Strings... 80/20 bronze versus phosphor bronze??

Strat_a_tat_tat · September 2016

What sort of tone differences should I expect?

I've always restrung acoustics with exactly what they were shipped with... so I've never experimented with how different strings affect the tone of a guitar.

I have a sense that Phosphor bronze might have a bit more zingy, fizzy treble... but I could be totally wrong (could be the guitar they're on).

Thanks

Sassafras · September 2016

I find the bronze 80/20 to be brighter and zingier.
Phosphor bronze can sound a wee bit darker but it really depends more on the guitar they're on.

Lewy · September 2016

Yep, generally you'd expect 80/20 to be brighter. I find them useful for acoustic band settings but generally not as pleasing as PB for solo playing.

bluechargeboy · September 2016

Martin Retro Monel (nickel alloy) is what I use. Not quite as bright as bronze strings, maybe a tad less bass. Easier to bend, smoother-feeling somehow, and last longer with my body chemistry. I play a lot of single note lead lines and strum like a muppet, and nickel seems forgiving of that.

And I've never found an 80/20 string I like on my guitars (Cedar Takamine and spruce Larivee). Clanky.

thermionic · September 2016

I only tried 80/20s once, I found them too thin, bright and rattly. Phosphor bronze are the standard acoustic guitar sound.

I'm also a big fan of Monel strings. Hard to describe the difference, but definitely worth a try. Not sure how they'd be on a strummed dread, but they really brought my small-bodied guitar alive, especially for fingerpicking with a capo.

CloudNine · September 2016

80/20's definitely brighter/zingier when initially put on a guitar, but seem to settle down to be no more so than PB's. Don't seem to last as long though in most cases.

It's just another way to EQ an acoustic, and the 80/20's REALLY work well on certain guitars (often Mahogany ones in my experience). I think PB's are more likely to be a good fit in general for most guitars though.

The 80/20's are noticeably lower tension as well. I can definitely feel it. Sometime you get a guitar that feels tight to play with mediums, but sounds shit with lights, so you are left in a difficult position. A set of 80/20's could be a eureka moment for a guitar like that, if you haven't tried them already.

crunchman · September 2016

PBs definitely last longer. They do have a different tone. I have experimented a bit. Due to the short lifespan of 80/20 I ended up going for Elixirs on one guitar that didn't seem to suit PBs - until I decided to sell it.

AliGorie · September 2016

Sassafras said:

I find the bronze 80/20 to be brighter and zingier.
Phosphor bronze can sound a wee bit darker but it really depends more on the guitar they're on.

my reply
Mr B is right to a point - beyond which, as with most things, there are string manufacturers who produce a higher quality product in both materials and construction.

Sass is on it here -
your guitar will have a particular 'voice',
U have an idea of what sounds 'good',
different strings with the two above in the mix above adds to the permutations.
Then there's the longevity issue and the feel issue to deal with -
Acoustic guitar strings for most / many people loose their zing - as u say,
this is dependent on what kinda sweet u exude - obviously if u play after changing u'r engine oil or eating a pizza, without washing u'r hands = trouble, time for 'COATED' or Monels as that's why monel alloy was developed and - for it's anti corrosion property's (not for TONE)', look it up.
cheaper strings can last longer particularly is u've got acid / oily sweet simply because they're made from cheaper materials which don't react to the players hands as much as higher quality alloys - and subsequently taken up by string manufacturers with this in mind, and yeah, I know there's a lot of artists who swear by the $5 a set d'addarios - they get them free or on tax deductible expenses so can change 'em every day if the need / wish.
Now on to my quoted post at the top,
yup, like everything, there's good, meh and bad strings, some maker use thinner core wire thus having less tension and therefor 'feel' easier to play. Some brands state this others don't so ya can see it's easy for folks to think one type of string is easier to play than another when it's actually the core wire that's causing it. as in 'my reply'.
sorry for the long post and as u can see it's really straight forward once u know what u'r dealing with, as with any product er buy, no mystique.

ICBM · September 2016

I find 80/20 bronze usually sounds brighter, thinner and often a little bit zingy - phosphor bronze sounds warmer, thicker and more ringing.

I much prefer phosphor on any 6-string guitar I've ever tried both on, but I have to say I recently put a set of original Martin 80/20 Bronze strings on my 12-string out of curiosity - for the first time in the 25 years since I got it - and it sounds *fantastic*… noticeably better than with the phosphors, they just seem to suit the guitar perfectly. It's really never sounded so "right", and I won't be going back.

bluechargeboy · September 2016

The annoying thing about acoustic strings (in my experience) is that have a sweet spot where they sound their best, and it only lasts for a couple of hours of playing. After that they sound just OK.

I have also realised that for live use, nobody in the audience really cares what the strings sound like because it all gets shoved into the PA via some pickup or other. And I don't really care because I am hearing it through some floor wedge or out the back of the PA tops!

Sassafras · September 2016

I use Daddarios on most guitars but some acoustics do sound excellent with Martin 80/20s. It's almost like they come alive.
I just wish that "lively" phase would last much longer.
A freshly strung acoustic is a thing of beauty.
Electrics, I couldn't give a toss.

Strat_a_tat_tat · September 2016

Wow... I learn so much on this forum.

Thanks for all the comments. I guess I'll buy some different strings and try them out.

Thanks again.

crunchman · September 2016

bluechargeboy said:

The annoying thing about acoustic strings (in my experience) is that have a sweet spot where they sound their best, and it only lasts for a couple of hours of playing. After that they sound just OK.

I have also realised that for live use, nobody in the audience really cares what the strings sound like because it all gets shoved into the PA via some pickup or other. And I don't really care because I am hearing it through some floor wedge or out the back of the PA tops!

In my experience old strings can sound dead through a pickup as well.

AliGorie · October 2016

no prob Straty, forgot to say - with my input above in mind,
I like and mainly use Newtone and DR strings.
Don't know what age u are but I think of strings somewhat like a stylus + cartage on a vinyl record playing system (the needle) - it's the vibrating source of the 'information'. U mach the stylus to the preamp amp and speakers, put a cheap stylus on a 5 or 10 k system and it will let u hear the shortcomings of the stylus - that's all u'll hear.
Put really good strings on an inexpensive guitar can have two outcomes - they may make it sound good or more likely will allow u to hear the actual sound of the instrument which is often interpreted as "I didn't like the sound of xxx strings".

.
It's a miss match.
Don't worry bout finding all of this confusing - string company's marketing deliberately try to confuse the customer.
e.g. - I've seen posts from 'over the pond' saying they really like the sound of monel treble strings - u what - E & B strings are all made from steel as is the 'core wire' on the wound - it's only the winding wire that's monel alloy.
And again, monel / nickel are very 'IN' at the mo' being pushed' by Martin and others - very Retro / very Vintage / very Authentic. D’Addario recently introduced 'Nickel Bronze' there site says "featuring an innovative combination of nickel-plated phosphor bronze wrapped onto a high carbon NY steel core.
Wow - Phos Bronze wound on a standard steel core with a Nickel 'coating / plating' (to retard corrosion - read last longer), but note that NICKEL content - microns thin on a standard PB wind wire, probably same PB (cheap alloy) as they're EJ sets - they may last a bit longer but they are just £5 (or less) a set quality. They've been doing it on electric strings since the 1950's.
Nickel-plated Steel - The industry standard for electric guitar.
They just love to be sold stuff in the states.

rustneversleeps · October 2016

I've tried most strings over the years and I know it's personal taste etc.Recently I only use Martin Monels on all guitars.They don't sound great at first but give them time to settle.They seem a bit softer and nice all round tone.They are a bit more expensive than some but last a long time.Worth a test drive.

ICBM · November 2016

Hmmm… well - an update on what I posted above

.

I've acquired another Martin 12-string on loan, which is for sale. My first impression was that it sounded better than mine, so I thought I could buy it, sell mine and pocket the difference - it's a cheaper model and has some repaired damage so I would gain a few hundred pounds probably. But because it had different strings on from mine, I couldn't be sure how much was down to the guitar and how much the strings… so I did the only thing I could to find out: swapped them.

Bear in mind that we're talking about two slot-head 12-strings :-O. Amazingly, I managed it in about half an hour without breaking any strings or puncturing any of my fingers

. Much careful use of pliers was involved though.

And the answer is… I was wrong. The 80/20s just sound cheap. I must have been misled by comparing really dead phosphors to them. When compared to a set of phosphors in similar condition, the 80/20s just sound clangy and metallic, and lack bottom end.

Although it hasn't completely reversed the sound of the two guitars, it's gone a fair way towards it. So now I'm not sure if swapping the guitars is such a good idea.

MikeDearing · November 2016

I use elixirs.. they last 3 times longer.. can get 20 gigs out of them . I don't use a pick so they corrode most 3 inches from the bridge and break there.. wipe them down at the end of the gig and I get 40 % better resilience . When the guitar is amped the nuances between most brands are lost .. key issues are keeping intonation as they go off.. and good string tension.. again elixirs tend to tick the box.. and I tend use fairly big gauges as well.

sakuarius102 · November 2016

Hi, I prefer 80/20...phospor is very dark for me. I play fingerstyle no struming

thomasross20 · November 2016

I REALLY need to work my way through different types of strings. It's embarrassing given how long I've been playing.

ellangus · November 2016

I find the biggest problem when comparing strings is - I only ever change them when I feel they need changing so, as a result, I'm putting on nice new strings in place of old ones so, invariably, it's always "Wow, these strings sound great!!" and I can't in all honesty recall how the set I've just slung in the bin sounded when I first put them on.

I usually go for Phosphor Bronze Martins, but I've tried PB's and 80/20's and enjoyed both. I don't use coated strings much as I don't mind changing strings (That way I get that new string sound more often!)

so usually buy multi packs when I see a deal somewhere.

On that note - Does anyone know who's best for string deals at the present time?

AND - I'm told that quite a few of the deals we're seeing on strings on ebay could well be counterfeit packs - Any comments?

ICBM · November 2016

ellangus said:

I find the biggest problem when comparing strings is - I only ever change them when I feel they need changing so, as a result, I'm putting on nice new strings in place of old ones so, invariably, it's always "Wow, these strings sound great!!" and I can't in all honesty recall how the set I've just slung in the bin sounded when I first put them on.

Exactly the reason I was temporarily so impressed with the Martin 80/20s - they replaced a set of D'Addario phosphors that could easily have been ten years old. I don't play my 12-string all that much, in my defence!

Swapping the used sets of strings on the two guitars was a total pain in the backside (though miraculously not the fingers) but quite a revelation. In the end I did think that the 'worse' guitar sounded better, and vice versa - so I'm not buying the other guitar now. Mostly down to the strings.

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Strings... 80/20 bronze versus phosphor bronze??

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