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Old 01-18-2019, 09:03 PM
AcousticDreams AcousticDreams is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by wguitar View Post
Knives -- what gauge DR Sunbeams have you tried. I started with JP 12's, then Elixir Nanoweb PB 11's, and now DR Sunbeams 11's. My next set will be DR Sunbeams 12's. As you noted, the DR Sunbeams play nice, but the 11's lack the "body" I'm looking for. They do sound pretty good on the 1989 Taylor 810 though.
From my limited experience Dr. Sunbeams sound good On Rosewood but not necessarily other back and sides. I have two Identical Larrivees Dread 40. One Rosewood and the other Walnut. Sunbeams sound great on Rosewood, but rather plain on my Walnut. Go figure! JP's sound better on my Walnut.
String gauge: Larrivee's are built with .13teens specifically in mind. That doesn't mean that a lesser gauge will not work. But they are built to take heavier gauge.
I learned just recently that one of the benefits of the lone custom acoustic guitar builder, is they will tailor the guitar's build to your desired string gauge. How this works is they build the guitar lighter so it becomes more responsive. But when you build it lighter, it will not be able to take heavier string gauges.
So to get the maximum tone on Larrivee's a 13-56 is needed. As they are built very well and made to last.
One of The advantages of the great advantages of Roundcores is they are easier to bend and fret. This is due the core being round instead of Hex. A triangle will be stronger than a circle of the same size. I would assume it would even be more so for Hex core. So, the result is you have relatively the same tension on your soundboard, but it is easier to play. On a wide generalization, Roundcores typically have about 3% less tension as compared to their Hexcore counterparts. That will equate for many to be around a 5 pound overall tension difference.
However, all of that you no good if the sound is not right for yourself. Or if the gauge strings are to tight to accommodate your playing style.
One often overlooked characteristic is just has fast we can adapt and change. By this I mean, we can slightly change our playing style to accommodate the benefits of the different strings. As with anything...you get some more in one area...and loose something in another area.
If you find that you have heard something in Dr. Sunbeams that you like, then I would also suggest you trying Newtones Masterclass. Sunbeams are more responsive - sensitive to touch and possibly a little easier to fret. Newtones have a fatter purer tone.
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