Finally Tried A Set Of Stainless Strings

[Lee Baucum]

After decades of using nickle-wound sets, I finally decided to try out some stainless-wound strings. I purchased a set of SIT SHO Stainless and a set of GHS Professional Stainless strings - E9. For many years, my go-to strings have been GHS Professional Nickle-Plated Steel Strings.

I tried out the SIT strings, first. I put them on my Williams guitar a couple of weeks ago. Here at the house, I played through two different amps: Fender Steel King and one of my Roland Cube 80XLs.

I have to say, I do like the little bit of "twang" that is produced by the stainless wound strings. To my ears, the "twang" is fairly subtle, but noticeable.

I'm aware of the "rule of thumb" about not using a stainless bar on stainless wound strings.
I've been playing the guitar with 4 different bars:
BJS
Dunlop
John Pearse
Twister (one of those old bars with a bullet nose on both ends)

The BJS and the Pearse feel the best; but, I couldn't hear any difference in tone between any of the four bars. No audible scratchy sounds produced through either of the amps.

We played for a big event at the South Padre Island Convention Center last Friday night. That little bit of "twang" sounded great at stage volume.

[Ivan Funk]

Thanks for the write up Lee.

Coincidentally I just ordered stainless steel string sets for both necks after using nickel for years.
(SIT Buddy Emmons Stainless Steel) They should arrive this week sometime.

I had tried stainless years ago but can't remember what I thought of them.
Looking forward to trying them again.

I also have BJS bars that I assume are chromed?

[J D Sauser]

Stainless seems to manage hand "sweat" better than nickel. Some people have hands that even blackens the plain ss strings.
I feel that stainless wound has quite noticeably more drag with metal bars than the softer nickel.

Some people swear by one or the other and that's why both are being produced and sold.
That being said, sometimes it seems that one just needs change.

... J-D.

[Erv Niehaus]

Tone is very subjective.
I bought a new Williams it didn't sound just right to me.
I called Bill and asked him if it came with stainless strings and he said that it did.
I replaced them with nickel strings and got the sound I was looking for.
A case of different strokes for different folks!

[Tim Rose]

........ it came with stainless strings and he said that it did.
I replaced them with nickel strings and got the sound I was looking for.
A case of different strokes for different folks!

Me too. The SS strings were too "tame". I thought they were suppose to be brighter. Couldnt wait to get my $s worth out of them and changed them early.

[Bobby D. Jones]

For years I played a S10 MSA, With George L stainless steel strings.
Stainless steel was on the guitar when I bought it.
The new stainless steel strings felt rough, Compared to nickel strings.

On my 2nd string change, I got out the 0000 steel wool. I held each string by the core wire. And pulled the strings through a pad of steel wool. The first couple pulls through the steel wool there was drag, Then about 4 more pulls really smoothed them up.

Just a few minutes of extra work at string change time, Made the strings much smoother and less drag on bar and hands.

Pulling the strings through steel wool seems to keep a lot of crud from sticking to the strings and easier cleaning of strings.
I do the 0000 steel wool thing, On all strings I change, Steel, 6 string, Even Dulcimer strings.

[Lee Baucum]

We played for a big event at the South Padre Island Convention Center last Friday night. That little bit of "twang" sounded great at stage volume.

I set up on stage pretty early and had time to fuss with tone controls on my amp and the one knob on the Sarno Freeloader. When I got the sound I really liked, I was a bit surprised the the tone controls were all pretty much back where I usually have them, just a bit of a different sound. I wouldn't say the stainless wound strings had more treble, they just sounded a bit different, in a nice way. Not better, just different. Using the same settings with the stainless wound strings resulted in a different overall timbre.

~Lee