String suggestions for Martin spruce top / hog back & sides

[cheer tunes]

What do you all prefer? I've always used PB with this wood combo. Some folks turned me on to JP 80/20 and D'addario NB for my rosewood 000-28. Do those also work well with hog?

[ChrisE]

I've had my D-18 for a few months and have really liked Elixir PB Lights. I also just ordered some Martin Retro Lights to try. They apparently sound great and last a long time. They're pretty affordable so it's worth trying.

[hat]

I've had a set of the D'Adderio NB on my 00 sized spruce/hog guitar for a few months now. I love them on this guitar. They tone down the brashness of the brass/bronze, giving the guitar a little more of the 'old time blues' tone IMO. I don't think I would like them on a rosewood guitar though. I am also impressed with how long they have lasted, by now I would have changed out PB strings at least once.

[Rev Roy]

Originally Posted by ChrisE

I've had my D-18 for a few months and have really liked Elixir PB Lights.

Yep, that's what I have on my D-18, too. Love 'em...but then I like them on almost all of my guitars regardless of maker.

I have Martin SP Custom Lights on my CEO-7 and they sound and play great.

[redir]

This is like going to a hat shop and finding the hat that you like the best. You plain and simple need to keep trying sets of strings till you fall on one you like. I would recommend starting off with D'Addario's in various gauges and flavors and going from there. Many people find D'adarrios a good bang for the buck and all round good performer. But there are lots to choose from.

[noledog]

Good ol Martin M540 12-54 PB's sound classic and true to the Martin growl...I get 3 to 4 good four hour shows out of them even when I play outside on the humid Fl coast and they work fine with my Baggs M80 I keep in 100% of the time..Pearse PB's sound good too, D'A EJ16's tho are a bit too bright for my taste.

[Judson]

I use Martin Lifespan 13-56 PB mediums (MSP 7200) on my 2012 D-18.

These are the strings it ships with and though I've tried several other brands and gauges, I've always come back to the originals.

[catdaddy]

I use John Pearse PB mediums on my Martin Custom D. Love 'em!

[Brucebubs]

String suggestions for Martin spruce top / hog back & sides

This is so easy.

1 - Martin Retro Monels
2 - D'Addario Nickel Bronze
3 - Martin Retro Monels again.

I wouldn't put 80/20's on anything ... but hey, that's just me.

[billyfamilyvide]

My brother has this combo. He uses silk and steels primarily finger picking rag.

[Wade Hampton]

Originally Posted by cheer tunes

What do you all prefer? I've always used PB with this wood combo. Some folks turned me on to JP 80/20 and D'addario NB for my rosewood 000-28. Do those also work well with hog?

I use John Pearse 80/20's on my 000-42, but when I first got my Martin D-18 I initially tried the Pearse phosphor bronze strings on it. That sounded quite good, but I always try several different alloys on any guitar that's new to me, just so I have a basis for comparison. So I tried the D'Addario Nickel Bronze, which also sounded good, and then - thinking I couldn't possibly like 80/20's on the guitar but I needed to try them anyway - I put a set of John Pearse 80/20's on it.

That proved to be by far and away the best alloy for that guitar! I can't speak for anyone else's experiences, but for the way I play and the right hand attack that I have, the John Pearse 80/20's were head and shoulders above every other alloy I tried.

I thought that couldn't possibly be right, so at the next string change I put a set of phosphors on the guitar. Which sounded fine, but not as good as the 80/20's. A large part of the reason I was resisting the thought of using 80/20's on it was that this particular Custom Shop D-18 has an Adirondack spruce top, and buying into the Internet image of Adirondack being "brighter" and "harsher-sounding when new," (even though I knew better,) it took me some time to discard the BS I'd absorbed online and accept the evidence that my ears were giving me.

But at the next string change I put a set of John Pearse 80/20 mediums on it, and it reconfirmed what the earlier test of that alloy had taught me: the 80/20's were the strings that worked best on that guitar.

In particular, the low end response of the guitar was a bit muddy with phosphor bronze strings, but with the 80/20's the bass response was given better definition and clarity. It has the perceived effect of making the bass sound more present, because the runs and fills I play on those strings can be heard more clearly.

So, short version: I use the Pearse 80/20's on my D-18, even though at first I thought they'd be a terrible choice for that guitar. But they're not: they're the best.

Naturally, your mileage may vary, for the simple reason that different spruce tops react differently, and playing styles vary even more widely. But they work well for me.

Hope that makes sense.


Wade Hampton Miller

[rokdog49]

Originally Posted by Brucebubs

String suggestions for Martin spruce top / hog back & sides

This is so easy.

1 - Martin Retro Monels
2 - D'Addario Nickel Bronze
3 - Martin Retro Monels again.

I wouldn't put 80/20's on anything ... but hey, that's just me.

Brucebubs and I are "kindred spirits" on all of the above. Monels just rock Spruce 'Hogs!... No 80-20's for me either, uh uh.
I would add the new Titaniums from Martin to this list as they become available.

[Buc-a-Roo]

Spruce over mahogany? If you like that thumpy, short sustain sound it's gotta be monels on this wood combo. Thump thump thump in spades.