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#1
10-23-2017, 09:27 PM
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Some String Sampling!!!
Hey everyone! As many of you may know, I am a staunch fan of Elixir Nanoweb phosphor bronze strings (and still am, for certain purposes), but, thanks in no small part to this Forum, I have been "searching" for the perfect strings for my Goodall Grand Concert (redwood over mahogany).
I had tried John Pearse strings, back in the middle-late 70's, and I liked them a lot... then I got a few sets that were not "quite right", and heard something from my local store that Pearse had changed the manufacturing plant or something... in any case, I had not used them in 4 decades or so! I had read so many wonderful reports on the JP strings (BIG shout out to Wade; he has always been a strong proponent of Pearse's products and his comments were instrumental - ha! - in my trying them again!) that I decided to give them a try again. I was a bit leery of going back to uncoated strings, both for the feel and the short lifespan (when compared to Elixirs). Went ahead and put a set on the Goodall... WONDERFUL STRINGS!!! They sounded very good, well balanced tone and were MUCH louder than the Elixirs. Really enjoyed having them on the guitar, and they hung in there for just over 3 months before beginning to sound too "thuddy" for my tastes... no denying how good those strings are! Along with being noticeably louder than Elixirs, they managed to bring out nuances in the tone of my Goodall that I had never heard prior... I will use them on the Goodall so long as I have the $$ to keep changing them every few months... I just tried a set of the Pearse's on my Angus F-40 (spruce over maple), and didn't have much luck with those... somehow the sound wasn't quite "there" and they went flat in just about a month... but they sure sounded terrific on my little Goodall, so I'm pleased about that. When I bought the Pearse's from Strings and Beyond, I also got a set of the GHS Infinity bronze strings to try... these are GHS's entry into the "coated" string market. Didn't like them very much at all... they have a "grainy" feel similar to the D'Addario EXP strings, (although not as "squeak-producing"), and I couldn't get past that. The tone was okay but not great, and as they aged a bit, the lower strings started having an odd characteristic to the tone that I didn't find pleasing. They came off the Goodall in about a month, and I had to fight the urge to change them sooner than that... sigh... GHS are REALLY serious about their strings staying "fresh"... the outer package is sealed tightly, requiring a blade of some sort to open, as it would not tear easily. Even the individual strings are sealed up in packets that I had to use a knife to open! However good those strings are when they go into the packages, they STAY that way! Another thing I have to say is that GHS's Customer Service was STELLAR! The low E string on those Infinity strings was a bit flat from the outset, so I called GHS to see what they'd do about it. The response was unequivocally a hearty, "We'll send you another set...". The man I spoke to was a great guy who had been playing since the 70's and we had a grand time chatting about music and the guitar... when I finished the call, he asked me if I wanted anything else, like other strings... he strongly recommended the GHS Vintage Bronze set, saying that Eric Johnson felt they were the only good acoustic strings that GHS made! So, he sent me a complimentary set of those to try out... Those Vintage Bronze strings just went on the Goodall tonight, so I don't yet have a report on them... but I figured I would go ahead and give my rundown of the John Pearse phosphor bronze set and the GHS Infinity. I use light gauge (12's), if it matters. Summary: LOVED the John Pearse strings on my redwood/mahogany Goodall Grand Concert, loved everything about them! The same set did NOT "play well" with my spruce/maple Mark Angus F-40. The Angus is my main gigging guitar, and I think I'll just keep the Elixirs on it, as it has a good pickup in it and my nervous sweat won't trash them after one gig! Just hard to argue with getting 4-6 months of life from a set of strings... I hope this will assist some of you in your string choices for the future!
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"Home is where I hang my hat, but home is so much more than that. Home is where the ones and the things I hold dear are near... And I always find my way back home." "Home" (working title) J.S, Sherman Last edited by jseth; 10-24-2017 at 07:16 PM. 
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#2
10-25-2017, 03:44 PM
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An addendum... I spoke too soon about the Pearse strings on my maple/spruce Angus; checked them out yesterday (my gig was Saturday night), and they actually sound BETTER than they did prior to the gig...?!!!
Seems they have a "second wind" or something... at this point, they don't really have that extra-crisp ringing tone, but they really THUMP nicely, especially for more bluesy stuff where I'm pedaling the low E string while playing over the top of that drone...
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"Home is where I hang my hat, but home is so much more than that. Home is where the ones and the things I hold dear are near... And I always find my way back home." "Home" (working title) J.S, Sherman
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#3
10-26-2017, 08:12 AM
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FWIW, I have had the same “second wind” experience with monel strings—a negative immediate first impression, only to re-evaluate after the strings were on the guitar a day or so. I’ve seen other threads where post-ers reported the same thing, with all sorts of strings/guitar combinations. Now, I try to give any new set of strings a full week’s trial.
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"In all human work, the wise look for virtues and fools look for flaws." -Jose Ramirez I
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#4
10-26-2017, 08:16 AM
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I think this GHS offering is a lot like the original Pearse strings I used back in the 80's before (as you say) everything changed.
https://www.sweetwater.com/store/det...xoClQwQAvD_BwE Freshness a huge thing for me - and these come in a resealable outer pack, and each string is in it's own sealed pouch.
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"One small heart, and a great big soul that's driving"
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#5
10-26-2017, 08:26 AM
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Quote:
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#7
10-26-2017, 08:48 AM
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Quote:
I believe we all have this sound in our heads that we're after. I was chasing a sound with my 614 that really wasn't achievable. I found the Elixirs to get pretty good on this guitar, but they just didn't provide the sound I had in my head. But while chasing tone I found a set of strings that let my 614 be the best self it could be, so much so that when I got my 814ceDLX I had a bit of buyers' remorse because the 614 sounded so good...until I found THE string set for the 814- and it wasn't Elixir. I had tested about 8 or 9 sets of strings, including all of the Elixir nano gauge variations. I don't play my Alvarez Yairi much any more because of all my other wonderful acoustics, but I recall how much I liked the John Pearse strings on it (600L I think) though I didn't get the sense that it had any significant longevity. But still when fresh they provided an outstanding sound on this instrument.
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Assuming is not knowing. Knowing is NOT the same as understanding. There is a difference between compassion and wisdom, however compassion cannot supplant wisdom, and wisdom can not occur without understanding. facts don't care about your feelings and FEELINGS ALONE MAKE FOR TERRIBLE, often irreversible DECISIONS 
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