A word - actually some - about Jagwire strings

Joerg Hennig · Post by **Joerg Hennig** » 24 Mar 2003 1:55 pm

I had heard many good things about Jagwire strings but never tried them until now, mainly because I use somewhat unusual gauges on E9, the same as Ricky Davis - about a year ago Ricky suggested I try those and they work so well on my ShoBud that I don´t ever want to go back to standard gauges. Only, I always had to buy individual strings (somewhat costly) since I didn´t know about any sets like that. When Jagwire introduced the Ricky Davis Artist Series not long ago, there finally was a set available with those gauges so I ordered a few. Here´s what I found out so far:
- The strings seem somewhat softer than others, they may have slightly less tension. You can even feel that when you take them out of the package, they are less stiff and bend easier. Cut easier, too. This makes for a slightly better feel and playing action.

-The tonal balance is excellent. There is no such thing as one string that is louder than the others or one that doesn´t cut quite through. Very important for chord playing. The response is nice and even all the way.

-Sustain. Although I managed to get quite good sustain before, with the Jagwires it has definitely improved. They kind of accentuate the guitar´s natural tonal quality.
(And I checked all this with the most minimalist setup, just my guitar, volume pedal and practice amp with no reverb. Can´t wait to hook it up with my Fender amp, which is at the store for repair right now.)

Last but not least, Danny and Regina are very nice people to deal with and my order arrived promptly.
I´m not a pro player but I believe I do have an ear for good tone. TONE is the most important aspect in all my steel playing. I also can say that I´ve tried most every major brand of strings at one time or another and nothing comes close to Jagwire. You can hear and feel that it´s a real high quality string. I´ll stick with them from now on.

Regards, Joe H.

David L. Donald · Post by **David L. Donald** » 24 Mar 2003 2:41 pm

Hey Joe nice review. Just the kind of info I need.
We plan a sort of group purchase of strings because they must be imported, So ordering LOTS of strings makes the issue a bit more costly to get it wrong and live with it for a few months till thet are all dead.

Joseph V. Sapp · Post by **Joseph V. Sapp** » 24 Mar 2003 7:03 pm

From one Joe to another:
I've been a die hard George L user for quite some time, in a pinch,,,maby some GHS's, till now. !!!!!! I've heard alot of positive things about "Jagwire" so I offered a (FREE) matchbox, for the first person to send me a set of Jagwire's. well I gotta tell ya, its made a big difference, at least to my ol ears. since then, I've ordered three more sets from Cody's music, in Crofton Ky. its hard to break old habits, but for me,,,I'll keep the Jagwires. God Bless

Joe

Derby SD-10 4X5 Nashville 400 Fender twin
Profex ll Lexicon MPX 100

Ricky Davis · Post by **Ricky Davis** » 25 Mar 2003 1:40 am

Hey Thanks Joe for using the Jagwire Strings....and also for choosing the Ricky Davis Artist Series....mainly because they are designed for the 24" scale pedal steels>like a ShoBud.
What you described is exactly what I found out when trying these strings from Danny....and is why I love them and endorse them all the way(and I don't need an endorsement cause I already got one with Ernie Ball...shhhh don't tell'um...ha) but Danny insisted

that I come up with the perfect guaged set for the 24" scale steel guitars...and there ya have it>

Click HERE for more Jagwire String InFo!!!

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Ricky Davis

My Homepage
Rebel™ and Ricky's Audio Clips
www.mightyfinemusic.com
Email Ricky: sshawaiian@aol.com

Bobby Lee · Post by **Bobby Lee** » 25 Mar 2003 7:54 pm

I've never found a string a liked better. They sound great, stay in tune and don't break. What more could you ask for?

Oh, they do go dead eventually. Can you do something about that, Danny?

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<img align=right src="http://b0b.com/b0b.gif" width="64" height="64">Bobby Lee - email: quasar@b0b.com - gigs - CDs
Sierra Session 12 (E9), Williams 400X (Emaj9, D6), Sierra Olympic 12 (C6add9), Sierra Laptop 8 (D13), Fender Stringmaster (E13, A6),
Roland Handsonic, Line 6 Variax

David L. Donald · Post by **David L. Donald** » 25 Mar 2003 11:47 pm

Another satified customer!
Ricky, looks like you got a winner here.

RON PRESTON · Post by **RON PRESTON** » 26 Mar 2003 6:29 pm

Ricky,
Who, (what Co.?) Manufactures the strings that are Jagwire strings? Or, what Co. do you order From? (That makes more since)
Ron Lashly "Extra Lively" Was ordered from GHS when I worked at the Emmons' Co. Just wondering.
I would like to try a set and see and hear them on my Axe. I bet they are KICKA##.

Ricky Davis · Post by **Ricky Davis** » 26 Mar 2003 9:43 pm

Ron: Hopefully Danny H. will drop in here and answer that question for ya...
I get my strings right from Danny at jagwirestrings.com
Ricky

Bobby Lee · Post by **Bobby Lee** » 27 Mar 2003 12:05 pm

Click "STRINGS" at the top of any Forum page to order Jagwires.

Brad Sarno · Post by **Brad Sarno** » 27 Mar 2003 3:33 pm

So what's up with the Jagwire? What kind of metal are they wound with?

Brad Sarno

Randy Pettit · Post by **Randy Pettit** » 20 May 2003 7:03 am

Is there a better string on the market? Nope! I've been using the nickel-wound strings on my E9/B6 for over a year now (not the same set - I have changed 'em a few times!). The durability and tone of these strings are unmatched. Haven't broken an .011 yet.

John Bresler R.I.P. · Post by **John Bresler R.I.P.** » 20 May 2003 7:28 am

I believe string breakage and the brand of steel are related. I used Jagwires for years, even ordered them from the forum and always broke strings. By the way, I play a Mullen U-12 (1992).

A couple of months ago, I decided to try Frenchy Messier's Brand with a reinforded 3rd. I believe these are manufacted by GHS. I even bought a dozen .011pg's and a dozen .017's. So far I have not broken one string.

I believe that Jagwires are excellent strings, too. Great tone but maybe not the right ones for an older Mullen???

Danny Hullihen · Post by **Danny Hullihen** » 20 May 2003 10:58 am

Ron and Brad. Although we can't reveal our trade secrets regarding how our strings are made, I can tell you that they are NOT made by GHS. To explain the difference between Jagwire strings VS. other string companies, many other companies will simply put a "guitar string" in a package, and re-lable it as "steel guitar strings." At Jagwire, we gathered years of input from Pro pedal steel and lap steel players asking them exactly what it is that they wanted in a steel guitar string. We took all of that information to engineers who have been in the guitar string manufacturing business for decades, and ask them to design a string for us based on the input we compiled from the steel players, and hence... the Jagwire String was born. It's actually much more involved than what I've said here, but this is kind of a short explanation in a nut shell of why Jagwire Strings are different than others.

Originally, the Jagwire String Company was owned and operated by David McNight in Crofton, Kentucky. We bought the company from David several years ago, and with that, we took what was already a good string and strived to make it the best in the business.

There is, of course, much more that could be said, but that would just about take a book to write about, and I don't want to do that here.

We owe our success in this industry to the many Professionals who helped us with the valuable input we needed to design the best steel guitar string money can buy, and to our many customers, dealers, and endorsers who support us. We have grown from a small-town company to an international supplier, and it is "YOU" our customers and endorsers that we owe our greatest thanks to! Although we have grown to be the largest supplier of specialty steel guitar strings in the world, we at Jagwire Strings Company will never be too big or too busy to listen to you. Good or bad, we want to hear it. It is just that, which keeps us informed to continue making the very best steel guitar strings that can be made.

As always, we welcome your input. We are indeed, very honored to have acquired the support and respect from our many esteemed endorsers. Our endorsers don't promote Jagwire Strings just so they can get their name on a package, they endorse them because they use them, they truly believe they are the best you can get, and what's more... they "buy" them!

To simply state that I am honored, would indeed be a huge understatement.[This message was edited by Danny Hullihen on 20 May 2003 at 12:08 PM.]

Jerry Brightman · Post by **Jerry Brightman** » 20 May 2003 11:48 am

Danny,

I beleave it is you that we owe the thanks too...Being the humble person, great player, and love for the instrument that you have, has allowed you to share your "high quality" and consistant sets with us...I can change before a show or session, and never have the Jagwire strings ever let me down...You bet we support you..and I'm sure I can speak for all of your artists...

Continued success to your Company, and our relationship!

Also, Jagwires are the top selling string at http://www.allsteelguitar.com and we haven't had anyone return them...

My best as always,

Jerry
http://www.slidestation.com [This message was edited by Jerry Brightman on 20 May 2003 at 12:50 PM.]

Herby Wallace · Post by **Herby Wallace** » 20 May 2003 3:04 pm

I thought I might as well add my two cents worth. I have been using Jagwire Strings since last September and they are the finest I have ever used. I was working at a music theatre here in Pigeon Forge last year 7 nights a week, so needless to say, I was putting a lot of hours on a set of strings. Other brands that I had used before going to Jagwire would normally be dead or had lost most of their tone within 2 to maybe 3 weeks. When I was trying the Jagwire strings for the first time last September, I left them on my guitar for 7 weeks without changing and they still weren't dead yet and again I was playing a show every night. The strings on my guitar now are around 6 weeks old and still aren't dead either. I have never used any other brand of string that I could say this about. Another thing I must mention, which most players don't believe me, is that I have not broken one string since I have been using Jagwires. Again, think about playing 7 nights a week for 7 weeks without changing strings and never breaking one. This has never happened to me with other brands. Even with other brands it is common to break one when putting it on and bringing it up to pitch, but again I haven't broken the first Jagwire doing this either. I could go on and on, but I don't want to give Danny a big head, but as he mentioned, having a steel guitarist of Danny's calibur involved with the design does make the difference.

If anyone would like to try them, we do have the Herby Wallace Signature Set which are stainless steel. These are available through my shop or direct from Jagwire.

Herby Wallace

P.S. For what it's worth, I never endorse anything that I don't believe in 100%.

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Damir Besic · Post by **Damir Besic** » 20 May 2003 3:55 pm

I have Ricky Davis set on my Marlen and it sounds amazing to me.I don`t know wich is it,guitar or strings...but either way it must be a Ricky Davis magic...

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Buck Reid · Post by **Buck Reid** » 24 May 2003 8:29 am

Some guy named Lloyd Green turned me on to these strings about 3 years ago. I tried them and was amazed. Everything from the feel of the string to the tonal balance and definition of each note when playing chords. And the tone and sustain just knocked me out, especially in the studio. I feel that these are the very best string going and would encourage anyone to give them a try!

Danny Hullihen · Post by **Danny Hullihen** » 24 May 2003 9:03 am

And we're very proud to have them with us!
Lloyd Green

Buck Reid

Herby Wallace

Jerry Brightman

Gary Morse

Gary Morse, Dobro

[This message was edited by Danny Hullihen on 27 May 2003 at 08:03 AM.]

Corky Owens · Post by **Corky Owens** » 24 May 2003 11:56 am

Tommy White gave me my first set of Jagwire strings about a year ago. Since that first set, I have not used anything else. Danny, thanks for a graet product.
Corky

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David L. Donald · Post by **David L. Donald** » 24 May 2003 3:17 pm

I have a set on each neck and like them alot.

Gary Morse · Post by **Gary Morse** » 25 May 2003 7:53 pm

I've been using Jagwire strings for about two years now and absolutely swear by them! They are simply the best strings for steel guitar that I've found to date. The 3rd string in particular is a huge improvement over previous strings I've used. It is specifically designed for pedal steel and is wound in such a way that breakage is minimalized and tone and sustain are enhanced. Congratulations Danny on a fine product!

Jody Carver · Post by **Jody Carver** » 25 May 2003 8:17 pm

Being in the musical instrument wholesale end
I have many outlets where I can buy strings
at dealer net and then some.

From what I'm reading here, I'm gonna put an
order together and send it to bOb and give em
a try. They good enough for you fella's? then
thats good nuff for me.

Thanks for the heads up .

Danny Hullihen · Post by **Danny Hullihen** » 27 May 2003 10:12 am

And here's a few more for you to ponder

JayDee Maness

Leonard T. Zinn

Troy Klontz

Russ Hicks

Jimmie Crawford

[This message was edited by Danny Hullihen on 27 May 2003 at 12:24 PM.]

Dave Van Allen · Post by **Dave Van Allen** » 27 May 2003 10:33 am

gee Dan, what need I do to get my own personalized sets???
I have been a satisfied forum catalog JagWire string customer for several years now...

(Although I have been very happy using the JagWire Lloyd Green E9 & TW C6 sets on my ZB and the standard U12 set on my Zum, it would be cool to have MY OWN strings

)

Danny Hullihen · Post by **Danny Hullihen** » 31 May 2003 7:11 am

For a complete list of our strings, click on the link below.

Thanks, Danny
http://harrison.music.tripod.com/4.htm