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Any thoughts on pure nickel roundwound strings?


Twincam
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Ive read a few oldish posts on them on a few forums.
They sound like they might be a good roundwound for me to try. Not bad price wise either for the fender 7150's
Looking for as many opinions as i can get, so if anyone has used them let me know what you think.

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If I'm using round wounds, then I use D'Addario nickel strings, sound really nice, and feel nice too.

I find stainless stell to be too bright and twangy, they're ok if you want to sound like Mark King or Marcus Miller I guess, but I don't.

I'm looking for a set of nickel flat wounds.

:)

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Nickel is ferromagnetic so I don't know why you'd have a lower output than say nickel plated steel... note that stainless steel isn't usually ferromagnetic so won't contribute to volume with stainless steel roundwounds - it's the steel core doing all the 'work' as it were. I'd be interested in knowing whether you find much difference between the nickel plated and the pure nickel.

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[quote name='Twincam' timestamp='1420485620' post='2649926']
Ive used plenty on nickel plated strings like mentioned above however im looking at pure nickel ones like the fender 7150 sets. Supposed to be more mellow and reduced finger noise but lower output as there pure nickel.
[/quote]

They'd have a higher output, I didn't know this until the other week, seemingly stainless steel isn't magnetic so they use a steel core, but nickel is magnetic.

:)

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[quote name='ambient' timestamp='1420486561' post='2649943']
They'd have a higher output, I didn't know this until the other week, seemingly stainless steel isn't magnetic so they use a steel core, but nickel is magnetic.

:)
[/quote]

Yes i know stainless isnt magnetic hence the core being a different metal, But Nickel has a low magnetic field and all nickel strings not the plated type have a low output.
Of course ive not tried them yet put its common knowledge that they have a slightly lower output than most strings.

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Straight from D'Addario's website:
[quote][b][color="#000000"]Pure Nickel[/color][/b] - The primary electric string alloy used in the 50s and early 60s. Its lower magnetic properties deliver a slightly warmer, “broken in” tone preferred by many vintage enthusiasts.
[/quote]

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[quote name='rmorris' timestamp='1420547388' post='2650444']
There are different grades of 'stainless steel'. 'Lower grades' can exhibit ferromagnetic properties.
[/quote]
It's not so much lower grades or higher grades, it's more different formulas for different applications.

[size=3]M[color=#000000][font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica]artensitic stainless steels are magnetic, and can be hardened, hence ideal for cutlery etc.[/font][/color]
[color=#000000][font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica]The more common [/font][/color][color=#000000][font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica]'Austenitic' Stainless Steels have higher chromium and nickel content, and are non magnetic (but you wouldn't want it for a knife blade).[/font][/color]

[color=#000000][font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica]No idea which they use for strings![/font][/color][/size]

Edited by Count Bassy
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yeah - better to have said 'different' grades since it's all dependent on desired characteristics.
It happens that simply cold working a 'non magnetic' stainless steel will make it a litte bit magnetic - though probably not relevant to guitar string manufacture.

Edited by rmorris
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As stainless steel is an iron rich alloy, I always assumed it was highly effected in a magnetic field.

Turns out there are some types of SS alloy that are non-magnetic: [url="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stainless_steel#Electricity_and_magnetism"]https://en.wikipedia...y_and_magnetism[/url]

I imagine most stainless steel strings use the magnetic type of SS - as then they will produce the "full" roundwound tone. If the wound wire is non-magnetic it would sound very different. As it is the nickle plated steels, pure nickle wraps, and SS wraps all sound roughly the same. I don't think I can prove this without buying a bunch of strings, getting a magnetic tipped screwdriver*, and pulling the strings apart.

I have tried the fender nickel rounds (7150) - at least the light gauge version 100 - 40?
I liked them, but they didn't keep their tone for very long. YMMV.

* I have one of those somewhere...

Edited by PlungerModerno
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  • 2 weeks later...

I've used 7150s on my Jazz and was pleasantly surprised. Fresh they sound like a NPS roundwound though a little duller. Leave them on a month and the thump starts to come through very nicely but not as thumpy as a flatwound. The feel is very smooth, maybe a touch more than Sunbeams. A great string for the dead rounds sound with reduced finger noise.

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