Looking at Thomastik-Infeld strings

I use BeeBop round wound 11s on my 5420T as well as my Heritage H555 and love them.. they are crisp and well balanced sounding and last forever...they never seem to go dead.
This for me negates the higher cost tag on these strings.

 

This thread got me all worked up to install the BeBops on my 5420T...didn't go so well.

The first string broke at the ball end before it was near pitch. I've never had that happen in over 4 decades. Got an Ernie Ball .011" there now. Now check out the 3rd string. Looks like too much wrapping at the ball end. The wraps go up and over the Bigsby string bar! How much were these again?

 

Call them they have good CS. Not sure about the wraps I never looked at that on mine. I’m at 8 or 9 months and they still sound like new no issues at all. Runnings 12s with the bebop and jazz swings. Seriously though contact them with the pictures and two sizes that were messed up see what they do.

now after that how do you like the tone so far?

 

I already contacted them, and I have the broken .011 string and ball end if they want to take a look at it.

So far, so good. The Ernie Ball plain steel .011 is noticeably "thinner" sounding, plus, it ain't got that cool golden color

 

I really do hope it works out for you. I love these strings. Enough so that I bought and put them on my OldWave mandolin, guitar guys have no idea what strings can cost. The mandolin strings were mid 40$, for a real shock look at bass and double bass strings.

 

Interesting. My understanding is that TI and Pyramid both use German steel for plain strings and cores, while most string manufacturers use Swedish steel. I guess maybe German steel sounds beefier.

 

I have wondered how steel composition affects tone in these cases. I think however it has more to do with the tension needed for a given string to reach the desired note. Two strings of similar composition but requiring different tensions to get the same note, in my head would sound different.

 

I am assuming (perhaps incorrectly) that in RussB's case, the Ernie Ball 11 he's using is the same gauge as the broken TI string, such that it tonally sticking out wouldn't be related to tension, which I agree can certainly affect tone.

 

I've been using T-I's on ALL my guitars (electric and acoustic) for years. They are more expensive (2X +?) than others, but they last 3 to 10 times longer than others I've used over the decades.

JS110 & JS111 flats on my Gretsch guitars, Plectrum AC111 on my Martin (I swap in .012 & .015 for the .011 & .012 on the Martin).

Love 'em!!!!

 

No clue I just threw it out there. My experience is limited to tension tensile and other tests on bar stock. But it was amazing the forces needed to break one in comparison to another when the only difference was composition. Steel is steel in that how they react is fairly predictable knowing all the variables.

 

You assumed correctly, A broken .011 TI for a new .011 Ernie Ball. I have no idea what alloys are used in each. I like the cool gold coating on the thomastic infelds acts as a preservative

 

Last week I broke a high E .012 while stringing it up. I blame it on pre-bending too much of an angle. Swapped it out for a no name .012. It’s really not the same.

 

When you all are pre-bending how are you doing it? I don't like sharp bends so I slightly wrap it around a pencil tip so it will almost hold itself on but I don't bend it so tightly as to cause a weak spot.

 

I usually don't pre-bend them at all. I'll just hold it in place with one hand until I can pull it tight(ish) with the other. Doubt I could do that as easily without locking tuners though. For whatever reason this string wouldn't cooperate. That only happens once every few years, no big deal.

 

With my fingertips. Just enough to get the string onto the pin.

 

That sounds like trying to heard cats!. It must be tough on a B5 or B7. Locking tuners must be the trick to it.

 

When I had my Guild Bluesbird, I bought a Callaham string-through bar and it worked magnificently. They don't fit the imports though


https://www.callahamguitars.com/bigsby_bridge_mainstringshaft_catalog.htm

 

Never tried it on those models. Closest I have is a Towner bar on a Jet. But yes, locking tuners helps a lot.

I actually replaced my string through models with the normal pin versions. I always had trouble getting strings *off* the string throughs.