Which Strings Sound best to you?

[samjoseph]

Just want to hear about your experiences with strings for any of you who have ever owned a Seagull. I am a beginner and im having different types of strings sent to me to try them out. Idk which kind came with my guitar but i like them. they were bright. I switched them to earthwood rock and blues and i dont like those as much. Just looking for opinions. not necessarily advice.

[harindavid]

I'd go for elixirs any day. They sound amazing plus they last forever. Give it a try and see. I buy the 12s

[Wade Hampton]

Sam, I use John Pearse phosphor bronze strings on my Seagull 12 string and on my Simon & Patrick 6 string (which is made by the same company as the Seagulls and is structurally identical.) Both of those guitars have solid cedar tops and laminated wild cherry back and sides.

I've used both mediums and lights on the Simon & Patrick 6 string, depending on whichever I had on hand when it came time to change strings, and both sounded fine.

Hope this helps.


Wade Hampton Miller

[Legendary]

Originally Posted by harindavid

I'd go for elixirs any day. They sound amazing plus they last forever. Give it a try and see. I buy the 12s

Elixirs all day!!!!!

[slide496]

Vintages - Martin Phosphor Bronze Light/extralights

Resonators - Martin Bluegrass and Michel Messer 13-56

Little Martin - Elixir Nanoweb light 80/20

[Gizmot]

After trying several brands of strings (breaking out of my old paradigms), I'm convinced that John Pearse strings are the best. They're not bright to the point of pain like Elixirs and are more consistent than anything else I've tried.

Go Pearse!

[random works]

Pearse-most satisfying if less flashy. D'Addario, flashier and fun but not as satisfying somehow. DR Sunbeams- easy to play with a slightly subdued and lightly rich sound.
These are my first, second and third choices at this point in time and are all really different sounding to my ears.

[Paully]

I like Martin MSP4100 strings

[brencat]

Originally Posted by samjoseph

Just want to hear about your experiences with strings for any of you who have ever owned a Seagull.

The Godin strings your Seagull likely came with were repackaged D'Addarrio EJ16 light PBs. These are okay strings IMO, but my S6 sounded much better with the Martin MSP4100 light PBs, due to the heavier gauge low E and G strings Martin uses compared with other brands. Did not like the John Pearce 600L on this guitar, sorry gang.

Near the end of my time with the Seagull before I sold it, I strung it with MSP4150 light-medium PBs and these were the best of all. The guitar had much stronger bass, volume, and overall richer tone.

[harindavid]

Originally Posted by Legendary

Elixirs all day!!!!!

Word brother!

[painasusual]

I prefer D'addario 80/20's in medium 13-56 cauge. I used to use elixirs, but the g string in the set always developed a kink on the 2. fret. I like bright strings in my 000-28. I also tried Cleartone Phosphor Bronze but they were all muddy and too dark.

[revvv]

You will get a million answers to this question. Playing style, wood, etc all play a part in what string is best. For example; my Breedlove prefers DR Dragonskins.

[Guitarbitz]

Finding a string that suits you, your guitar, your style and gives you the sound you want is a bit of a journey.

Each brand makes their strings in a slightly different way, which means there are slight tonal differences between them and this means different strings interact with the wood of your guitar differently.

So, try a few different types and gauges and find a set that suits your guitar, style and ability.

Try the different manufacturers; Ernie Ball; D'Addario; Rotosound; Fender; Elixir; Martin; etc).


For Acoustic guitars:

Choose between Phosphor Bronze which gives a mellow, rounded tone, or 80/20 Bronze which gives bright, crisp, sharp tones.

The gauge of the strings is related to the thinnest string. Gauge 12, aka 0.012, aka 12 thousandths of an inch, is the standard found on most acoustic guitars. Heavier gauge strings (e.g. 13, 14, etc) are harder to play as they have more tension but give more bass tones and volume. Lighter gauge strings (e.g. 11, 10, 9, etc) have less tension and therefore easier to play, but have more treble tones and less volume.



For an electric guitar:

Try different string materials. Pure nickel will give soft, mellow tones and feel smooth, Stainless Steel will give sharp, powerful tones and feel rough, Nickel plated Steel is a combination and gives the best of both with a smooth feel.

Try different gauges (lighter gauges give you more treble tones and are easier to play, heavier gauges give more powerful bass tones but are hearder to play). Or look at a hybrid set, light treble strings for easy bends with heavy bass strings for that power and bass.

[jazzalta2]

D'Addario Phospher Bronze...works the best for my Martin.

[D18Hoglover]

Originally Posted by Paully

I like Martin MSP4100 strings

#1 on Martin SP's But I use MSP4200. Seem very consistent and last