Aluminum-Bronze by Ernie Ball

[jklotz]

Ran across this on another forum. Anybody tried these yet? Here are some comments from that other post (not mine):

"New to me anyway. Aluminum-Bronze by Ernie Ball. I spotted them at Guitar Center and picked up a pack. Pricey at $11.99 too. Just had to get them to try. I haven't put them on yet.

Anyone familiar with these? On the package they claim to have lower lows and higher highs than typical phosphor bronze strings."

"I've been using them on my Martin for a couple of years now. I was intrigued when I noticed so many of the artists at CandyRat gave credit for the strings, because the tone on some of their guitars is so good.

I like them a lot. The tone of the guitar is a lot brighter, and the low end does seem more prominent. And they tend to outlast Phosphor Bronze strings in terms of keeping their brightness."

[JERZEY]

They are not terrible strings. I get longer then average life out of them. They sound good on some guitars but not most guitars.

[steelvibe]

I agree with JERZEY. They are not as universal as phosphor bronze strings and my experience is that when on the right guitar they sound great but not so great on others. I've tried them on mahogany tops, sitka, and two different carbon fiber guitars. They sounded best on a carbon fiber parlor to my ears.

One thing you might be disappointed in is that they look used right out of the pack and they turn my fingers and hands black. I can't stand that about them.

[UncleJesse]

I find AB strings work best on dark-sounding guitars. They bring out some brightness. Good on EIR guitars not as much on Mahogany, IMO.

[Shadowfox]

Originally Posted by jklotz

Ran across this on another forum. Anybody tried these yet? Here are some comments from that other post (not mine):

"New to me anyway. Aluminum-Bronze by Ernie Ball. I spotted them at Guitar Center and picked up a pack. Pricey at $11.99 too. Just had to get them to try. I haven't put them on yet.

Anyone familiar with these? On the package they claim to have lower lows and higher highs than typical phosphor bronze strings."

"I've been using them on my Martin for a couple of years now. I was intrigued when I noticed so many of the artists at CandyRat gave credit for the strings, because the tone on some of their guitars is so good.

I like them a lot. The tone of the guitar is a lot brighter, and the low end does seem more prominent. And they tend to outlast Phosphor Bronze strings in terms of keeping their brightness."

They are very bright strings. They also seem to last equivalent to me to coated strings, YMMV. I used them exclusively on my Martin MMV to balance out the bass-heavy nature of that guitar.

However, on my Furch, they are a better fit than PB strings, but not as good as 80/20.

Try them! They are a cheap experiment. I think they work best on warmer guitars imho.

[JERZEY]

Originally Posted by steelvibe

I agree with JERZEY. They are not as universal as phosphor bronze strings and my experience is that when on the right guitar they sound great but not so great on others. I've tried them on mahogany tops, sitka, and two different carbon fiber guitars. They sounded best on a carbon fiber parlor to my ears.

One thing you might be disappointed in is that they look used right out of the pack and they turn my fingers and hands black. I can't stand that about them.

I have used at least 20+ sets of these and have never seen this black stuff your talking about.

[FingahPickah]

I have tried them twice a few years ago (on different guitars) ... because I am a fan of EB strings.

Sound-wise; similar to PB. Perhaps even louder.

Feel-wise; Gritty - a bit too much for me. I am not a fan of a slick feel (like some coated strings). I like a little "grab" but for me the Alum-Bronze swing a little too far .. like a fine sandpaper wrapper.

I checked out several reviews (mostly on YouTube) and no one mentioned the "feel.

Just curious if anyone else found the surface "feel" for the wound strings a bit too rough.

[jpmist]

Originally Posted by UncleJesse

I find AB strings work best on dark-sounding guitars. They bring out some brightness. Good on EIR guitars not as much on Mahogany, IMO.

Do a search and you'll find quite a few mentions of the AL-Bz if you want to read more. Mostly positive and a consensus on "bright." I have a Taylor 322 that has a mahogany top that really really needed the brightness these strings offer to my ears.

[jcpharm]

i tried them once - they sound too thin for my ears compared to PB. i did not like them. YMMV.

[Guitarplayer_PR]

There are two strings that I absolutely hate: Elixirs and the Aluminum Bronze. As for the AB's, they can't last one single gig without a string breakage

[Rosewood99]

Some people say they’re bright, but I haven’t found that to be the case.

[gretsch4me]

Aluminum Bronze 13's have been my string of choice for a few years now. No other string enhances tone like these do, and believe me, I've tried them all over 45 years of playing. So, I'm using them on Mahogany, EIR and Walnut b/s guitars. The strings bring out the best in all of them. I primarily play fingerstyle (flesh only), but when I strum I use a 1.4mm Jazz III and just the pick in itself can have a huge influence on how good, or bad, you want to make a guitar sound.

They do feel a bit "gritty" at first, but that wears off within a few hours of playing.

The black aluminum oxidation is a bit disconcerting when new, but it doesn't affect the level of clarity these strings provide. They seem to shine up a bit after playing with them for a while, especially if you wipe them them down after playing. I've seen some pretty crusty PB strings in my time and the AB doesnt even come close.

Never ever had one of these strings break.

As far as longevity, I had one set last 13 months before they lost all of the crispness and clarity they normally provide.

Anyway, I'm a fan and I find they do work as advertised.

[gibpicker]

I tried them on my Gibson J-30 looking for brightness, and they had the opposite effect. EB Earth wood 80/20's are much brighter on this particular guitar, which is frustratingly picky.

[fngrpck]

Originally Posted by gretsch4me

Aluminum Bronze 13's have been my string of choice for a few years now. No other string enhances tone like these do, and believe me, I've tried them all over 45 years of playing. So, I'm using them on Mahogany, EIR and Walnut b/s guitars. The strings bring out the best in all of them. I primarily play fingerstyle (flesh only), but when I strum I use a 1.4mm Jazz III and just the pick in itself can have a huge influence on how good, or bad, you want to make a guitar sound.

They do feel a bit "gritty" at first, but that wears off within a few hours of playing.

The black aluminum oxidation is a bit disconcerting when new, but it doesn't affect the level of clarity these strings provide. They seem to shine up a bit after playing with them for a while, especially if you wipe them them down after playing. I've seen some pretty crusty PB strings in my time and the AB doesnt even come close.

Never ever had one of these strings break.

As far as longevity, I had one set last 13 months before they lost all of the crispness and clarity they normally provide.

Anyway, I'm a fan and I find they do work as advertised.

I couldn't have said it better. They're fantastic strings!

[UncleJesse]

Originally Posted by jpmist

Do a search and you'll find quite a few mentions of the AL-Bz if you want to read more. Mostly positive and a consensus on "bright." I have a Taylor 322 that has a mahogany top that really really needed the brightness these strings offer to my ears.

Sorry I should have said Adi/Mahogany which is what I meant by mahogany guitars.