Ain't Nothin' Wrong With EJ16's (WAS: My Recent String Odyssey)
 

RETRACTION 11/15/2021
PLEASE SKIP THIS NONSENSE AND READ REPLY #6

When I got back into guitar playing recently after a decade-long layoff (pursuing other musical adventures, you might say) I was shocked at how much I hated the sound of the light gauge Elixir Nanoweb Phosphor Bronze strings that had always been my go-to favorites. Just harsh sounding with clashing overtones that muddled the sound of the tune I was actually playing.

So over the last few weeks, between my "good guitar" (a John Walker Lolo Creek L-00 style spruce and mahogany beauty) and another "beater" dreadnought I've swapped on and off a wide variety of string types and gauges. Not only swapping whole sets but mix and matching different gauges in the trebles. I was completely unable to settle on one set of strings that were perfect in every way but at some point I had to just stop the madness!

The result was I now know two types of strings that work well, depending on whether I want to prioritize tone or ease of playing. Thought I'd share my selections just in case anyone finds it of interest (probably not).

For ease of playing, I chose the set that is now "permanently" (ha!) installed on the beater Dred. It's the round-core GHS "Thin Core Phosphor Bronze" light set which pairs 12 and 16 gauge plan treble strings with fairly small wound strings of gauges 20, 27, 38 and 52. The bottom three strings have round core wire while the 20-gauge G-string is conventional hex core. Total tension is rated at just 138 pounds although for me it's a good bit less as that Dred is 25.0" scale and I tune the 6th string down to D which reduces its tension by about five pounds. So somewhere under 130 pound I reckon.

Those Thin Core strings really are floppy and supple under the left hand so I can't imagine anything offering better comfort. But that is not a particularly full or robust sounding set of strings. The laminated Dred isn't going to sound great no matter what so no great loss and the reduced tension is helpful to forestall the bridge lifting or breaking (which I'm guessing isn't far off). It's a pleasant, balanced, sustaining set of strings although pretty quiet sounding on a heavy, laminated guitar.

For best tonal quality to my ears, the L-00 gets GHS Vintage Bronze in light gauge (12, 16, 24, 32, 42, 54) although I do prefer the sound of 11 and 15 gauge trebles on that guitar. This set is rated 167 pounds but the guitar is 24-5/8" scale and I also tune it down to Drop-D. So I'm guessing somewhere around 150-155 pounds depending on which exact treble gauges I'm using.

The drawback isn't so much the tension as the stiffness. The core wires in these are about as thick and stiff as any 12-54 gauge set I know of. So there are definitely days when I've been playing a lot and my fingertips are getting sore. That's why it's nice to be able to pick up the lightly-strung Dreadnought for a few hours to give my fingers a break but wow, the sound quality is night and day different.

The Vintage Bronze is GHS's 85/15 formulation which I gather is a bit of a dinosaur in today's guitar-string world. But I love them on this guitar. Nice controllable amount of sustain and while there are plenty of overtones and a rich timbre it's not nearly so blaring and in-your-face as the 92/8 Phosphor Bronze strings I've tried. FWIW, I do thing the 85/15 is much closer in tone to Phosphor Bronze than to 80/20 brass strings. Kind of like PB's with the tone knob dialed back one notch, I suppose.

If you want some more options for your Walker: Martin Retros. Maybe Santa Cruz Parabolics (i just bought a Santa Cruz OM short scale, and the previous owner said it had very old Parabolics on it; nonetheless, it sounds great and the string don’t feel floppy to me).

Glad you found what you were looking for, been down that deep rabbit hole myself. I have read so many good things about the GHS Vintage Bronze with regards to a warm tone that I bought two sets for future experimentation.

I also had a set of the GHS Thin core on a Larrivee L-01 but the tone seemed a bit unbalanced to me. It always sounded great with John Pearse Bluegrass Med/lights so I went back to those

Interesting findings. How long have you been leaving each set of strings on the guitar before swapping the, out over these past few weeks? I ask because for me often times strings settle in and sound much better and different after a day or two.

It varies. A couple sets I put on, checked back again the next day and still didn't like them so I swapped them out. But generally I give them anywhere from 3-4 days to maybe a week or so. Honestly, for me if I play them a couple hours then let them sit overnight and play a couple hours the next morning most sets seem to change but beyond that point not much change.

I had a set of Nickel Bronze D'Addarios on there for a week and a half at one point, followed by the Vintage Bronze for another week and a half. That was the toughest choice, I liked both of them but they sound very different from each other and I decided the Vintage Bronze were what I'd rather hear.

With that said. the low-tension Thin Core PB have been on my "beater" Dred for at least a couple weeks now. Maybe closer to three weeks. I just basically wanted to get something that would be safe for the bridge which looks a little shaky.

I would like to issue a retraction of basically this entire silly thread. Made the call way too early when I said my choice of strings on my John Walker "Lolo Creek" was down to either D'Addario Nickel Bronze or GHS Vintage Bronze.

Almost as soon as I posted, I fell out of love with the Vintage Bronze. Then pretty quickly moved on to not liking them at all. Just too warm/dark sounding when played with my usual 1.2mm-1.4mm Wegen and Blue Chip picks. So I went back to the Nickel Bronze and those were disappointing for the opposite reason. Just not enough richness and overtones.

So I bailed on the whole project. When I went to the dealer to audition this guitar in 2009 it had D'Addario EXP16's and it felt and sounded great. That's why I bought it! I used either EXP16 or uncoated EJ16 for a while before eventually switching to Elixirs. But there's nothing in the world wrong with how it sounds with D'Addario phosphor bronze strings, that's what was on its setup was done, they work fine.

The heck with it. I've got EJ16 on there now, by the third day they had settled into a great sound that is just what I'm looking for from this instrument. Based on past experience, they may only last 2-3 weeks if I'm playing a lot but so what. A 3-pack costs $20, I'll changed them when they go dead.

I'm going to quit looking for solutions to a problem that doesn't exist. But some Daddy-O PB lights and there and just play. Me and about a zillion other people.

I couldn't get the EJ16 of my Alvarez quick enough ..Funny but they had a rough feeling on my fingers..
Tone was fine

I do the string test every few years. I guess I get bored. The funny thing is, I keep ending up back at D'Addario EJ16s, just like you did.

All things considered, they're still the best for me, even if they're not new and exciting. I have armor plating on the tips of the fingers of my left hand. I couldn't tell you whether they feel rough or not.

Compared to the the many types I've tried over the last couple months. the EJ16 definitely have a more rough texture than some.

I've been practicing some chord changes where I do three-note chords working my way down the neck. When I reset back up to the 9th fret if I let my fingers drag along the surface of the string they make a ziiiiiiip noise that's pretty noticeable.

….EJ-16’s have been my bench mark strings for 25 years….these days I’ve been playing mostly Santa Cruz low tensions which don’t sound much different to my ears but last a lot longer and are just a touch softer feeling…..but they have pretty much the same sound as EJ-16’s…if had to pick one set for the rest of my life…EJ-16’s would be my choice…..

I use D'Addario EJ16 strings on more of my guitars (and I have about a dozen) than any other string set.

Every time they go on sale I buy a bunch and so I always have them available in my studio when I need them. They almost always sound good no matter the guitar. My Olson needs a little more treble so I use Martin SP Authentic 80/20 strings, but otherwise EJ16 strings work essentially across the range of guitars I own.

- Glenn

Back in my early playing days when I would take my guitar to the shop even to have the strings changed (I was 15), they'd always ALWAYS use D'addarios , usually EJ16s.
I wonder how much of it is just that we've been using them for so long. Back then I wasn't even aware there were other strings to try.

What he said. I have Martin Monel lights on both of my guitars, but I'm more than likely to put on the EJ16s when it's time to change.

The day I can't get EJ16's any longer, I may just quit playing;) EJ24 True Mediums on the guitar that I tune down a half step.

I’ve got XS mediums on my Bourgeois dread. While they sound great, they don’t have the “in your face” power that EJ17s have on that guitar! The EJ strings are just about perfect, in my opinion.