In my case, I own two guitars that I prefer to string with nickel alloy strings, and one on which I tolerate them. They don’t sound very good on any of my other guitars, but I do like them on my banjos and on one of my mandolins.
The two guitars that I prefer to string with nickel alloy strings are my maple Guild jumbo and my koa 12 fret Triple O (both of which have spruce tops.) The other guitar that I string with nickel alloy strings is my cedar-topped Seagull Folk model guitar that I keep out on a stand next to my computer. I think it actually sounds better with phosphor bronze strings, but only somewhat better, and I string it with nickel strings simply because I can keep it out on a stand and not have to restring it as often. Nickel alloy strings definitely stay playable for longer than uncoated bronze strings do.
Even though I’m not especially enthralled by the sound of nickel strings on that particular instrument, I still like them significantly better than any of the coated strings I’ve experimented with on that guitar.
Wade Hampton Miller
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