Acoustic string journal

Cryptid

@Tannin I'll be interested to see what you make of them on your rosewood Messiah. They're undoubtably less toppy than the Sunbeams anyway. 

I got 3 sets for the price of 2 so I'll see how the maple J200 likes them.

Mellish

@Tannin & @Cryptid ; - try D'Addario EJ11.

Let 'em settle, get past any initial brightness, and see what you think.

 Put a set on my Dove earlier today (maple b/s, sitka spruce)  and I love how they sound.

They're 80/20 but still have good bass, and the highs are not harsh  

Tannin

Will do @Melish.

New today (via edits) Stringjoy Naturals (very nice strings but expensive),  my favourite Galli LS again. I had low hopes for Adamas Composites (Adamas is an Ovation brand) which were dashed when they turned out to be rather nice!

Tried Martin Custom Lights. These are the familiar standard Martin phosphor bronze string but in 11 gauge. (I wanted .12s and bought them by mistake).  I needed to put fresh strings on the upside-down Maton leftie ready to sell it and thought that was a good way to get rid of the unwanted 11s. But they actually work very well: they are fairly stiff as 11s go and very playable. 

Finally, I have a better picture of the Rotosound Super Bronze contact core set, having replaced them with the Martins. The odd-ball Rotosounds doubtless have a useful niche somewhere but I can't think what it might be. The Martins are much better and I might ask an extra $100 now that the 225 sounds so nice.

tomjax

Tannin said:

Wow! That sounds very like The Perfect String™ @Cryptid. At about £8 a set too.

Can I ask where you're able to buy DR Veritas at 8 quid a set. Would love to try some but prices are mid teens that I'm seeing. 

Tannin

No worries @tomjax ; I got them from Strings and Beyond https://www.stringsandbeyond.com/dr-acoustic-guitar-strings-vta-12-light-12-54.html and the total cost was $14.54 AUD including postage from the US to Oz (that;'s about  £8.20). I would have got them as part of a 6 or 8 string order - posting one set at a time is a mug's game.

Or you could go to Strings by Mail, another excellent dealer  - https://www.stringsbymail.com/dr-strings-vta-12-veritas-phosphor-bronze-round-core-light-12-54-16212.html Typically, SBM are 50c or $1 (US) more than SAB, but they charge less for postage. Swings and roundabouts. 

Both companies are similar in that they have huge ranges and fast, friendly service. I'd like to recommend Strings Direct in the UK, and they do have a great range and good service, but they are just too dear. 

earwighoney

tomjax said:

Tannin said:

Wow! That sounds very like The Perfect String™ @Cryptid. At about £8 a set too.

Can I ask where you're able to buy DR Veritas at 8 quid a set. Would love to try some but prices are mid teens that I'm seeing. 

In addition to the above, you can get the DR Veritas strings from Thomann for £9.30 a set before shipping.

Mellish

Just changed source for my strings/accessories. Gone to Strings Direct.

I've bought John Pearse from other sources and found them dead straight out of the packet. But I've ordered two sets from these guys and I'll update you later  

Tannin

We shall see. I've never had a bad set of JPs.

But then, what's that "never" mean? A set of standard PB 12, a bluegrass set, and half a dozen of my regular JP brass light baritone strings for the Thunderhawk. Hardly a statistically valid random sample.

Mellish

@Tannim ; - I've mostly bought strings from small town shops.

I suspect that's been the problem. Small town, not many guitarists, and strings gather dust on the shelves  

Tannin

Hmmm .. and much as I like John Pierce strings, their packaging is straight out of the 1950s - plain paper envelopes inside a paper cover, inside an unsealed, non-airtight plastic sleeve. That is just asking for corrosion.

I could look up where I've bought all mine, but even without looking I can tell you they were all from Strings by Mail, Strings and Beyond, or Strings Direct - all big dealers with plenty of turnover.

I don't think JPs are anything magical, BTW. There is nothing especially different about them, they are just very good ordinary strings. I'd say the same about, for example, Martin. 

PS: I've been told that the common nickel alloy strings, ordered from brightest to darkest, are 

1: Martin Monel
2: D'Addario Nickel Bronze
3: John Pierce Pure Nickel (darkest of all)

If so, that leaves SIT American Roots Monei to discover, and if I remember correctly Newtone also do a nickel alloy. 

Over time, I'll try all five out on my Guild CO-2 (which absolutely loves nickel strings) but the damn things last practically forever so don't hold your breath!

Mellish

Oh I'm not expecting magical. I'd just like to experience just how good factory fresh JPs are.

Nickel strings I've never used...well tell a lie, I tried Monels if they count but didn't like 'em  

Tannin

Yep, Monel is a nickel alloy. Nickel alloy are very, very different. They have their place, and in their place they are absolutely bloody brilliant, but on the wrong guitar they are pretty damn awful. 

Nickels  (Martin Monels) on my cedar dreadnought were OK. Just OK. I won't fit them to it again. 

Nickels on my Angel would be awful. On the rosewood Messiah, probably worse. And I doubt they'd suit the Blackwood WA May, though it just might work. 

But nickels on the CO-2 ... wow! Instantly I knew that these were the right strings for this guitar.  I can't see them on a Dove. They'd be silly on an  SJ-200. But on a J-45, or maybe an L-00, they just might be the very thing. 

Cryptid

DR Veritas 12's - best I've tried on my C&W so far and lasted around twice as long as the Sunbeams. I got 3 sweaty gigs out of them. Will see how the SJ-200 likes them. 

Newtone Heritage 11's - my Spanish-heeled folk guitar needs low tension to stay out of trouble but at 115 lbs, these are just too floppy. Huge volume drop compared to the usual JP Silk & Steel 11's (129.8 lbs) and tone has really suffered. Will try their 12's (131 lbs) next before going back to the JP. 

Excellent service ordering direct from Newtone though - website said 2 weeks wait but they arrived the next morning! 

Mellish

The best results I ever got were DR Rare on a Hummingbird (hog b/s, sitka top). Really made that guitar sound amazing.

If you have a guitar with those woods, give a set a try  

Cryptid

@Mellish I've been meaning to try the DR Rares, but aren't they a bit more full and bassy than Sunbeams? I'm not sure they'd be the best match for either of my Gibsons, which tend to be warm and deep anyway, but I shall give them a whirl sometime

Mellish

@Cryptid ; - not sure I'd describe them as bassy, though others might.

They're coated and you can feel it on the plain strings. 

But bear in mind the guitar I used 'em on because other guitars, other woods, different results maybe  

Cryptid

Mellish said:

They're coated

Hmm, are you sure you're not thinking of DR Dragon Skins? Pretty sure the Rares aren't coated. 

Mellish

doh, you're absolutely right

I  was thinking of Dragonskin  but said Rare  

Cryptid

I'll give them a try as my strings get punished hard with vigorous strumming and acidic sweat - would like to find a coated set I'm happy with. 

Mellish

@Cryptid ; - I'm the same. I have the wrong chemistry.

I can kill even coated in the same time as uncoated, so why spend more on the former?

That's why you'll mostly find me playing uncoated. I've learned that I get no lomgevity benefit from Elixir, say