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  #1  
Old 07-05-2009, 10:50 AM
strings strings is offline
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Default New Guitar Strings?

I just bought a new Seagull Preformer, and I was wondering what strings would sound good on it .Does anybody use something different then what comes with it.
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  #2  
Old 07-05-2009, 12:00 PM
vicov vicov is offline
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Hi Strings, you would probably illicit a stronger response if you retitled your thread to address your specific question to (something like) "Seagull Performer Question".
Vic
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Old 07-05-2009, 12:14 PM
brian a. brian a. is offline
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The Seagull website states all their 6 strings come with Godin New Guitar Concept High Definition Strings A6 LT Phosphor Bronze lights. Made and packaged in USA. What ever those are and whoever makes them.

Strings are relatively cheap and I would suggest that you try several different brands, different blends PB or 80/20 and different weights light or mediums. Then decide which you like best.

String choice is very subjective. What I may like you may not. What I play and others think sound good may sound totally different when you play.

Also, there have been a lot of "what strings should I use" threads lately. Use the "search" function and read all those threads to help you narrow your search.
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Old 07-05-2009, 02:48 PM
Glennwillow Glennwillow is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by brian a. View Post
...Strings are relatively cheap and I would suggest that you try several different brands, different blends PB or 80/20 and different weights light or mediums. Then decide which you like best.

String choice is very subjective. What I may like you may not. What I play and others think sound good may sound totally different when you play.....
+1 on this -- strings are cheap and you just gotta see what works for you. We're all going to give you different answers.

Good luck,
Glenn
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Old 07-05-2009, 04:37 PM
Acoustom Acoustom is offline
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Hi Strings,
I went through the same thing when I got my new McPherson. I went to www.stringsandbeyond.com as they have very competitive prices and I bought 7 or 8 packs of strings, all different brands, but for me the same gauge, and tried each one out for a few days and ended up finding a couple of brands that I really like. I tend to stick with those 2 or 3 brands whenever I buy strings now. Worked for me. Blessings, Tom
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Old 07-05-2009, 04:58 PM
Wade Hampton Wade Hampton is offline
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After the forum member "Strings" asked which strings might be best on his Seagull guitar, Brian A. wrote a good reply which included:

Quote:
Originally Posted by brian a. View Post
....Strings are relatively cheap and I would suggest that you try several different brands, different blends PB or 80/20 and different weights light or mediums. Then decide which you like best.

String choice is very subjective. What I may like you may not. What I play and others think sound good may sound totally different when you play.
That sums it all up both clearly and succinctly.

I happen to be an artist endorser for John Pearse strings, which I strongly believe to be the best-sounding on the market. They're certainly a good fit for me, and I use them on all the instruments I play (I'm a multi-instrumentalist, and was playing mountain dulcimer and mandolin professionally for some time before I learned the basics of guitar.)

But as enthused about John Pearse strings as I am, I recognize that because of personal tastes and skin chemistry, other strings work better for some folks. And there's no way to discover what will work best for you without you going through an experimentation process.

What I generally do whenever I get a new instrument is start with John Pearse medium gauge phosphor bronze strings, then experiment with other gauges and alloys from there until I know for sure what works best for me on that particular instrument.

On some of my instruments that don't get used as much, for example, I've found that it makes more sense to use a coated string that will last longer, even if I don't like the sound quite as much as I like the Pearse strings. But it's often very nearly as good-sounding, and won't require changing as often.

My Gibson J-100, for example, sounds its absolute best when strung with John Pearse phosphors. But the Elixir phosphor bronze Nanowebs sound very nearly as good, and last longer, so that's what that guitar gets.

And so forth. You should weigh a lot of comparative factors when deciding on which strings to use.

To do that you have to actually compare one brand and alloy after another, and to do that accurately and effectively you need to keep the strings on for a much shorter period of time than you will once you make a decision.

If you wait until the strings are completely dead before changing them, you won't have an accurate basis of comparison: anything you put on next will sound much, much better.

So go to your nearest friendly music store, pick up at least a half dozen different brands and alloys of strings, and try them all out in rapid order.

It may seem wasteful to put on new strings only to take them off again a few days later, but it isn't. Not if you pay careful attention to how each set sounds. On the contrary, it's one of the best investments you can make in terms of optimizing your guitar tone.

Hope that makes sense.


Wade Hampton Miller
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  #7  
Old 07-05-2009, 07:07 PM
Cibby Cibby is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by strings View Post
I just bought a new Seagull Preformer, and I was wondering what strings would sound good on it .Does anybody use something different then what comes with it.
I like D'Addario EJ 16 phosphor bronze on my Seagull the 80/20's were ok but the phosphor bronze to me seemed better. I have the 25th anniv. model. Best thing however is like every one says try different brands. It is amazing how you could find a brand you like a lot better than I or any others. Your set up and hardware makes a difference to. I have a Bob Colosi bone saddle in mine and bone pins from Bob also. Half of the fun for me is trying hardware and strings to find a sound I really like..cibby
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Old 07-05-2009, 09:17 PM
menhir menhir is offline
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I settled on D'Addario EJ16 Phosphor Bronze for my ol' Seagull M6 Spruce (lights...check your gage) some time ago, too.
So, it's a start. But like the other posters said...try different types. Find out what you like.
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