Which Strings - Gibson J45?

smudge_lad

Hey team,

Looking for some recommendations on new strings to try on my recently acquired Custom Shop J-45.

I used to always use Martin SP 12’s on my older Takamine and used to think they were great, but I think they’ve changed recently and they don’t sound that good on the J-45. All of the higher strings used to be brass, but are now nickel (I think) and just don’t sound as bright/lively. 

I’ve always used 12’s on my acoustics, but the guy who done my setup recommended Elixir 11’s. 

Any other recommendations for good acoustic strings in general, or that specifically sound good on J-45’s?

Winny_Pooh

Newtone Masterclass 12s on everything for me.

Some J45s can be dull so some Daddario 80/20 can help brighten up the low end.

ICBM

Winny_Pooh said:

Newtone Masterclass 12s on everything for me.

This. Newtone Masterclass phosphor bronze - they feel lower tension than the gauge they are compared to most other strings, and for me J-45s suit a lighter feel. I might even use 11s - I did on my old '61 J-45, although Gibsons or D'Addarios.

wrinkleygit

Another thumbs up for Newtone, don’t worry if the website shows out of stock, they turn orders around generally less than 10 days, I received my recent order within 7 days, for a first time user, as they are hand wound follow the fitting instructions on their website.

pmg

I’ve been using Gibson 80/20 master built and really liked them.  I think they’ve changed the supplier now so got some Martin monels to try for the next change.

pmg

Should add I use11s on my j45 but 12s on my hummingbird 

mgaw

Depends what I want out of the guitar, as @ICBM says, a lighter set makes a J 45 type play very nicely , I currently have 13 on my Collings cj45 which though stiffer bring a bit more drive to the guitar 

MikeP

I want to like the newtones but they're too floppy. Daddario 12 guage 80/20 or Martin same type but they start brighter and go dull quicker and feel slightly higher tension. You need tension to get the top moving especially with short gibson scale. 

tomjax

As others have said, it can depend what you want the guitar to do. I usually put PB 12's (generally Adamas strings) but I've recently tried something new to me; DR Dragon Skins 13-56. They've absolutely made the guitar come alive for strumming duties. More tension for fingerpicking but not as big a difference as I'd expected and I'm really impressed with the DRs. I did have to tweak the truss rod slightly to adjust the relief with the heavier tension.

ICBM

DR Dragon Skins are the only coated strings I like. If you don’t normally get on with coated, but think you want to try again, I would give them a go. 

bandmaster188

Just tried a couple of sets of these on a National triccone and Martin dreadnaught. They’re not coated like elixirs but definitely seem to be lasting longer than uncoated strings. A thumbs up from me!
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Martin-Acoustic-Guitar-Strings-MA540T/dp/B07GP5NV6J/ref=sr_1_1?crid=19BCKHYT4B9B8&keywords=martin+lifespan+2.0&qid=1707655185&sprefix=Martin+life%2Caps%2C135&sr=8-1

daveyh

I’ve currently got a Gibson own brand phosphor bronze 12 set on my J45 and it sounds glorious. The Gibson dealer I got them off reliably informs me that this is what the J45s ship from the factory with and they’re actually made by D’Addario. I’ve got no reason to doubt him as he’s a pretty decent guy and he could have sold me a much more expensive set.

I meaning to try the Martin monels as they are basically what it was designed with.

Musical_Mystery_Tour

smudge_lad said:

I used to always use Martin SP 12’s on my older Takamine and used to think they were great

Well in that case, anything will be an improvement; Martin strings are bloody awful.

ICBM

daveyh said:

I’ve currently got a Gibson own brand phosphor bronze 12 set on my J45 and it sounds glorious.

I always liked those on my J-45, although I used the 11s. The problem was that they lasted about two weeks before they went dull… I’ve never had that with any other guitar, in fact I usually like old strings.

I don’t like Monels at all, other than on all-mahogany guitars, and even that’s pushing it.

DoctorX

I’ve got some Thomastik-Infeld Spectrum on my HD28 which have lasted pretty well. 

mo6020

Apologies for bringing this thread back from the dead, but no-one's mentioned these yet so I figured I should...

I use John Pearse Bluegrass strings on my J-45. They're 12-56 and sound awesome. Prior to that I was using GHS Americana 13-56s, which were also great.

skay

I agree with @mo6020 about the John Pearse strings on a J45, which out many types of strings from Newtone Masterclass, Rotosound Country Gold, DR Hi-Beam, D’Addario 80/20, phosphor bronze and EXP 80/20, Martin 80/20 Bronze, Elixir Phosphor Bronze, and some others I’ve forgotten about that I tried in quick succession, they were probably my favourites.

They did sound dead ever so quickly though, but maybe because they sounded so good I played it more often, so there’s that.

mo6020

I also went right down the rathole testing strings after reading about a thousand threads on the acoustic guitar forum. The only problem with the Pearse ones imo is they’re fairly hard to get hold of if you don’t want to shop on Amazon. 

marktheharp

I’m also going down a rabbit hole with strings . Decided on 11 gauge for my faith all mahogany naked venus . Had daddario 80/20 bronze . Really nice , pretty bright sounding but was great with my guitar but didn’t seem to last. Just put Martin sp lifespan 11’s phosphor bronze . A lot harder to bend and darker sounding. A lot more tension that you can feel in the fingers.. so will go back to daddaro 80/20 but the xp coated and see how long they last?
cheers Mark