Giant string experiment

[dwasifar]

Originally Posted by dwasifar

Update on String Set B.

I inspected them when installing them. They seemed perfect; no corrosion or uneven areas. The wrap at the ball end was done neatly. Ball ends are all unpainted metal (unlike String Set A, which had two each of red, yellow, and green color coded ball ends). Installation was uneventful, except that I've decided I don't need to do the Martin Method on the plain strings, and in the process discovered I'm awkward using the normal method.

I've been playing them for three or four days now. The tone has settled in. They're definitely louder than the previous set, and brighter in tone. Sustain is good. I've heard better bass out of this guitar with other strings, but not by much. Playability is about average, neither especially flexy or especially stiff.

So, current grades:

Construction quality: A
Volume: A
Tone: B+
Playability: B

I would be okay with using these strings on a regular basis unless something comes up later in the test that I like better.

I really like String Set B. The tone grew on me so much that I decided to raise the tone grade to A and keep them on after the reveal until they actually need changing.

So I checked the package, because there's no reason to keep it a secret from myself anymore, and what do you know, they're the John Pearse 700M.

This is funny, because when I said this...

I've heard better bass out of this guitar with other strings, but not by much.

...I actually was thinking of the previous set of Pearse 700M I'd had on this guitar. I think this shows both the value of the blind test and its limitation (subjective evaluation is subject to variation). But I already mentioned the tone grew on me, so maybe they just needed to settle in.

Anyway, I will update this thread again when String Set C goes on in a couple of weeks.

[dwasifar]

Because of Strings and Beyond's current 15% off sale, I am adding yet more strings to the test:



It will be interesting to see if the Darco strings are any different from Martin SP.

[dwasifar]

The S&B order arrived today, and I should not have examined the string packs closely before putting them in the samples box. But I did, and so now I know that the Rotosound strings come with colored ball ends (red, white, and blue), and I'll know what they are even out of their packaging, so that set won't be "blind" when I try them, unless I forget which ones they are in the meantime.

I also now know that the Godin strings are color-coded like D'Addarios, which means they probably are D'Addarios. So I'm pulling those out of the blind test, and I'll compare them directly to D'Addario EJ17 later.

I'm starting to feel like I've bitten off more than I can chew here. Who knew there were so many different PB strings?

[dwasifar]

String set B, the John Pearse, lost their zip rather abruptly, so I changed strings tonight, and string set C is now on the guitar.

First impression on inspection is that they seem like well made strings. No obvious corrosion or unevenness. Good wrap at the ball end. These strings are physically unlike any I have ever used before. On most strings, the windings don't go all the way to the end of the core wire, leaving an inch and a quarter or so of core wire protruding from the end of the string. Not so on these strings. The core wire is wound all the way to the end, or within 1/8" of it. Doesn't make any functional difference since you trim that part off anyway. (If you don't, then I hope you're ready to pay your bandmates' medical bills when you put someone's eye out. But I digress.) But it's unusual. Also unusual are the ball ends themselves. They're solid little brass pucks with no hole through the middle.

It's possible that some of you know what these strings are from those details. Please remember this is a blind test, so don't tell me. I don't want to know until I'm done evaluating them. But their general physical differences from the strings I usually buy lead me to suspect this is one of the European-made sets.

As far as the other parts of the evaluation (tone, playability, etc.), I'll leave those until tomorrow, to give them a chance to settle in.

I managed to injure my foot in the process of installing these strings. That, I think, deserves a thread of its own, coming shortly.

[dwasifar]

String set C is coming off today.

They initially impressed me with their tone. Bright and forward, well articulated.

But.

After a week, they're already losing that tone, and becoming visibly tarnished under my fingers. Plus they're super stiff and hard to barre. The tendons in my left wrist are inflamed.

I liked them a lot at first, much less so now. So, current grades:

Construction quality: A
Volume: A
Tone: A initially, B- after a week
Playability: C-
Longevity: Usually not something you can grade after only a week, but in this case they've earned a C-.

Would not buy again.

Here is the sound clip: https://xec.net/share/STE-007.wav

After writing the above, I went to get the package, and it turns out that these are the Adamas 1919E set. I'm a bit surprised because I had expected them to be one of the European sets. Adamas is part of Ovation, and Ovations have top loading bridges, which might explain the solid ball ends with no holes through them:



String set D to come later today.

[dwasifar]

String set D is on.

Tonewise, they're initially about as opposite from set C as you can get. HUGE boomy bass; quiet, murky treble. No sparkle but plenty of low end projection.

Ball ends are all brass colored and tightly bound. The wound strings have no bare core wire at the end, and you really miss that when you're trying to string the thick, blunt low E through the peg without a little bit of core wire to lead it in. The strings look good, but the high E has some very obvious rough and sticky areas that I noticed immediately when stretching. So I'll be grading it off for that.

I'll reserve judgement otherwise, but I can't imagine these strings will get brighter. Audio to follow in a day or two.

[dwasifar]

Report on String Set D.

As I mentioned initially, these are bass-heavy. That's great if that's what you want, but it's not what I want. I gave them a while to settle in but I'm really just not super happy with them, so I'll give them their grade and move on.

Construction quality: B
Volume: A
Tone: C
Playability: B (average)

They get marked off a grade on construction quality because of the sticky areas on the high E, which I have to wonder is part of the reason for the tone balance. I feel bad giving them a C for tone, because there are probably people who would love that powerful bass. But there's not enough articulation in the higher strings to overcome it. I'll probably try these on my Taylor, they should be great on that.

Sound clip: https://xec.net/share/STE-011.wav

Now I'll go get the package and find out what they were. I'll be right back.

*"Jeopardy" music plays*

String Set D was DR Rare RPMH-13. Part of me is surprised, because I like DR Sunbeams (though not on this instrument). And part of me isn't, because when my wife handed me the bare strings, they were in sort of a jumble, and she complained that they "went all over," which is what happens when you take a DR string out of its envelope; they're not tucked into their coil and they fly out straight immediately. And also I noticed that they seemed loosely paired up 1-4 2-5 3-6, which is how DR packages strings. But I made myself forget all that until just now.

I have a gig to play tomorrow, so rather than put on String Set E right away, I'll probably string up with D'Addario EJ17. So the experiment will be on hold for a few weeks.

[dwasifar]

Okay, change of plans. I took a different guitar to the gig, and I put on String Set E today.

Initial impressions are very positive indeed. Good manufacturing quality, no visible defects. Quite a lot of core wire coming out of the end of the wrapped strings. Ball ends are plain brass, with the tie wraps coming up a decent way along. I like it when the wrap at the ball end is just long enough to be visible at the top of the bridge when the string is properly seated.

These strings are considerably flexier than the other sets I've tried. They play easy. Barres are easier. At first I thought that meant they were one of the thin core sets, but then I took a close look at one of the trimmed ends and I noticed the core wire is flattened right where the wraps leave off. That's a clear indication that these are round core strings. I don't remember what round-core sets I bought, and I'm not going to look back into this thread to find out until I finish testing. But so far I like them a whole lot. Let's see how they break in.

[captwingflap]

the Gabriel Tonorio String Company. Give 'em a try.

[dwasifar]

Originally Posted by captwingflap

the Gabriel Tonorio String Company. Give 'em a try.

Pricey! $25 a set? Or do you have a better source?

[guitar george]

You still have a long way to go in your testing so the way I would do it is to know what strings are being played each time so that you can mentally match the sound to the brand and gauge of each set. At the end of each test, record your thoughts and rate them. The only blind testing might be for a short period to get the initial feel and sound of the strings.

You'll be an expert by the time you are finished and you can try all the best sounding strings, again, to find the absolute best ones, if you want. I hate changing strings. I feel sorry for you. What are you going to do with the rejects?

[dwasifar]

Originally Posted by guitar george

You'll be an expert by the time you are finished and you can try all the best sounding strings, again, to find the absolute best ones, if you want.

That's a good idea. If I don't come out with a clear favorite, I might do a retest of the top three or so.

Originally Posted by guitar george

I hate changing strings. I feel sorry for you. What are you going to do with the rejects?

You mean what do I do with each set after they've been taken off? Recycle them. D'Addario has a program. I'm not going to try to put them back on, if that's what you were getting at.

[dwasifar]

Okay, now that the tendon in my wrist is giving me less trouble, I can get back to this research.

String set E report.

I really like these. They're easy to play on, the quality is outstanding, the tone is nicely balanced. I think I still like the John Pearse tone better, but these are plenty nice as well.
Not as loud as some sets but loud enough.

I have a sound clip somewhere that I recorded when they were a couple of days old, I'll post that when I find it. But for now, the grades:

Construction quality: A
Volume: B
Tone: A-
Playability: A

So far these are my favorites of the ones I've tested. Now I'll go get the package and find out what they were. I'm betting with myself that these are the Dogal strings.

*Jeopardy music plays*

Well, I lost that bet. Set E is the GHS TCB-M Thin-Core set. Good to know. I could see this being the go-to string for this instrument.

Tomorrow or Saturday I'll be taking this guitar to a tech to have the edges of the fretboard rounded a bit. They'll put new strings on it for me at that time, so to keep the blind testing going, I'll have to bring them String Set F inside an envelope and get the empty package back the same way.

[dwasifar]

Helllllloooo everybody! Greetings from lockdown. Let's get this thread caught up. I'm still dealing with the wrist tendon issue so it's been taking me longer.

String set F report. These strings were put on for me by the luthier when I had the fingerboard radiused. My wife pulled out the randomly selected mystery string set and put them in an envelope for the luthier. Before she did that, I temporarily removed the Dogal round core strings from the selection choices, just because I have a specific way I like to string with round cores and I didn't want to have the luthier do those. So I knew the string set wasn't the Dogal, but it could have been anything else.

Construction quality: A. They look like any other good quality PB set. Plain strings are smooth, wound strings are nice and even. I didn't get a chance to see what the pointy ends looked like, because the luthier trimmed those off, but the ball ends when I took them off were straight-up plain brass like most strings.

Volume: C. Not super projecting. Sort of a quiet string compared to others I've tested.

Tone: B. A little midrangey. Bass is somewhat lacking.

Playability: C. Just average. Not especially stiff, not especially flexy.

Final verdict is they're okay, not bad, not great. I'd be okay with buying them again if nothing I liked better was available.

String set F turns out to be the Augustine.

Set G is now on the instrument and I'll report initial impressions shortly.

[brandall10]

Originally Posted by JERZEY

The mediums have lower tension then the average 12's.

Not in my experience. I've gone through 2 sets of them and they have a fair bit more tension than Martin lights I replaced the second set with... and those are on the high side for lights at 167 lbs. By feel they are more like 12.5s, probably in the upper 170s.