Strings for J-45 (I miss the Masterbuilt Premium 80/20 Bronze Lights so bad!!!)

[jrb715]

Originally Posted by llew

Maybe some John Pearse 80/20's?

I also recommend the John Pearse 80/20s. While I like, and use, the D'Addario non-coated 80/20s on one of my guitars, the John Pearse strings are deeper and fuller through the mids. And of course you can try PBs.

[therbulus]

Originally Posted by Brucebubs

I'm new to the world of 80/20's - hated them for years - my new SJ-200 changed that!

I'm still on my 1st set of John Pearse lights and I've ordered more as well as,

- Ernie Ball Earthwoods (after reading recommendations here on the AGF!)
- Curt Mangan round-cores
- DR Hi-Beam
- Rotosound Tru-Bronze ( a brand I haven't tried before)

I'm sorry I missed the Gibson 80/20's, I would have liked to try them.

You've had so many string posts (along with photos), I sometimes wonder if you've spent more on strings than on guitars! LOL

[rokdog49]

Originally Posted by Lillis

From previous posts i believe GHS bright bronze are the same string. They made them for Gibson.

They aren’t the same, but they are good.

[Wade Hampton]

For a few years I owned a Gibson WM-45, which was basically a plain wrapper J-45. I used John Pearse phosphor bronze strings on it, so that’s what I recommend.


whm

[Brucebubs]

Originally Posted by therbulus

You've had so many string posts (along with photos), I sometimes wonder if you've spent more on strings than on guitars! LOL

I hope my wife doesn't read your post,

[Bushleague]

Originally Posted by FingahPickah

I recommend Ernie Ball Earthwood 80/20 Medium Lights .012 - .054

I use these and the masterbuilts, different but they compare nicely IMO.

[Charitard]

Hello everyone,

First time poster on Acoustic guitar forum.

I visited this post a few times because I was on the same quest as most people on here to find a replacement for the discontinued Gibson masterbuilt 80/20 medium set. Over the last few months I took it upon myself to check out different brands to approach the wonderful sound these strings gave to my 50s original J45 (2020 built).

Strings tested (all 12s): Elixir 80/20 Nanoweb; Ernie Ball 80/20 Earthwood; D'addario 80/20 EJ11; GHS Bright Bronze and the new Gibson 80/20 set.

From worst to best:

- Elixir 80/20 Nanoweb: Extremely trebl-y. I remember putting these on just before recording and they were just way too bright, scratchy and produced an almost unmixable result. Verdict: Don't like these at all and definatly are not close in sound to the old masterbuilts. They may work on superdark sounding guitars but I wouldn't buy these again and wouldn't recommend them to anyone honestly. I've had OK results with Elixirs on electrics when touring but these are just a no for me.

- D'addario's: Were OK, pretty balanced, somewhat "scooped" sound as I would expect from 80/20. For the money they are OK and I can see some people liking them. Verdict: Wouldn't mind playing them live if the local music store has no other 80/20 sets in stock. No problem to record in busy mixes, Pretty close to the Ernie Balls in overall experience although they have a less vintage sound.

- Earthwoods: In the same ballpark as the d'addario's albeit a more traditional vintage 80/20 sound. What I do miss with these and the others mentioned before are the overtones for some reason. Pretty good strings actually, used them on some recordings as my local music shop has these in stock as their only 80/20 set. Verdict: Nothing wrong with them, just do not produce the same overtones as the original masterbuilt strings. But in pop/rock mixes these aren't heard anyway. Reliable and last the longest of all strings tested (except the elixirs if you like that tone)

- GHS Bright Bronze: These come very close to the original masterbuilts. Same tone "profile" maybe just a tad bit brighter/clearer which leads me to think they have more going on in the presence range compared to the old masterbuilts which are a little more scooped. I have these on my guitar now for about a week and still sound very new/fresh which is a good thing as they sounded great out of the package. They produce almost the same overtones/harmonic content as the original gibson masterbuilts and I expect them to last a little longer. Verdict: These come extremely close, but are a little stiffer to play (maybe I need to give them more time). I expect these to last longer but I can't tell for sure. They are pricier than the Gibsons though (in Europe at least)

- The new Gibson 80/20 strings (uncoated): I believe these to be nearly identical to what I remember the old masterbuilts to sound like. The minute I put these on I felt the relief that my J45 had it's voice back with which I fell in love when I bought this guitar. They produce the same angelic harmonics/overtones, they are really comfortable to play and the overall sound is just right for my J45. Verdict: IMHO, these are the ones you want to buy if you just loved the old masterbuilts like I did. Compared to the other strings on this list, they are also one of the cheapest so it's clearly a winner. Fear not, the masterbuilts are back, just under another name . Only downside: They wear the fastest out of any of the aforementioned sets. I remember the old masterbuilts wearing fast as well so I expect these strings to have the same formula or metals or whatever (real technical, I know).

OVERALL > If you don't mind changing strings often (Every 2-3 weeks), the new Gibsons are my choice and are basically the same as the old masterbuilts. If you don't want to change strings so often, the GHS Bright Bronze set is a very viable alternative and has 95 percent of the tone of the gibsons. The Earthwoods last the longest and have a perfectly fine tone but miss the overtones the GHS and Gibsons offer. Don't mind the D'addarios if nothing else is availible, they are fine really. Only bas experience are the Elixirs

I hope to have contributed on this topic and give back to the community as I have gotten a lot of info from this thread. Thanks to everyone here on their thoughts and recommendations. Let me know what you think are the best replacements in your opinion.

[abn556]

I have a new Custom Shop J-45 with Engelmann top and Koa back and sides. No idea what strings Gibson put on the guitar. Guitar only a few weeks old so I haven’t replaced the original strings yet. Any ideas for a Englelmann/Koa J-45 for strings? I D’Addario PBs, Martin Monels, and a couple of packs of EB Earthwoods in stock. What else should I consider?

[Charitard]

Originally Posted by abn556

I have a new Custom Shop J-45 with Engelmann top and Koa back and sides. No idea what strings Gibson put on the guitar. Guitar only a few weeks old so I haven’t replaced the original strings yet. Any ideas for a Englelmann/Koa J-45 for strings? I D’Addario PBs, Martin Monels, and a couple of packs of EB Earthwoods in stock. What else should I consider?

No experience with the CS, mine is a regular 50s original J45. I especially like the 80/20s on the J45 I have, PBs don't really do the trick for me. No experience with Monels though...

[mimmo]

I'm very happy with the Gibson factory specifications strings the guitars are shipped with.
They are coated phosphor bronze and I think that they perfectly match the guitar quality (in my case, a Gibson J-45 Original 50s).

Give them a try, I highly recommend them.

[nitram]

I have a '14 J-45 and I've tried most of the previously mentioned strings but for the last year or so I have been using D'Add XS's and nothing else has sounded as good or lasted nearly so long. Highly recommended!

[Charitard]

Originally Posted by mimmo

I'm very happy with the Gibson factory specifications strings the guitars are shipped with.
They are coated phosphor bronze and I think that they perfectly match the guitar quality (in my case, a Gibson J-45 Original 50s).

Give them a try, I highly recommend them.

When was yours built? Mine came with the uncoated masterbuilt 80/20, interesting they switched over to PB’s now… so far PB’s haven’t tickled my fancy but might just try the gibson ones, thanks for the tip

[Charitard]

Originally Posted by nitram

I have a '14 J-45 and I've tried most of the previously mentioned strings but for the last year or so I have been using D'Add XS's and nothing else has sounded as good or lasted nearly so long. Highly recommended!

Haven’t tried those, no one in my area carries them… might just order a set through thomann… thanks for the tip!

[TBman]

I used to use Martin Flexible cores, John Pearse PB lights and Curt Mangan 80/20 lights on the J-45 I used to have.

[mimmo]

Originally Posted by Charitard

When was yours built? Mine came with the uncoated masterbuilt 80/20, interesting they switched over to PB’s now… so far PB’s haven’t tickled my fancy but might just try the gibson ones, thanks for the tip

I don't know the exact year of production, serial number is 20443043. I tried these strings because I asked Gibson about the factory stings on my guitar.

Thanks for your suggestion, I will definitely try the non coated version and see which one I like best.