Which way were YOUR strings wound?

[fretlessman71]

I play with a pick (I have to; my plucking fingers don't work anymore), and I've notice that certain strings have more "grind" to them than others. Not brands or material... but the direction of the final wrap of wire.

Here's a closeup of my B, E, and A string. The B is wound in the opposite direction, and I can hear the difference with my pick. Why do they do this? Am I the only one who notices?

 

[Killing Floor]

Probably a packaging error. That was for one of the Australian sets. Coriolis facts.

 

[fretlessman71]

Probably a packaging error. That was for one of the Australian sets. Coriolis facts.

It's a good thing I'm fluent in text sarcasm...

 

[LetItGrowTone]

I can hear the difference with my pick.

I believe you.
I never use a pick, so I hadn't thought about this, but since string reviews never mention it, then maybe you are the first one to point it out!

 

[adje]

The B string to me looks like it might be a ground-wound, the rest look like regular round-wounds.

 

[fretlessman71]

The B string to me looks like it might be a ground-wound, the rest look like regular round-wounds.

They are all "Semi-Flat" or Pressurewound strings, from SIT.

 

[michael_t]

They are all "Semi-Flat" or Pressurewound strings, from SIT.

The Silencers.

 

[fretlessman71]

The Silencers.

Dat's Dem. I was spacing on the name.

 

[Killing Floor]

It's a good thing I'm fluent in text sarcasm...

You know physics. Strings vibrate the opposite way there. That’s why they have to be wound counterclockwise. Can’t argue with physics.

 

[fretlessman71]

You know physics. Strings vibrate the opposite way there. That’s why they have to be wound counterclockwise. Can’t argue with physics.

That doesn't stop the politicians!....

 

[ddnidd1]

If you were to just swap the ball end of the string to the other end of the string, the winds are in the same direction.

 

[fretlessman71]

If you were to just swap the ball end of the string to the other end of the string, the winds are in the same direction.

Correct. So the disparity occurs in the initial construction of the string - whether the wrap wire goes over or under the core.

 

[gln1955]

What are you hearing? It's not uncommon for each string in a set to have its own voice, especially a B string.

 

[fretlessman71]

What are you hearing? It's not uncommon for each string in a set to have its own voice, especially a B string.

More scrape from the pick on the B.

And although it's not in the photo, the G string is wound like the B.

 

[Relsom]

Oh jeez... its a good thing I'm on vacation. Maybe I'll forget about this thread before I get home. I don't think my OCD could take this kind of disorder.

 

[fretlessman71]

Oh jeez... its a good thing I'm on vacation. Maybe I'll forget about this thread before I get home. I don't think my OCD could take this kind of disorder.

Maybe you will. That'd be fine.

 

[Thumpin6string]

Quality control was off that day.

 

[E2942]

Not sure why no one else has mentioned it yet, but clearly you put it on backwards.

 

[LetItGrowTone]

Swapping end-for-end doesn't change the direction of the winding.

If it's clockwise viewed from the headstock end, it will again be clockwise viewed from the headstock end.

 

[Turnaround]

Here's a pic of a bass string showing windings:

In this case the first and second windings go the same way around the core, but the outer winding goes the opposite direction. Different manufacturers do it differently - some alternate widing direction for each layer. And the number of layers varies from brand to brand, model to model. And it may be that the maker of your strings needed to add another layer of wrap for the B string and did it reverse to the others. Very common.