Martin Retro Monel Acoustic Strings
 

Anyone tried these yet?



"vintage tone that brings out the natural, woody sounds in your acoustic"

http://www.stringsandbeyond.com/mareacgust.html

I've got the Tony Rice Monels (same strings just medium gauge) on my d18 right now. I really like the feel, and yes, they seem to be less bright than PBs, with less break in time. I quite like them.

Interesting side note: the guy running sound at church Wed night asked me if I was playing old strings. He said they lacked "attack" which I take to mean they weren't as punchy and bright as my normal PB strings. But he could definitely hear a difference with no prodding from me.

I always thought the the P/B were less bright compared to the 80/20s.
So, they sound like older strings? The tone gone?

They don't have the tinny sound to start off with like the PBs do and I hear more of the guitar vs hearing the strings.
While they aren't quite as loud as PBs, they don't sound dead and last a long time.

Bill

I don't think they sound dead, just different. I've heard some say it's like a set that have been played in. The harshness that often accompanies a new set is not there with these strings. Very nice warm sound from the get go. They're also a little less on the tension side, which I reckon has to have some impact on tone and volume.

I like them, but I'm going I put PBs back on the d18 next just to see what I think. I'd like to try the Retros on my OM to see how they do with a smaller body guitar.

I say give them a go. You're only out a few bucks if you don't like them. And who knows? You may love them?

What kind of guitar are you thinking of putting them on?

+1 to Bills comments

Blueridge BR140A

Martin Retro Monel Acoustic Strings
 

I bought a few sets of Martin "Tony Rice" Monels (mediums), and tried them on 3 different guitars. A solid Sitka over laminated mahogany acoustic-electric, a solid Sitka over solid red curly maple acoustic-electric, and a solid Sitka over solid rosewood acoustic. They sounded best on straight acoustic guitar. Very dark, and not bright. I like them on the right guitar. It took several days to reach peak resonance.

Glen

Once they broke in on my 000-15, I fell in love.

I put a set on my AJ500m and first impressions...BRIGHT!

I just strung a set of the Retro Lights on my D-18 this morning. There is a definite "shimmer" when they are brand new which seems to change into more of an 80/20 type of chiminess. Really hard to explain. I wouldn't call the dark or bright, they seem very balanced to me. Definitely no harshness at all. There isn't any of the metallic tinny-ness of brand new PB's. My fingers kill strings very quickly so time will tell if these outlast other uncoated strings. I will say that I find the low E and A strings to sound somewhat muted when flatpicking single note lines compared to the other strings. I guess they just don't sound as "round" as with some other strings. That being said I don't really notice that at all when strumming or flat picking chords. All in all, not a bad set of strings for the price.

This is the feeling I get from them. I have them on my OM 21 right now, and there's not a muddieness, but the bottom end (D,A,E strings) is less defined or something like that. I think they've broken in by now, and they won't likely stay much longer. Had to try them, though, it's a cheap experiment.

I just put a set on my J 50, and they sound good to me right out of the box. They have a tone that I think of as "neutral." I enjoy the sound of nickels on mahogany, but since I'm an aged guitarist, take that with a grain of salt: it probably means they remind me of what strings used to sound like.

I think that they feel quite soft to the touch and are great benders.

This is the first set I've tried. Next, I'll give them a whirl on my 000 18.

Nickel strings
 

While the Monels are pure nickel-wound, as are some other brands, many of the 'nickel' strings are actually nickel-plated steel. These are the strings that are mostly used on electric guitars, and they are quite bright sounding. D'Addario, for example.

Pure nickel strings are not as bright, but, depending on the nickel alloy, the John Pearse nickels will sound different from the Martin Monels.

They are not ideal strings for fingerstyle, but are fine for flat-picking, such as the way Tony Rice plays (sigh).

Like many other kinds of strings, they start out bright, and then become mellower until they reach a kind of plateau.

The only nickel strings I like are the Rohrbacher titanium medium nickel-wound strings. They have a clarity unlike any other string, plus the sustain is really good. Because they are titanium they are impervious to humidity, hand sweat and other environmental factors. I had one set on a guitar for about 8 months and they still sounded good. And, despite being called 'medium' they are really light gauge strings, about 160lbs on the bridge.

I just put them on my Gibson Southern Jumbo on Saturday. I hated them right off the bat. They feel stiff and very thin and tinny.

HOWEVER, I have been told to give them a chance, and they mellow out really nice. I am already seeing it to some extent. I think after a week I may like the sound just as much as my EJ16s, or other PBs, but maybe not as much as the DR Sunbeams I always like.

I also really like less tension - which I am not sure can be resolved with the Retros.