[Martie]

Ok, it's probably a silly question, but I've often heard it said that strings should be neutral but, to be honest, I see it as a two way thing, as in it's the strings job to drive the guitar and, conversely, it's the guitars job to 'accommodate' and amplify the strings. For example (possibly a bad one, given the context!), I use Thomastik Infeld Jazz Swing flatwound 11s on my Fender Jazzmaster and, as far as I'm concerned, I love those strings and they are absolutely central to the sound/feel I want. As such, it's the guitars 'job' to enable me to make and amplify music with those strings. Obviously, I can manipulate the sound with various techniques, effects, EQ etc., and the pick-ups, materials, shape of the guitar add their own flavours, as well as contribute to playability and aesthetics etc. (I LOVE Jazzmasters!).

But it's just got to be the right strings for me as they are a fundamental part of the final voice of the instrument (ultimately, the 'performance'), which is then complimented by both the voice of the guitar and the player (and we could ask 'which came first, music or the musician, a question which is beautifully explored in the book 'Nada Brahma: the World is Sound' by Joachim Ernst Berendt). So it's like there all these crucial factors: strings; guitar; player; environment/context etc., and to overlook any of them is to miss the bigger picture...? Anways, I'm getting carried away now, but worth a thought.