LT strings for arthritics & old guitars (new thread)

wrinkleygit · October 2016

Following my recent thread on dr low tension strings I thought I would elaborate a little more on my quest. Having suffered with RA in most of my moving parts for some years I tried various ploys to make playing acoustics a more pleasurable experience, i.e. detuning a half or even a whole tone & then using a capo to come back up to concert pitch, I then came across Newtones website while looking for bass strings & found their Heritage Classic Acoustic range which I tried & never looked back, transformed my 000-28 with a much softer/easier feel than the standard Martin strings it came with, possibly a slight loss in bottom end as the only trade off. Now I have just acquired a 50yr old epiphone that is in surprisingly good cond for its age I am conscious of not putting too much tension on the neck, table or bridge when tuned to concert, previous owner always used D'ad 10-47 pb extra lights tuned to concert which as you would expect have a very soft feel but sound a bit thin. Following a bit of research I have listed some gauges below to show what difference there can be, (all figures obtained from manufacturers info)

d'adario 10-47 PBxtralight 10/14/23/30/39/47 = total pull 132 lbs
NTone 11-47 her.clas 11/15/19/26/36/47 = total pull 114 lbs
" " 12-51 " " 12/16/20/28/38/51 = total pull 131 lbs
(aplogies to younger members who have no idea what lbs means)

My theory is using the above info I can move from the current 10-47 string set to a 12-51 without exerting extra strain on the guitar whilst having the benefit of improved tone from the thicker strings, will be placing an order for strings & hope to have the epi sorted this coming weekend, will let you all know how it works out, mike b.

barry2tone · November 2016

Thanks for that.

Have to laugh at myself for ending with a set of Thomastik AC111 Plectrums, but not the guitar to put them on (yet).
Liked the low-tension aspect, and the prospect of roundwound G,D,A strings sold me.
Haven't heard them yet, though.

If my sums are correct (putting together individual values), the total poundage for the 11's set is 126 lbs

Lozboy · March 2017

I agree on NW's.If you check the specs of the individual strings(any brand) its an eye opener.The high strings/top E string in partic. is where the tension is.
I had the same problem choosing strings for a 100 year old washburn.I had a chart and some in depth info somewhere.I will see if I can find it.

oh_pollo · March 2017

I just recently put a set of John Pearse Folk strings on an old battered Simon & Patrick that's seen better days. They're described as a hybrid set (16 - 43) for use on steel or classical guitars. There's so little tension on the strings that you have to adjust your technique slightly but the sound is quite interesting. More classical that steel but if I had an old guitar whose neck I was wary of I wouldn't hesitate to use them.

VimFuego · March 2017

thanks for this. I'm starting to get some dull ache type discomfort after even just an hours playing (and it can last all day). This was one of the reasons I took up the fiddle, it's much easier on the hands (tho not so the ears, hey ho). S if there are strings I can put on my acoustic to ease the strain, it'd be great.

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LT strings for arthritics & old guitars (new thread)

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