Dr Jonathan Kemp of Kemp Strings, not content with inventing strings that facilitate new possibilities for the existing guitar and bass designs has recently invented a new way of making music with hot chocolate: The hot chocolate effect, first explained in print by Frank Crawford in 1980, means different pitches can be heard on tapping … Read more

Has Kemp Strings enabled the development of the shortest full range steel strung bass guitar instrument ever? Listen using headphones or a decent sound system to hear the full range. Let us know if you know of another 16 inch scale length bass that can play proper bass guitar low E pitch (and even drop … Read more

Dr Jonathan Kemp of Kemp Strings and the University of St Andrews has been helping musical people all over the world to connect during the social isolation of the COVID-19 outbreak by writing code the enable collaboration videos to be created in REAPER digital audio workstation (DAW) software. Dr. Kemp’s code is now built in … Read more

University of St Andrews and Kemp Strings inventor Dr Jonathan Kemp has just developed a new concept in bass guitar strings design which reduces inharomicity, improving tone when playing high up the neck. Inharmonicity is a term which refers to the way that the resonances of a vibrating string go increasingly sharp of true harmonics … Read more

It is already known that reducing the distance between the ball end and saddle improves tuning stability, hence the deep trem block holes in modern designs by companies such as Fender and PRS that contrast with the original shallow trem block holes of the original vintage Fender design. The experiments outlined in this post provide … Read more

Kemp Strings now offers Drop D string sets as an option on all string sets. These are also good for other tunings with the same relative tuning for the bottom four strings such as Drop C and DADGAD. When you select strings in the Kemp Strings Shop you are required to choose your tuning (Standard … Read more

Did you ever think about why industry standard strings have a zigzag for the saddles positions after setting intonation? Here are some saddles set up for industry standard strings: The saddles for the 4th string (D3) is less sensitive to bending than the neighbouring strings, so the string length has to be made shorter as … Read more

A new video has been released on YouTube showing Kemp Strings significantly outperforming industry standard strings from two other manufacturers (equal tension strings and otherwise) in terms equalising the pitch change produced for conventional pitch bends of equal force. This is measured using a weight (2 lb) hanging from the strings at the 12th fret … Read more

I am delighted to announce that Kemp Strings Locking 10-46 have been released! These strings are available now from the online Shop! Optimised for locking nuts, such as the Floyd Rose system, these strings the world’s first equal sensitivity 10s for electric guitar and are based on peer reviewed research at the University of St … Read more

I am delighted to announce that Kemp Strings Standard 11-52 balanced sensitivity electric guitar strings optimised for standard Strat® in standard tuning are released! These can be purchased online now from this Shop. Currently 9s and 11s are available for purchase and constitute the world’s first equal sensitivity strings for in tune trem chords and … Read more