Currently using Fast Fret. It helps, but not enough. Maybe I just need to take a break.
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
String squeaks are driving me completely insane
- Thread starter Bodeanly
- Start date
No, not flats. TIs spectrum/plectrum something or another. Although I’ve heard some people say the A/D/G are flat-wound which simply isn’t true. The E is a big .059 I believe, and the set itself is relatively quiet. Bronze dies out pretty quick, and when it goes so does the squeak. Not bad strings, at all.
Spent a few hours doing this after finding the same video. It's not ideal, especially for someone as inexperienced as I am. But thank you for contributing.
It’s not bad at all. In fact, they are easier to play than your standard Martin strings, etc. due to the construction. I mean, TI bass strings are low tension...think about it. Anyway, good luck in your search. I know the pain..059
I may as well just wait for the weather to be less dry. Thanks tho!
I didn't read all the replies, so pardon me if I repeat anything anyone said...
I spent the last 25 years playing guitar. Mostly, the string/finger noise is a technique thing, but different strings do make a big difference. If your guitar is built for steel strings (if you're playing steel strings on it and the top didn't tear off, it was), it will sound like crap with nylon. Nylon string guitars don't have as much tension, so the tops aren't reinforced as much. They won't excite the top as much as steel, and it'll sound really dull and quiet.
Now, to answer the question, get a set of D'Addario Nickel Bronze strings. They're way less zingy than normal acoustic strings, sound great in an old school kind of way, and last a really long time. I found them to have less finger noise than phosphor bronze, and a much more full sound.
I spent the last 25 years playing guitar. Mostly, the string/finger noise is a technique thing, but different strings do make a big difference. If your guitar is built for steel strings (if you're playing steel strings on it and the top didn't tear off, it was), it will sound like crap with nylon. Nylon string guitars don't have as much tension, so the tops aren't reinforced as much. They won't excite the top as much as steel, and it'll sound really dull and quiet.
Now, to answer the question, get a set of D'Addario Nickel Bronze strings. They're way less zingy than normal acoustic strings, sound great in an old school kind of way, and last a really long time. I found them to have less finger noise than phosphor bronze, and a much more full sound.
Nice! Thanks for the response. I've been using phosphor bronze on acoustic my entire life and only recently switched to Silk and Steels because of this. In all previous recordings, finger squeaks have not been an issue, so maybe my technique completely sucks on these new tunes. I don't know. I'm blaming the weather though. And before I buy new strings, I'm gonna give the Finger Ease one more shot.
I'll bet you the $12 that the Nickel Bronze strings cost that you'll love them. Chris Eldridge (Punch Brothers guitarist) described them as having less overtones than PB, so you hear "more guitar and less string." I would agree.
I'm not sure what gauge you use, but the bluegrass gauge (12-56) is awesome. Despite the fact that 99.9% of BG players use 13-56, that set is killer. The E and B are just enough lighter that they're more bendable, and you still get the huge sound out of the wound strings.
Good strings. I used them on my Guild M-20 during my string search. Definitely one of the top strings I tried. Closer in the sound spectrum to bronze, excellent playability.
Too bad GHS doesn't offer "pressurewound bronze" for the acoustic guitar like they do for bass. They even have "rollerwound pure nickel" for the electric guitar called "Nickel Rockers".
Do you mean you've tried all the EQ and filter configurations in your DAW? Those are not likely to work for what you want to do. There is another way or two.
Have you tried literally surgically removing the string squeaks from the track by editing them out? That should take care of it. You can't hear something if it's not there.
FWIW, I think some string noise between chords is natural to the steel string acoustic guitar, and adds authenticity to the recording. Sounds kind of neat actually if recorded properly.
The other way is if your working with an engineer or assistant and recording chords, just record each chord separately. Then there's no shifting involved, and zero string noise. I've done this in sessions. PITA, but sometimes producers want it. It permits tuning each chord to just intonation which provides a richer, fuller tone on the recording from the acoustic guitars. Well, depending on the other instruments involved you can't always get it perfectly just, but you can sweeten the tuning enough to make a difference.
That also goes for recording one phrase at a time. It's a recording. Not a live performance. Levels of perfection are required with recordings that are by and large unobtainable live. That's the game. Total PITA, but edit the phrases together and behold, a perfect guitar part with no string squeaks. Now you get to watch the road band try to figure out how to play it on stage!
PS: I was no session musician, that's for sure. But I did do sessions from time to time when certain guys they really wanted couldn't make it. It can be grueling. I think recording at home is even harder. It really helps to have somebody play engineer. Good luck.
Two things that very significantly reduced squeak, Finger Ease spray and less finger pressure. If gripping too tightly your finger tips can get an image of the strings molded into the finger tips and double the rib effect.
Here is something I have done on cheap strings to help quiet them, use some 1500 or 2000 grit automotive sand paper and lightly polish the finger side (top) of the strings.
Don't get mad at me if something goes wrong with the sandpaper, so practice on old strings first. It might take some or all of the plating off on the top side but if you keep finger ease on them and play them often they'll probably stay smooth and polished. To keep from digging in too deep, sand lightly, clean and try them. 1500 and up grit is a first stage of polishing very rough surfaces. You can go much higher grit after a few light passes with the "coarse" 1500 or 2000.
Good luck.
Oh something I just thought of, after your finger pads have become much tougher, they will stay smoother and less prone to squeak.
Here is something I have done on cheap strings to help quiet them, use some 1500 or 2000 grit automotive sand paper and lightly polish the finger side (top) of the strings.
Don't get mad at me if something goes wrong with the sandpaper, so practice on old strings first. It might take some or all of the plating off on the top side but if you keep finger ease on them and play them often they'll probably stay smooth and polished. To keep from digging in too deep, sand lightly, clean and try them. 1500 and up grit is a first stage of polishing very rough surfaces. You can go much higher grit after a few light passes with the "coarse" 1500 or 2000.
Good luck.
Oh something I just thought of, after your finger pads have become much tougher, they will stay smoother and less prone to squeak.
If you are convinced that it's because of the dry weather, why don't you just use the lotion? I get that you feel that the lotion is gross, but really, a squirt of lotion is on the hands for like 1 minute and then its absorbed. You'd rather wait till spring/summer than just put some lotion on your dry skin?
Remove the string squeaks? Pfft! I love string squeaks and I consider it "character."
