Archtop strings for use with magnetic pickup
 

I've been using D'Addario phosphor bronze flats on my '37 Epiphone Broadway, but I've ordered a floating magnetic pickup and will need to make the change to steel strings.

I'm apprehensive about losing the acoustic bark and volume of this instrument... Does anyone have suggestions for a steel string that will work with a DeArmond-style magnetic pickup, and yet still have some acoustic presence?

Will Monel strings work with a magnetic pickup?

First off, acoustic strings will work with a magnetic pickup, but the volume balance will be off. The plain steel E and B strings will sound loud and brash compared to the wound G and D. If your PU has adjustable polepieces, a lot of the imbalance can be corrected. I've used acoustic strings on my L-5 with a floating PU off and on for years and it works for me. I also adjust my picking volume on the high strings.

Yes, monel strings will work, and they will have better balance than PBs. Monel has a lot of nickel in the wrap, which is magnetic. Copper and tin are not magnetic.

I really like GHS White Bronze, which are marketed as a crossover electric-acoustic strings. IMO they are really much more electric than acoustic but they work well on my archtops. The wrap is made of alloy 52, which is 52% nickel and 48% iron.

Thanks --there's not enough clearance on my Broadway for a pickup with pole pieces. (I'll be using a Swingmaster) The White Bronze strings sound like an interesting option -- I'll compare them with the Martin Monels.

And BTW, we all need to hear about that Broadway sometime. I've had a couple of Triumphs, and my Blackstone is now passed on to my daughter. That era of Epi's are among my favorites.

I nursed a '43 Triumph along for about 10 years and loved it, but it constantly needed attention. I found a new home for it a few years back, and immediately began to miss it.

This Broadway is one of the early ones with the black walnut back and sides -- a luthier in Canada did a full restoration job on it, new binding, neck set, proper nitro burst -- and it's just a wonder. The neck is meatier than the slim profile Epi used in the 40s, which suits me better. I has a great barking acoustic voice, which is the reason I'm canvassing all and sundry for string recommendations.

DR Zebras
 

I'm playing GHS White Bronze on my archtops and have been very happy with them. I used to play DR Zebras on a Taylor T5 and thought they sounded pretty good - intend to give them another shot as soon as I get the itch to try something different.

If you want true vintage, try Martin Monel strings - there's a 50/50 chance that would've been on your guitar when I was first made anyway. It's not perfect balance, but it's closer than bronze, and it definitely has an acoustic sound over nickel wounds, which never quite sing the same on an acoustic archtop.

After that, try GHS white bronze, and DR Zebra's to see if either of those work better. And eventually, if that's not working for you, try the John Pearse Jazz Pure Nickel, or any other "pure nickel" string.

The Martin Monel strings are certainly on my radar -- Monel seems to be somewhat ferromagnetic, from what I can research online, and I have have gotten good results with the Martin Tony Rice strings on flattops.

I just got around to trying Martin Monel strings.

Acoustically they are very, very close to GHS White Bronze, which themselves are closer to a pure nickel string than they are to a PB or 80/20.

Through the pickup they have weaker output on the low strings compared to the WB, i.e. worse balance than WB. The plain strings really boom, and that's with my pole pieces adjusted for the WB already, with wound string pole pieces out, close to strings, and plain string poles in, far from strings. I think the magnetic output of these is just about midway between the WB and a standard acoustic PB, which fits with what I know about the metallurgy too.

Given that they are a little more expensive than either WB or nickel, I won't be changing over to Monels.

What string for use with magnetic pickups?
 

I have 2 arch top electric guitars in my stable, both with magnetic pickups...a Gibson ES-347 TD double cutaway semi hollowbody, and a D'Angelico "New Yorker" deep hollow body and found the D'Addario (ECG24) XL Chrome Jazz Lights (.011-.050) flat wound strings work quite well on both. :p Works for slide players too!

Glen

I've been doing the same thing for years and use regular PB acoustics on my archtop. I like both the acoustic and amplified sounds better. After adjusting pole pieces the guitar sounds clearer and acoustically louder.

Sometimes people come by and sit in for a tune and are usually surprised by the sound and tell me they'll be trying it on theirs. For me it was just an experiment that ... Worked.

D'Addario Half Rounds
 

Anybody try D'Addario Half Rounds with a floating Humbucker?

I previously used their Flat Wounds, and love the smooth quiet feel, but
didn't care for the stiffness of the string.

The Half Rounds are less stiff.

I have used 1/2 rounds with a floating pickup and while they sounded good, I didn't like the feel. They were to grippy - I'm a TI flat wound guy. I have also used John Pearse Phosphor bronzes and they sounded OK to me.

Except when given samples by string companies to test I have used pure nickel or nickel-wound strings on my non-pickup Martin, Gibson & Mossman flattops since around '75. They sound warmer/louder acoustically (and last longer) - in your case they'd also be the perfect magnetic pickup string.

A cheap way to try it - buy a set of Ernie Ball "not even Slinky"'s, sub a wound .024 3rd and even change the plain strings (which are the same in acoustic & electric sets) to whatever gage you like.

New set of nickel acoustics for under five bucks. And IMO miles better than bronze & its variants.

For a fun (but not cheap) experiment try a set of Thomastik Infeld flat wounds. Incredible sound and last for a long time.

Amen on the TI's...I substitute a wound (0.018) for the plain b string on Jazz Swing .013's.