#16
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I cant say exactly what it is but i put martin Monel retros on my unruly mahogany guitar and they not only tamed the brightness but they have improved the whole guitar,its tone,and my approach to how it can sound its best.,ps the strings have been on for about a year now and only seem to get better.
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#17
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EXPs still seem to be readily available, even given the slowdown in production due to COVID-19. I have seen on a few sites people are unhappy with XTs compared to EXPs, so I really hope they don't view it as a replacement (especially since the price is more for XTs than EXPs).
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Santa Cruz | Huss & Dalton | Lakewood Fan (and customer) of: -Charmed Life Picks -Organic Sounds Select Guitars -Down Home Guitars |
#18
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You might try DR Dragonskins. I believe they are essentially Rares with a coating. You can buy them in a 2 for 1 pack which makes them very economical too.
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#19
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I think, warm or bright sound is not always created equal. Some guitarists play primarily with their nails or finger picks and others are flesh players.
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There are still so many beautiful things to be said in C major... Sergei Prokofiev |
#20
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Monel was the string that most “golden era” Martins and Gibsons would have been strung with in the 1930’s.
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Neal A few nice ones, a few beaters, and a few I should probably sell... |
#21
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I also think Elixir Polywebs are worth a try, even though they seem to usually be 80/20 not PB. You also consider the Elixir HD set which was designed with a different gauge-range to help balance brighter Taylor guitars as I recall.
Silk-steel core strings have a much lighter tension, but in my experience they are very warm. If you want to go all the way to warm, don't mind a loss in raw volume, and might actually welcome a lighter tension string, they'd be one way to drastically change the guitar's timbre I think.
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----------------------------------- Creator of The Parlando Project Guitars: 20th Century Seagull S6-12, S6 Folk, Seagull M6; '00 Guild JF30-12, '01 Martin 00-15, '16 Martin 000-17, '07 Parkwood PW510, Epiphone Biscuit resonator, Merlin Dulcimer, and various electric guitars, basses.... Last edited by FrankHudson; 08-19-2020 at 09:16 AM. Reason: bad typo |
#22
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In my experience, the strings I play most often (all in light gauge) from brighter to warmer:
Elixir Nanoweb phosphor bronze D’Addario EXP phosphor bronze D’Addario phosphor bronze John Pearse phosphor bronze D’Addario nickel bronze That’s just my subjective opinion as I’ve switched between those strings on a couple guitars over the years, but I don’t change strings enough to definitively say that’s the order they should be in. I will say that this is after the strings have been played in a little bit — the Elixir strings are actually on the more mellow end initially (as are the EXP but to a lesser degree) compared to the brightness you get at first with pretty much all the other phosphor bronze strings. |
#23
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Generally, just about any PB string will sound warmer than Elixir.
I have Elixir 13-53 Nanoweb HD Lights 13 17 25 32 42 53 on my Avalon and they aren't too bad. They are not as bright as the GHS Bright Bronze that I had on it, but not as mellow as Pierre Bensusan's DADGAD strings made by Wyres. Silk and steel are very warm also.
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Barry Sad Moments {Marianne Vedral cover}: My SoundCloud page Some steel strings, some nylon. |
#24
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Literally everything is warmer and thicker sounding than Elixirs.
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#25
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I second SCGC Parabolics, but only Mid-Tensions work for me. I'd use them even if they were "longer" lasting, but they are, which definitely helps with the $18/pak. Not as slippery feeling as other coated strings as well.
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“The tapestry of life is more important than a single thread.” R. Daneel Olivaw in I. Asimov's Robots and Empire. |
#26
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On the Gibson, I'd try the strings they probably came with - Masterbuilt 80/20, or the GHS Bright Bronze 80/20. Let them settle and play in for a few good days before you decide whether you like them or not.
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EMTSteve a couple guitars too many |
#27
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The Polywebs are, in general, softer in tone. The coating on them is thicker than the Nanowebs, so they feel a bit different... the Polyweb strings are even quieter than the Nanowebs when it comes to finger "squeak" noise... if you have a strong attack strength, the Polyweb coating will "shred" faster than the Nanoweb coating does...
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"He's one of those who knows that life is just a leap of faith. Spread your arms and hold your breath, always trust your cape..." "The Cape" (Guy Clark/Jim Janowsky/Susanna Clark) |
#28
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There's nothing traditional about PB. They only came out in the 1970's. I learnt on Monel which I suppose might be why I really like them and their recent widespread reavailability .
Alternatively I've become old enough to be described as 'traditional'. That fits! |
#29
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As to why they last so long, it's down to metallurgy - they resist corrosion. As others have stated, they're one of the string types that were actually used on pre-war Martins and the like. Another option which is a nice middle ground (actually on the brighter side) are Nickel Bronze - literally their PB strings with a nickel coating. Nickel also resists corrosion. I'm a big fan of Aluminum Bronze strings... have a somewhat different tonality, last about 2-3x as long as typical PBs but not quite as long as Monels/Nickel/Coated strings.
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'18 Pre*War 000-28 Braz |
#30
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Newtone Nickel Plated Steel Round Core strings are also excellent.
I have a set on my J45 right now and D18. They produce a nice mellow tone with just enough bite so as to not be dull... ...and, you can’t wear the dang things out.
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Nothing bothers me unless I let it. Martin D18 Gibson J45 Gibson J15 Fender Copperburst Telecaster Squier CV 50 Stratocaster Squier CV 50 Telecaster |
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