Thomastik-Infeld Jazz Guitar Swing Series 6 String - Electric Flat Wound Guitar Strings for a Rich and Warm Traditional Jazz Sound - Pure Nickel Flat Wounds E, B, G, D, A, E Set

With occasional cleaning and a bit of string lube, these can last many times longer than strings that cost a third as much. They are well worth their ever-increasing price (I remember when these were $16/set just a few years ago.) These do not sound dull, but they do lack a lot of overtones. This means that chords with close voices (used a lot in jazz) sound especially clear and consonant since the fundamental note competes much less with the harmonics above it compared to standard round-wound strings. Single note passages are less percussive and more melodic. The wound "G" string makes for better-sounding chords overall as plain "G" strings tend to be the slackest and least attractive sounding in regular sets. Played clean, these poke through the mix with other instruments without being harsh or brassy-- basically what a lot of players wish their guitar sounded like but have never tried anything other than the easy-to-get round-wound strings. Not strictly for clean jazz, with overdrive or medium distortion the JS110s can really sing with the assertive, meaty presence of a strong fundamental. With such subtle overtones even the harshest transistor OD/distortion unit can sound musical and presentable. Turn down your guitar's tone control a bit, drive the input stage of your amp, turn down your amp's bass control a bit, and you'll get a great horn-like tone from these that's hard to get any other way. Have you bought one of those 22-23" scale "micro" guitars for travel or easy practice? Put these on it and it will sound good enough to be your main instrument. JS110s will make anything they're strung onto sound better. These hold their pitch well, better than most common string sets. Your results may vary if you're constantly changing the tension on them via string bends or extreme vibrato. Also, the lower strings are nearly core-less and probably too fragile for a movable bridge e.g. tremolo/whammy bar. The magnetic output of the wound strings in these sets is *much* lower than standard steel strings. You will have to adjust your pickup pole pieces to compensate in order to get an even signal output from each. This is particularly important when using magnetic guitar-synth systems-- those systems were never designed to work with low-iron strings like these and will require very careful attention to clearances between the hex pickup system and the strings (especially the "G" and "D" strings). That said, I have JS110s installed on a Gibson SG with a Roland GK3 pickup and the system tracks just fine, but I did have to raise the software gain settings for the lowest four strings to get even triggering. Piezoelectric synth saddles probably make this a moot point. I first bought these because I was unhappy with the stock pickups on my favorite guitar and it seemed a cheaper upgrade to try rather than replacing pickups. Those stock pickups are still in service as the JS110s immediately moved the instrument's sound to a much better, more versatile place. I tried the others on the market too. Other flatwound sets felt stiff, heavier than their size. These 10s feel more like 9s. Soft, buttery, smooth, never stiff or rigid-- like cello or violin strings. Try these once before you drop $100+ into new pickups. We often get caught up in hardware marketing and overlook how important to the guitar's sound the strings themselves truly are. If you try a set and you like what you hear, you'll agree that though they're expensive they aren't overpriced.

I play an eclectic selection. Maybe an old-time rag like Freight Train or Moving Day. And then later I might be reliving my youth and playing Ride the Lightning or You Shook Me all Night Long. I am asking for a lot out of one setup for this. And these strings provide. You certainly can do the chugs and still have a pretty boom chick as well from these strings. When played clean, I can play those jazzy major 7ths and half diminished chords sound clear. Its like these strings traded out those higher harmonic overtones for much richer lower overtones. This doesn't give it less tone and timbre, but a warmer tone that plays nicer with dissonant intervals. The interesting surprise for me was how it sounded under high gain heavy distortion. I was playing Orion by Metallica and those third double stops sounded so clear. It still sound dirty and mean, but those notes just sound clearer even under heavy distortion. It is such a nice tone for the genre I really wonder why it isn't more common. String nose is reduced. I play a lot of stuff that has quick position shifts. And you know what brings, the squeaky string noise. Between keeping my calluses filed smooth and these string, I have almost conquered string noise. On the other hand it is near impossible to do a proper pick scape down the fretboard. There just isn't enough roughness to create much sound out of a pick scrape. I was able to get a halfway decent pick scrape adjacent sound by pinching the string between my finger and thumbnail, but that is kind of hard on my nail to be doing regularly. My guitar is pretty stable tuning wise thanks to the Jazz guitar design. No whammy bar and a single piece of wood from nut to bridge makes for a very stable platform. Having said that. They didn't take long to stretch out the strings and get them hold their tuning. I gave them a full day of playing and retuning and them. The next day I was still in tune and able to play a set of three songs with bends and aggressive picking and they were still in tune. Just a quick check and minor adjustment of a maybe 5 cents or so here and there to make them ready for another set of songs. I have to say I was hesitant to spend so much on a set of strings. They are pricey for sure. Were they worth it? Time will tell, but so far I am very happy with them.

First, these are my favorite strings. I love the way they play, and I love the way they sound. They feel less stiff than most flatwounds. They bend SOME, though certainly not as readily as your typical roundwounds. The sound is ... pure. They are NEVER boomy or unevenly responsive to touch. If you are REALLY fond of brightness, they may not be for you, but for clarity and evenness across the strings, they are unequaled. They are particularly good for "close" chords with a lot of intervals in proximity to one another, so they are (not a surprise!) great for jazz. I like 'em for rockabilly too (Turn the bass down on yer amp.), but that may be idiosyncratic. For more traditional blues, the rawness and easier bending of roundwounds might be preferable, but for blues with more harmonic complexity, I like these. They last forever, almost LITERALLY forever. TI's are almost spooky in this regard. Two concerns: First, they ARE expensive. No getting around it. But to me, given their playablility and longevity and beautiful sound, they are worth it. Second, I see a lot of complaints about strings breaking soon after installation, particularly the low-E and A. I have never had this happen, and I've been using them for years, on multiple guitars. I install them very carefully according to the directions, more carefully than I install your typical flatwounds, certainly. Think of them, maybe, as the Ferrari of strings: fussy but worth the trouble. They have pretty Cardinal Red cloth wrapping which can cheer you up on a dreary day. And finally, if you have a Jazzmaster and hate it, as I did mine, put a set of these on it. The difference is stunning. I suspect Leo had flatwounds in mind when he designed that guitar. He did name it "Jazzmaster," after all

These are fantastic strings. They are mellow, smooth and more harmonically complex than other strings I have tried. I have several quality, but lower-tier guitars and addition of these strings is an instant upgrade. They are stiffer than most regular roundwounds of the same gauge, so they’re not really amenable to big bends. I have them on 3 of my guitars. I have experienced one negative issue, however. I bought two sets of these strings for a 4th guitar, and there must be something about my low E tuning peg that is cutting into the string and snapping it at the tuning peg, which has now happened twice (I’m not going to try again with this guitar and these strings). This means I’m out $60 and now have two useless sets of strings - one on the guitar, but missing the bottom E, and another 5 upper strings still in the package, that I guess I’ll use as spares. This is disappointing and something I’ve never run into before in all my years of guitar playing. I will keep them on the 3 guitars that they’re working with, but I’m reluctant to experiment with any of my other guitars, since I don’t want to throw good money after bad. I have reached out to the manufacturer to see if they can send me a replacement bottom E. The guitar that these strings are apparently not compatible with is a Gear4Music Hartwood Charger, which has worked fine with roundworm strings.

I've tried just about every brand and all sorts of "special" methods whether its deep cold, boiling, or coatings. At the end of the day, Thomastik-Infeld strings are a quality and endurance that seem to outlast other brands. Now if you the type of guitarist who believes you have to restring your guitar every week or even every show, this is probably not the review you want. On the other hand, if you don't want to change your string every week, the tone, brightness, responsiveness whether bending or chording, is there. And when it comes to flat wounds, there is just no better Value for the money.

I am not extremely picky or particular with most things but I just can’t believe how the B and E strings are SO MUCH louder and brighter than the other four strings. I realize it’s because they’re of different construction but it just seems crazy to have this be the case. It’s not even subtle. The top Two strings are like almost twice as loud as the others making it extremely frustrating for recording. It’s got to be at least 3-4 dB louder. Super disappointing and waste of 28$ (the most Expensive strings I’ve ever bought). They sound good other than being completely unbalanced and thus unusable for me.

Great strings!!

These are better than the D’Addario flatwound 10s for a number of reasons The G string is a 0.18w. Daddario uses a 0.20w and it’s impossible to bend a full step, with these you can easily bend a full step. The finish of the flat winding seems better and smoother. More polished. The high B and high E are brass plated, looks classy and sounds surprisingly different but it’s a small difference 10/10. Worth the money, these should last 4-6 months of infrequent use and about 3 months of regular use.