Strings - feel like experimenting

[Cas-v86]

D' Addario EXP NY Steel. Give em a try

[jojobean39]

Santa Cruz strings are my favorite. I prefer medium tensions.

Some lesser known brands:

Wyres- they are a great coated string. Last for a long time.

Optima- 24k gold plated strings. Not a gimmick. It keeps those things sounding good for a long time. $$$ though.

D’Addario Flat Tops- I like these for recording stuff. Eliminates all string noise, pretty much. Smooth to the touch. They don’t last a really long time though.

[Kh1967]

Big fan of Santa Cruz strings.

Also, StringJoy keeps popping up on my Facebook feed. I have never tried them but, they do look interesting.

[jojobean39]

Originally Posted by Kh1967

Big fan of Santa Cruz strings.

Also, StringJoy keeps popping up on my Facebook feed. I have never tried them but, they do look interesting.

I keep wondering about StringJoy too. Those ads always intrigue me.

But then I see those stupid ads for TTM Guitars (Taller Than Midgets- yes- that’s their name) and I get annoyed with any FB advert.

[Matt G]

I'm always trying out new strings. One of my favorites is Ernie Ball Earthwood 80/20. They last longer than most non-coated strings, and have a nice bright sound. I play with fingertips (no nails) so the brightness helps offset the not-so-bright sound of my fingers.

[fuman]

They're pricey, but I really liked Tomastik Infeld spectrums on my Taylor GS. I did like DR rares on my Yamaha when I had one, but I think Martin Marquis might have been my favorite strings on that guitar. I would like to try both again, but I have so many sets of strings sitting around that it's kind of hard to justify buying more. I love Monels on my Taylor, but I found I needed to give them a day. They sounded terrible at first. I much prefer them to Elixirs.

I tried the Ernie Ball Aluminum Bronze (OK) and D'Addarrio Nickel Bronze (better, but not as good as the Monels). I have a set of Dunlop phosphor bronze that the seller sent for free when I bought a pickup, and I am not really happy with them.

[RussL30]

Wow I like seeing these suggestions for strings I’ve never heard of. I think I’m going to try some of these Straigh Up strings. Where’s the best place to order those? My favorite retailer, Strings and Beyond doesn’t carry those.

[archerscreek]

I like GHS strings. So far they’re my preferred string on my D-18GE, going with the phosphor bronze medium set. They sound more full and not quite as bright as EJ17s. I also surprisingly liked their (GHS) Vintage Bronze set. I say surprisingly because I had come to expect a non PB set to be too dull after playing a dull set or two of 80/20s from other manufacturers. But the Vintage Bronze set turned out to give a beautifully balanced tone while strumming. If I were primarily a strummer the Vintage Bronze would win out. But for flatpicking I like the GHS phosphor bronze.

[jaymarsch]

Originally Posted by archerscreek

I like GHS strings. So far they’re my preferred string on my D-18GE, going with the phosphor bronze medium set. They sound more full and not quite as bright as EJ17s. I also surprisingly liked their (GHS) Vintage Bronze set. I say surprisingly because I had come to expect a non PB set to be too dull after playing a dull set or two of 80/20s from other manufacturers. But the Vintage Bronze set turned out to give a beautifully balanced tone while strumming. If I were primarily a strummer the Vintage Bronze would win out. But for flatpicking I like the GHS phosphor bronze.

I have found the Vintage Bronze to be a nice find. I have a guitar that is a hair on the bright side and the VB's sound fantastic on it both strumming and fingerstyle.

Best,
Jayne

[jseth]

Originally Posted by PiousDevil

I don't see in your post where you say what strings they were?

That's because I don't remember the name... and why I tried to give a fairly in-depth description of them... I even asked the owner of Bullfrog, Kurt Dietrich, if he could remember what their name was - and he couldn't. It was a trail set he received from Cleartone, Winter of '16/'17.

[PiousDevil]

Originally Posted by jseth

That's because I don't remember the name... and why I tried to give a fairly in-depth description of them... I even asked the owner of Bullfrog, Kurt Dietrich, if he could remember what their name was - and he couldn't. It was a trail set he received from Cleartone, Winter of '16/'17.

gotcha. I'm not familiar with cleartone at all.

[jaybones]

I had been playing Martin PB mediums (started with lighter gauges when I was newer) since the late 80's. I'd tried literally every common string on the market (taught lessons for a store and could grab any set I wanted- probably didn't want teachers with dead strings or wasting students' half hour lesson changing a broken one), and couldn't find anything better than Martin.

I played DR on electric (after reading my buddy's copy of Guitar Player magazine, with an article from Trey Anastasio of Phish- never a phan, but much respect for his chops- where he said he hadn't broken a string since switching- not that his playing style would be very hard on strings. Had to send away for 2 sets, plus shipping probably $20).

Told myself that if DR ever started making acoustic strings I'd give them a try.

I strung my solid maple acoustic with Rare mediums. They didn't seem to need the normal day the Martins needed to lose that new string jangle. And due to DR's lower tension (compression winding or something…) they felt a step lighter.

Next string change I went with Rare heavy, and can do full step bends without needing to reinforce (one finger only).

They're bright, but not too bright on my maple guitar- itself pretty bright. Also well balanced, good bottom end without being boomy, articulated mods.

[TBman]

On my J-45 I've used and liked the following:

Martin Titanium (current strings)
D'Addario Nickel Bronze
Santa Cruz Low Tension
Gibson Masterbuilt 80/20
Martin Flexible Cores
Martin Monels
John Pearse Nickel wound.

If I had a Taylor I'd probably stick with Elixirs, maybe the Nickel Bronze or the Santa Cruz. I'd want the Taylor to ring out a bit.

[Everton FC]

RussL30 - excellently times thread - at least for me, as I am about to do a string change on at least two of my three guitars.

I like Elixirs. I love D'Addario coated EXP16's, and use them on all my guitars. I like coated strings, simply due to price - with a wife and four kids, I cannot afford to change strings every 4 weeks. As I eyeball these string suggestions on this thread, can any D'Addario EXP lovers recommend another similar coated string that's not Elixir? I tend to like a brighter sound. Jojobean39 - you have me checking out the Wires site!

[RussL30]

Originally Posted by Everton FC

RussL30 - excellently times thread - at least for me, as I am about to do a string change on at least two of my three guitars.

I like Elixirs. I love D'Addario coated EXP16's, and use them on all my guitars. I like coated strings, simply due to price - with a wife and four kids, I cannot afford to change strings every 4 weeks. As I eyeball these string suggestions on this thread, can any D'Addario EXP lovers recommend another similar coated string that's not Elixir? I tend to like a brighter sound. Jojobean39 - you have me checking out the Wires site!

I don’t think I have any experience with the D’Addario EXP’s, but I’m like you and like strings that last a long time and that’s why I love Elixirs. I also like the Martin lifespans. They sound great and last a while. I’ve gotten Elixir type of life out of Martin Monels if you like that tone. I’ve also tried Cleartones several years ago. They sounded great but felt really weird and super slick, but that was 7 or 8 years ago so I don’t if they’re still the same.