Acoustic strings

Sarge · March 2017

Just ventured back to acoustic after sooo many years only playing electric and bass.
Yesterday I bought a used Vintage v300 which needs new strings, on electric I use 10-52 and I'm thinking of D'Addario EJ26 which are 11-52, what is the general consensus on light guage acoustic strings? And are these D'Addario good at light guage?

The v300 feels reet good btw, hugely impressed for the money.

bluechargeboy · March 2017

D'Addario are fine strings and 11s will be fine I reckon. If you find them a bit weedy-sounding then switch up to 12s. It depends on how well they drive the soundboard on your particular guitar.

I use 9-46 or 10-46 on electric, and 12-54 on acoustic, mainly to keep up with a double bass volume. If I was playing at home I would probably use 11s.

Happy NGD!

Winny_Pooh · March 2017

The v300 has a long scale so try it with 11s and go up to 12s later if you are playing alot and have a low enough action to handle the extra tension.

Sarge · March 2017

Ok thanks chaps. 11s it is then.
@Winny_Pooh can you expand a little on the low action - extra tension please bud?
Do you mean the extra tension would be pulling the neck forward?

ICBM · March 2017

The biggest problem with most sets of 11s - including D'Addarios - is that for some unknown reason they have the G too light - in a typical set of 12s it's a 24, in a typical set of 10s it's a 23... and in a typical set of 11s it's a 22. Worse, the D and A are often the same gauges as in a set of 12s, so the result is that the G feels and sounds like a banjo string.

Why they do this I really have no idea - the 10s and 11s need to be the other way round. And yes, .001" really does make a big difference! If you can't find a set of 11s with a 23 G, you're actually better to buy a set of 12s and two plain 11 and 15 strings.

Winny_Pooh · March 2017

@Sarge I meant that if you dont play acoustic often 11s to 12s may be a jump unless your action is low to start with. The extra tension being on your hands, nothing implied re the rod (although it may need a small tighten) all of this speculation depends on how your guitar is setup currently.

Fwiw I'm enjoying Martin Monels on my GS mini so if you like a fairly woody tone they're great, otherwise phosphor bronze if you prefer more brightness.

Sarge · March 2017

@Winny_Pooh right I getcha, thanks.

Sarge · March 2017

Actually it currently has 12s on and I'm comfortable with that, so I'll go 12s.
Thanks for the input chaps.

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Acoustic strings

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