GR 1 SF build

[Dougr]

Thanks Mark

[Tadhg]

I had 4 sets of DAddario's in my box of goodies which I had bought to use with an Epiphone acoustic/electric I have.

I thought it might've been as much a case of, "That's what I had lying around," as anything.
They've done the job - they've allowed you to intonate, to get it all set up. But I'd expect you'll get even better tones and the knobs will have greater impact when you switch to a set of electric strings. You'll definitely get a lot more level out of those lower strings.

My understanding is that hollow body guitars tend to be set up with heavier gauge strings (by electric standards) than solid bodies, when tuned to 'standard' pitch (i.e. there's guys who'll tune a guitar to C#, and they'll run 11's and 12's, but tuned normally they'll more likely go 9's or 10's). So 11's or 12's on a guitar like the GR1-SF isn't unusual, but if you built an SG, then you'd expect more like 8's or 9's.

And you're spot on - we're all here to learn. I haven't had the opportunity to build a kit yet, so when it happens (eventually... When SWMBO is ok with it), I'll be asking heaps of questions.

[Simon Barden]

If you are after a jazzy sound then it's worth trying a set of D'Addario Chromes. They are flatwound strings and the wound strings loose some of the brightness of roundwounds. But because they are flatwound, you loose almost all of the string noise as you move your hands around. Flatwounds are pretty much the standard strings for your standard jazz guitar player. They do cost more than a standard set of strings, but the wound strings do last a lot longer as they don't clog up with gunk in the windings. Thinnest set of strings they do are 0.010"s, but you might want to go a bit heavier.

[DarkMark]

I’ll recommend the flat wound strings. You can get them cheap online and I keep them on the guitar for years. Wipe with a microfibre cloth after use if you like. As Simon says, they don’t sound bright.

[Simon Barden]

But they don't sound dull either, just smooth.

[king casey]

I have always based my string choice around the 12 String guitars that I have owned over the centuries.

Hang the guitars, you're looking pretty damned good for your age.

cheers, Mark.

[Dougr]

Thanks guys for the advice. I am at a stage where I like to experiment with things just to see what might happen sound wise.I will get some of the strings you have all suggested & see what happens. Today I went all out & made a solid carry case for this guitar, based on one I saw on You Tube.So far it has cost $88 Aud so much cheaper than a bought one. I will get some foam padding tomorrow & fit it out then post some pictures up here.

[Dougr]

Pictures of my custom made case to house my GR1 SF

[DarkMark]

Looks nice. How heavy is it with/without the guitar?

[Dougr]

Case weighs 10.2 kg guitar & case 13.77 kg. Surprisingly light considering it is made of 19mm x 180mm pine with MDF top & bottom. I wanted a case to store the guitar & will now make one for my ES5V.