String Suggestions

[stptak]

Hello -

I am on a quest to find the strings that will produce the sound I have in my head for this particular guitar - yeah, I know, good luck with that! I have a custom OM that is Koa back and sides and a Bearclaw Sitka Spruce top that I have been trying some different strings on over the past few months. I play primarily finger style and haven't had much success in getting the sound I am looking for out of this beautiful guitar.

Currently, I have D'Addario Nickel Bronze in a 12-53 and they sound quite "tinny", especially on the low end. I am looking for a much warmer sound and am open to any string suggestions you may have - especially based on your personal experience with this sized guitar and wood combination.

Thanks in advance for your suggestions.

Best,
Scott

[madhat]

How long have the NBs been on?
I like them about a week in and I think they are a great string on the right guitar.

But- The Martin Retros are warmer in my opinion.

I have read a few positive posts regarding the Ernie Ball 'Earthwood' and GHS Vintage Bronze strings and plan to try these soon also.

have fun!
madhat.

[jaymarsch]

Try GHS Vintage Bronze. I find them to be warm, full and clear. I have used the 12-54s. They have a nice feel as well.

Best,
Jayne

[Brucebubs]

Warmer sound try;
- Thomastik-Infeld Plectrums
- La Bella Silk & Steels
- GHS Silk & Bronze

[buddyhu]

Straight Up Strings. Or Santa Cruz Parabolic Tension strings.

[vindibona1]

Scott,
There is no substitute for doing your own testing. If there is a sound in your head that you're looking for, until you have developed a sense of how everything works together it will always be hit or miss.

So let's back up a second... Before you put the NB's on (which you don't like) what did you have on before and what didn't you like about those? What caused you to try the NB's. What type of music do you play? Fingerstyle, flat pick or both? Do you have a light touch or heavy touch.

I'm going to suggest you invest $100 and buy 8 sets of strings and play each for 4 days, saving them for a 2nd or even 3rd round. I say 4 days because it gives strings time to settle but they're still pretty fresh when you take them off and will sound good when you re-use them. Just start A/B'ing in 4 day intervals, and eliminate one set in each round just like a tournament. Once you've narrowed it down to a few contenders you can then buy and extra set of each of them for "the finals". Once you've got the one or two sets that your guitar really likes, then there are other things you can to do fine-tune the sound to a great degree.

I know there are guys that hate changing strings and will never test but once you find "that sound" the feeling of satisfaction is incomparable. I like a lot of the choices that folks have thrown out there. If I may add one more... DR Sunbeams (I like the 12's).

Good luck.

[D41Fan]

I tried nickel bronze and they weren't bad. I am currently using Elixir Nano Phosphor and am getting very close to where I want to be. Next on my list are the John Pearse PB. Used them years ago and really liked them. It may be worth a try. I also have Monels waiting and Ernie Ball Everlast.
Good luck!

[musicman1951]

I'd certainly have Martin Retro's and SUS on the top of my list of strings to try.

[TBman]

D'Addario has bluegrass gauge now in the NB. They are 12 16 25 35 45 56 which will help the bottom end.

Most strings have that "new" sound to them that takes a week or so of good playing to wear down to that broken in sound.

[jseth]

One "trick" to getting strings to sound more mellow or warmer is to LEAVE THE STRINGS ON THE GUITAR FOR A LONG TIME!

A lot of folks throw a set of string on their guitar and change them out in a few days, or a week if they don't like the sound so much. Older strings "calm down" considerably from a new set, although it's gonna take a set of Elixirs longer to do this than a set of, say John Pearse uncoated strings.

Koa/Sitka can be quite a bright-sounding instrument, just from the woods used (depending upon the builder), so that's got to be a "given" from the start. I'd suggest a set of Pearse's or a set of Curt Mangan Fusion-matched phosphor bronze, and then play them in with minimal wiping after play... should sound very mellow within a couple weeks to a month...

While I agree that Silk and Steel can sound warm, to me there is such a dramatic loss in the volume produced by the guitar that it doesn't make it worth the trade-off.

[cmd612]

I agree with vindibona that telling us what you've tried so far and why you didn't like those might help lead to more useful suggestions, and also that you'll probably need to keep experimenting.

That said, I used to have an OM that sounded tinny and lacking in low end with most strings, especially when it was new. I loved Thomastik-Infeld Spectrums on it, and I also really liked Newtone Heritage on it for fingerstyle. DR Rares were good, too. They all tamed its overly-strident highs.

It depends on the guitar, though. I now have another small-body guitar in the same wood combination as that OM (different builder), and I couldn't believe how boxy and anemic it sounded with the leftover set of T-I Spectrums I put on it. I know conventional wisdom is that 80/20 bronze strings are "bright," but on this guitar the clarity of 80/20 really helps the low end stand out and somehow makes the whole guitar sound fuller and warmer than it does with PB.

Good luck.

[SKYHIGH]

Santa Cruz Strings.