I know my SG Jr.'s compensated bridge is setup for a wound "G" which was pretty much standard back then, but what sets (type/gauge) did guitars come with stock? Besides the usual suspects - - I'm also interested in finding out what strings came stock on Gretsch/Gibson/Epiphone archtops as I've heard conflicting stories that these came stock with flatwounds. I recently picked up a "student" model Gretsch (Clipper) and it's really a nice guitar but so far I've been unable to find out what it shipped with back in 64.

Any ideas?

Pure Nickel was all you could get back then.

H

Didn't Leo Fender tell Ernie Ball when he came in with his idea for lighter gauged strings that his guitars were meant to be played with .012's? Something along the lines of that is all I remember on the subject..

When I got my first electric, in 1963, it had heavy-gauge flatwound strings. Ernie Ball didn't show up on the scene with his variety of gauges 'til around 1967 or so. Until then, I didn't know there was anything else other than heavy-gauge flatwounds!


MeZa