounds, for the price of one pedal that effect my sound.
Anyway... that is my rant. Longer than I though it would end up, and probably pretty boring for a lot of you, but important none the less to us guitar players and gear junkies.
Hope to see you guys out at the CD release party.
- Drew
www.facebook.com/thelevidenbokband
