So dudes, I did something amazing on Friday....
 

I restrung my Gretsch with 11-gauge D'Addario flatwounds :D

The thing sounds SOOOOO amazing now. It's not as bright as it used to be, but it's for the best. It's so much smoother now. And it's a goddess to play on :D

I generally just let dirt and grime accumulate on my Martins, and the guitar starts sounding nice and warm just the way I like it.

Martins??as in you have multiple Martin guitars? Must be nice

Good times.

No. Martin phosphor bronze strings. I just figured saying "Martins" would take less effort. Things have not panned out the way I had hoped.

Ahh I see. Im partial to Dean Markley strings myself...a year ago my x bought me a Gibson for V-day. After we split I got drunk and did my best Hendrix smash impression with it for a few friends. Still have a Ibanez to play though.

Might I add that it was the same V-day ive mentioned before..Ahh memories

I still use Dean Markley Blue Steels on my SG and Taylor, but now that I have D'Addario flatwounds on my Gretsch, I can't imagine putting anything else on there :D

Did they increase your amount of sustain?

They did :D And while there's a little bit of brightness lost, they still have a nice bite to 'em when I kick in the Rat :D

I use 11 guage rounds on my strat-a-like. I keep meaning to move to 12s.

For roundwounds, I never go higher than 10.

I used to tell myself that, but I accepted the fact I was just lazy ;)

Has anyone here had a chance to play the Kenny Wayne Sheppard edition strat? The SRV one is way to high and I dont want to go through the motions of fixing one up. Having to add stuff to get that blues sound I like when I could just buy one pretty much the way I like it to sound already right out of the box. Ive heard great things about the KWS strats, and im still digging around trying to see if thats the best buy for the money.

What kind of p-ups do you have on your Gretsch: D'Armonds, Filter-trons or HiLo'Trons?

My problem is I have (mid-price range guitar and) the p-ups are not as bright as the ones they are design after, so because of that I don't use flat wounds. Maybe I should experiment with them to see. Everything affects the sound, even down to the wire that's used on the pick ups. I've heard real D'Armonds on a late 60s Guild and they are bright. Where the p-ups on my guitar are darker tone. Definitely using using 11 than using lighter gauge help in the sound too. The heavier the gauge the brighter they sound, the more tension that's on a string the better higher harmonics will response.

I mean no disrespect but I find those signature models lacking Sure there nice guitars and built well but to spend that much extra money..why not spend probably less on a standard/deluxe/custom and then customize to how you want it, not how KWS or SRV did.

Im just thinking in the end the total is gona be about the same. The KWS editon is around a thousand bucks brand new. Not to bad really...ill look into it some but depending on how much a deluxe strat is.... after you buy all the add ons im thinking im probally spending pretty close to the same. After frets, saddles, coils, springs, etc. Also the neck on the KWS edition has a thicker neck than most. So I wouldnt have to replace that. I dont know...just seemed like a good buy after hearing about it but I should probally research a lil more.

mia mim mij? Because a sig guitar for thousand is a sweet deal.

Thats what Fender has them listed for...$1089.99 to be exzact. Comes with jumbo frets,thick rose wood fret board,graph tech saddles,custom head stock,etc...I dont think id have to do a thing to it for my level of playing. Throw thick gauged strings on there and your good to go.

Yea I just read it over and it look very reasonable. I always just enjoy customizing my own instruments myself. Maybe it sounds dumb but I like the feeling of intimacy you get with an instrument you have had a part in creating.

Of coarse if I had more money to spend maybe I would think differently. Who knows.

I totaly get what your saying. To each there own...I may end up doing the same. Just wait some more and see if a better deal on a regular strat comes my way then fix it up. As soon as I spend a grand or so on one...somehow someone will say "why didnt you say something...so and so's gotta brand new strat for like 300 bucks" Thats usually how my luck is. We'll see

Haha I know the feeling. Thats why I NEVER buy new instruments anymore. I really think a mim or mi fender is the best deal in the world of guitars and basses. I mean with even the smallest bit of technical knowledge you can have yourself a GREAT professional grade instrument for under 300 bucks.