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.