String types, formulations, brands - care to share your experiences?

bbill335 · June 2017

ICBM said:

I finally got around to trying a set of the Martin Monels - a customer bought a couple of different gauge sets for one of his guitars and we chose to put the 13s on it, so he gave me the 12s to try.

I have to admit I was expecting something a bit more sophisticated than what appear to be simple fairly heavy nickel roundwounds, given the 'vintage construction' marketing - I'm not really sure what I expected about the sound either, but...

They're not as different from my usual phosphor-bronze D'Addarios as I thought they might be, but what difference there is is not particularly inspiring. They actually feel slightly softer (in tension) than I expected from the gauges and the slightly 'rougher' feel under my fingers - but the roughness is annoying, they grate more when I slide my fingers up them. Soundwise they're just a bit lacking in something - hard to put a finger on what. They certainly don't sound brash and trashy like new 80/20 bronze, and since I normally like slightly older strings when they've lost that initial brashness, I thought I quite liked them at first. But actually they're just a bit meh… they don't have the richness and sparkle of new PBs. Apparently some people like them because they don't go dull quickly like bronze strings, but that may just be because they're dull to begin with! They don't have the nice 'thuddy' sound of old PBs.

I can't decide to leave them on for long enough to find out if they do develop it, or cut my losses - I don't tend to kill strings quickly so it may be a while before that happens, and to be honest I'm not sure I want to wait that long...

Do they work better with a magnetic pickup than bronze strings?

AliGorie · June 2017

bbill335 said:

Do they work better with a magnetic pickup than bronze strings?

do 'nickel' alloy strings work with MP's ? think electric guitar strings.
look up ferromagnetic (or ferrimagnetic). These include iron, nickel, cobalt, some alloys of rare-earth metals.
bronze / brass is not ferromagnetic so the steel core is all that is being 'picked up' by the MP - hence the reduced 'signal'.

ICBM · June 2017

They will produce a much stronger signal from the wound strings. That may not actually be a good thing, since good magnetic pickups are calibrated for the weaker bronze wound strings, so you will probably find the low strings are then too loud.

I did wonder if they would be better on something like a Gibson J-160E where the pickup is essentially an electric guitar pickup (it's actually a P90, mounted under the top with raised polepieces)... but even though I'd quite like one it seemed a bit excessive to buy an expensive guitar just to try a set of strings

.

songman · June 2017

Since they have not been mentioned yet. Ernie Ball Aluminium Bronze. Wonderful on my HD28V!

bbill335 · June 2017

ICBM said:

They will produce a much stronger signal from the wound strings. That may not actually be a good thing, since good magnetic pickups are calibrated for the weaker bronze wound strings, so you will probably find the low strings are then too loud.

I did wonder if they would be better on something like a Gibson J-160E where the pickup is essentially an electric guitar pickup (it's actually a P90, mounted under the top with raised polepieces)... but even though I'd quite like one it seemed a bit excessive to buy an expensive guitar just to try a set of strings .

I've got one of those dirt cheap schaller soundhole pickups and could never get a good signal to amplify with acoustic strings. I'm hoping the monels will sound more electric-y.

ICBM · June 2017

Out of curiosity I've just tried my Rare Earth in the guitar with Monels on.

It works fine. The wound strings are slightly louder than they would be if they were bronzes, and possibly very slightly louder than the plain strings - but only very slightly, if anything they might be a better balance with the plain strings, I always find the plains slightly too strident compared to the wound normally.

But I don't like the tone really - it's significantly more 'electric guitarry'. I do quite like that sometimes, especially if I'm committing heresy and distorting my acoustic

, but for actually sounding like an acoustic it's less good.

crunchman · June 2017

D'Addario PB for me. I've tried other things over the years but I've always come back to them.

I did use Newtone for a bit, but I had 3 sets with a duff D string where the intonation was way off. Going from other people's comments I think that's quite rare, and they were probably all from one bad batch, but it was enough to put me off of them. D'Addario are always consistent.

I recently tried a set of the D'Addario Nickel Bronze that they were pushing at the Birmingham guitar show. They were horrible - really tinny, and completely lacking bass. I did wonder if it was the fizziness you get with new strings but they were still like that after several hours of playing, long after PB would have mellowed out to sound good. Normally I try to get maximum life out of strings but I actually took these off the guitar and put PB back on. I use 11s so maybe they would be better in a higher gauge where you might get a bit more low end.

ICBM · July 2017

I'm now trying the Newtones (phosphor bronze 12s), which arrived while I was away last week despite being ordered nearly a month ago - be warned, if you need strings in a hurry they may not be the best choice. To be fair they do mention that there is a lead time of a couple of weeks, and possibly the summer holidays may have had something to do with that as well.

Instant first impressions are that they sound fantastic - but not 'new'! They have none of the trashy zing that brand-new strings usually do, which is both pleasing (for me - I hate very new strings) and a bit disconcerting, since they sound like they're played-in already. If they stay like this and don't dull after a while it will be ideal. They feel good - not noticeably lower tension, in fact strangely they felt *tighter* when stretching them, but more flexible and resonant when actually playing, which is again like old strings but also slightly odd on new ones. It's almost as if they have been pre-stretched or something…

I also have a set of nickel electric 11s to try, but my electric doesn't need restringing at the moment so that will have to wait. I will follow this up in a while once I'm past the time that new strings would normally have dulled down a bit.

TimmyO · July 2017

Cool - look forward to hearing how they go - have looked in to them before but not taken the plunge yet

Hoof · July 2017

My experience tells me that there's all sorts of cork sniffery and misplaced brand loyalty going on but it's really not worth paying that much attention to. Buy some good quality ones in a gauge that suits you, give them the odd clean and change them when they are knackered.

I use D'Addarios, Ernie Balls and Rotosounds. I have used Dunlop, Dean Markley, DR and several others. They're all fine. I have also used some cheap outsourced generic chinese things that were branded by some company that endorsed my band for a short while and sent me a load of sets. They felt shit but I kept using them for a while on a couple of guitars out of curiosity and they lasted for quite a while. I gave them away in the endand went back to using whatever majjor brand that was convenient at the time.

I had a slight loyalty toward EB for a few years but that was because they were the only major brand that did a 11-54 set.

ICBM · July 2017

I have to say that although 48 hrs is not usually quite long enough to take the brashness off new strings, with the amount I've played in the last two days it probably should be…

I think this is the best my guitar has sounded, ever.

Not only that, there is something in the 'lower tension' thing, even though it doesn't really feel like it at first - but my fingertips aren't even slightly sore from playing, and they usually would be when I play that much on an acoustic with 12s and a medium action, especially after being away on holiday.

Very pleased. I'm pretty sure they're better than my previous favourites, DR Rare. Unless something drastic happens and they die quickly I think I will be getting more.

mgaw · July 2017

+1 for the Newtones but better than them by some way GTS strings check them out, by a country mile the nicest strings i have tried, and i hve tried them all...expensive yep, fantastic yep. my acoustics have never sounded better ever

mgaw · July 2017

Hoof said:

My experience tells me that there's all sorts of cork sniffery and misplaced brand loyalty going on but it's really not worth paying that much attention to. Buy some good quality ones in a gauge that suits you, give them the odd clean and change them when they are knackered.

I use D'Addarios, Ernie Balls and Rotosounds. I have used Dunlop, Dean Markley, DR and several others. They're all fine. I have also used some cheap outsourced generic chinese things that were branded by some company that endorsed my band for a short while and sent me a load of sets. They felt shit but I kept using them for a while on a couple of guitars out of curiosity and they lasted for quite a while. I gave them away in the endand went back to using whatever majjor brand that was convenient at the time.

I had a slight loyalty toward EB for a few years but that was because they were the only major brand that did a 11-54 set.

i agree to a degree but there is a bit more in the string thing than you offer, the one thing that has the biggest influence on the sound and feel of an acoustic guitar is the strings

ICBM · September 2017

A further update on the Newtones… they've been on six weeks now, and they *still* - almost disconcertingly so - sound pretty much like they did when they were fitted! Much more lively than I would expect normal PB strings to at this sort of age.

The guitar is not locked away in a case either, it's kept on a wall hanger in my front room and played every few days.

Remarkable, and I will definitely be getting more of these.

AliGorie · September 2017

ah - a convert, Newts + D Rares is as far as I go - no need to get more involved with all the hype over the past two or three decades. It's all to much a distraction from making music.
Newts publish their PB alloy composition on their site and from what I've seen from other manufacturers it seems to be superior and to my ears the proof is inthe sound.
Longevity is a tricky one, generally from my experience strings of better quality materials tend to 'die' more quickly - IF you have acidic / oily sweat. Typical $5 a set (USA) strings I'd say are formulated to give a longer life span (but not to much) as this is important to a majority of typical buyers.
Not trying to outdo you but I get about a year from my strings - only play with clean hands and wipe them down before and after playing. OK I'll admit it, when gigging in the past I'd sneak of to the toilet and wash my hands - and - thoroughly dry 'em befoe playing. There's a particular feel you get when playing like that - kinda effortless.

ICBM · September 2017

AliGorie said:

ah - a convert, Newts + D Rares is as far as I go - no need to get more involved with all the hype over the past two or three decades. It's all to much a distraction from making music.
Newts publish their PB alloy composition on their site and from what I've seen from other manufacturers it seems to be superior and to my ears the proof is inthe sound.
Longevity is a tricky one, generally from my experience strings of better quality materials tend to 'die' more quickly - IF you have acidic / oily sweat. Typical $5 a set (USA) strings I'd say are formulated to give a longer life span (but not to much) as this is important to a majority of typical buyers.
Not trying to outdo you but I get about a year from my strings - only play with clean hands and wipe them down before and after playing. OK I'll admit it, when gigging in the past I'd sneak of to the toilet and wash my hands - and - thoroughly dry 'em befoe playing. There's a particular feel you get when playing like that - kinda effortless.

Yes, me too - I actually like that thicker sound that you get from older strings. I don't have acidic sweat either, and as long as I keep them clean I can get at least a year or even two out of a set. If anything the Newtones haven't got to that stage yet - even though they started with a more 'played-in' sound - which is why it's slightly disconcerting.

Interesting info about the bronze composition. This will sound weird, but one thing I have noticed with the Newtones is that they *smell* different

. Yes I'm serious… I don't actually sniff my strings, but I have noticed that after playing a guitar, there's usually a slight 'metallic' smell on my fingers - the smell from the Newtones is noticeably different.

AliGorie · September 2017

Ah, someone else having similar experiences to myself re strings.
I did deep research on this topic a few years ago - some info,
I've pieced it together hope some of it is helpful.
heres the formula of the PB alloy Newtone use -
“We always try to ensure that the materials we use are the finest available. Our phosphor bronze is of the Cu92 Sn8 composition, a 92% copper to 8% tin ratio as used extensively in the manufacture of cymbals. The steel we use for our plain strings and cores is high tensile tin plated, the tin being sufficient to resist corrosion under normal circumstances." - M. Newton”
and what I’d consider a ‘quality’ string manufacturer -

“Discussing TI Spectrum Bronze recently here I came upon a piece of information that stated TI don’t use Zinc in they're (winding) alloy. The same goes for Newtone who actually give their formula for the PB alloy they use “Our phosphor bronze is of the Cu92 Sn8 composition, a 92% copper to 8% tin”,
again no Zink.”
It seems TI’s ‘+ Newtone + DR etc choice from the source music wire manufacturers use a formulation made for pianos which is - more musical BUT because piano strings art touched it is somewhat more susceptible to finger excretions.
Maybe why some string manufacturers don’t use these particular bronze alloys and why BIG manufacturers don’t offer a ‘higher Quality’ line.
To state the obvious - string manufacturers get their wire components from ‘Music Wire’ manufacturers - I’ve seen their sites and low and behold theres a wide verity of ‘qualities’ and formulations on offer.
Like I said longevity figures large with yer average player so they’ve created the very average product - to sell, the key word is ‘Zinc’
And their PB’s
92/8 Phosphor Bronze – The 92/8 is a ratio represents a blend of 92% copper and 8% tin phosphide in the wrap wire. The 8% actually breakdown to a 7% tin and 1% phosphor composition. The tin phosphide helps preserve the tonal range over time.
No Zinc
E.G. D’Addario uses in their 80/20 Bronze – Composed of 80% copper and 20% zinc, commonly referred to as brass.

so yeah they may well ’smell’ different simply cause they’re made of different materials than the $5 set.

If ya like mellow then the TI Spectrum's have it in spades - partly due to the superior alloy and partly due to the process of adding a fine silk ’sleeve’ between the core and wraps wires.
It does work in ‘filtering’ out the ‘metallic’ edgy ring (overtones) of the metal to metal components.

crunchman · September 2017

I used Newtone for a while, but I had 3 sets where the D string was faulty. The guitar wouldn't intonate properly. They were probably all from the same batch, but it did put me off of them. I've never had anything like that from D'Addario in 25 years or so of using them. D'Addario are cheaper as well.

I don't know if it is worth trying them again. @ICBM is it the Masterclass or Low Tension sets you are using?

ICBM · September 2017

crunchman said:

I used Newtone for a while, but I had 3 sets where the D string was faulty. The guitar wouldn't intonate properly. They were probably all from the same batch, but it did put me off of them. I've never had anything like that from D'Addario in 25 years or so of using them. D'Addario are cheaper as well.

I don't know if it is worth trying them again. @ICBM is it the Masterclass or Low Tension sets you are using?

Masterclass.

Oddly enough I have had several D'Addarios that were faulty - same problem, wouldn't intonate properly. Definitely not the same batch since they were years apart, but they were all A strings!

AliGorie · September 2017

hi just had a chat with Gary @ Eagle Music Huddersfield
who repackage Newtone strings to sell as Eagle-Puretone (used to be called Eagle by Newtone), I’ve had orders from them before so just checked they were the same strings and they are.

link
http://www.eaglemusicshop.com/cat/acoustic-guitar-strings#category_id-213/applied_filters-f8/order-PRO/page_number-1/items_per_page-24

mgaw · September 2017

GTS strings are my favourites after a similarly exhaustive process, a hassle to get hold of but i do love how they sound and feel, definate improvement

AliGorie · September 2017

The whole ‘intonation’ thin is interesting.
From the string manufacturers point of view the consistency of the component ‘wire’ is whats usually at fault.
Particularly the core wire and if it’s out - unevenly drawn by the music wire manufacturer - even by a few thou - then the finished string will vary in accuracy over it’s playable length.
In other words it’s not necessarily the string maker / winder who’s at fault but the supplier of their raw materials.
I’ve noted quite a few ‘complaints’ re intonation - over the pond with various string brands being accused and interestingly Martin guitars figure a lot !. One guy had a Marquis - read expensive model, that had intonation issues with one brand of string turned out to be the straight saddle (no compensation ’notched in) was not accurate enough for the high precision of the strings construction. Seems the straight saddle design was showing it’s age when confronted with modern manufacturing processes. Which made me wonder if CFM had updated it’s fretting calculations.
I only suspect stuff like this when someone asked when CFM changed they’re ’sharp cornered’ headstock to the rounded corner’d one - surely a cosmetic design change ? no - the jigs they used to shape the headstock had been used so much the sharp corners had worn away - over time and the no one at the factory had noticed !.

imalrightjack · September 2017

Just picked up a Taylor 412c-R. It's fitted with 11s, which play and sound fine (I understand it was set up for 11s). Intrigued by @ICBM's adventures in Newtones and wonder if going up to 12s will require more than a truss rod tweak? Although I do like the easy playability of 11s...

ICBM · September 2017

It should be fine - the most it should need is a minor truss rod adjustment. There's not actually a huge tension difference between 11s and 12s anyway.

AliGorie · September 2017

ICBM said:

Yes, me too - I actually like that thicker sound that you get from older strings.

I like the simple but accurate description.
I like a 'thick' tone even with new - after initial play in.
why I used Newt's MC's & DR's

imalrightjack · September 2017

ICBM said:

It should be fine - the most it should need is a minor truss rod adjustment. There's not actually a huge tension difference between 11s and 12s anyway.

Thanks! 12-52 Masterclass recommended?

ICBM · September 2017

Yes, I'm using Masterclass phosphor bronze 12-52.

earwighoney · September 2017

imalrightjack said:

ICBM said:

It should be fine - the most it should need is a minor truss rod adjustment. There's not actually a huge tension difference between 11s and 12s anyway.

Thanks! 12-52 Masterclass recommended?

I like the 12-54 Masterclass set in PB, but the 80/20 is fantastic as well.

Newtone Strings are some of the best for using 'alternate' tunings.

Lewy · October 2017

crunchman said:

I recently tried a set of the D'Addario Nickel Bronze that they were pushing at the Birmingham guitar show. They were horrible - really tinny, and completely lacking bass. I did wonder if it was the fizziness you get with new strings but they were still like that after several hours of playing, long after PB would have mellowed out to sound good. Normally I try to get maximum life out of strings but I actually took these off the guitar and put PB back on. I use 11s so maybe they would be better in a higher gauge where you might get a bit more low end.

I think there is something to that...I tried a 12-53 set of these on my OM and wasn't at all impressed, but just put a set on 13-56 on my dread and I'm liking them a lot. There's a noticeable increase in volume over EJ17s, I suspect down to the different core.

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String types, formulations, brands - care to share your experiences?

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