Do certain guitars actually require certain strings?

[Goodallboy]

Originally Posted by RalphH

Cool, pop these on one of these sets on one your acoustics, bring it to standard E pitch and let us know what noises it makes.

https://www.gear4music.com/Guitar-an...IaAhpbEALw_wcB


I personally find that 80/20s and Phosphor bronze sound vastly different on every guitar, and it's not a difference I liked.

I correctly guess which set was which in this video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IGe5fo4tddU) and I don't use D'Adario strings (though I have tried them) and I don't think the differences come across as well in this video as they do in person from my experience.

Sorry, I thought it was a serious adult discussion.

[RalphH]

Originally Posted by Goodallboy

Sorry, I thought it was a serious adult discussion.

We may have to agree to disagree on tone which is subjective, but saying that it's a fable that is "finally being dispelled" when the vast majority have posted the opposite point of view doesn't seem worthy of a sensible response, then going on to suggest that anyone that disagrees with you is either an incompetent player or hearing things... well, hence the silly response.

I can very, very clearly hear the difference between different string sets on all my guitars - cheap and expensive. I guarantee I could correctly pick in a blind-test between my regular Elixir PBs and D'Addario PBs in the same room, and the difference between 80/20s and PBs from the next room. If you can't then I'd suggest your hearing has lost some of its acuity. Sorry, simple as that. That's not intended as any kind of insult. Perhaps you are older than many of those that can hear the difference - there is very little doubt that hearing, along with eyesight degrades over time. I have just got my first ever pair of prescription glasses last week. I can hardly believe how clearly I can see again. My eyes had degraded so slowly I didn't notice until my arms were starting to get too short to be able to hold a book at a comfortable focal distance (I've become long-sighted). I didn't go around suggesting people were wrong if they could see details I could not.


Take it to something that is measurable; my GS Mini won't intonate correctly with 12s on it's little 23.5" scale, which is the reason Taylor ship it with 13s. To say it'll sound great out of tune up the neck (great with any string set) is just daft. I also happen to think it sounds wimpy with 12s, but that's back to subjective.

[merlin666]

"Require" is a strong word, and the choice of string is an individual one that reflects personal preferences for the feel and sound that different strings can provide. But in many threads members also report about specific guitar brand characteristics, such as the "typical" Martin, Gibson, and Taylor sound. If the goal of the player is to have that typical brand-characteristic tone, then yes indeed it is required to string the guitar with kind of string that the guitars were designed for to have a specific sound. So for the brand examples selected they "require" Martin, Gibson, or Elixir strings respectively.

[RalphH]

^^^ quite so.

I'll add that my ears tell me that Gibson strings are rebadged D'Addarios, or at least something very akin, so if you can't find Gibson strings (at least where I leave they can be harder to find) get the equivalent gauge and type D'Adarios and you'll probably be happy. The strings my Hummingbird shipped with certainly had the same metallic clatter that I find abrasive in D'Addarios

[Silly Moustache]

Hi, , firstly, we are talking flat top guitars - right? (if not,let's keep it simple).
Your variants are 1. gauge, 2. alloy of winding, 3. brand.

Yes I know there are thin and round core options but let's keep it simple. (at least for now).

This is MY experience:

I rarely experiment with strings, but ...

I mostly use D'addario phos bronze strings:

* Medium EJ17s on dreads, jumbo, National reso.
* light gauge EJ16s on 000 and all smaller guitars.
(these are as recomm3ended by Collings and suit me fine)

Leaving out 12 strings ...to keep it simple.

I've tried coated and don't need them and don't care for the feeling or the cost.

I prefer Dunlop strings on Dobro and mando as they "seem" to be slightly higher tension, but are getting harder to get in the UK.

Martin used to offer a bewildering number of options which confused me so I simply kept to Da'dds.

Last year I read on UMGF that people were mourning the passing of Martin SPs (why did so many folk like these? Dunno, but they did). So I bought some sets for my dreads and smaller guitars.

i did "perceive" a difference - slightly less bass, slightly cleaner trebles ...perhaps. Really liked the goldie coloured 1st & 2nds.

After a while I forgot what was on the guitar I was playing and had to look at the trebles to check the colours.

I checked the offcuts of both D'adds and Martins and the cores were both gold (tinned?) and identical in dimension and winding per inch etc. couldn't honestly tell them apart.

D'addarios are cheaper, but they've reduced the packaging quality of ten packs which means that the hermetically sealed inner envelopes are usually punctured. D'addario don't want to know, and Mr Santos eventually suggested that I change to another brand!

Tried one set of Martin SP Authentics - took 'em off after a couple of weeks, and trebles looked "grey" out of the pack.

I'm honestly not sure whether any of these strings sound better on one guitar or not, but I'm sure that there is a fair deal of "perception" in our/my judgments.

Hope that helps ... but it probably doesn't.

[RalphH]

Can I add a variable #4?

Coated or uncoated. I do think it affects tone and call me weird, but I like coated PBs better - I find them a little less jangly.

As to really why I prefer them... my first decent acoustic (a taylor) shipped with coated PB strings. I got very used to them and anything else sounds different. Being a human, different was bad - we get used to stuff and that becomes what we like. Like smokers with their favourite cigarettes. One stinking, smoldering dried weed smells much the same to a non-smoker, but to a smoker, their brand tastes great and most other brands are yuck. It was quite a surprise to me that all cigarettes stink about the same after I gave up

[J Patrick]

Originally Posted by Goodallboy

This is another of the forum inspired fables that are finally being dispelled. As I’ve said before, a great guitar will sound great with any string set. If you disagree, maybe it’s not the strings.

..cmon man...you don’t really think that this is a fable being dispelled do you?...your dismissal of the real life experiences of many seasoned players does not make it so...if you you are the one in disagreement it could be that you simply do not hear what others do....or I guess yoo could be right and everyone else should have their hearing checked...

[FPicker]

Responses so far have mostly assumed same gauges, for same type of guitar, tuning and scale length. Which is what OP meant no doubt.

Obviously put light gauge on a short scale guitar and tune down to C, it will likely not sound good, in my experience. Steel 13s may buckle guitars that are not built for steel strings. Baritone guitars require different gauges than others to sound as intended. Etc.

[Pura Vida]

For me, guitars and strings are a pairing, and string selection makes a big difference in the final sound that's produced. Gauge, metal alloy, type of core, coating (or not)... these are all factors that contribute to the string's characteristics, and in turn, the strings contribute to the overall sound from the guitar. I use the analogy of pairing wine with food. Sure, a nice steak tastes great, but it tastes better with a world class Cab than with some sweet white dessert wine.

I've experimented quite a bit with strings, but there are so many choices. Currently, I play GHS strings b/c they offer a nice variety of options. I play their PB lights on half of my guitars, but Vintage Bronze (85/15) on Mahogany bodies b/c it brings out the wood sound and also on a couple of guitars that benefit from a warmer, more mellow sound. Likewise, I played their Americana (aka Signature Bronze) on a guitar that needed a little more ZING! in its sound.

[Goodallboy]

Originally Posted by paulzoom

I always see these posts asking what are the best strings for such and such guitars. Do guitars really do better with certain strings? I have found it depends on the tone you want, not what the guitar wants.

Precisely. It's the player who prefers the strings, not the guitar. Another player of the same guitar might possibly hear it differently, completely defeating the "my guitar requires string x."

Attributing a player subjective preference to "what the guitar requires" is where this goes off the rails. But certainly, if you suggest bass strings for an acoustic to prove some kind of point, there's not much anyone can say to sway you.

[RalphH]

Originally Posted by Goodallboy

As I’ve said before, a great guitar will sound great with any string set.

Originally Posted by Goodallboy

Precisely. It's the player who prefers the strings, not the guitar. Another player of the same guitar might possibly hear it differently

How on earth can you reconcile these two statements? Who does a great guitar sound great with any set of string to? You? It's the player that needs to think it sounds great, not you. That is either dependant on the strings or it isn't, and you've now said it is string-dependant. As I said in my first post on this thread, I've ended up with the same (except for gauge) strings on all my guitars. I have a preference much more than my guitars. I don't disagree with your saying it's player preference at all, in fact I completely agree but that's a long way from "a great guitar will sound great with any string set. If you disagree, maybe it’s not the strings.". My Hummingbird is (i think) a great guitar. I think it sounds terrible with 80/20s on it. Sounds like a shoebox with rubber bands on.

And there are some guitars that will tend to do better with certain types of strings across the general opinion. I have always assumed that people asking "what strings for my xyz" are looking for a good consensus-based starting point, not a final "this is the answer, there is no other".

As an example, I suspect that most (though surely not all) people who have tried 80/20s or 12's on a GS Mini didn't like it because they're not very well suited (intonation aside for the 12s, they just don't sound great - its a small guitar and heavier, more harmonic rich strings give it a lot more zing in its thing). I'd be comfortable suggesting PB 13's as a good starting point and there are several brands to try for variations on a theme. I'd go as far to say that gauge and alloy is what makes a GS Mini sound happy.

Most guitars come new with suitable strings, but when you buy a 2nd hand guitar you can get any kinda crazy stuff on there. I currently have 12's on my Les Paul. I know that's not everyones tastes (to say the least) so when I sell it I'll put 10's on it because that's kinda the standard for a Les Paul rather than leave the buyer scratching his head (I actually bought a pack today for that very purpose while I was in the guitar shop anyway to save me going back later).

The thread I see more commonly that "what strings for xyz" is "my xyz is too bright/muddy/[insert adjective] with abc strings" can you recommend something that'll tone it down, bring it up?" given we know the properties of various different strings, we can suggest a set that have more/less of something.

[foxo]

Originally Posted by RalphH

Can I add a variable #4?

Coated or uncoated. I do think it affects tone and call me weird, but I like coated PBs better - I find them a little less jangly.

As to really why I prefer them... my first decent acoustic (a taylor) shipped with coated PB strings. I got very used to them and anything else sounds different. Being a human, different was bad - we get used to stuff and that becomes what we like. Like smokers with their favourite cigarettes. One stinking, smoldering dried weed smells much the same to a non-smoker, but to a smoker, their brand tastes great and most other brands are yuck. It was quite a surprise to me that all cigarettes stink about the same after I gave up

Haha, as an ex-smoker I like your analogy, there’s definitely some truth to that.

[colchar]

Originally Posted by paulzoom

I always see these posts asking what are the best strings for such and such guitars. Do guitars really do better with certain strings? I have found it depends on the tone you want, not what the guitar wants.

Some kind of do, not necessarily brand but gauge. I used to have a really nice Les Paul that was absolutely terrible with .09 gauge strings. A good friend is a guitar tech so I could get personalized work done any time I wanted, and he would take all kinds of time working on it while we hung out and socialized, but nothing we did made it feel or sound good with .09s. And it wasn't just me, he agreed that the guitar just did not like .09s. Put a set of .10s on it though, and it was a wonderful guitar.

[RalphH]

Originally Posted by colchar

Some kind of do, not necessarily brand but gauge. I used to have a really nice Les Paul that was absolutely terrible with .09 gauge strings. A good friend is a guitar tech so I could get personalized work done any time I wanted, and he would take all kinds of time working on it while we hung out and socialized, but nothing we did made it feel or sound good with .09s. And it wasn't just me, he agreed that the guitar just did not like .09s. Put a set of .10s on it though, and it was a wonderful guitar.

I think that's pretty common with LPs - the scale length is just that bit too short for 9's I think - perhaps also in combination with humbuckers? All the ones I had (I've had 3) were MUCH better with 10's. That extra .75 inch scale (and maybe the single coils) make 9's the perfect strings on a strat, but not on a LP. Slash plays 11's, but he plays tuned down a semi-tone so it probably nets out at about the same thing, and who are we to argue with the almighty slash about Les Pauls