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Old 04-22-2021, 08:41 AM
steelvibe steelvibe is offline
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Default Round Cores are Louder- Change My Mind

Round cores are slightly louder. I've tried both DR Sunbeams and GHS Phosphor Bronze Thin Cores and they just seem well.....louder for lack of a better adjective. This is observed even later in the life of the set and on playback from recordings.

Is it just me?
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Old 04-22-2021, 08:49 AM
buddyhu buddyhu is offline
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No they aren’t.

It’s just you.

Did I change your mind?
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Old 04-22-2021, 08:50 AM
jaymarsch jaymarsch is offline
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Depends on the brand, the gauge and the guitar in my experience. I find that because round cores feel less stiff to me in general, I tend to play them with a more robust touch and that may account for increased volume but your experience may be different.
Best,
Jayne
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Old 04-22-2021, 08:57 AM
dwasifar dwasifar is offline
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My experience is that Sunbeams are slightly less loud than, say, D'Addario EJ-17 or Martin SP.
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Old 04-22-2021, 09:16 AM
AcousticDreams AcousticDreams is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jaymarsch View Post
Depends on the brand, the gauge and the guitar in my experience. I find that because round cores feel less stiff to me in general, I tend to play them with a more robust touch and that may account for increased volume but your experience may be different.
Best,
Jayne
I am a stead fast Newtone Round core user. I have also used Sunbeams and Pyramid round cores which are also very good strings.
I think Jaymarsch makes a good point. Round cores are less stiff ( or in the terms I like to use= they depress easier) The reason being is a hex shape is stronger than a round shape. Round is easier to depress. Thus if you play with the same intensity, the strings may be vibrating more.
In my opinion Round cores sustain longer. And not only that but the initial attack stays up longer. It does not die off quickly like hex cores. That may gives you the appearance of louder in itself.
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Originally Posted by dwasifar View Post
My experience is that Sunbeams are slightly less loud than, say, D'Addario EJ-17 or Martin SP.
Yes, I do think that Sunbeams have less loudness as compared to Newtones or as Dwasifar mentioned....D'Addarios. Loudness in some cases might be related to core size.
What I do think that Sunbeams have over other round cores is more dynamic range between their lows and highs. While they are slightlyless loud, they are an extremely expressive string. For a dedicated finerstylist they offer great sensitivity. What I find interesting about Sunbeams is they sound great on rosewood, but not so much on mahogany or walnut guitars. Where as Newtones sound great on Rosewood, mahogany and walnut back and side guitars. And I have found others who have also felt this way.
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Old 04-22-2021, 10:28 AM
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I remember roundcores as having a softer tone.
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Old 04-22-2021, 10:33 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by steelvibe View Post
Round cores are slightly louder. I've tried both DR Sunbeams and GHS Phosphor Bronze Thin Cores and they just seem well.....louder for lack of a better adjective. This is observed even later in the life of the set and on playback from recordings.

Is it just me?
I just tried a set of DR Sunbeams and was underwhelmed. Much quieter than the Martin/Tommy Emmanuel Flexible Core PB Authentic Acoustic Guitar Strings MA540FX Lights that were on my Martin 00-28.

So,...
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Old 04-22-2021, 11:22 AM
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Well, I've run Sunbeams back to back with Martin Monels (Retros), which are hex core. on a few guitars now. I generally found no obvious difference in volume. The Monels sounded better on a couple of those guitars, the Sunbeams sounded better on the other. I also ran Martin Monels back to back with Curt Mangen Monels (round core) and I thought the Mangen strings had LESS volume than the Martins. Not vastly less but enough that I noticed it and I wasn't looking for it one way or the other.

If you really want to do a direct apples to apples comparison, Curt Mangen makes Monels in both round and hex core at the same gauges, so comparing one set of each on the same guitar ought to eliminate all other variables besides round vs hex core. I've never tried their hex core Monels, just the round core and the Martin hex cores...

-Ray
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Old 04-22-2021, 11:44 AM
stormin1155 stormin1155 is offline
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It's a pretty hard premise to prove one way or another, because one variable, the player, as Jay noted, is pretty hard to control for. One theory to support the notion though is that more of the winding is in actual contact with a round core than a hex core, so perhaps that might contribute to more volume.
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Old 04-22-2021, 12:49 PM
steelvibe steelvibe is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by buddyhu View Post
No they aren’t.

It’s just you.

Did I change your mind?
See bottom of this post (this is my split personality)

Quote:
Originally Posted by Knives&Guitars View Post
[INDENT]I am a stead fast Newtone Round core user...

Yes, I do think that Sunbeams have less loudness as compared to Newtones or as Dwasifar mentioned....D'Addarios. Loudness in some cases might be related to core size....
I tried the Newtone Doublewound Masterclass years ago and they were great, but I did have some intonation issues and I'm not sure why. Sounded marvelous. I tried Sunbeams in both light and medium sets on a 24.5" scale and the volume was enough for me to make note of it. I put the medium set on an even shorter scale (24" Martin D Jr. 2) and it lit the guitar right up- best by far out of trying nearly 25 different sets. Core size standard I assume on the Sunbeams, thin core on the GHS...but they are still loud!

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Originally Posted by TBman View Post
I remember roundcores as having a softer tone.
Indeed. I like that mellowness. They also lasted me 2 months and could have gone longer.

Quote:
Originally Posted by stephenT View Post
I just tried a set of DR Sunbeams and was underwhelmed. Much quieter than the Martin/Tommy Emmanuel Flexible Core PB Authentic Acoustic Guitar Strings MA540FX Lights that were on my Martin 00-28.

So,...
Interesting. Maybe I should give the TE Martins a shot. I've never tried them and I've tried everything else Martin makes. The tension on the mediums is a whopping 190+ lbs. though.

Quote:
Originally Posted by raysachs View Post
Well, I've run Sunbeams back to back with Martin Monels (Retros), which are hex core. on a few guitars now. I generally found no obvious difference in volume. The Monels sounded better on a couple of those guitars, the Sunbeams sounded better on the other. I also ran Martin Monels back to back with Curt Mangen Monels (round core) and I thought the Mangen strings had LESS volume than the Martins. Not vastly less but enough that I noticed it and I wasn't looking for it one way or the other.

If you really want to do a direct apples to apples comparison, Curt Mangen makes Monels in both round and hex core at the same gauges, so comparing one set of each on the same guitar ought to eliminate all other variables besides round vs hex core. I've never tried their hex core Monels, just the round core and the Martin hex cores...

-Ray
I tried the Curt Mangan round core monels on a D Jr. 2 and liked the Retros better. Not a knock at all on Curt Mangan as I have not tried any of his other strings, just an observation.

Quote:
Originally Posted by stormin1155 View Post
It's a pretty hard premise to prove one way or another, because one variable, the player, as Jay noted, is pretty hard to control for. One theory to support the notion though is that more of the winding is in actual contact with a round core than a hex core, so perhaps that might contribute to more volume.
Yes, excellent thought about how much of the wind makes direct contact with the wire vs. hex core.

And yet....I still could be crazy....and my mind isn't changed
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  #11  
Old 04-22-2021, 01:04 PM
Shadowfox Shadowfox is offline
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Well should try the Octocore from Mapes!
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Old 04-22-2021, 01:08 PM
steelvibe steelvibe is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Shadowfox View Post
Well should try the Octocore from Mapes!
Is there some Tennessee moonshine thrown in for good measure?
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Old 04-22-2021, 01:13 PM
Lillis Lillis is offline
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I currently have Sunbeam 12-54’s on my Larrivee Sd40 Sitka/hog. They sound fantastic. Volume wise I can’t really discern a difference one way or the other from the EB 80/20’s I took off. I’m going to try the GHS thin core mediums next since there were so many glowing reviews in a recent post. I normally don’t settle on just one string (for better or worse) but i’m Sure one of these round cores will be in the rotation with this guitar.
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Old 04-22-2021, 01:15 PM
LeDave LeDave is offline
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DR Rares are the best sounding strings I've used. Bruce gave me a set of Sunbeams. He told me to try them out because they are the round variants of the octagonal Rares. Haven't tried yet so can't really make a comparison.
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Old 04-22-2021, 01:48 PM
Goodallboy Goodallboy is offline
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Send me your ears and I'll tell you what you're hearing.

But don't worry, some can tell you what you're hearing, if you're hearing it, and why you may or may not be hearing something.

If that changes your mind I'd be concerned.
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Last edited by Goodallboy; 04-22-2021 at 04:49 PM.
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