Electric Guitar, Acoustic Strings

[spacecowboy]

Hi, i was trying to find to some audio sample, but does anyone know how acoustic strings would sound on an electric guitar? Wouldn't it give it a more rich sound?

For some reason that just makes sense 2 me. More vibrations to pick up from the pickups. But compromising the easability of bending especially for electric, but i might just do it on one of my guitars.

Thanks!

[j. pierce]

You can get thicker strings for an electric. I've always equated playing thicker strings with that "AC/DC" sound - I don't know if that's really what it is, I've been told that's something they've always done. Certainly heavier gauge strings changes your sound. It sounds more "full" or "bold" or however you describe hard-to-describe things like sound.

Acoustic strings on the unwound strings are going to be the same as heavier electric strings - I feel like the wound strings of an acoustic set would work less well with magnetic pickups, however - bronze or brass (as is often used in the windings on acoustic strings) is non-ferrous (not magnetic) and so the pickups would only be picking up the vibrations of the core of the strings. Traditional electric guitar strings are wrapped in a nickel-based metal, which is magnetic. I've used an acoustic string to replace a broken string in a pinch a couple of times, and certainly it "cuts through" a lot less than the rest of the strings on the guitar.

All that said, strings are cheap, and only you can decide if it works for what you want. However, if you jump up to a much heavier string gauge, be prepared to need adjust intonation, probably your nut and action as well, and possibly even your truss rod depending on the instrument.

[Mattia]

The wound strings have a different electromagnetic response, and don't sound as good through standard electric guitar pickups. I've done it before, mostly because I wanted more acoustic sound from the piezos loaded in that particular guitar, and that did work, but the electric tone wasn't quite so good.

[spacecowboy]

Thanks guys! Ya well i bought these Elixer "nanoweb" strings. And they sound pretty sick, but a bit expensive.Their bronze.

[~Maxx]

I've been using the Ernie Ball Earth Woods (extra lites) on my Strat for years. The G, while still wound, is only 28 gage - so it can still be bent easily. Pierce is right about the way they sound, but I've found that beneath the missing higher frequencies are other tonal qualities that are otherwise covered up. They go dead pretty quickly too when you play them hard.