The "G" String

[Tim]

This post is to calm Tone down from being bored, at work no less. It has no relationship to a Fret Net member of the same name.

The question is: why is the "G" string on a guitar so hard to keep in tune? I normally have to find a happy medium between the open "C" chord, the open "G" chord and the open "D" chord. If I set the "G" string with the tuner the "C" and "G" chords are right on target. But the "D" chord is off.

Can anybody explain this phenomenal?

 

[Tone2TheBone]

What I'm wondering is what happened to a member named The G String.

Tim the G string was normally wound like on acoustic guitars. People got tired of broken nails and fingers trying to bend those wound strings so companies started making them unwound. Problem with that is that there is very little tension placed on that unwound string at the pitch it's tuned to so it tends to feel and sound wobbly. Thanks for the interesting post btw. +1

 

[duhvoodooman]

So let me get this straight--the raison d'etre of the FretNet has degenerated to one of keeping Tone entertained??

 

[Tim]

No, he is not being entertained. He is "moderating"!

 

[Tone2TheBone]

So let me get this straight--the raison d'etre of the FretNet has degenerated to one of keeping Tone entertained??

Well since I don't post videos like Robert does and since he's gone I noticed that it's been pretty slow in here lately. Good word choice there...raison d'etre. R

 

[weeladdie]

Try taking a look at this explanation, it seems to cover just about every thing.

http://images.onstagemag.com/files/46/0202Setuptxt.html

 

[Plank_Spanker]

The guitar is intrinsically an imperfect instrument. It's all a balancing act.

 

[SuperSwede]

So let me get this straight--the raison d'etre of the FretNet has degenerated to one of keeping Tone entertained??

Guitar playing is all about Tone..

 

[WackyT]

Does anyone here run a wound G string on their electrics?

 

[weeladdie]

Does anyone here run a wound G string on their electrics?

Almost always.

 

[sunvalleylaw]

Almost always.

What strings do you use to do that? I might try it.

 

[guitartist]

Does anyone here run a wound G string on their electrics?

I always have. In a video I've got on playing countryish steel pedal-type bends on guitar, the instructor suggested getting a g string that was unwound...I've thought about that, but I'd have to switch to much lighter strings (although I do suppose I could just get a lighter g string, but having a g string that's around the same weight as my high e string just strikes me as weird). I've gotten pretty used to bending that wound G string now....I like the tone of the thicker strings.

A while back I told my girlfriend that i broke my g string...she gave me the weirdest look. Then I explained to her that it was a guitar string!

 

[weeladdie]

What strings do you use to do that? I might try it.

D'Addario EXL110W, 10-46.

To me the unwound G string sounds like it never stretches out and settles down properly.

 

[sunvalleylaw]

D'Addario EXL110W, 10-46.

To me the unwound G string sounds like it never stretches out and settles down properly.

Great. I run D'Addario 10-46s as it is, so will just look for the set with the wound G string. My local shop has a separate wound G I can try too. Might as well try it I say! R

 

[Tone2TheBone]

Wound G's feel so good on an acoustic. They always sound in tune also, especially when fretting chord structures on the G, B & E unison all the way up the neck.

 

[tot_Ou_tard]

I've been wAAAyyy busy & away from The Fret.

But somewhere in my nightmarish delrium I heard little wee laddie voices telling me that Tone was bored...so (several days late) I arrive to find that that damn suckin' sour G-string that drives me nuts is being discussed.

Will trying a wound G srew cut too large a groove in the nut to go back to sour skinnys?


Hi-ho fretters!

 

[weeladdie]

I've been wAAAyyy busy & away from The Fret.

But somewhere in my nightmarish delrium I heard little wee laddie voices telling me that Tone was bored...so (several days late) I arrive to find that that damn suckin' sour G-string that drives me nuts is being discussed.

Will trying a wound G srew cut too large a groove in the nut to go back to sour skinnys?


Hi-ho fretters!

You might find the wound string sticking in the nut when tuning sometimes, it's about a thousandth of an inch thicker than the unwound (.018 vs .017).

It won't recut the nut on it's own though.

Even if you opened up the nut you could still go back to the unwounds with no problem.

HTH

 

[tot_Ou_tard]

You might find the wound string sticking in the nut when tuning sometimes, it's about a thousandth of an inch thicker than the unwound (.018 vs .017).

It won't recut the nut on it's own though.

Even if you opened up the nut you could still go back to the unwounds with no problem.

HTH

Yes it does help. Thanks wee-one.

 

[pes_laul]

ok wait you mean the guitar string right?!
hmmmm maybe its the intonation?