#46
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I waited a little while intentionally before I responded so I could let some more "air" into this discusion.
I will start by asserting that had I not been given a set of these strings to try by Martin, I likely would have responded the way many of you folks have. Paying $40 for guitar strings for me is the same as buying expensive $35 picks or guitars that cost more than $1500. Like me, leeW and Brucebubs are "Beta Testers" along with a few others so there exists a sampling group, albeit small. I would like to address the comments for you one by one. The context here is that I have tried a lot of strings on my guitars. I am one who changes strings like some people change socks, both in frequqncy and brand. My findings are strictly subjective based on my experiences and with no added hyperbole or elaboration. I play this guitar everyday and it has been my sole "gigging" instrument. Staying in Tune They stay in tune better than any string I have ever used. Ease of Play They made my hardest to play guitar "very comfortable" to fret. Longevity. Now into my fifth month with no change in appearance. They still look new. Tone No noticeable loss of tone at all. How they Sound If you have tried Retros (Monel) that's what they sound like. They "tamed" my overly bright Pono Slope-Shouldered Dread which is Sitka/ Mahogany and gave it a thicker, richer and punchier voice. That's pretty much it. Will I replace them with another set? Yes, I figure in about another 3-6 months I will, at least on that guitar.
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Nothing bothers me unless I let it. Martin D18 Gibson J45 Gibson J15 Fender Copperburst Telecaster Squier CV 50 Stratocaster Squier CV 50 Telecaster |
#47
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Instead of picking up your guitar after an extended period of not playing and the strings being dead, they'll still sound brand new. (Of course I've never tried them but based upon reports from people who have, of course).
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2015 Martin D-18 1982 Martin HD-28 2013 Taylor 314ce 2004 Fender Telecaster MIM 2010 Martin DCX1RE 1984 Sigma DM3 Fender Mustang III v2 |
#48
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Based on the beta testers responses above, if they made a medium gauge set with a little more high end chime, I'd be willing to spend the money.
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"Lift your head and smile at trouble. You'll find happiness someday." |
#49
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At £40 a set are you surprised? Oh, and apparently they "sound like monels" (above). Monels to me sound dead from the outset. No deal.
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Faith Mars FRMG Faith Neptune FKN Epiphone Masterbilt Texan |
#50
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Now you guys are making me tempted to try them.
One thing I don't get.. is the rust/tarnish you get on normal strings rust from the steel core leaching out onto the nickel/pb/whatever wrap? Cause if these have a Ti core + normal wrap I'd have thought you'd still get the normal tarnish/corrosion/oxidation on the wrap. It's great to have another option.. obviously Elixirs are controversial and have a love/hate. These could be the same but they don't have a coating to worry about fraying. It doesn't seem ridiculous to me, and my guitar was only $600. The thing about "these are for players with multiple $3000 martins" is funny cause that usually seems like the core audience on this forum. |
#51
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Faith Mars FRMG Faith Neptune FKN Epiphone Masterbilt Texan |
#52
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If you look at my list of guitars you'll probably correctly conclude that music is an incredibly important part of my life. $40 doesn't scare me. It's true I always have the $40 in my pocket and I appreciate that some don't.
For me it's a question of when I'll buy a set, not if. I currently use Retro's and am very fond of the sound of the guitar, rather than added ping. Having some arthritis in the fingers, less tension is always very welcome. I have found the Retro's the best string I have tried to date for staying in tune, so I'm glad to see these are great in that regard. Remember the increase is not $40, it's the difference between your yearly string cost and $40. For me the improvement will be subtle, but worth it to me. I would think if you were playing a $500 guitar with a $2 pick you'd find an even bigger improvement. Everything matters.
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Keith Martin 000-42 Marquis Taylor Classical Alvarez 12 String Gibson ES345s Fender P-Bass Gibson tenor banjo |
#53
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McCollum Grand Auditorum Euro Spruce/Brazilian PRS Hollowbody Spruce PRS SC58 Giffin Vikta Gibson Custom Shop ES 335 '59 Historic RI ‘91 Les Paul Standard ‘52 AVRI Tele - Richie Baxt build Fender American Deluxe Tele Fender Fat Strat |
#54
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"Nickel and nickel-base alloys are vitally important to modern industry because of their ability to withstand a wide variety of severe operating conditions involving corrosive environments, high temperatures, high stresses, and combinations of these factors. There are several reasons for these capabilities. Pure nickel is ductile and tough because it possesses a face-centered cube crystal structure up to its melting point. Nickel has good resistance to corrosion in the normal atmosphere, in natural freshwaters and in deaerated nonoxidizing acids, and it has excellent resistance to corrosion by caustic alkalis. Therefore, nickel offers very useful corrosion resistance itself and provides an excellent base for developing specialized alloys. Intermetallic phases can be formed between nickel and some of its alloying element: this enables the formulation of very high strength alloys for both low- and high-temperature service"
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Nothing bothers me unless I let it. Martin D18 Gibson J45 Gibson J15 Fender Copperburst Telecaster Squier CV 50 Stratocaster Squier CV 50 Telecaster |
#55
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https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=co...FlMilLfnubB6M:
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Faith Mars FRMG Faith Neptune FKN Epiphone Masterbilt Texan |
#56
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Any round-core string regardless of the wrapping material will be easier to "move" because of that. The result is it takes less finger pressure to achieve a note on a guitar and they are more flexible so they are easier to bend. Brass also has more surface friction than nickel. When your fingers come in contact with Nickel, it feels smoother because it is. Thus the smoother "feel" of Nickel. Less friction means smoother slides and less finger squeak. And yes, I did work in a shop that built high tech products out of various metals for the nuclear and chemical industries in my past life. That's about the sum of it.
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Nothing bothers me unless I let it. Martin D18 Gibson J45 Gibson J15 Fender Copperburst Telecaster Squier CV 50 Stratocaster Squier CV 50 Telecaster |
#57
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QUOTE=AndrewG;5445100]Have you seen a nickel-plated Gibson stop-tail or pickup recently, with a few years on it?
https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=co...FlMilLfnubB6M:[/QUOTE] Sorry, but your comparison is flawed. "A few years" is a whole lot different than 12 months and the corrosion was due to the fact that the plating "wore off." This will also occur when steel is treated with zinc as a method to prevent corrosion. When the zinc wears off, corrusion begins as in zinc-plating on guitar strings I also have 40 years experience in the plumbing/ piping industry where carbon steel is coated with zinc to prevent corrosion. Martin uses "pure nickel" not nickel-plating for the wrap. In any case Google "Nickel" if you wish and you will find many legitimate sites that will verify what I quoted.
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Nothing bothers me unless I let it. Martin D18 Gibson J45 Gibson J15 Fender Copperburst Telecaster Squier CV 50 Stratocaster Squier CV 50 Telecaster Last edited by rokdog49; 08-15-2017 at 08:21 AM. |
#58
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I can buy three sets of Elixir PBs for about the same as one set of titaniums, they should last at least as long, and sound better. End of story, AFAIC. Usual disclaimers apply......IMHO, YMMV etc.
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John Brook ‘Lamorna’ OM (European Spruce/EIR) (2019) Lowden F-23 (Red Cedar/Claro Walnut) (2017) Martin D-18 (2012) Martin HD-28V (2010) Fender Standard Strat (2017-MIM) |
#59
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That's why we all own a variety of makes models and prices of guitars... even picks
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Nothing bothers me unless I let it. Martin D18 Gibson J45 Gibson J15 Fender Copperburst Telecaster Squier CV 50 Stratocaster Squier CV 50 Telecaster |
#60
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It would be neat if Martin started shipping their new guitars with these strings...
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