Fender 9050m flats on a jazz tuned to DGCF

[spellonyou]

Hi all,

My jazz is tuned to DGCF and I plan to keep it that way, but with the current .45 - .105 roundwound strings attached I can't seem to lower the action as much as I'd like without causing fretbuzz, losing tone as wel as sustain, unless I play very light or close to the bridge.

Now I could install a .50 - .110 set but I am not fond of having to mess with the nut, and I rather not risk having the nut split from forcing in too thick a string.

As I don't really care for the bright sound of new strings that much, and roll off the highs with the tone knob quite a bit most of the time (I also never feel the need to change strings before they are actually defective), I am considering switching to flats.

Now I'm eyeballing these Fender 9050m steel flats and hope they'll solve the problems, as they reportedly have very hight tension. Am I on the right track to a possible solution with this idea? And if so, are there any other reasonably priced brands/sets that I should consider?

Sandor

[Lozz196]

Give the 9050s a go. If they don`t work, possibly D`Addario Chromes - hey are quite high tension as well.

Know what you mean about new strings though - I used to keep Rotosound Steel Rounds for at least a year, and now am on their Nickel strings, hoping for longer.

[EssentialTension]

You'll have to try them, there's no substitute for it.

I haven't used them for a while but those Fender stainless flats used to be definitely tense.

[AntLockyer]

The 9050M are 55-105

Edited May 31, 2013 by AntLockyer

[iiipopes]

Go to the D'Addario website. Download the tension guide. Find out what tension a 45-105 set usually has. I believe you will find it is @ 40 to 45 pounds (sorry, don't have the kilos equivalent) per string. Then cross reference the notes you want to tune down to and follow the pitch line across to where a string has the same or similar tension, then across the chart the other way to find out what gauge that is. Then you will know what gauges of strings to purchase that have similar tension for DGCF as does a conventional 45-105 set for EADG. You can also then go one gauge heavier if you want even heavier tension. I surmise that a 50 will do for the string you want to tune to F, but you may have to go up to @ 115 to get good tension without getting floppy on the string tuned to low D, and in the middle probably 65 for the string tuned to C, and either 85 or 90 for the string tuned to G.

[EssentialTension]

[quote name='iiipopes' timestamp='1370024218' post='2095760']
Go to the D'Addario website. Download the tension guide. Find out what tension a 45-105 set usually has. I believe you will find it is @ 40 to 45 pounds (sorry, don't have the kilos equivalent) per string. Then cross reference the notes you want to tune down to and follow the pitch line across to where a string has the same or similar tension, then across the chart the other way to find out what gauge that is. Then you will know what gauges of strings to purchase that have similar tension for DGCF as does a conventional 45-105 set for EADG. You can also then go one gauge heavier if you want even heavier tension. I surmise that a 50 will do for the string you want to tune to F, but you may have to go up to @ 115 to get good tension without getting floppy on the string tuned to low D, and in the middle probably 65 for the string tuned to C, and either 85 or 90 for the string tuned to G.
[/quote]
That's all very well as long as you are sticking to D'Addarios of a particular kind - perhaops that's what you mean.

But the tensions won't apply to Fender or other strings even if they are the same gauge.

[spellonyou]

Thanks for your tips guys; much appreciated!

[Prime_BASS]

[quote name='EssentialTension' timestamp='1370024433' post='2095764']

That's all very well as long as you are sticking to D'Addarios of a particular kind - perhaops that's what you mean.

But the tensions won't apply to Fender or other strings even if they are the same gauge.
[/quote]

Is there a way of getting the numbers of other makes? Do others even publish the numbers?

[iiipopes]

[quote name='EssentialTension' timestamp='1370024433' post='2095764']
That's all very well as long as you are sticking to D'Addarios of a particular kind - perhaops that's what you mean.

But the tensions won't apply to Fender or other strings even if they are the same gauge.
[/quote]
Most strings are made in a similar manner out of the same materials, so the tensions will be close enough. There is a company called Mapes in the USA that supplies about 90% of the raw wire used by a variety of manufacturers, and there is only so much difference between cores and wraps that can be done to keep consistency, so they are all close enough.

[EssentialTension]

[quote name='Prime_BASS' timestamp='1370264175' post='2098225']
Is there a way of getting the numbers of other makes? Do others even publish the numbers?
[/quote]
Like D'Addario, Thomastik publish tensions: [url="http://www.thomastik-infeld.com/guitars/index.html"]http://www.thomastik-infeld.com/guitars/index.html[/url]

... but most manufacturers don't.

[EssentialTension]

[quote name='iiipopes' timestamp='1370270648' post='2098356']
Most strings are made in a similar manner out of the same materials, so the tensions will be close enough. There is a company called Mapes in the USA that supplies about 90% of the raw wire used by a variety of manufacturers, and there is only so much difference between cores and wraps that can be done to keep consistency, so they are all close enough.
[/quote]
Well, some may be 'close enough' and I agree there is 'only so much difference', but that's not the same as no difference. There are also some big differences, for example:

TI Jazz Flat JF344 Long Scale E string .100, tension = 34.39lbs and commonly considered to be of low tension;
D'Addario Chrome ECB81 Long Scale E string .100, tension = 40.29lbs and commonly considered to be of high tension;
D'Addario Nylon Tapewound ETB92 Long Scale E string .105, tension = 31.90lbs which sounds low tension to me.

[EssentialTension]

Elixir tensions here: [url="http://www.elixirstrings.com/products/product_bass.html"]http://www.elixirstrings.com/products/product_bass.html[/url]

Stringbusters guide to gauge and tension here: [url="http://www.stringbusters.com/stringfaqs.asp"]http://www.stringbusters.com/stringfaqs.asp[/url]

[Prime_BASS]

Cheers for the links. I use d'addarios anyway but to get 40lbs tensions for a low Eb the 120 gauge is a nut eater.

[Telebass]

What did you go with in the end?
I ask, because I'm doing some vintage jazz stuff, and to make it easier to play, we tune down to DGCF to match the horns in Bb. I'm using a Fender Kingman electro-acoustic and, I decided that 55-105 9050s might work. They do, brilliantly.