Went back to Phosphor Bronze from old NB - treble overload!

[PerryE]

Yesterday I realized it was time for some maintenance work and decided to change strings on my old 70s all-laminate Landola nylon string as well as my 3-year Yamaha LL16. My Landola doesn't receive much love - basically it is just sitting next to the piano but I do play it frequently when I have a few minutes to spare. Not a great sound but changing from 3-year old strings to new definitely improved a lot - a clean fretboard was a bonus

My LL16 has Daddario NB light and is my main guitar - gets played quite a lot during the week and I am embarrassed to say that it was probably 6-8 months since I changed strings. Old NB strings works quite well I believe and gives a smooth and nice sound but since the fretboard needed cleaning and I had some Daddario PB strings at home I changed

The increase in treble and "jangliness" was enormous and I hope it calms down soon - finger style stuff sounds nice but with a pick the sound is like from a completely different guitar.

Anyway - just wanted to vent my frustration even though I am embarrassed that I have been using old strings.

But if Nick Drake liked old strings it cannot be all wrong?

[Guilty Spark]

Give them a couple days to settle in.

[srbell]

They should settle down a little with some time. I've found the Dunlop nylon picks to be a huge help in taming the treble. I like both the 1mm and .88mm for it, but the thicker one is best for reducing the jangle. Picks make a huge difference in the tone, and let you get different sounds without having to change to a different type of strings.

[jazzizm]

Originally Posted by srbell

They should settle down a little with some time. I've found the Dunlop nylon picks to be a huge help in taming the treble. I like both the 1mm and .88mm for it, but the thicker one is best for reducing the jangle. Picks make a huge difference in the tone, and let you get different sounds without having to change to a different type of strings.

I second that. Try a fat roundish casein, or better yet, a tortoise pick and you’ll be amazed.

[PerryE]

Thanks for the suggestions. My default pick is Tortex 0.73mm and I have started to test heavier/thicker picks. Dunlop MaxGrip 1.0 sounds nice as well as Ultex Jazz III XL. Even tried ChickenPick 3.5mm but that one feels really weird to me.

Anyway - will keep testing and good thing about using 1.0 and above is that you are forced to improve technique or it will sound like really bad

For now the MaxGrip 1.0 is probably best but will keep testing

[PerryE]

Verdict for now is Dunlop MaxGrip Nylon 1.0 as my preferred pick closely followed by red Jazz III nylon.

Also noticed that my normal yellow Tortex 0.73 doesn't sound as bad any longer - I believe my ears are getting used to the new strings

[lowrider]

From my experience, NB are pretty mellow. 6 to 8 month old NB must have darn dull.

You just have to give your ears time to get used to how your guitar should sound!

[Guilty Spark]

Originally Posted by PerryE

I believe my ears are getting used to the new strings

Perhaps your ears are getting used to the sound of the strings as they stabilize.

[PerryE]

Good point Guilty - sometimes you have to accept that a guitar has a voice that can be tweaked by strings but not totally changed. To some extent I think my LL16 has too much overtones and "sparkle" but I suppose that is also its charm.

Will continue to play it and see what happens over time- it takes a little bit more effort to manage my guitar after this string change.

Thanks for the comments

[Guilty Spark]

You also noticed (aptly) that your guitar sounds different from a simple change of pick material and thickness.

So you've got your ear going for you.

[GGSanders]

I've found that PB strings, when brand new, seem to have a metallic "sizzle" that takes several days playing to dissipate. Then they sound their best.

That said, I agree with previous posts that choice of pick material and thickness often has an even greater affect on tone than string compound. I experiment more with different picks than I do strings.

[FrankHudson]

Yup, I've never liked the sound of an acoustic guitar with new strings, particularly phosphor bronze sets. Sometimes you just have endure it and play the set in, but even a few days in the case seems to help a little. I almost never record with fresh acoustic strings for that reason.

Forum stalwart Wade Hampton said in a post last year that one can dampen overtones/brightness down with playing style, and that's another thing to consider. I don't play bare-finger picking, but with light right hand heel damping I can keep the bass strings from sounding like someone spilled the silverware drawer on the tile floor.

Others aboave have mentioned different flat picks, including the softer nylons. I'm neurotic about picks and often go through two or three picks of different thickness, materials, or types before figuring out which I'm going to use today. Yes, things like the Herco and Dunlop's Herco-alikes will keep the sharp/bright attack transient down. Whatever pick one uses, a softer attack by the player helps with the overtones too. Not every piece is suitable for a soft attack, but that's another thing under the player's control.

[PerryE]

For some reason I have hoarded a lot of picks (a lot thanks to Dunlop sample packs) and my head is spinning with all these options

With some picks I am able to some extent tame this huge increase of everything but I have also been forced to work on my palm muting.

Again - I have played it a lot with Daddario PB and realized that my new guitar is back again - and funny enough I kind of like this sound.

So for now I am very happy and is again using my favourite Tortex 0.73 picks which are great for rhythm playing.

However - some time in the future (a year or so) I am tempted to get myself a slightly smaller mahogany guitar. Maybe a Gibson LG-2 or maybe even a Martin 000-15M or 000-15SM. Smaller size for comfort and mahogany for different sound. After 3 years of dedicated playing I am still a beginner but it is slightly getting better.