question for big poppa - how much nickel goes in to each type of ernie ball guitar strings? i use classic slinkys which are 'pure nickel' - so the wrap is 100% nickel? what about standard 'slinky' strings? and do the 'rps' strings differ from the standard 'slinkys'? thanks!
- Thread starter moanjam
- Start date
Big Poppa
Well-known member
rps stands for reinforced plain string an idea patented by a genius..........
who me?
who me?
Sigmunds Couch
Well-known member
There's also a patent for one of these 
Big Poppa
Well-known member
I repeat the guy who pateneted that is a genius and a chick magnet
Colin
Well-known member
so it's not me then...
robelinda2
Well-known member
the guy might be a genius but his top sucks
jchalas
Well-known member
Has anyone heard of an allergic reaction to the nickle (a common metal allergy) in the strings?? That would totally suck to have/get a great EB guitar with fab shiny strings and not be able to play as long as you like.
Janice
Janice
Big Poppa
Well-known member
Dont Give Anybody Any Ideas!!!!!
TNT
Well-known member
It's funny, but whenever I get handed a guitar to play, my fingers can instantly detect the presence or absence of EB strings. In the unlikely event of absence, for some strange reason, my fingers do not care to "wiggle" as they should. I think a scientific research should be done on this!!
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marsguitars
Well-known member
Velly interesting.
What are the properties of Nickel that makes it worth going for 100%? I always thought the only (OK, the main) reson for using nickel was for its tarnish-resistant properties. So what's the deal with 100* Nickel?
And, just a passing thought... has anyone ever made gold-plated strings?
PS: Balls are Best!
(Sorry, just felt the need to say it out loud)
TNT
Well-known member
Pure undefiled fat, creamy, warm, milky, buttery, plump, toasty brown !! Hey, I'm hungry, got any "classic" rock n roll slinky's laying around?
clarke
New member
It is true, nickel is a great material for making guitar strings and many other common items because of it's great ability to prevent oxidation. The main reason it is good for guitar stings is that it is magnetic, meaning that it will excite the electric pickups on your guitar. This magnetism is the basis of electric pickups.
Pure nickel strings have a much warmer sound than that of nickel plated steel stings, because of the addition of steel and therefore iron (a very magnetic material) in the plated strings. The more magnetic the wire the brighter the string will sound, and our plated steel wrap wire has very high magnetic properties. The warmer sound of pure nickel strings works very well with classic rock and blues, where as the brighter sound from the nickel plated strings works well with todays rock.
Pure nickel was and continues to be very easy to obtain in wire form because of it's use in the electronics industry. Nickel plated steel was developed as a cost efficient alternative to pure nickel for the lighting industry, which is by far the main use of nickel plated steel.
Gold is not an ideal plating material for a couple of reasons. One it is cost preventative, gold costs hundreds of dollars an ounce, where Nickel costs a small fraction of that. Combined with the high specific gravity of gold that would have adverse affects on the duration and sustain of the strings, make it less than ideal.
Pure nickel strings have a much warmer sound than that of nickel plated steel stings, because of the addition of steel and therefore iron (a very magnetic material) in the plated strings. The more magnetic the wire the brighter the string will sound, and our plated steel wrap wire has very high magnetic properties. The warmer sound of pure nickel strings works very well with classic rock and blues, where as the brighter sound from the nickel plated strings works well with todays rock.
Pure nickel was and continues to be very easy to obtain in wire form because of it's use in the electronics industry. Nickel plated steel was developed as a cost efficient alternative to pure nickel for the lighting industry, which is by far the main use of nickel plated steel.
Gold is not an ideal plating material for a couple of reasons. One it is cost preventative, gold costs hundreds of dollars an ounce, where Nickel costs a small fraction of that. Combined with the high specific gravity of gold that would have adverse affects on the duration and sustain of the strings, make it less than ideal.
marsguitars
Well-known member
Hi Clarke, thanks for the comprehensive reply!
I was joking about the gold-plated strings btw... but wouldn't have been suprised if someone had tried it - probably to go with their diamond-encrusted iPod....P.Diddy's custom diamond iPod
I was joking about the gold-plated strings btw... but wouldn't have been suprised if someone had tried it - probably to go with their diamond-encrusted iPod....
P.Diddy's custom diamond iPod clarke
New member
mars-
I had been stalking you guys here for a while, and this was a post that I figured I could shed some light on...
The gold string thing has been tried and they do not work, but they are pretty you are right about that... I have seen nickel plated steel products from wire manufactures that are colored. Their wire is plated with a polyurethane coating so that the coloring does not wear off, they can make them any color but the coating really messes with the tone.
I had been stalking you guys here for a while, and this was a post that I figured I could shed some light on...
The gold string thing has been tried and they do not work, but they are pretty you are right about that... I have seen nickel plated steel products from wire manufactures that are colored. Their wire is plated with a polyurethane coating so that the coloring does not wear off, they can make them any color but the coating really messes with the tone.
getupkid
New member
does anyone know if there are any GOOD guitar strings out there that a totally nickel FREE?
i MAY have contact dermatitis...(getting tests done next week).
and i think its because i have an intolerance to NICKEL. even though ive been playing for 10 years, my skin may have finally gotten a reaction...
according to research, allergies to Nickel are the most common allergies in the world...
i wonder if its time to bring out a string that TRULY has no nickel in it?
i MAY have contact dermatitis...(getting tests done next week).
and i think its because i have an intolerance to NICKEL. even though ive been playing for 10 years, my skin may have finally gotten a reaction...
according to research, allergies to Nickel are the most common allergies in the world...
i wonder if its time to bring out a string that TRULY has no nickel in it?
tazzboy
Member
Dean Farley who makes the snake oil brand strings wrote and interesting article on string making which was printed in vintage guitar magazine in 1994.
Have your read it Sterling and if so what is take on it?
Have your read it Sterling and if so what is take on it?
