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  #46  
Old 08-15-2017, 06:56 AM
rokdog49 rokdog49 is offline
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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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  #47  
Old 08-15-2017, 07:15 AM
ChrisE ChrisE is offline
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Originally Posted by topographic View Post
My guess is that these strings are marketed for people who have the financial means to own several $3000.00 Martins and who don't even think twice about buying another one if they see one they like---and there are a lot of people like that all across the fruited plain. I doubt if Martin is targeting the 22 year-olds who mostly play open mics. For a lot of people, $40 for these strings---assuming that they are as good as predicted---is pocket change.
Another target market may be people who don't frequent internet forums who play guitar but don't like to/don't know how to/don't want to change strings. If you're just a weekend player these strings could last for YEARS according to some of the reviews from beta testers.

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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  #48  
Old 08-15-2017, 07:29 AM
martingitdave martingitdave is offline
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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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  #49  
Old 08-15-2017, 07:31 AM
AndrewG AndrewG is offline
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Originally Posted by Goodallboy View Post
I particularly find puzzling (as with so many other topics discussed here) the critiques from those who have never tried the product!
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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  #50  
Old 08-15-2017, 07:32 AM
beninma beninma is offline
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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.
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  #51  
Old 08-15-2017, 07:38 AM
AndrewG AndrewG is offline
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Originally Posted by beninma View Post
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.
Yes, what kills wound strings is gunk getting in the wrap and corrosion-and nickel corrodes just by looking at it. I don't understand why an uncoated, nickel wrap should perform any differently, irrespective of the core material.
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  #52  
Old 08-15-2017, 07:48 AM
musicman1951 musicman1951 is offline
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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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  #53  
Old 08-15-2017, 07:48 AM
Goodallboy Goodallboy is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rokdog49 View Post
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.
Can you address why and how specifically, you feel they make that harder to play guitar more comfortable to fret? Thanks!
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  #54  
Old 08-15-2017, 07:50 AM
rokdog49 rokdog49 is offline
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Originally Posted by AndrewG View Post
Yes, what kills wound strings is gunk getting in the wrap and corrosion-and nickel corrodes just by looking at it. I don't understand why an uncoated, nickel wrap should perform any differently, irrespective of the core material.
You are mistaken about Nickel:

"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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  #55  
Old 08-15-2017, 07:53 AM
AndrewG AndrewG is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rokdog49 View Post
You are mistaken about Nickel:

"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"
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:
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  #56  
Old 08-15-2017, 08:03 AM
rokdog49 rokdog49 is offline
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Originally Posted by Goodallboy View Post
Can you address why and how specifically, you feel they make that harder to play guitar more comfortable to fret? Thanks!
Round-core strings by their nature have less tension and are less ridgid than hex-core strings. It's simple physics. A circular corrugated piece of metal sheeting (or for that matter any material of the same gauge) will be more ridgid than a smooth piece. That's why thinner corrugated drainage pipe while relatively thin, is strong enough to use under the weight of the earth piled on top of it.
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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  #57  
Old 08-15-2017, 08:12 AM
rokdog49 rokdog49 is offline
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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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Last edited by rokdog49; 08-15-2017 at 08:21 AM.
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  #58  
Old 08-15-2017, 08:17 AM
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JayBee1404 JayBee1404 is offline
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Originally Posted by AndrewG View Post
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.
Yep, GBP 42-99 a set at Strings Direct - for you US-ians, that's around 55 bucks! I hated the stone-dead sound of those Monels, there's no way I'm blowing £42-99 on a set of duff-sounding strings just because they last a long time!

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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  #59  
Old 08-15-2017, 08:24 AM
rokdog49 rokdog49 is offline
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Originally Posted by JayBee1404 View Post
Yep, GBP 42-99 a set at Strings Direct - for you US-ians, that's around 55 bucks! I hated the stone-dead sound of those Monels, there's no way I'm blowing £42-99 on a set of duff-sounding strings just because they last a long time!

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.
I agree, tone is very subjective. "stone-dead" to one is "warm and punchy" to another.
That's why we all own a variety of makes models and prices of guitars... even picks
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  #60  
Old 08-15-2017, 08:46 AM
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It would be neat if Martin started shipping their new guitars with these strings...
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