Best strings for a magnetic pickup (non adjustable pole pieces)

[D Bonneville]

So I've been trying to find the best string to use with my magnetic pickup and am struggling with tone vs unbalanced output.

Firstly, the setup. It is actually for a tenor banjo and not an acoustic guitar. That being said, when using the banjo acoustically my preference is for Phosphor Bronze over Nickel strings. There is just something in the midrange of PB that I find pleasing, a certain bark, that the nickels just lack.

Pickup wise I use an internal humbucker by EMG. If it were up to me I'd use a more responsive pickup, and mic combo, to get the truest sound of the instrument, and this string balance thing wouldn't be an issue. However the band I play in is pretty loud, full drum kit and synths, as well as drum machine stuff, and I use a fair few effects as well. The banjo humbucker is the only pickup I've found that offers enough feedback rejection.

So, onto the actual question at hand, does anyone have any recommendations of strings that will A: Sound like Phosphor Bronze, and B: Balance properly through a magnetic pickup without adjustable pole pieces?

My old phosphor bronze strings sounded OK, but the plain high E was way too loud in comparison. I use 42w, 30w, 20w, 12 gauges for reference.

I've got some Nickel strings on there at the moment, but I'm missing the Phosphor Bronze sound acoustically.

I've hear mixed reviews about the D'addario Nickel Bronze strings balancing properly with a magnetic pickup.

So yeah, any recomendations?

[HogsNRoses]

Did you try DR Zebras?

[D Bonneville]

I've been having a hard time finding the Zebras in the UK, and as singles.

Plus, from looking at their packs, I'm not sure they do as low as a 20w. The 22 in some of their packs doesn't state whether is is wound or plain.

[D Bonneville]

Originally Posted by HogsNRoses

Did you try DR Zebras?

Seems they are discontinued now actually.

Anyone else have any recommendations?

[stephenT]

I would guess the issue is more the one unwound string vs the other three wound strings and their relative volume than the brand.

Maybe go down a gauge on the unwound string?

[D Bonneville]

Originally Posted by stephenT

I would guess the issue is more the one unwound string vs the other three wound strings and their relative volume than the brand.

Maybe go down a gauge on the unwound string?

Can't go much lower than an 11 before playability and tone are negatively affected.

But it is actually an issue with bronze vs nickel strings. Because the windings, like phosphor bronze, are not magnetic, the pickup only picks up the steel core of the string, which is considerably thinner, so you don't get as strong a sound from the wound strings. Nickel winds are magnetic, so give a more balanced sound between the wound vs unwound strings.

[shufflebeat]

Caveat - guitar experience mostly (but plenty of it).

Bronze/phosphor bronze are a non starter for mag pickups. I've tried many and some get half way there but any acoustic benefit of b/pb strings is completely lost on even the best mag pickup.

You have several options:

- Use nickel strings, obviously
- Use n/b strings. I tried these on an old Framus and they sounded really nice, mellow and full. That guitar has a tendency to "clankiness" so the n/b's were a nice counter balance to that. I originally bought a few sets to go with a Baggs m1a on a different guitar but gave up on that soon after.

With PB's:
- stick a steel shim (strip of bean tin & gluedots) to the underside of the banjo head under either:
- - the three wound strings, that will set the pickup off
Or
- - all four strings if necessary.

This is a cludge and ignores separate polepieces, don't worry about it unless there's a problem.

[Steve DeRosa]

Try a set of monels - same as banjo players used in the 1920's...

[HogsNRoses]

Another thought - Alloy 52. It’s an alloy of iron and nickel, so it’s ferromagnetic. You can try GHS White Bronze or Rotosound’s electric guitar offering. Thomastik’s Infeld strings are also some mystery alloy that sounds like Alloy 52 to me. I don’t know if they will have that sound you’re looking for, but worth a try.

Nickel Bronze has a nickel plate over phosphor bronze, and the coating is probably so thin it won’t help. They’ll probably work with an acoustic pickup though, because an acoustic pickup like an M1 is designed for acoustic strings.

Totally off-the-wall idea - what about NYXL strings? They have a character to them that might be acceptable. And singles are easy to find.

[Robin, Wales]

I think that you are going to struggle to balance that p/u without using pure nickel or nickel plated steel strings.

You can pick up a basic tenor banjo very cheaply in the UK. For your stage band application, why not just build up a specific instrument to suit the loud plugged in and processed sound? And keep the one you have now set up just for acoustic sessions?

[shufflebeat]

Originally Posted by HogsNRoses

Nickel Bronze has a nickel plate over phosphor bronze, and the coating is probably so thin it won’t help.

This has not been my experience. The difference between phosphor bronze and nickel bronze is at least enough to rebalance the pickup output.

They’ll probably work with an acoustic pickup though, because an acoustic pickup like an M1 is designed for acoustic strings.

The m1 has a mechanism for picking up body vibration which helps (and hinders) but the magnetic pickup section is as usual and is subject to the same rules of physics.

[Neal]

https://www.stringsdirect.co.uk/blog...ndhole-pickup/

Article if still interested.

[shufflebeat]

Originally Posted by Neal

https://www.stringsdirect.co.uk/blog...ndhole-pickup/

Article if still interested.

Ooh, I have all kinds of issues with that article, but the main one is:

Often with magnetic pickups, the plain steel strings can sound as though they “jump out” quite a bit in comparison to the wound strings. The reason for this is that despite the wound strings being thicker in gauge, the pickup is usually only ‘picking up’ on the central core, which in some wound strings may in fact be smaller in diameter than the plain steel strings in the set.

...Adjusting each individual pole-piece gives players the scope to tweak this and create a more even output across all strings

The scope p/p adjustment gives you doesn't always match the level gap, hence the tendency for many folks, including m1 users, to remove the p/p's completely.

Apart from that, the quality of the sound of the heavier strings, as opposed to the measurable level, is completely different, anaemic and lacking in "note" (vs noise) compared to the same pickup with nickel strings.

This part:

Another reason is that the plain strings are more exposed allowing the pickup to pull more on the string, thus creating a higher output.

I find very suspect, according to this logic magnets don't work through XX material, and we've all seen those tricks with iron filings

And this:

So does the nickel plating enhance or detract anything when playing with a sound hole pickup? No, not at all. Whilst the outer wrap is not magnetic, the central core is.

Is very much not my experience and deserves more research on my part.

[Neal]

Eh, whaddya gonna do? This, that..

[shufflebeat]

jazz guitar.be, Nickel Bronze responds better to magnetic pickups.

the venerable old house has come out with a cool new string..nickel bronze!!...it's a nickel plated bronze string on a steel core...so has acoustic bronze qualities but with outer nickel plate feel and look...plus increased magnetic properties which can work with magnetic pickups

seems like a good choice for archtops

This is my experience.

Originally Posted by Neal

Eh, whaddya gonna do? This, that..

Base my opinions on personal experience and question people who don't seem to have done the same (StringsDirect).