.017 A string....whoa!

[I Vibe]

I just read that Don Stiernberg uses a set w .017 A strings. I'm wondering what if any effect that might have on keeping them in tune. Thoughts?

[Bill McCall]

He just did a virtual camp with Matt Flinner, David Surette and Alan Bibey. Stayed in tune pretty well to my ear

Swing that Music

[I Vibe]

Aaaaaargh....and NOW you tell me??!!!

[MediumMando5722]

If you’re using an 11.5 E, a 17 A will be closer in tension than a 16. I have a bunch of 17 guitar strings, have thought about popping out the balls to try them on mando.

[UsuallyPickin]

JustStrings sells loop end D'Addario .17 strings in lots of 5. R/

[Skip Kelley]

Dave McLaughlin said he used .017 A strings and .028 D strings when he played with the JMB. I don't know what he uses now.

[dhergert]

Yup, I use the D'A loop .017, but I tune that 2nd course to E, and the first course (D'A loop .015) to G. I'm afraid if I tune those strings to standard A and E I'd break something -- the .017 might make it, but the .015 definitely wouldn't.

[mandroid]

Carbon Mix stays in tune nicely.. staying in tune was the issue, right?

wood swells & shrinks with temperature & humidity changes..









..

[rcc56]

wood swells & shrinks with temperature & humidity changes..

..

. . . And warps, bends, distorts, and cracks when subjected to very high tension . . .

Think long and hard before you string a mandolin this heavily.

[MediumMando5722]

. . . And warps, bends, distorts, and cracks when subjected to very high tension . . .

Think long and hard before you string a mandolin this heavily.

That would be about 3 more lbs of tension than an EJ75 set.

[rcc56]

By the reference I used for tension calculations, 6 lbs more [3 lbs per string]. Or about 199 lbs total. More if you also jack up the D's.
Doesn't matter. 1 or 2 lbs over the critical limit is still over the limit.

Some modern instruments might take it, some might not. I wouldn't go much over 180 lbs on any mandolin of quality. EJ74's should be enough to drive any good soundboard sufficiently.

And I wouldn't put the stock EJ75 set [193 lbs] or anything near that heavy on a pre-war or early post-war Gibson. Y'all can if you want. It's a risk.

The repair of over-strung instruments is difficult and expensive. If your instrument caves in, don't expect D'Addario to pick up the bill.

[MediumMando5722]

You’re correct about the 6lbs obviously. I have a hard time thinking the EJ75 set is within a few lbs of critical overload for most instruments. Seems like an awful lot of people use them with no ill effect.

[addamr]

Siminoff Straight up Strings heavy come .0115, .017, .026, .041.

Adam

[keme]

Wound strings means the stiff part (string core) is thinner, so you need less compensation. I imagine that there may be issues with intonation. Anyone having experience with this? Just wondering whether it is necessary to make a new saddle piece for the bridge.

017 plain strings are also available. Steel is lighter than bronze, but the massive nature of plain strings will still make it heavier. Less likely to need alternative saddle piece. Tonal character willl also be different between plain and wound strings.

And will I ever consider going down that road? Don't think so. Only playing with it in my mind...