Favorite Strings on Emerald Guitars
 

Hi Everyone,

I am not getting a lot of clear answers on what strings Emerald ships on their guitars. It's not listed on their website which is surprising.

Kramster and I are trying to purchase some strings, but I need some input as to what has worked well on the following models:

1. X7
2. X20
3. X10
4. X30

This would be really helpful. Then we can order the same brand for all of these guitars, change all of the strings, let them settle, and then do some recording.

Thanks so much everyone for your help!

Happy Playing!

Never easy to say what's best for everyone's taste. But I think the Elixir Nano PB strings would be a pretty good universal recommendation for all the Emeralds. I've found on my X7 (previous version) and my X20 that I haven't found any strings that sounded really bad. Of course my selection has been limited. As far as my favorites, the TI Plectrums are my favorites with the Santa Cruz low tension a very close 2nd. I know that Emerald likes the D'Addario strings, I find them hard on my dainty fingers but they sound excellent. LOL Good Luck with this big and very interesting project ! :D

I mentioned elsewhere that Emerald told me that the X20 ships with D'Addario EXP 12-53, but they didn't say whether they were 80/20 or Phosphor Bronze.

I've never been a big fan of EXPs - they feel rough under my fingers - so I'll probably be trying others as time goes by. First choice will be Elixir Nanoweb PB, as that's mostly what I use on my other acoustics. D'Addario Nickel Bronze is another candidate - I have a Washburn jumbo that just lights up with these, and I have a suspicion that the X20 might rather like them too.

I have a set of each, sitting here ready to go :) Patience, David, patience...

My X20 definitely had 80/20s on it. I played it for a few hours but quickly switched to Nanoweb PB which I like a lot better.

Edit: found the hang-tag. They were EXP 80/20s. Didn't mention a gauge but I'd bet a good sum they were 12-53.

Hi Lisa,
I like Elixir 80/20 Mediums on the X7, previous generation, and Optima #6 24 Carat Gold on the X7 Nylon, also previous generation.
Barb

It's not that surprising, given that they are a small manufacturer and thus do most likely do not have an OEM agreement with one of the large string manufacturers. Availability plays a factor.

Big manufacturers don't buy strings in sets, they purchase in bulk and the guy who strings up the guitars pulls one string from each bin. Larrivee for example has large bins of strings and use a set that is equivalent to EXP-17s, but D'Addario never packaged them in sets of 6.

Last time I asked, I was told by Emerald that they ship with EJ-16s. Other folks have been told EXP-16s, or just D'Addario Phosphor Bronze.

The D'Addarios that came on my X7 and X20 sound great, but were hard on the fingers. I have tried other brands, but I always seem to come back to the Elixir PB Nanos. To my ear, I like that sound best, and they are comfortable to play and less squeeky.

Both my new Emeralds shipped with D'Addario EXP 16's which is a string that I really like but on the Emeralds I found the slightly increased grabbiness made for some bizarre phantom tones when amplified. Right now I'm rocking John Pearse #710NM's which are PB new mediums. I do find I miss the coated strings for longevity though and I recently purchased a couple new types of coated strings but I have not as yet tried them out.

The Elixir PB Nanos are my favorite and this is what we are going to try on all of the Emerald Guitars.

We will get the strings changed, play the guitars, let them settle in, and then do some recording. I see fun coming our way!

On November 24, 2016 I ask Sean at Emerald guitar what strings the X7 and X20 were shipped with and he said :
"The gauges we put on the X7 are .012, .016, .026, .036, .046, .056
The strings on the X20 used are D'Addario EXP 11."

Strings I've tried on my Emerald 2016 X7:
Elixir Nanowed 80/20 Bronze Custom Light .011-.052
D'Addario Flat Tops Phosphor Bronze Extra Light EFT15 (.010-.047)
GHS Brite Flats Medium Set 720 (.011-.050)
Newtone Master Class Double Wound Light (.011-.050)
D'Addarrio Chrome ECG 23 Extra Light (.010-.048)
D'Addarrio Chrome ECG 24 Jazz Light (.011-.050)
Galli Bronze 80/20 Flat Wound Light AJF1047 (.010-.047)
Galli Bronze 80/20 Flat Wound Light AJF1150 (.011-.050)

Strings I've tried on my Emerald 2017 X20:
Elixir Nanowed 80/20 Bronze Extra Light (.010-.047)
D'Addarrio Chrome ECG 23 Extra Light (.010-.048)
Galli Bronze 80/20 Flat Wound Light AJF1047 (.010-.047)

At the present time my favorite strings are the Galli 80/20 Bronze Flat wound, followed by D'Addario Chrome.
All the others strings I tried were either Round wound, Ground Round or coated, and they have too much string squeak for me.

The least string squeak/noise are with the D'Addarrio Chrome Flat Wound,
they are Stainless Steel and are considered electric guitar strings. I used them on my X7 & X20 until I found the Galli strings.

The Galli can sometimes (occasionally the G string) have slight string squeak/noise. These Galli's
are 80/20 Bronze Flat Wound Acoustic guitar strings and are bright and well balanced.
At the present time they are the best strings for me and my 2016 X7 and 2017 X20.

Where do you get the Galli strings?

The tag in my X30 case just says EXP DAddario coated 80/20 bronze, no gauges shown. If I can find my digital calipers I'll check them.

I usually go with Elixer Nano's.

I get my Galli from Strings and Beyond
I like the AJF1047 better than the AJF1150 and AJF1252

The G string (.024) in the AJF1150 and AJF1252 sets has a rougher surface than the rest of the flat wound stings in those sets.
I reported this G string issue to Galli (in Italy) and Strings and Beyond about a year ago, so maybe the issues been resolved.

My X20 came with D'Addario strings, 12-53, as I recall. Switched to Elixir Nanoweb 80-20, 12-53....then recently tried the D'Addarios again...naw, sounded too dead to me. Elixers are it for me.

The Elixirs are a fantastic string. They sound great, are comfortable to play and last long.

Yup, Elixir Nanoweb PBs are pretty much my go-to acoustic string anymore. They sounded great on my Martin - they sound great on my X20, they even sounded pretty acceptable on the cheap little Gretsch Jim Dandy I had...

I've usually gone with D'Addario PB mediums – and I still do for my Martin – but I've been using Ernie Ball aluminum bronze mediums on my X20… which I guess makes me the lone weirdo around here. It seems I must like them, since I've been using them for years, but I suppose I should try a few other things just to stretch my ears out a little. They have a pretty frequency response, and they last like coated strings. Which means they also have the same drawback that coated strings do: you'll need to bite the bullet and change them when they're still sounding good because tuning stability is always the first thing to go.

.

Reviving an old thread. Has anyone else tried Martin Monels (retros) on an Emerald? They seem to have a reputation for sounding great on Mahogany guitars but terrible on rosewood. I had a few sets left over from my Martin 000-15M and have tried them on my Emeralds.

On my X20 I like 'em but they're about a wash with my go-to Elixir Nanoweb PBs - they're a little warmer and deeper but I don't have a clear preference. On my previous generation X7 I tried them and didn't like them much, greatly preferring the Nanoweb PBs.

BUT, I just tried a set on my new generation woody X7 and I'm flat out in LOVE! The Nanoweb PBs sounded great on this guitar, but to my ears, the Monels are in another league. It's like a new guitar, bigger and more woody sounding. Although the gauges are basically the same, the Monels play a little lighter, lower tension, than the Elixirs, so I may go up one level to a heavier gauge string. But these sound sooo good I'm pretty sure these are the strings I'm gonna use going forward on this guitar. Took me by surprise to be honest. I had an extra set that I didn't see myself using on anything else and decided to try them on the new X7 and anticipated switching to another set of Elixir PBs pretty quickly, but it's not gonna happen.

Just thought I'd report on that and see if anyone else has tried these on any other Emeralds. I was lukewarm on them but on this guitar, it's a blazing fire.

-Ray

The new Martin Authentic SP Lifespans 2.0 PB have been great on the X20. Liking them a lot more than the Elixirs. I haven't tried the Monels or regular SP's yet, but will. Good to hear they are working for you.

I realize not many folks will be interested but,
I found another set of acoustic guitar flat wound strings to try,
Dogal Nightclub V25.
They've been installed on my Emerald X20 for 6 days and so far I like them better than the Galli AJF1047 Flat wound 80/20 Bronze I've been using.
I'm only trying the Dogal because I found them on sale for less than $19.00 a set normally they're $27.00
When I use up the Dogal, I'll be using the Galli again at $16.50 a set.

As far as sound comparison between the Galli and the Dogal I can't honestly comment.
The Galli were installed almost a year ago and at the time I recall they sounded, bright and well balanced, better than the D'Addario Chrome Flat wounds I was using.
These recently installed Dogal sound extremely well to me, they are well balanced and bright.
I wish I had two like guitars so that I could compare Galli and Dogal side by side.

The flat wound string surface on the Dogal strings are smoother than the Galli.
In the Galli string set, the flat wound surface of the G string is noticeably less smooth than the D, A and E flat wound strings in the same set.
The Dogal are easier to play and string bends are easier too.
There is less overall tension with the Dogal.

Galli AJF1047 Flatwound 80/20 Bronze ...Hex Core
.010 - .014 - .023w - .030 - .039 - .047

Dogal Nightclub V25 Bronze Flatwound...Round Core
.011 - .014 - .016w - .022 - .030 - .042

https://i.imgur.com/LlarS2U.jpg?2

Thanks for the tip. Just ordered a set.

I think there is an inherent magic mixing Retros with CF, but that’s just me. have a set of lights on deck to try on my OF660 and they were my favorite all time strings in my previously owned RainSong (thanks to our very own “jdinco “ John’s review). Due to their price I think it is worth trying. You already know the other benefits Retros bring. Not surprised they pair well with the new X7.

121,

I find your comments on strings interesting. Would you mind sharing your playing style? Are you mainly a fingerstylist?

As for me, (fingerstyle w/without thumbpick, and flatpick equally) I have generally used elixir nanowebs on the X20-12 for convenience and long life. Their tone is decent, but I prefer Curt Mangan’s 12 string PB 9-46 light coated set for tone.

On the X20 baritone, I also use a Curt Mangan set, PB, 16-70. Their 14-68 nickel set is also intriguing, but I haven’t tried them yet.

I have found not much to like about exp’s on any guitar, CF or wood. John Pearse PB’s and nickels are very good strings in my experience. Have not yet tried monel on CF.

Thanks for the discussion.

No fingerstyle.
I use a flat pick.
I like oldie stuff like Satin Doll, Girl From Ipanema, Summer Time, early Beatles and some blues.
My playing style is basically,
strum chords and pick out lead parts in between vocals parts.
One reason I favor flat wound strings is because of slide blend lead picking parts. I like to slide my fret hand fingers with pressure on the string from note to note, slide blend. Finger pressure on these string slides causes string squeak when using round wound, ground round or coated strings, with flat wound strings no string squeak.
Reducing finger pressure can mitigate or alleviate string squeak, but it greatly reduces the slide blend effect.

I LOVE the Lifespan strings! I will be trying the Retros in February as my tech is installing an Anthem SL. The Lifespan strings do take a while to break in, and they are painful when you first put them on. Let them settle and you will be very very pleased!

Yep, agreed, they were a bit bass heavy at first, but after 4 weeks, they sound great. Really glad to hear someone else likes them too. Good to know my ears aren't completely gone. LOL

Over the years I have tried Elixirs on several different Martins and was never able to get a decent sound from them, so Ray's comment about Martin and Elixirs surprises me, must have been different models of Martins then what I was trying. OM28, HD28, Jr., 000-15sm.

I don’t recall using Elixirs back in the day when I had a D-28 - May have tried them but I think I was mostly playing Martin strings on it. But I used them pretty happily on an 000-15M, which is a pretty close relative of the 000-15SM you were playing them on. I was ultimately happier with the Monels, as now seems to be the case with the new X7, but I certainly wasn’t unhappy with the Elixirs on that guitar... And I like em just fine on the X20 and really liked them on the older X7, maybe because they helped it project a little better to the player...

-Ray

Can't rule out my ears Ray. LOL :D They like to play tricks on me at times. Thanks for the response. I find that generally Elixirs are like a Honda Accord, they don't do anything the best. but do everything pretty darn well.

I just got a set of these (mediums) and will be putting them on my X7. I have been using DR Veritas mediums for the past three changes and thought those worked pretty well but was interested in trying something a bit different this time.