Martin Retro Monel Acoustic Strings

[PointBlank]

Originally Posted by scottishrogue

They sounded best on straight acoustic guitar.

Glen

True that. I put the Tony Rice Monel strings on a Yamaha A3R acoustic/electric guitar for an upcoming duet at church. After a tuff week of practice with them I took them off and put on Elixir Nano-webs instead. Glad I did, the Monel's did not amplify nicely.

[joegator81]

Originally Posted by warddix

there's not a muddieness, but the bottom end (D,A,E strings) is less defined or something like that

This is exactly the same thing i've found. Really hard to describe. Not totally objectionable but its a point worth making. Not a fan of them for fingerstyle either. Still, not a bad string for the price if they last a bit longer than other uncoated strings.

[Blueser100]

I just put the Monel lights on my Martin GPCPA4 Rosewood. They sound great, are not as harsh or as bright as bronze, have a very nice sustain, and are very comfortable. They are great for fingerstyle on this guitar. I will see how they sound on my Martin dreads and my 000-15M.

[SalFromChatham]

It's been a week... On my SJTV they sound perfect for fingerpicking.

However, if I strum with a pick, still way too brash and tinny for my liking. I want to take them off but I'm too lazy.

[oxygenman]

I love them on my D-21, a little less so on the Bourgeois mahogany dreadnought. I'm away from home for a month and will be curious to see how they sound when I get back.

[Pahc412]

I love TR monels on my Authentic '41. They bring out a woody tone and it sounds great in my opinion. However, they sound pretty ****ty on my cousin's Taylor dread. Maybe they impart a better tone on more lightly build instruments. Either way, I love them on my Martin.

[Luke_]

I've got the TR on my Martin and Alvarez.... Love em, sound great play nice

[SalFromChatham]

OK. I am circling back after a few weeks now. When I first put the strings on my Gibby SJTV, I hated them. They were brash, and chords sounded tinny and ... just not pleasing to me.

After a week they improved (I posted above). They were great for fingerpicking and just ok for strumming.

Now after two weeks the strings are great. Just a great all around string that matches my Gibby slope very well.

The moral? These strings, unlike so many others that sound good immediately, or after a few hours of playing, take a few weeks before they hit their sweet spot. I am glad I did not take them off. I have a feeling they last well, and sound better the longer they are on.

[cspencer]

Just bought a set of Retro lights for my DCPA4 Rosewood. Can't wait for them to arrive. I've used nickel strings on acoustics 20-30 years ago but lately only PB's and 80/20's. Let's see if it's 'welcome back my old friend' for me

[reflected]

I used several sets of Tony Rice monels on my D-35. They sound more metallic than PB, but not as jangly as 80/20s. For leads and runs the are perfect, but when I strum a chord it doesn't sound as good as PB-s: the advantage becomes a disadvantage, that is, you can hear all the strings separately. I mean in a not so good way.

Also, after about 2 weeks they are completely dead and sound horrible.

All in all, pretty good but not my cup of tea.

[Treenewt]

Originally Posted by PointBlank

True that. I put the Tony Rice Monel strings on a Yamaha A3R acoustic/electric guitar for an upcoming duet at church. After a tuff week of practice with them I took them off and put on Elixir Nano-webs instead. Glad I did, the Monel's did not amplify nicely.

I had the same experience on my D18. I liked them acoustic, but they didn't carry well amplified. The sound guy asked how old the strings were, they sounded so lifeless. Bummer.

[slowhand15]

When the Tony Rice Monels first came out I had to give them a try, so I put a set on my 1973 D-35 (modified by TJ Thompson), which is a loud guitar to begin with. The TR Monels sounded so different than Elixirs or any other coated PB strings. They bring out the wood sound better and are not as bright. I like them. They last a long time. I didn't like the 184lb tension though.

When the Light gauge Monels came out I bought a couple of sets and have them on my Martin Custom-15 and they sound better than the bright PBs, which can be a bit shrilly when they're first put on.

I just bought a Martin 00015M from MFG which is a very balanced guitar to start out with. I just got done adjusting the truss rod and action and plan to put the Monels on to see how they sound on an all Mahogany guitar.

I'd say I'm hooked on the Monels. I have a set of PB Elixirs on my D-35 right now just to A/B them and I don't like the bright bronze sound anymore.

The Monels sound more like the strings I used to use 40 yrs ago, they just bring out the sound of the guitar woods better rather than hearing the overtones of the PBs.
I just bought 5 more sets from Stings and beyond when they had their sale, so I'll be playing Monels for some time.

[Blueser100]

I thought the Monel lights sounded great on my GPCPA4R and they do. Well I put a custom light set on my Martin 000-15M last night and oh my goodness: It's a whole new guitar. The custom gauge is just the right fit too, as it gives me enough volume with just the right amount of flexibility to bend those blues notes. The nickel coupled with the all hog is delicious. It really does sound "retro" and I don't miss the shimmer of new phosphor bronze.

[slowhand15]

Thanks Blueser100,

It sounds like a good review! I may get to replacing my stings today if I have time. I'll let you know how they sound on the 00015M.

[Sesop]

A couple of weeks ago a forum member recommended John Pearse nickel strings, which I tried on several guitars:

Some brief thoughts:

Guild F47M (adirondack over maple). Nothing sounds better than nickel on this guitar.

Guild M20 (all hog, small body): Better than PB, haven't tried 80/20s yet, but the difference between nickel and PB is insane.

Gibson J-15: Bad idea. The nickel strings came off half an hour later, in favor of 80/20s.

Republic Steel bodied tricone: Not sure yet. They've been on for a week. Sometimes I'm in heaven. Sometimes I can't tell the difference between nickel and the JP PB reso strings.

I want to try them on my Martin 000-17SM but haven't done it yet. I find it interesting that Martin is coming out with a nickel string just as there seems to be much positive talk about nickel strings.