Woodtone strings
 

I just put a set of their Country Series on my Eastman AR 805 and I am very impressed. They are right between a light and medium set and have a light coating. The tension is on the low side but they raised the action just a hair so there is no Klang if you lay into it. I don't detect any of the dreaded coated string synthetic sound. Very woody but more refined clarity than regular bronze. I was using D'addario Nickel bronze low tension, great strings but just a hair light and buzzy if you push too hard. I felt a regular medium set would be too much and these really fit the bill. IMHO.

Have you ever tried Martin Monel MM13's: slinkier and looser-feeling than PB/80-20 mediums (paradoxically, they have higher linear tension - go figure :confused:), with a warm "woody" tone that perfectly complements "Depression-era" instruments (hog-top flattops, 16" archtops) - highly recommended...

I will have to give them a try, thank you.

Hey buddyrama,
I have an 805ce that I only use for acoustic now. I happen to use the Martin Monels suggested here (sound nice & have very long life) and I prefer the tone I get when I tune down 1/2 step. Easy enough to try and change back if you don't care for it.
FWIF, even though I don't plug this guitar in, with monel strings you can if you want to without the volume imbalance of amplified bronze strings.

Thanks, I will have to try them. I spoke with the manufacturer and they are going to offer these strings uncoated in the future. I wish more companies offered string sets with these gauges, they are the perfect spot between light and medium sets. I will try the Martins.

Thanks, I will have to give them a try. The lower tension sounds great. I did speak with Woodtone and they are going to offer these strings uncoated in the future. They sit right between light and medium, which I find perfect for certain guitars. Thanks for the responses.

Benedetto
 

All the greats endorse Benedetto, they make string, guitars and amps that are the standard in archtop guitar. Benedetto is far ahead of any brand available, and the professional choice by most of the world's greatest archtop musicians.

Not to beat a dead horse, but not all the greats today play or endorse Benedetto. Julian Lage's archtop was made by Linda Manzer. Kurt Rosenwinkel plays Westvilles and Moffas, among others. Bobby Broom is linked to Koentopp. I could go on, but you get the point. Lots of choices.

Back to strings, like several others here I like monels, both Martin and Curt Mangan.

I hope Bob pays you well to shill for him.

Regards,
Howard Emerson

Bob's reach in the archtop world is appreciated here along with his mentoring of some great builders (Bill Comins and John Buscarno to name 2).
That said, there are LOTS of great archtop builders out there...and Bob is one of them!