Acoustic Strings, round 2

wellsyboy

Atkin LG47 here - I use Newtone Phosphor Bronze - love them

CoolCat

I use ROTOSOUND 12's.  They work well on my guitar.

Jimbro66

When I got my Atkin 9 years ago it came with Elixir strings and although I’ve tried other brands briefly over the years I’ve always come back to the Elixirs. On an Atkin they just seem to strike the right balance between warmth and sparkle, and longevity of course.

I’m still watching this thread with interest though as Elixir have become very pricey so a lower cost but good-sounding alternative could be worth a try.

stickyfiddle

Jimbro66 said:

When I got my Atkin 9 years ago it came with Elixir strings and although I’ve tried other brands briefly over the years I’ve always come back to the Elixirs. On an Atkin they just seem to strike the right balance between warmth and sparkle, and longevity of course.

I’m still watching this thread with interest though as Elixir have become very pricey so a lower cost but good-sounding alternative could be worth a try.

Yeah I've enjoyed the elixirs I have on mine at the moment. They're starting to get furry on the A and D strings so will change for something else when I'm home after xmas.

boogieman

Tried Martin Retros on my Martin OM18 but they went completely dead after a few weeks… no zing or projection to them at all. I’m now on Newtone Heritage 12s and so far they’re really good. 

Btw, I HATE coated strings, especially on acoustics.  

bluecat

After using most other brands of string,I came across Ernie Ball Earthwood rock and blues for my Tanglewood and have stayed with them ever since.
I told my German friend in Cologne about them,he tried them on his Martin and he thought they were fantastic.

TINMAN82

As far as expensive strings go, the 2 sets a I’ve found really worthwhile arnt acoustic strings.

Thomastik Infeld Jazz Swing flats for archtops are a clear step above Chromes in both tone and feel.

Ernie Ball Paradigm are not audibly different to slinkies (to my ears) but they don’t break…so far anyway…and seem to last longer.

Standard, core price acoustic strings are fine imo, as long as properly matched to the guitar. I’m currently using £7.99 Clapton signature Martins on my Martin 00028ec and they sound great. Don’t like Elixir at all.

Mellish

My 2019 HD-28 loves Martin MA140 80/20 in 12s. If I can't get those, Elixir 80/20 will do. I've tried DR, Newtone, Thomastik, Gibson, D'Addario, Pyramid, Ernie Ball, Rotosound, Cleartone - you name it - but I keep coming back to those two  

BigPaulie

TINMAN82 said:

As far as expensive strings go, the 2 sets a I’ve found really worthwhile arnt acoustic strings.

Thomastik Infeld Jazz Swing flats for archtops are a clear step above Chromes in both tone and feel.

Ernie Ball Paradigm are not audibly different to slinkies (to my ears) but they don’t break…so far anyway…and seem to last longer.

Standard, core price acoustic strings are fine imo, as long as properly matched to the guitar. I’m currently using £7.99 Clapton signature Martins on my Martin 00028ec and they sound great. Don’t like Elixir at all.

I put Paradigms on my son's acoustic. He takes great care of his guitars, and I was disappointed to discover that they lasted no longer than uncoated strings.

I had EB Everlasts on my guitar at the same time and made the same observation.

I'll never put another set of EB strings on an acoustic guitar.

I keep coming back to Elixirs. String longevity is very high on my priorities list when selecting guitar strings. I also like the feel of Elixirs and appreciate the reduced string noise (especially on acoustic). I do perceive them to be a little "stiffer" than the equivalent gauge of EB strings. Monels felt more compliant, but they were so much quieter than 80/20s and squeaked like a MF. I've never had a set of D'addarios that I've considered to be any more than adequate. DR Veritas sounded nice, but died within 4 weeks (I can get 4 months from Elixirs before the tone starts to suffer, and 6 months before a string change becomes urgent). Dragon Skins were good, but only available in PB. The search for the perfect string continues.

stickyfiddle

After about 3 months of elixirs they were getting furry so time for change.

Just put some D'addario XTs (PB 12s) on the Atkin 47. Initial impressions are very good. They feel less slippy than Elixir nanos, and the tone seems well balanced and a little less plinky than those elixirs. Will see how long they hold up but so far they seem well suited. 

Tannin

@BigPaulie I'm not a big Elixir fan, though I do use them for some things. I've tried a lot of different strings over the last couple of years, but reading your reasons to prefer Elixirs, I can't see any reason why you should buy anything else. They last as long as any string and longer than most, they have extremely low string noise (roughly equal to D'Addario Flat Tops, outperformed only by flat wounds), and if you like that peculiar soapy Elixir feel, then you have nothing to gain by trying other brands. No other string I've ever heard of does the Elixir things as well as Elixir does the Elixir things.

(And yes, they tend to be a little stiff. I like to think of Elixir 12s as "12-and-a-bit gauge" and Elixir 11s as more like an "11.5". That's not really a criticism, just something to be aware of.)

stickyfiddle

10 day update. I really like the D'ad XTs on the little Atkin. Lots of sweet midrange but not muddy. The only thing I'm less fond of is that they're rather squeaky when you move up and down the neck. Will see if that remains as they get older. 

BigPaulie

I've just put a set of Roto Nexus 12s on my Martin D-16GT as I was finding the strummed sound of Elixir 80/20 a bit bright after fitting a bone saddle. It was really only the strummed sound that was unbalanced. When flatpicked it sounded great. The attack on the wound strings was clear and strident: almost piano-like. You could really hear the "p" of the "pluck". Just the way a big dreadnought box should sound.

My reason for choosing Roto Nexus is that I like to try new things and only use coated strings. I also hate D'addarios (yet to try XS though).

First impressions are that they sound more balanced when strummed and don't get shouty or obnoxious, no matter how hard I hit them. However, the attack on the wound strings has all but gone. When I hit individual strings I don't hear the "p" of the "pluck". There's no percussive snap. I need the best of both worlds. What should I try short of having a strumming guitar and a picking guitar?

Tannin

I put a set of Rotosound Nexus 12s on my Maton Messiah in August. They are still on it, which speaks to their longevity, and also says something about their playability. Good strings. 

(I don't use picks so no opinion on luck vs pluck. )

stickyfiddle

Update time. D'addario XTs are dead. I'm not 100% sure if it's also partly that my new dread has clean strings and sounds massive in comparison to the Atkin, but I assume a combination of that and dead strings. They're also still quite squeaky.

Santa Cruz Parabolics (low tension set) are now on, and they're rather lovely. On one hand that's a shame as they're not cheap, but never mind.. Will see how they last, and try a set on the new Bourgeois at some point too

Mellish

Never tried Santa Cruz strings on any guitar but I've been meaning to. 

This Dove hates Martin MA140 (my HD-28 loved 'em) and EJ16 sound thin. 

I'm searching again to find what strings work on this new guitar  

MSedg

I’ve been reading about the Santa Cruz strings today having been on a similar journey. Where the best place to get them in UK? Strings Direct is my usual haunt but don’t seem to carry them.

Mellish

@MSedg ; - not sure about best place but I'd say find one that shifts strings quickly rather than, say, a small store tucked away somewhere.

I've had very different EJ16s and I don't think it's down to D'Addario but rather old stock in stores v new  

artiebear

Mellish said:

@MSedg ; - not sure about best place but I'd say find one that shifts strings quickly rather than, say, a small store tucked away somewhere.

I've had very different EJ16s and I don't think it's down to D'Addario but rather old stock in stores v new  

Buying one or two sets at a time, that would seem to be pretty sage advice. Having said that as a "by the box" user of D'Addario strings ( especially when touring or doing studio work ), I have found that over the last few years the variability from string to string/set to set has grown, for some reason more with EJ16'S than EJ17's. Sometimes they are great for a whole set, sometimes there is more than one weak string in the pack.

I still, for the most part, use them on everything, being a constant factor across a lot of guitars I use. So far I haven't loved most long life strings I have tried and stuck with the EJ's ( | they don't stay on that long when I'm playing a lot ), until I got a heap of Lowden strings along with a new guitar from them. On that guitar they are great, but tried some on my Sobell and went straight back to the EJ's .

Mellish

@artiebear ; - that's what I did when I found the perfect strings for my HD-28, bought by the box (10 sets).

With a new guitar though, like my Gibson Dove Original, I'm finding out what strings suit, so I'm cautious and buying sets singly or two at most