Martin "Monel" Strings

[gstring]

Bought two sets for my Martin 00028vs.

Took them off after 10 minutes and returned the unopened pack. Really disappointed.

( i now use Martin PB LifeSpan light )

dgd

[Graeme]

Originally Posted by TBman

But, you have a Gibson. Does anything sound good on it?

A little AGF humor. The J-40 is a great looking guitar.

Funny thing that but my J40 has the name Martin on the headstock and a Martin sticker inside.

[PinkLine]

If you buy them hoping they will sound like PB or 80/20, you are likely to be disappointed. I have them on my hog top parlor and I like the feel and tone. Over two months in and they still sound fine.

[TBman]

Originally Posted by Graeme

Funny thing that but my J40 has the name Martin on the headstock and a Martin sticker inside.

Oops, wrong J40,

http://www.guitarcenter.com/Gibson-V...2f191ce2395245

[Jim Owen]

As others have said, they are a nickel alloy. The tone is less complex than 80/20 or PB. But on some guitars, and for some styles, they work very well.

For what it's worth, my sound guy says my J 50 mikes really well with the Monels. They sound good to me, too.

[RustyZombie]

Considering the number of positive opinions about them, I've been tempted to try them. But my main guitar has a built-in Rare Earth pickup, which is internally calibrated for bronze, and wouldn't get a balanced sound from a nickel alloy. I'm afraid that if I try them I might like them too much and be in a conundrum.

[punkybub]

I just put a set of these Martin Monels on my 00 Carpathian/Mahogany slothead. I like them on this instrument - the high end has a different character than phosphor bronze or 80/20. Seems to have less treble but more presence - the upper high end is there but the actual treble range is not as prominent to my ears.

They sound "clankier" (as in, having more clank... :-) than bronze, sort of a bluesy retro-ish sound in a way but not so much as to distract. They seem to last longer once they're played in too - there's little deadening of the presence-effect over the last few weeks I've been playing them.

The one thing I don't like about these Martin Retros is the b string - it's a .16 when most other acoustic sets with .12 as a high e use .17 for the b. I bought replacement .17 b strings to swap out but as of yet I haven't done that - so the b is definitely zingier than what I'm used to.

I'll try some different monel strings down the road, but these are doing great for now. It's good to have options to fine tune an acoustic to accentuate the positive IMO.

I love acoustic guitars !

[reckhart]

If we're talking about the Martin Retros, I tried some and was pretty disappointed. I don't know what I was expecting, but what I got were strings that to my ears sounded wimpy from the beginning and didn't get any better. I gave them 3-4 days then took them off, put on some EJ-16's and my J35 came back to life. Now, I did like the Martin FX flexcore strings, but I've had a hard time finding them locally.

[Placida]

Originally Posted by Archtop Guy

Just FYI, the plain strings of all sets are steel.

It's only the wrap on the wound strings that matches the name such as phosphor bronze, 80/20, Monel, nickel, etc.

I see. Thanks.

But I recall buying a set of silver-coated (I believe) strings years ago for a small guitar, but maybe I'm mistaken. Thanks again!

[painasusual]

I tried the monels just for fun. They sound like they've been on the guitar for a few months from the get go. No shimmer, no snappiness, no low end, no high trebles, just boxy and muddy mids. If I wanted to be really nice, I could call the sound mellow. Went straight back to Elixir medium bp's.

[Treenewt]

I have tried these strings several times on my D18 and on my Breedlove OM. I have the oddest experience with them. I love them when I'm just picking and playing unplugged (especially on the Breedlove). But as soon as I plug In they lose all the bite and punch. They just seem weak, like I have to work twice as hard to pull the sound out. Weird.

But they sound great on both these spruce/mahogany guitars. Haven't tried them on my Eastman yet though.

[DaveKell]

Originally Posted by frank4001

Sometimes I feel like the proverbial outlier on these boards.

I tried John Pearse Nickel on my J-40M and loved them.
Actually sounded close to
PB but a little softer sounding and feeling..

Maybe the Pearse are very different form the Monel though.
I can't imagine very much.
Just ordered a few sets so guess I'll find out.

I seem to recall reading that the Martin monels were nickel plated. However, that hardly sounds right for a string. The Pearse nickels are pure nickel. I have them on all 3 of my acoustics at the recommendation of Merle Travis' son Thom Bresh. They sound less than desirable for the first 3 or 4 days but after that they improve dramatically and last well over two months. Also. a set costs just five bucks.

[Zissou Intern]

Just put a set of Martin Tony Rice Monels on my Blueridge BR140A, and they fit that guitar really well. With J17's it is a bit harsh, especially in the trebles. The Monels smoothed out the tone, gave it a bit of a played in string sound. I think the trebles are a bit thicker sounding as well. I ordered another half dozen sets. I haven't tried TR's on my Eastman E10SS yet. I don't think they would be a good fit there, but I'll give them a shot some day.

I have used the Gibson Sam Bush Monels on my last couple F5's as well. They produce a tone that is like PB strings that are just on the verge of going dead. There is a certain meatiness or thickness that I really like at that point. And with Monels, that tone lasts for a long time; I can run them for 3 or 4 months. PB's usually only give me a few weeks or a month before they go dead.

Punkybub mentioned clanky. That is exactly the tone I look for in an F5, that mid range clank that I hear in Bill and Ronnie and Mike Compton. I need to go play my Blueridge to see if I hear the clankiness there as well. Maybe that is why I like Monels so much...

[frank4001]

Well I put the Monels (lights) on my J-40M last night.
At first kind of raspy. Only played a little as I was on Halloween kiddie duty.

Anyway this morning they were much nicer, rounder. Good bass responce ect. and reminded me of the John Pearse.

Versus Phospher Bronze I guees I'd describe the sound as more fundemental, but just as resonant. Not as brilliant might be the word. I'll try to get a cell phone video together but if I do that'd be a first.

They do need to settle in so if anyone puts them on give them some time befor passing judgement...or not, who really cares right ?..

Again I'm at outlier here as I enjoy playing them.

I like the sound, the feel and tonality. Doesn't mean I'm done with Phospher Bronze but so far so good. I see Maury's has them for $3.65 a pack too..

[MikeD]

I love them on vintage guitars and newer traditional sounding guitars. They let you hear more of the instrument and less of the string IMO, and they last for months. I'm not sure how they would work with a modern sounding guitar, but my guess is that they might not be as good of a match based on how those guitars are voiced... Meaning the guitars are designed to have a lot of overtones and colorful nuances that PB's seem to work well with. I have found that the Monels work best on dry fundamental guitars. I used to use 80/20's on those guitars, but have made the switch to the Monels for the past 9 months and have been rather pleased with the results.