Retros gone dead?

[hat]

I was playing yesterday, and noticed my guitar just didn't have any life or volume to it. My guess is the Retro's have went south. I think they are about 2 months old, can't recall exactly when I changed them last. I guess it's a good time to do a little clean up work while I have the strings off.

[Goodallboy]

That’s my experience with Retro’s. They sound really good and then sound really bad, too quickly.

[steelvibe]

Retros are awesome strings but are also "weird" strings, at least that has been my experience. On the right guitar they sound glorious and right out of the pack, while on others it seems they need to be broken in some. I've yet to find a guitar they sound bad on but I also don't own a rosewood guitar and most negative reviews have come from pairing up with that tonewood.

I also notice that their claim to revealing the "voice" of your guitar are very accurate. Most strings have a lot of personal character but the Retros are fundamental- helping me really listen to my guitar to hear it's natural tone (whether wood or carbon fiber). In my experience it's harder to know when the monels give up the ghost over PB or 80/20, its can be a longer process without the quick drop off you get with the latter.

I personally love them and appreciate their superior playability and intonation stability as well.

[mawmow]

I am on the verge to try Retro strings...
I experienced same thing with GHS P/Br last year : they age badly compared to ernie ball Al/Br (I mean I found they both sounded quite alike when new).

[Paddy1951]

Originally Posted by hat

I was playing yesterday, and noticed my guitar just didn't have any life or volume to it. My guess is the Retro's have went south. I think they are about 2 months old, can't recall exactly when I changed them last. I guess it's a good time to do a little clean up work while I have the strings off.

Retros do behave differently. They are especially sensitive to finger oils, crud. Be sure to wipe them down well after playing.

How long strings last seems to be an individual thing.

So far, I have yet to try a string that provides the perfect sound AND longevity on all guitars.

Then again, if you made strings, how close would you want to be to ideal sound/longevity?

[El Cheapo]

Just tried a set of the Bluegrass Monels for the first time on my Martin 0015M and I like them. They don't sound as "plinky" on the treble strings as other brands I've tried. Seem to be nice and balanced across all the strings with good volume. It's only been a couple days since I put them on, so we'll see how they settle in. As others have stated they don't color your guitar's sound at all, which I like. The 0015M actually sounds like bigger guitar with these strings on, more like an OM. Wonder how they would sound on a Dread?

[Tony Burns]

Ive been their, done that to many times with strings -
its a PITA -only coated strings like elixar's , Martin SP's or Dadarrio EXP's -
When i put on strings they have to perform and last !

[mr. beaumont]

That's when they start to sound really good!

(I'm only kind of joking, if anybody here ever happens to try these on an archtop with a pickup, when they go kind of dead--man do they sound good amplified.)

[steelvibe]

Just wanted to follow up on my earlier thoughts:

The OP mentions that 2 months were squeezed out of the Retros. I would say that is pretty good out of any uncoated string, especially at $9 a set. In my personal experience I got nearly 4 months out of a set and only pulled them off because I wanted to try something different. YMMV

[AndrewG]

Originally Posted by steelvibe

Retros are awesome strings but are also "weird" strings, at least that has been my experience. On the right guitar they sound glorious and right out of the pack, while on others it seems they need to be broken in some. I've yet to find a guitar they sound bad on but I also don't own a rosewood guitar and most negative reviews have come from pairing up with that tonewood.

I also notice that their claim to revealing the "voice" of your guitar are very accurate. Most strings have a lot of personal character but the Retros are fundamental- helping me really listen to my guitar to hear it's natural tone (whether wood or carbon fiber). In my experience it's harder to know when the monels give up the ghost over PB or 80/20, its can be a longer process without the quick drop off you get with the latter.

I personally love them and appreciate their superior playability and intonation stability as well.

Surely your guitar is only reproducing the 'signal' it gets sent by the string, so irrespective of what type you're using I'm not sure I understand how you're able to evaluate a guitar's 'natural' tone.

[Paddy1951]

Originally Posted by AndrewG

Surely your guitar is only reproducing the 'signal' it gets sent by the string, so irrespective of what type you're using I'm not sure I understand how you evaluate a guitar's 'natural' tone.

By natural, the OP means without coloring the sound. Neutral, if you will.

[Ed66]

But then what would be a "neutral" sound? Andrew's point is a very valid one and, to me, brings up something I've struggled with, which is what is the natural sound of a guitar? I think it would be that of a drum as I beat on the back/top of it with no strings. Does that really tell me anything useful? The tone changes with the strings and unless a guitar was built around the use of a single set of strings, I don't know we would know what natural (or normal) is. So it's really just what sound you like best that drives your choice of strings.

[L20A]

I like Retro strings on some of my guitars.
They last longer than any other non-coated/treated strings for me.
I use them on my Resonator and play it a lot. The Retro strings are now 4 months old and are starting to show signs that it's time to replace them.

Because Retro strings are made from Monel/Nickle, they resist rust and other grime better than other non-coated strings. This helps them last a long time for me.

[steelvibe]

So why all the belief/debate regarding tonewoods and how they differ if the strings are what make the bulk of the signal?

Of course what you say is true, and it would be true if you put rubber bands on your guitar too- because strings impact tone. All I’m saying is that some more so than others.

By the way, Martin’s marketing regarding Retros is just what I said:

On the front packaging

“Bring out your guitar’s true voice”

On the back packaging

“Martin Retros are crafted from a long-lasting, proprietary, nickel-based alloy blend that mellows quickly to a warm, vintage tone and brings out the UNIQUE, woody sounds in your acoustic guitar”

Caps are mine.

[1Charlie]

Not to veer, but would the Retros produce a stronger signal from the wound strings when using a soundhole (magnetic) pickup like a Baggs M1m being nickel as opposed to bronze?