Acoustic strings - a journey...

Andy79 · March 2020

I’m moving from brass back to PB after trying John Pearse. I’ll contact and see what he has. 11s would be ideal for my old stuff

stickyfiddle · June 2020

String change time for the HD28 again. So the old Authentics lasted just over 3 months.

Martin Retro Monel 12's on now. Early days but first instinct is I LOVE them. They don't have quite the same level of fizzy brightness as the 80/20 Authentics but they have tonnes of upper mid heft which so far I'm really liking on this guitar. They're maybe a little higher tension under the fingers and I think a smidge more draggy than the Authentics but neither is enough to be annoying, I just hope it doesn't need a truss rod tweak as the setup is perfect right now.

More thoughts once I've played really properly for a few hours. It's weird having strings that aren't brass-coloured though...

TrevinDevon · June 2020

I tried Newtone Masterclass Monels on my Taylor 322, going for a lo-fi blues sound, but in combination with the hard tonewoods they're a bit too dull for my taste. I agree about the increased tension and dragginess too.

markj · June 2020

stickyfiddle said:

String change time for the HD28 again. So the old Authentics lasted just over 3 months.

Martin Retro Monel 12's on now. Early days but first instinct is I LOVE them. They don't have quite the same level of fizzy brightness as the 80/20 Authentics but they have tonnes of upper mid heft which so far I'm really liking on this guitar. They're maybe a little higher tension under the fingers and I think a smidge more draggy than the Authentics but neither is enough to be annoying, I just hope it doesn't need a truss rod tweak as the setup is perfect right now.

More thoughts once I've played really properly for a few hours. It's weird having strings that aren't brass-coloured though...

The Monels take a couple of days to really open up, well that was my experience with them on my 00015m. They are suited very well with all Mahogany guitars, I just didn’t think they did much for my HD28 reimagined. Let us all know how you get on. Give Curt Mangans PB 13’s a go next time, they sound perfect for me.

stickyfiddle · July 2020

Retro Monels have been on for about 8 weeks and I'm in love with this guitar right now. They definitely don't have the same top-end sparkle that brand new 80/20 strings have, but they have so much depth and midrange character that I don't care, and they're particularly sweet played with just fingers. They also seem to have a fair bit of life left in them, which is impressive for a non-coated string, especially when I'm playing acoustic as much as I ever have what with the lockdown and all that.

I have a set of 80/20 Mangan 12s to try next, but they'll have to be spectacular I'll be very surprised if I don't go back to the Retros quite quickly.

camf · July 2020

@stickyfiddle I'm loving Retro Monels on all my mahogany guitars too. They just seem to sound great whatever way you play them, and last for months without any real decline in the quality of tone they provide. They're not for everyone, but they're definitely working for me.

stickyfiddle · July 2020

Yup. I would say the one thing they maybe don't excel at is hard strumming, but (despite having an HD28) that's probably the thing I do least, so it's no issue, for me at least.

ToneControl · August 2020

Do monels have more mid-range volume?
I have some guitars that sound like the EQ has been scooped, could be useful

stickyfiddle · August 2020

ToneControl said:

Do monels have more mid-range volume?
I have some guitars that sound like the EQ has been scooped, could be useful

I'm not sure more is quite the right word, but I guess it's a different EQ curve. Definitely a bit less treble than 80/20 strings, and a bit more upper mid emphasis. I can't speak for bass as mine as mine are on an HD28 which is bassy as anything so everything sounds pretty bassy almost irrespective of string choice.

I would definitely recommend trying them - you might hate them but if you don't you'll probably love them once you get used to them

camf · August 2020

Obviously, as someone who is partially deaf from a lifetime of playing music too loud, my views on tone have to be taken with a large pinch of salt, but I think the monels do favour the mids a bit more. They’re not especially expensive strings so they are worth a try. They’re perfectly usable strings, so worst case would be that they’re a bit meh for a while as you work out what to try next.

ToneControl · August 2020

stickyfiddle said:

ToneControl said:

Do monels have more mid-range volume?
I have some guitars that sound like the EQ has been scooped, could be useful

I'm not sure more is quite the right word, but I guess it's a different EQ curve. Definitely a bit less treble than 80/20 strings, and a bit more upper mid emphasis. I can't speak for bass as mine as mine are on an HD28 which is bassy as anything so everything sounds pretty bassy almost irrespective of string choice.

I would definitely recommend trying them - you might hate them but if you don't you'll probably love them once you get used to them

are they more bright than PB then?

ToneControl · August 2020

just bought some DR dragon skins
do they have fakes too, just need to know if I need to check anything first

stickyfiddle · August 2020

ToneControl said:

stickyfiddle said:

ToneControl said:

Do monels have more mid-range volume?
I have some guitars that sound like the EQ has been scooped, could be useful

I'm not sure more is quite the right word, but I guess it's a different EQ curve. Definitely a bit less treble than 80/20 strings, and a bit more upper mid emphasis. I can't speak for bass as mine as mine are on an HD28 which is bassy as anything so everything sounds pretty bassy almost irrespective of string choice.

I would definitely recommend trying them - you might hate them but if you don't you'll probably love them once you get used to them

are they more bright than PB then?

I think so, but I don’t use PBs so I’m not certain.

stickyfiddle · September 2020

Curt Mangan 80/20 12s fitted last weekend, after 3 months and a lot of playing on the Retro Monels. They're pretty good, and probably one of my favourite 80/20s I've tried, but not as sweet as the Retros, and honestly much harder to get hold of where I live, so I think I'll give them a month or so then go back to the Retros.

Which means this quest is done for now. At least until I get a 000...

meltedbuzzbox · September 2020

stickyfiddle said:

TimmyO said:

stickyfiddle

If you can get to one make sure to try a 00-17s (or non s) - out. Standing.

Yeah, will do. I’m thinking that may end up being the second “forever acoustic” so won’t do anything quickly, and definitely want to play a bunch of things before i even think about spending any money. I also don’t want to buy anything without trying an Atkin as I can’t seem to find a single bad word about them

I can provide you with quite a few bad words about them. The most prominent word that springs to mind is bland

stickyfiddle · October 2020

Sick of the Mangans after a month or so, so back on the Monels this weekend. The guitar immediately sounded exactly how I want it to, so that's a hearty recommendation and end of search from me - at least until I buy another acoustic...!

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Acoustic strings - a journey...

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