Quote:
Originally Posted by mr. beaumont
I do .012s but replace the E and B with those from a set of .013s.
I find heavier strings on the bottom doesn't have as much tonal benefit and just makes the guitar harder to play, but up top, it's a big positive difference.
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I agree 100% with this; I do the same thing on my Eastman! I have gone as heavy as 14 and 18 on the high E & B as an experiment, but I returned to 13 & 17 as my standard size; I think this is the ideal size for tone and playability.
I find that the low E & A strings tend to get "tubby" faster than the other strings, so I keep singles around and sometimes change the bottom two strings before changing the rest. Also, lighter strings in the bass register last longer and are more articulate, IMO.
Some of you might then ask if this makes the string tension disproportionate. I was concerned about this, so I wrote out a chart with the individual string tensions of my preferred strings. Thomastik Infeld Bebop are probably my favourite archtop strings, and are very well balanced in terms of tension (look at the inside of the string pack label for tensions). I find that replacing the high E & B on sets from other companies with one size heavier string usually makes sense if using the TI sets as a guide for tension. In general, most sets will not be imbalanced in terms of tension if the high E & B are replaced with one size heavier gauge, and I replace these two strings on pretty much all sets except the Thomastik Infelds, which seem ideal to me. Plus the Thomastiks have those brass coated top strings which feel a little bit nicer. Incidentally, the plain steel Thomastiks are slightly lower tension than the equivalent strings from most other companies.
I also like Monels for my Eastman, but I'm not crazy about the Martin "Retros" because they are hex core and quite stiff (although they sound great!). I'm planning on trying the Curt Mangan Monels or Newtone Monels next. I was surprised to find that Newtone makes Monels and am looking forward to trying them.