Gibson Masterbuilt Strings - opinions?

[krb813]

Do any of you have any experience with the Gibson Masterbuilt strings? I like the Gibson Vintage Reissue Electric strings on my Les Paul. No one sells the acoustic strings locally. Any input is appreciated.

Thanks

[JMW01]

Originally Posted by krb813

Do any of you have any experience with the Gibson Masterbuilt strings? I like the Gibson Vintage Reissue Electric strings on my Les Paul. No one sells the acoustic strings locally. Any input is appreciated.

Thanks

I really like the way they sound on my J-45 but they don’t last very long, just a few days. However, I don’t wipe down my strings after playing and that might make a difference. I order them from Amazon.

[TBman]

My J-45 came with a set in the case (80/20), I guess they were on it too. I liked them.

[krb813]

I just bought a PRS acoustic and I'm not a fan of the D'Addario's that came on it. Any recommendations for light gauge strings to put on it?

Thanks for chiming in.

[TBman]

Originally Posted by krb813

I just bought a PRS acoustic and I'm not a fan of the D'Addario's that came on it. Any recommendations for light gauge strings to put on it?

Thanks for chiming in.

Martin strings and John Pearse are both good strings. What don't you like about the D'Addarios? Too noisy?

[vindibona1]

I went to test a Gibson SJ-200 that I was checking out to buy. It needed a string change so the only strings the owner had were the Gibson Masterbilts. So I changed out the strings for him at his place. Strings were dead sounding. DOA. I suppose if you need to seriously dry up the sound of a guitar these might work. I wasn't sure how much of the sound was the guitar and how much was the strings, but I did not buy that guitar.

Too much sizzle for my taste, but they did sound really good on the J-35 when both were new. I eventually got a little weary of the brightness, and went to John Pearse Phosphor Bronze, which remains my go-to string on most guitars most of the time.

[ManyMartinMan]

They're the only strings I use on my Gibsons. They last me as long as anything else and (again to me) sound better than anything else on my Gibsons.

[ibassham]

Love them on my j45. Was just playing it tonight and thinking, “that’s the only guitar I really ever need.” I’ll forget that in the morning, but they sound so good on this J45 Vintage.

[rodmeister]

After spending a lot of money pursuing a "warm" sound, I tried a set of Gibson Masterbuilt 80/20, .11 strings. It has the wonderful sound of the early sixties and early James Taylor. I've found the only string brand I'll ever need for my J-45. I usually buy them from Amazon because of the convenience of ordering with other items.

[Rosewood99]

The mediums sound great on my J45.

[rokdog49]

I liked them on my J45 when I bought it.
I'll probably use them again at some point. I thought they lasted about the same as any decent string.

[krb813]

Thanks everyone for the insight. Has anyone used Curt Mangan strings? In the meantime I will order a couple of sets of the Gibson's.

[Rmz76]

Originally Posted by krb813

Do any of you have any experience with the Gibson Masterbuilt strings? I like the Gibson Vintage Reissue Electric strings on my Les Paul. No one sells the acoustic strings locally. Any input is appreciated.

Thanks

The Gibson Masterbuilt 80/20 Light are the stock strings on the Gibson J-45, J-200 and Hummingbird... They sound good for non-coated 80/20 strings, but D'Addario EJ11s are indistinguishable to my ears and hands. The EL11s cost half the price of the Gibson Masterbuilt strings and can be found everywhere. The Masterbuilt strings are usually special order or on-line only item.

[rokdog49]

Originally Posted by krb813

Thanks everyone for the insight. Has anyone used Curt Mangan strings? In the meantime I will order a couple of sets of the Gibson's.

Yep...got a set on my D18 right now.
I have the 12-53 Traditional Light Round Core PB's.
They were very bright and zingy when I first put them on. Took about four hours of playing to get rid of that and I almost took them off.
Now they sound very nice. They have a balanced, "not too much of anything" tone to them in this gauge. Easy to play.
I think a finger style player would really appreciate them. They work pretty good for a flat picking strummer like me but I prefer the Retro Lights on my D18... more punch.