OK to mix string sets on Rickenbacker 12-string?

[stsang]

.10, .13, .20, .26, .34, .42
Finding a set close to that is insane.
And then I have to buy a ton of single .10s and .13s for the octave strings. The whole process of changing strings on my Ric 12 - from buying to actual changing - is a real drag.

Ouch - that does sound like a pain. Have you considered changing the nut on your Ric to accommodate the newer string gauge?

[Tommy]

Have you considered changing the nut on your Ric to accommodate the newer string gauge?

Nah, I'm not doing surgery on my Ric. I'll keep it stock and just fish around for all the different sized strings I need. My Ric also has the unslotted headstock so changinging strings is something I do not do very often on that guitar. LOVE the guitar but sure hate the changing of the strings.

[xpitt]

Cost wise, all flatwounds seem to cost more than roundwounds. I certainly wouldn't recommend that people buy two 12-string sets and throw half the strings away (unless you've actually got money to burn)! If this experiment doesn't cause any damage, next time I change strings I may try mixing the D'Addario EXL150s with a 6-string flatwound set (like the TI jazz set). That might be a more economical way to do things.

All the best, Simon

Hi Simon !
This shop
http://schneidermusik.de/shop1/advanced ... 29745199b5
offers the Thomastik strings - flats and plain - as single strings. As they have an english translated site I assume that they might ship into US as well, try it out. You might consider to order a various amount with some more G octave strings, so you dn't have to spoil a whole set everytime. Good luck !

[doctorwho]

... The Rickenbacker 95404 string sets you can buy now have a .46 gauge low E. I've always wondered when and why RIC changed from .42 to .46 but still .10s on top (was it for better intonation?). Does anyone else know? ...

The 2009 RIC price list shows the low E gauge in that set as 0.42, so the change must have been after that.

[stsang]

This shop
http://schneidermusik.de/shop1/advanced ... 29745199b5
offers the Thomastik strings - flats and plain - as single strings. As they have an english translated site I assume that they might ship into US as well, try it out. You might consider to order a various amount with some more G octave strings, so you dn't have to spoil a whole set everytime. Good luck !

Hi Alex,
... and just in time for Oktoberfest! I also found a few online retailers in the USA that sell single TI strings. Anyway, good to hear from you. Danke!!

[stsang]

The 2009 RIC price list shows the low E gauge in that set as 0.42, so the change must have been after that.

Thanks, Gary. That's a very recent change.

[iiipopes]

As far as mixing strings: most of the plain strings, regardless of manufacture, are of a similar grade of steel, so there won't be much difference, if any at all, as to the feel and tone of good quality plain strings. That said, D'addarios do tend to sound like they have a little bit more "ping" to the tone and GHS have more mids; but that's just me. When they get broken in, these subtle differences disappear completely.

Regarding wounds: yes, there will be a lot of difference. I've experimented with strings of all kinds over the last 35+ years I've played guitar and bass: brands, gauges, mix-n-match, etc. Several of my guitars have D'addario 11-49 XL with wound 3rd. They are very consistent and have good tone, sustain and feel. As far as the others, right now I have brite flats on a Epi Alley Kat for country & rockabilly (yes, I do live north of Branson, MO, and I have to play such every so often); my J45 has Gibson strings (go sign the petition on their website to have the Lacey Act repealed, or at least modified); my cheap oriental acoustic actually sounds better with cheap oriental strings (go figure! -- the name brand and boutique strings actually go dead on it), my 4002 has GHS Progressives; my fanned fret bass alternatively has been shod with Roto Swingbass, D'addario steels, and now Fender flats; just about any good set of the day of 12-54 w/ wound 3rds on the 320, and my custom gauges on my 360-12. One of the more off the wall setups I had was for a @1936 Gibson L-00 with GHS plain 11 & 14, DR rare phosphor bronze light G D & A, and D'addario phosphor bronze 49 low E, changed more often than the rest of the set. OTOH, I play a complete set of TI Spirocore Weichs on my double bass for my jazz band, where almost everyone else changes out the G string for something else because they can't tame the whang. I traded tuners around and did some other mods so it's consistent in tone, and with the cost of DB strings, it's got to be good first time out.

Point of all this digression being: for the most part, it doesn't matter. I tend to kill low E strings on both guitar and electric bass, so I always have spares. What does matter is that the tension of the replacements stay in the same ballpark so you don't have to go neck tweaking every time a string pops. That's the main reason I stay away from Pyramids. Their tension is higher. Now, a RIC neck can handle it, but I don't want to be shuttling the truss rod nuts every time I change a string.

Some other considerations: Even though I like D'addario strings, especially the 11-49 w/ wound 3rd XL set, I don't like the plain 3rd unison string of their 12-string set, or any other 12-string set with a plain 3rd G unison. It will go sharp on the intonation. Change it out for a wound string one size heavier (i.e. change the plain 17 unison G out for a wound 18, 19 or 20 -- D'Addario does make these in singles). In my opinion, not so humble, a plain 3rd G unison string is only good for use on a cheese board to cut Wisconsin cheddar.

Finally, regarding the factory switch from 42 to 46 gauge, it's alright to adjust the nut to fit. The nut may already have this wide of a slot, anyway, either from the beginning depending on who finished the nut, or over time from string wear. Folks, we're only talking 4/1000's of an inch diameter on the largest string of the set, less than half the diameter of an octave G string. It takes only one, maybe two proper swipes of a nut file or burnishing cord to get there. No big deal at all, especially since this string comes out of the back of the nut at an angle on its way to the tuner, and therefore has good seating anyway.

[indianation65]

As to the original question, yes, I've mixed strings. Any good amplifier won't care...the Deluxe Reverb sings no matter who pulls its strings!

...wisdom