(Solution Now Found) Suggestion for Strings to Tone down Brightness!

Sammy

Okay short update really starting to love the Monels now, they have there own sound but it gradually just grows on you, plus the strings have a lovely smooth feel and are so easy to play, I can't put the guitar down. So hopefully the sound will still improve over the next week.

I now have my new Pono parlour, just recently bought off someone on the site. It's a beautiful guitar but also has that sort of too bright sound for me, similar body with acacia back and sides but with cedar top. So now have a slight dilema, as want to try out the Monels but don't really want to take the Monels off the Larrivee at present, so was going to try out the Newtones on it, but would still like to see how the Newtones sound on the Larrivee! Also if I put the Newtones on the Larrivee first, I would be able to try them out afterwards on the Pono as it is a shorter length.

So I think, I will leave Monels on for another week on the Larrivee to see if any further improvement and try the newish Martin MA 535 strings on the Pono, which I took off the Larrivee to try the Monels, but were beginning to sound better. Then I will try the the Newtone strings on the Larrivee and swap the Monels to the parlour and then try the Newtones on the parlour. At least then I will have tried all three different strings on each guitar and can hopefully decide which set suits which guitar best. Plus not wasting monies buying duplicate sets of strings I don't like! 

Sammy

Put the Newtone Master Class strings on late Saturday afternoon and they sounded good straight from the off, no real bright harsh sound like I have found when putting any other make of new bronze strings on for the first time! Played it for quite a while and really liked the sound.

Sunday really tried them out fully as they had settled down, hard to describe but they are better than any other Phospher Bronze I have ever used, they have a sort of real rich harmonic sound almost bell like but with no brittle top end and smooth sounding. I just couldn't put the guitar down, played some chords softly with my pick and it's just a lovely tone, then played it quite hard and the chords just ring out, with no muddyness at all, just wish I had tried these strings years ago!

I did do a recording of each of the three strings to compare before I changed them, but unfortuntely as it took me so long to work out how to use Reaper again, I just did random chord sequences and single note runs on the first set, so each time I put on my next track I wasn't playing exactly the same things. Anyway I kept going back and forth many times over the tracks listening, plus with remembering my own thoughts of how they sounded whilst I was playing each different set, I have set out my impressions of how they compared.

First set - Martin Retro Monel MM11, completely transformed the Larrivee, the more I played it the better the sound became, as others have said about these monel strings, they are quite different from Bronze strings they sort of bring out the natural sound of the guitar with no overtones. When playing chords you hear every string, they don't mass into one blur and single notes sound very articulate and natural.

They are not quite as loud as Bronze strings and don't have that bronze sort of zinginess, but are really lovely sound nothing harsh at all. The top strings do sound reasonably bright but in a nice sort of way, nothing harsh or over the top. These were a joy to play, your fingers just glide over the strings, I have not felt smoother strings even on my electrics and not an ounce of soreness on my finger tips after playing, which I normally get after playing an acoustic.

Second Set- Martin Lifespan MA535T (Put these back on to record and try again after trying the Monels)

The brightness on these strings started to settle down after a week, so were much better sounding after my post!

Whilst I did start to like them more, once I had tried the Monels and Newtones, these won't be going back on this guitar anytime in the furture, the other two sets were streets ahead in sound, though they were really easy to play and were second easiest to play after the Monels. Whilst they didn't suit the Larrivee they sounded really great on my previous Martin Re-imagined 00028 with a lovely sweet sound, so I would say they are best suited for Rosewood guitars with spruce tops, where they excel at.

Third Set- Newtone Masterclass SS. Once on couldn't believe the lovely sound from these, as per above, best Phospher Bronze strings I have ever had on any acosutic guitar. Clear ringing and bell like, no harsh overtones anywhere and like the Monels were a dream to play, such a smooth feel to the strings and again no sore fingers afterwards.The only thing puzzeled me, whilst they were very easy to play like the other two sets, they seemed to have a bit more tension in them,which was surprising, as I was led to believe, Newtons having round cores, had slightly less tension. I would definately recommend these strings to anyone to try out on their acoustic plus made in the UK!  I will definately be buying some Newtones to try on my electric guitars now and if they are any where as good as these acoustic strings, I will be well happy.

Verdict- I really loved both the Monels and the Newtones for my Larrivee, they changed the guitar into, probably the best acoustic guitar I have ever owned, in both sound and playability. They each have their own sound, the Monels having a unique sound, which as others have said you will either love them or not and the Newtones having a Phosphor Bronze sound, which IMO exceeds any of the other Bronze strings I have played over the years. At the present moment, only having each set on for a short time, I can't really say which I prefer overall as I like them both for the different sound they give on the Larrivee.

Having always had mostly Rosewood acoustic guitars over the many years, as I have always prefered the sound of Rosewood guitars and their looks, if I had realised different strings made such a big difference on an acoustic, I would have experimented much more with strings against which woods were used on the guitars. I now own a mahogany acoustic with spruce top, which as I previously mentioned, is proabably the best sounding and playable acoustic I have ever owned and had it not been for this forum and me seeking some string advice on, if I could tone down the brightness, I may have well sold it on!

Plus I now also own a Pono Parlour, which I just recently bought, has acacia back and sides, very similar to mahogany, but with a cedar top, so have just ordered another set of Monels, 12's this time, so the tech can put them on when he sets up the guitar. Though I will also be ordering some more Newtones as well to try out on it as well, as the current Bronze which were on it when I bought it, are quite harsh sounding.

So from my own experince on testing out various strings, before you sell that acoustic as you don't really like the sound and how it plays, do your self a favour go and buy a few sets of various different strings and try them out, as it may transpire that same guitar could turn out to be a real favourite, whilst also saving you money and time looking for an alternative!

simonhpieman

So much good stuff there, Sammy! My Gibson J-100 is spruce with mahogany back and sides so it stands to reason I was taken aback by the brightness as you were with yours! I'm learning all the time...

This cements Newtones as top of the "to try" list for me now, though that may need to wait until I've got a few spare quid for a setup as I can't risk having the guitar unplayable/sounding bad for gigs - it's my only electro-acoustic now!

Thanks for sharing your experiences, it's genuinely useful and I've learned so much, particularly as a total noob to the world of acoustics!

Tannin

Great stuff @Sammy and a good result. I have three sets of Newtones on order but they have not shipped yet. I'll be keen to try them out when they get here. 

Your advice to play the string-swap game before selling a guitar I agree with 100%. 

JRgtar

Some useful info in this thread, I’ll be trying out some alternatives to the Elixers I’ve used the last few years. Thanks!

Sammy

Tannin said:

Great stuff @Sammy and a good result. I have three sets of Newtones on order but they have not shipped yet. I'll be keen to try them out when they get here. 

Your advice to play the string-swap game before selling a guitar I agree with 100%. 

I'm presuming they are some of his different sets, so you will have to advise the difference between them! As would be keen to know how they compare to the Masterclass ones I currently have and will save me trying any that you don't recommend, as my pet hate is changing strings, especially on acoustics, plus your the overall expert now for us all, on different strings mfts.

Sammy

simonhpieman said:

So much good stuff there, Sammy! My Gibson J-100 is spruce with mahogany back and sides so it stands to reason I was taken aback by the brightness as you were with yours! I'm learning all the time...

This cements Newtones as top of the "to try" list for me now, though that may need to wait until I've got a few spare quid for a setup as I can't risk having the guitar unplayable/sounding bad for gigs - it's my only electro-acoustic now!

Thanks for sharing your experiences, it's genuinely useful and I've learned so much, particularly as a total noob to the world of acoustics!

What I would suggest is you get the Monel strings first as you are having it set up at the same time, as the Monel strings are slightly easier tension. Then when you later try the Newtones, being a little bit stiffer tension, you won't have to make any adjustments on the guitar from the setup already done. Well that worked for me and think the Monels with your guitar should sound good, especially as you are using it as an electro as they may sound better than the Newtones plugged in!

Sammy

Just a quick update I put the Monels on my Pono Parlour and they really sound good a total difference to whatever make of Bronze strings were on it when I bought it that made it sound a little bit boxy. Also can't believe how much louder the guitar now sounds for such a small guitar.

My son came over last week and tried both out, he couldn't believe how much difference the Newtones on the Larrivee,  sounded and played, he said it was the best acoustic he had ever played and the best acoustic I had ever had. He also loved the Pono and really liked the difference in the sound of the two guitars and told me to leave them as they are, but I think I will still buy a set of Newtones 12's just to try, when I next have to change the strings on it!

As previously mentioned I have no idea how either strings sound if electrified, as one set of strings may sound better than the other, but as I have tried both guitars via a mic in front, which does give more or less does give the true tone of just playing acoustically, obviously according to type of amp your playing it through, I will not be sticking a pickup in either guitar just to try and go down the mic in front route, if I were to play out somewhere.