Martin DSS 17

[MikePrent]

Originally Posted by boneuphtoner

Please let us know what you think after the change. I like the stock setup with Retro Monels a lot and I've heard the advice why change if you already like what it comes with, but I'm curious to hear other's views of the difference between these and phosphor bronze on the DSS17. I've heard some people say monel takes the edge off of bright guitars, and I've heard others say the monels made their guitar too bright sounding.

Well I just finished about an hour ago. They are still settling in and I will give a couple days of playing to make my final determination, but so far I really think the Martin 12.5 PB’s warmed it up a bit. Not as bright/brash/obnoxious as the retros. I really had to be intentional to not play too loud with those strings ... not saying they were bad... they fit the guitar’s personality and all, but just wanted to experiment to see if I could tame this beast a little, but it still projects like no other. Love this thing, I play it every single day...

[boneuphtoner]

Originally Posted by MikePrent

Well I just finished about an hour ago. They are still settling in and I will give a couple days of playing to make my final determination, but so far I really think the Martin 12.5 PB’s warmed it up a bit. Not as bright/brash/obnoxious as the retros. I really had to be intentional to not play too loud with those strings ... not saying they were bad... they fit the guitar’s personality and all, but just wanted to experiment to see if I could tame this beast a little, but it still projects like no other. Love this thing, I play it every single day...

Thanks for the report! I may have to try a set of phosphor bronze strings soon - please let us know how they settle in.

[MikePrent]

Originally Posted by boneuphtoner

Thanks for the report! I may have to try a set of phosphor bronze strings soon - please let us know how they settle in.

Well it's a been a few days of playing with these new Martin 12.5 PB strings(MA545)... they've settled in nicely and I actually like them. They didn't take anything away from the attitude of the DSS-17 at all... thanks to the overall construction, she (Bertha) still resonates with attitude. I think more than anything, it took the edge off that mid-range "twangy hit" of the retros. Although only 1/2 size larger, they do feel thicker under the finger (more than I expected), maybe this is because I got so accustomed to the lights- not sure. Also they don't bend as easy as the Retro's... So I think considering everything, it's an equal trade-off. I might try the PB lights and then the medium Retros just to see what happens.

Regardless... still love this thing. She gets played every single day.

[tollycraft28]

Originally Posted by lowrider

You won't have the weight problem with the DSS-17. It's as light as a feather!

Did you get black or WS. Both are very popular. I got WS on the J-17 because I wanted to look very much like a 17 series guitar.

Got the Black Smoke