Crowdsourcing Tone Preference: Poll - Phosphor Bronze or 80/20 - on this guitar

[AH Acoustic]

Hi everyone,

So as you may recall, I am a fan of experimenting with strings on guitars.

I thought I would request your input on the following recordings:

Phos Bronze:




80/20 Bronze:




Yes, there is a capo-2 vs open tuning difference between the pieces -- however it is the string dynamics and tone I am seeking input on from the team...

Please, comment to clarify what you are hearing between the two.

Thanks so much for your feedback,

-a.h.

[Jobe]

Well, I liked both but my taste goes towards the PB sound. The 80/20's have a neat sound of their own perhaps more subtle. That is not a bad thing at all. I would think it comes down to how you play and what you are looking for from your guitar. The PB's dance out of the guitar while the 80/20's have a more relaxed nuance. Both nice to me.

[musicman1951]

I prefer the PB by quite a bit. They seem more musical to my ear, warmer perhaps. Words fail, but I found them more pleasant to listen to.

[jaymarsch]

What my ears are hearing is a bit more warmth and sustain with the PBs and a bit more note separation and clarity coming through with the 80/20s. Because the 80/20s are a tad clearer, the string noise is a tad more pronounced but that could be more a playing technique issue rather than the strings.
Depending on the tune, either string choice could be preferable.
Best,
Jayne

[Aahzz]

Originally Posted by jaymarsch

What my ears are hearing is a bit more warmth and sustain with the PBs and a bit more note separation and clarity coming through with the 80/20s. Because the 80/20s are a tad clearer, the string noise is a tad more pronounced but that could be more a playing technique issue rather than the strings.
Depending on the tune, either string choice could be preferable.
Best,
Jayne

Yeah, I was hearing much more string noise on the 80/20s, and that alone is enough to make me prefer the PBs between those 2 recordings.

[ljguitar]

Hi AH…
Hard to evaluate with different songs and techniques.

For comparison/contrast recordings the space you record in and the equipment you play and record with need to be the same. And the passage you record needs to be identical (as possible).

In addition, what we hear is from 'out here'. Audiences listen 'out here' in front. You as the player listen from behind the instrument (back there).

Audiences are tolerant and accepting. They pretty much don't care about the tone unless it's terrible. Guitarists - we WISH audiences cared (or think they do).

My experience is string choice is something you need to evaluate from behind an instrument with you playing it in your style to make your ears happy.

[kkrell]

I prefer the 80/20 in the examples. For some reason, the 1st video with the Phosphor sounds "processed" to me, not an authentic guitar sound. Each type of string would probably be suited to an appropriate piece - too bad you don't have a matching set of guitars strung up with both.

[sinistral]

I think that it’s hard to get past the different tunings. Since you’ve already changed the strings, is it possible to re-record the song with the second set of strings tuned the same way as the first set of strings?

[J Patrick]

…I have always preferred the fuller sound of PB strings….this comparison confirms my preference…

[AH Acoustic]

Originally Posted by sinistral

I think that it’s hard to get past the different tunings. Since you’ve already changed the strings, is it possible to re-record the song with the second set of strings tuned the same way as the first set of strings?

I thought about this - to be honest, I think when I tried the capo-2 with the 80/20, I wasn't getting the bass response that I wanted, hence the open tuning.

I think what I would need to do is restring and record PB open.

Thanks,

-a.h.

[AH Acoustic]

Originally Posted by kkrell

Each type of string would probably be suited to an appropriate piece - too bad you don't have a matching set of guitars strung up with both.

This is a great point -- and,something that may be possible to do, in the long run.

-a.h.

[TBman]

I think its apples and oranges when you put a capo in the mix.

[Arapaho G]

They both sound nice but to my ear the phos bronze are more resonate, louder. Just depends on what you want.

[Glennwillow]

Preferences are going to vary with the listener.

I thought both sets of strings sounded good and a case could be made for preferring either set of strings. For me, I preferred the PB strings, but I prefer PB strings on my own guitars unless a particular guitar needs some treble boost, where 80/20 strings can help with that.

As others have pointed out, it's hard to make an A/B comparison here.

If I may offer a suggestion, a lot of string noise can be eliminated if you lift your fingers off the wound strings before moving or sliding your fingers. Many players are not really aware of how much string noise they are generating during chord changes until they record themselves.

- Glenn

[jrb715]

Originally Posted by jaymarsch

What my ears are hearing is a bit more warmth and sustain with the PBs and a bit more note separation and clarity coming through with the 80/20s. Because the 80/20s are a tad clearer, the string noise is a tad more pronounced but that could be more a playing technique issue rather than the strings.
Depending on the tune, either string choice could be preferable.
Best,
Jayne

My response is identical to Jayne's. Just ignoring the tuning and capo differences--if that's possible--I liked both. My own preference if all were equal I suspect would be the 80/20s: Of my nine guitars, five are strung with 80/20s, four with PBs.