Strings

[Rat520]

I sure this has been asked before, but what are the best gauge strings for a chunky jazz rhythm sound. I play jazz and funk and want a big sound. Also what strings are the most flexible, because the ones i have don't bend much in solos.

Thanks Adrian

[Jon Broderick]

thinner strings are easier to bend. I use light guage (the little e string is .09mm). Thicker ones sound chunkier. So, you have to choose...

[LuigiCabrini]

Originally posted by Rat520
I sure this has been asked before, but what are the best gauge strings for a chunky jazz rhythm sound. I play jazz and funk and want a big sound. Also what strings are the most flexible, because the ones i have don't bend much in solos.

Thanks Adrian

Hmm, I don't know as much about funk, but for jazz you'll want thick strings on an archtop. Flatwounds have a warmer sound, which you might want. What kind of guitar are you playing? If you're playing a solidbody that's not a gibson or gibson copy, it probably isn't really going to give you a great jazz sound. My setup is a pretty typical budget jazz setup. I've got a hollowbody archtop electric with 12 gague flatwound strings. The thicker the better for jazz, (up to a point, most guys don't go past 13) and as for bending, well most straight ahead jazz players don't do it a lot, and if they do they don't use wide bends, so just get used to playing on 12s or 13s and you'll be able to bend a half or whole step. Funk is really a different thing, flatwounds will not sound good for funk, you'll want roundwounds. You also may want something like a strat.
To me 12 gague strings have a much nicer sound, much chunkier, and flatwounds have a much warmer sound than rounds, not as tinny. It's all up to u though.

[Rat520]

I am playing through a soild body Maton Mastersound, it has two humbuckers, the back being splitable. It has a new type of three way selector and can give the same quality jazz tone as a gibson. Anyway i mainly want the strings to play jazz, fusion type stuff. And what is a good brand to ask for because i don't by them much.

[LuigiCabrini]

As for brand, i'm not picky, 12 gague flatwounds is what i use, and i don't really check the name. They're good for playing real book standards, and in terms of fusion, well for mellower stuff like chick corea, they're great, but if I were to play mike stern, I'd want a solid body electric with thin strings u know? It's better if you have multiple guitars, i've got a strat that i'll use if I want to do more funk/rock oriented fusion, and that has 10 gague roundwounds, but when i play jazz, which is most of the time, 12 gague flatwounds on an archtop with humbuckers is the sound i like.