What strings to tame overtones a little

[vindibona1]

Originally Posted by wguitar

Hi,

Recently acquired a wonderful Larrivee OM-09 12-fret with D'addario EJ16's on it. Very full, sweet sounding but would prefer hearing a little less overtones. What strings would you suggest for this minor tuning in of sound ? I am primarily a strummer. THANKS!

There are numerous ways to tamp down excess overtones, but the cause of it could be a number of things. It all depends on what's creating the excess in overtones. Are the overtones too thick and bright? Do the overtones sustain too much? IMO, the first thing I'd recommend is trying different gauges of the strings you're using. If you're using standard 12-53 gauge strings, you can try hybrid 12-56. Or conversely try 13-53 (i.e. Elixir HD lights). Or, with a 12 fretter, try medium gauge strings. But I'd recommend starting with 12-56, aka bluegrass gauge. The heavier lower strings take out some of the "resultant harmonics" and yet keep the sounds of the 12 and 16 gauge upper strings intact. See how that goes, and if going in the right direction but not quite there, progress to the full mediums. I suggest starting with that before expeirmenting with nickels or 80/20's if you haven't yet experienced the differen string metallurgic composites.

From my recent experience, I have a relatively new acquisition, a '95 Taylor 910. It's spruce over rosewood and the overtones/harmonics can get way out of hand with the wrong strings. Recently I've strung it with John Pearse 12-56 PB's and those solved the overtone issues. I messed a bit with the bridge pin "recipe" to even out the string-to-string balance and it sounds pretty amazing.

If what I just suggested above isn't acceptable, a great set of strings to try are the Gibson Masterbuilt PB's- while you can still get them. Very warm and mellow, yet full sounding set of strings.

Good luck.

[brandall10]

Was coming here to say the same thing as vindibona1... more tension = more fundamental, less harmonics.

EJ16s are on the lower tension end of the spectrum for light gauge strings, like right around 160lbs. IIRC, Martin Authentic lights are something like 167lbs, I would try those and see how they work out.

Wouldn't go so far to put nickel/monels on a rosewood guitar, although some folks really like that combo, it's generally not a recommended pairing.

[Joe Beamish]

Originally Posted by brandall10

Was coming here to say the same thing as vindibona1... more tension = more fundamental, less harmonics.

EJ16s are on the lower tension end of the spectrum for light gauge strings, like right around 160lbs. IIRC, Martin Authentic lights are something like 167lbs, I would try those and see how they work out.

Wouldn't go so far to put nickel/monels on a rosewood guitar, although some folks really like that combo, it's generally not a recommended pairing.

Is that a thing? "WARNING: Put nickels on a guitar with rosewood back and sides at your own risk!"

I didn't know there were "recommended pairings" of specific strings with tone woods.

[brandall10]

Originally Posted by Joe Beamish

Is that a thing? "WARNING: Put nickels on a guitar with rosewood back and sides at your own risk!"

I didn't know there were "recommended pairings" of specific strings with tone woods.

You can obviously do what you want, any string will work on any guitar. It's pretty common to see nickels/monels used w/ hog or woods that stress the fundamental, PBs on rosewoods.

[Joe Beamish]

Originally Posted by brandall10

You can obviously do what you want, any string will work on any guitar. It's pretty common to see nickels/monels used w/ hog or woods that stress the fundamental, PBs on rosewoods.

My sense (from reading posts here, and hearing guitar guys talk) is that nickels emphasize the fundamental, so I guess pairing them with mahogany kind of doubles down on that effect? Canceling out all overtones and complexity, I guess?

[sakar12]

I'll just chime in and say that monels sound okay on my D-18 and horrible on my rosewood guitars. Who knows why.

Originally Posted by Joe Beamish

My sense (from reading posts here, and hearing guitar guys talk) is that nickels emphasize the fundamental, so I guess pairing them with mahogany kind of doubles down on that effect? Canceling out all overtones and complexity, I guess?

[brandall10]

Originally Posted by Joe Beamish

My sense (from reading posts here, and hearing guitar guys talk) is that nickels emphasize the fundamental, so I guess pairing them with mahogany kind of doubles down on that effect? Canceling out all overtones and complexity, I guess?

Right, and I agree that does feel like it could be a "too much of a good thing" situation in certain cases.

[Joe Beamish]

Originally Posted by brandall10

Right, and I agree that does feel like it could be a "too much of a good thing" situation in certain cases.

We'll see what happens when I get my guitar back from its setup. With Retros on it. I guess you're supposed to wait six months or so before the strings sound good....

[Pura Vida]

Originally Posted by Joe Beamish

Is that a thing? "WARNING: Put nickels on a guitar with rosewood back and sides at your own risk!"

I didn't know there were "recommended pairings" of specific strings with tone woods.

Yep. It's like ordering white wine with your steak.

I think they meant that more people have had success with the Retro - Monels with more fundamental guitars like Mahogany bodies vs. those who tried them with Rosewood guitars. I tried them with both, and neither were a fit for me.

[Pura Vida]

Originally Posted by wguitar

OP here -- tried 80/20 Elixir Bronze Nanoweb but just wasn't feelin' it. Went back to PB with DR Sunbeam 12's and guitar sings to me. Tamed the overtones on my Larrivee OM-09 just enough. Seems like Sunbeams are just a bit less "active" than the D'Addario EJ16's. THANKS for the assist AGF!

Glad you found something that works for you. String experiments are an inexpensive way to change your sound, and as mentioned tongue-in-cheek in the previous response, I do believe that different strings pair with specific guitars.

For others reading this, I'd highly recommend GHS Vintage Bronze to take the edge off of an overly bright guitar without losing warmth or tone. I use them for this purpose, as well as for my Mahogany body guitars.

[wguitar]

OP here -- great conversation folks! Very informative!

[jazzguy]

Elixir Polyweb’s will work.

[Wade Hampton]

Originally Posted by Joe Beamish

Is that a thing? "WARNING: Put nickels on a guitar with rosewood back and sides at your own risk!"

I didn't know there were "recommended pairings" of specific strings with tone woods.

Nah, there are just the conventional wisdom and common assumptions that accrue on guitar forums like this one.

One thing I would never do, and have never done, is post asking what strings will work best on any given guitar. There's clearly nothing wrong with doing so, and I don't want to give the impression that I think there is. But what I always do is try several different string alloys on any new-to-me instrument that happens to come along.

That's because I never know for certain ahead of time which strings I will like best on it. You can't really know that until you perform your due diligence and compare several different sets.

Anyway, Joe, if it turns out that you like the Martin Retros best on a rosewood guitar, I'll talk to the forum moderators and try to persuade them to NOT send in the Guitar Police armed tactical SWAT team to kick in the door of your music room and confiscate your instruments.

It'll be tough, because those guys REALLY like kicking in doors and setting off those flash-bang grenades, and if they can make your wife cry and get your dog yapping hysterically they like it even better.

But I'll try to talk them into standing down....


Wade Hampton "I Said Stand DOWN!!" Miller

[Joe Beamish]

Originally Posted by Wade Hampton

Nah, there are just the conventional wisdom and common assumptions that accrue on guitar forums like this one.

One thing I would never do, and have never done, is post asking what strings will work best on any given guitar. There's clearly nothing wrong with doing so, and I don't want to give the impression that I think there is. But what I always do is try several different string alloys on any new-to-me instrument that happens to come along.

That's because I never know for certain ahead of time which strings I will like best on it. You can't really know that until you perform your due diligence and compare several different sets.

Anyway, Joe, if it turns out that you like the Martin Retros best on a rosewood guitar, I'll talk to the forum moderators and try to persuade them to NOT send in the Guitar Police armed tactical SWAT team to kick in the door of your music room and confiscate your instruments.

It'll be tough, because those guys REALLY like kicking in doors and setting off those flash-bang grenades, and if they can make your wife cry and get your dog yapping hysterically they like it even better.

But I'll try to talk them into standing down....


Wade Hampton "I Said Stand DOWN!!" Miller

Well...luckily (perhaps), my guitar in question is safely mahogany in its back and sides. So...Retros may not conflict with any of the Canonical Combinations.

I heartily agree with your point about trying different strings on any given guitar. Totally consistent with my past experience. You just don't know till you try.

[Brucebubs]

Originally Posted by Joe Beamish

Well...luckily (perhaps), my guitar in question is safely mahogany in its back and sides. So...Retros may not conflict with any of the Canonical Combinations.

I heartily agree with your point about trying different strings on any given guitar. Totally consistent with my past experience. You just don't know till you try.

... I would also add to that don't be afraid to try a different gauge too.

My very 1st experience with DR Sunbeam mediums was ... ordinary.
By some strange chance I just happened to have a set of lights on hand.
Simply went from Sunbeam mediums to Sunbeam lights and the difference was a huge surprise - probably my favorite guitar experience in 2019!