[jumpinjeff]

My favorite for sound and cost are D’addario EJ16 (lights) and EJ17 (mediums). I buy them in bulk and the cost is under 5.00 a set. They wear out reletively quickly 6 weeks is about the max. They lose some of the shimmer in their sound and feel less bouncy. I have heard though some people like them after the “settle down”. Suffice to say I have gotten fast at changing strings. I have two in the hopper to try (I have one guitar set up specifically for mediums). One is D’addario’s Nickel Bronze balanced tension string NBBT medium 13.5/56s and the other is Acoustix’s balanced tension Bright light 11/50s. I will be putting these on an old Koa 018k . I’ll report back.

I like Santa Cruz Parabolic (balanced tension) strings but the price is ridiculous. I have been told that the reason they are so expensive has to do with the way they are coated (prior to being wound rather than after being wound) but they are still marking up 400%. They are good but by my experience not that good. I have to say they do not feel like a coated string, of which I am not a fan. So hat’s of to them for solving that problem!

Have fun trying out the different strings. I would suggest and maybe you already know, buy a few different sets and have them ready to go. I have had the experience of putting on strings and not liking them and being able to change them out. I didn’t have to suffer the sounds I was not digging. Funny though because the same strings sound great on another guitar I put them on. It goes to show that all stings don’t act equally on all guitars.

[jumpinjeff]

Brilliant analysis. Get that ibenez into the shop like yesterday. And then comes the fun part. I like buying a new guitar almost as much as having it. I feel like I am hunting for just the right one and I do like a hunt. Have fun and play as many as you can. Wait for the one you just can’t put down.

[jumpinjeff]

Hi N-light. Read to the end? sure I did, mostly because it read like my own routine. I had to figure out if I was missing anything. Thanks for highlighting the successes. The evolution is cool.

[jumpinjeff]

@Guy_H , fair winds friend and may you always know what to do if the seas get rough. Remember the safe harbor. So long for now. Many paths go through Regina so maybe not too long, eh?

[jumpinjeff]

I never use Tab unless I can’t figure it out. There are no hard fast rules other than if it is producing results keep doing it. I found relating to it and figuring it out through ear and memory was more difficult but led me faster to being an intuitive player so that I could sit down and play with anyone without knowing or ever having heard what they were playing. That was a goal on the top of my list. The goal has be met and exceeded.

[jumpinjeff]

@the-old-coach Duudddddde You toaaatallllyy Have this. The process is the same. It is just a different flavor. The chords same: big differences between Major and its relative Minor key is the order and the flavor. Where you start and where you end is what determines your flavor. Happy start, happy end, likely the Major key, sad start, sad end likely the relative minor key. Lets talk about relative keys vs parallel keys. Understanding this may help you with the key selection based on the single note method. Parallel keys and Relative keys. Relative keys have the same notes ordered differently Parallel key has the same start note but notes after that are different. C majors relative minor is Aminor. You could play the A note the whole way and it will sound good especially if the song starts with that A minor chord. You could also play the C note and it would sound good. The way to determine if it is A minor or C major is how it is starting and ending and the feel. So now you are thinking If A note works the whole way how do I know it is not key of A….If you play the A major chord to start or end or pretty much anywhere it will be out of place. Or if it is in place at the start or finish you have determined the Key to be A major. If you are sure the A note is “the” note try playing the notes in a major scale pattern, it will only take a few to determine yea or nea and if it sounds wonky go back to the minor pattern and it should work. If neither work you may have to listen and pick another note that sounds all the way though the song like it fits.

[jumpinjeff]

Safety First: eye protection is never a bad idea. There is no cost to the practice.

[jumpinjeff]

Hi @Loraine , I wanted to put your mind at ease some. 99.9% of string breaks happen at the tuning peg as the result of fatigue. The sting gets bent around the edge of the peg and as a result of the bend, integrity is compromised. When a sting breaks its energy is dissipated on the horizontal plane and causes the broken part to meet the seated part with the body of the string looping on itself and then the active end springs up and around not with the force of the break but by the spring in the wire itself. If you were tuning up and had your eye down on the string itself by the bridge you may get poked in the eye with all the force loaded on the string. If your head is above the headstock and not in line with the strings there is as much risk of the string hitting you as being struck by lightening and probably less. The second type of string break happens as a result of bending the strings. This action causes rubbing on the fret and the weakness develops where the rubbing occurred. This break is a mid string break and usually breaks as the bend is being executed. This live end trajectory is less predictable but it will never go toward you face under load. The spring back may if your face is close the the fretboard but it will not hit you with the force of the load. This is also avoidable as there are signs that this type of wear is occurring. I will defer to analysis by @dr_dave . Mine analysis is from energy models that I believe I understand but only tested anecdotally. Dr_Dave probably made the models.

[jumpinjeff]

Determination is key, sounds like you have it. Sending musical juju your way. Your attitude is an inspiration.

[jumpinjeff]

You may only be anti gas because you have not been looking in the right places? I can help. I know where all the good ones hide.

[jumpinjeff]

I have 4 Acurite digital hygrometers. I have them in rooms where the guitarsenals are stored and where I do a lot of playing. I also have one outside for curiosity sake. 48% is the happiest place for guitars and always what I shoot for if I am drying out or humidifying when the ambient humidity gets out of whack. Today it was perfect inside and out. No effort needed. And whether it is a coincidence or not the day actually has been exceptional so far.

You sound like you were going for precise measurements. I am too lazy for that precision. These digital ones are close enough for wood preservation.

[jumpinjeff]

Hi @the-old-coach , Great thread here. I have enjoyed reading as it has developed. I will add one thing. For this kind of stuff…abandoning the notion of elapsed time, going headlong into the process, sped up my learning. It won’t happen for you slowly or quickly, it will take repetition as you have already observed, the love and fascination of the process will fuel your determination, provide satisfaction, and it will all come together at exactly the perfect time. The only useful measure of elapsed time comes in hindsight analysis.

[jumpinjeff]

I totally get what you are saying @N-lightMike .Thank you for trying to keep it clear and direct. I can sure use all the help I can get right? I am trying to use the word key in direct relationship to a song, ever song has a key so that everyone can play the some chords and scales as they relate to the agreed upon key. Check me on that…I know you have been deep diving into the world of word connecting principles. I was avoiding modes although I find them easy to understand (now) I spent a good deal of time figuring them out. The reason the key of a song is important to @the-old-coach ‘s situation is he is listening to song where the key has been established and he is trying to decode and find the “Key”. I get that if the key is A minor you could also call it A Aeolian to identify it by the mode. Check me on that too : ) In my mind for better of for worse I always think of the Ionian Major mode as the place I relate to something and play with it from there but I have to know the key in order to determine where to begin. I like a seamless shift between major and minor both relatives and when I can bend it to the parallels all the better. But that does not address The old Coach’s question and I have wandered onto a parallel path.

[jumpinjeff]

Courdoroy is a person, or more precisely a bear. Not a pooh.

Have I seen you wearing those trousers or, hardly trousers when made up of Pants eh? Would those be called Trouser Pants, or Pant Trousers?

[jumpinjeff]

good guess but no, Corduroy gets fat from too many cookies.