string recommendation for a Lowden guitar?

[Rosewood99]

Originally Posted by blindboyjimi

Elixir nano lights or D’Addario/Martin Monel. John Pearce strings sound great if you own one guitar or are willing to re-string each week. I’d much rather pay $13 for Elixirs and change strings 3 or 4x/yr.

I think your comment on John Pearse strings depend on your particular body chemistry. I use them and don’t have to change but once every three to four months and I play pretty regularly.

[M19]

Originally Posted by Wade Hampton

Try John Pearse phosphor bronze strings in the gauge of your choice.


whm

JP New Mediums sound very good on my McIlroy A30c.

[blindboyjimi]

Originally Posted by Rosewood99

I think your comment on John Pearse strings depend on your particular body chemistry. I use them and don’t have to change but once every three to four months and I play pretty regularly.

No, I have completely normal body chemistry. I just don't tolerate any drop off in feel or tone. EJ-16s last me 3 weeks, EXP-16s last me 10 weeks. Elixirs last an easy 3-4 months and Monels - I just change every 6 months just because.

If I put JP strings on a guitar and come back in a week without ever playing the guitar they are tarnished, rusty, and sound dead and I live in the SoCal desert with less than 5" rain/yr. I have taken some directly out of the pack and they were dead. I don't know how you get a month of playing on them. But some people tolerate or even prefer older, deader strings. I'm not saying you do, but some do. I recently bought a guitar from an AGF friend and I couldn't believe how rusty and old the strings were and he called me the day he shipped it (2 days before) and said he'd played it all morning and it sounded fantastic. I re-strung it after 5 minutes and the tone was tremendously better.

I have written many times over the years that JP PB strings would be my go-to if I were a professional musician or recording artist that got free strings and a guitar tech who travelled with me. I have 19 steel-stringed guitars and so even if I stretched it to every 2 weeks, your talking 38 sets/month and 456 sets/yr. Yeah, no thanks. I can walk into my music room and grab any guitar off the wall and the strings are perfect. YMMV.

[Rosewood99]

Originally Posted by blindboyjimi

No, I have completely normal body chemistry. I just don't tolerate any drop off in feel or tone. EJ-16s last me 3 weeks, EXP-16s last me 10 weeks. Elixirs last an easy 3-4 months and Monels - I just change every 6 months just because.

If I put JP strings on a guitar and come back in a week without ever playing the guitar they are tarnished, rusty, and sound dead and I live in the SoCal desert with less than 5" rain/yr. I have taken some directly out of the pack and they were dead. I don't know how you get a month of playing on them. But some people tolerate or even prefer older, deader strings. I'm not saying you do, but some do. I recently bought a guitar from an AGF friend and I couldn't believe how rusty and old the strings were and he called me the day he shipped it (2 days before) and said he'd played it all morning and it sounded fantastic. I re-strung it after 5 minutes and the tone was tremendously better.

I have written many times over the years that JP PB strings would be my go-to if I were a professional musician or recording artist that got free strings and a guitar tech who travelled with me. I have 19 steel-stringed guitars and so even if I stretched it to every 2 weeks, your talking 38 sets/month and 456 sets/yr. Yeah, no thanks. I can walk into my music room and grab any guitar off the wall and the strings are perfect. YMMV.

Not sure how any of us can know if our body chemistry is “normal”. After three months there’s no change of color on my JP PB strings. My point is just because you have to change them frequently doesn’t mean that if the OP uses them he will have the same problem. I don’t tolerate loss of tone either.

[blindboyjimi]

Originally Posted by Rosewood99

Not sure how any of us can know if our body chemistry is “normal”. After three months there’s no change of color on my JP PB strings. My point is just because you have to change them frequently doesn’t mean that if the OP uses them he will have the same problem. I don’t tolerate loss of tone either.

You simply didn’t read my post. I prefer JP string’s tone and I’ve used uncoated strings for 20+ years. JP strings will rust on an UNPLAYED guitar in my climate-controlled home in the most moderate climate in the country. No other uncoated string has ever done that. I’ve ordered many sets over the years that were rusted in the package.

You’re a fan, so the OP has 2 differing opinions on these strings. No big deal. Let's agree to disagree.

[TBman]

I like Pierre Bensusan's DADGAD strings on my Avalon as well as Elixir HD 13-53. My Avalon lives in DADGAD and lower tunings.

[M19]

Originally Posted by TBman

I like Pierre Bensusan's DADGAD strings on my Avalon .

^^^Those too on my Mac, but pricey and hard to find sometimes.

[bscott]

I am now using GHS Silk and Bronze 12-54 on my Lowden and I like them better than most of the other strings that I have tried for a more mellow tone. This has become a problem since the past year I have hearing aids.