Giant string experiment

[uriah1]

All PB types eh.

[dwasifar]

Originally Posted by uriah1

All PB types eh.

Yep. I like PB.

[Strings By Mail]

Such a great experiment! We are excited about your endeavor.

Depending on the type of core, round or hex, there will be a different sound to the strings as well. It'll be interesting to see how you like each. Play-ability will also be different with round and hex both performing a bit different. Be sure to keep us informed of what you figure out!

The GHS thin core are a bit unique in that they are a thinner round core with a thicker wrap. The sound should be about as robust but with greater play-ability. They are a popular string for this reason.

Lastly, not to add more to your plate, but don't sleep on the La Bella Phosphor Bronze series. Check out the 7GPM for the 13-56 size.

We are looking forward to hearing more!

[hairpuller]

Originally Posted by dwasifar

Here are five more that will be in the test, which I already had before I placed the order:

Yay! Retros! Yay!

I like those.
scott

[dwasifar]

Originally Posted by Strings By Mail

Such a great experiment! We are excited about your endeavor.

Depending on the type of core, round or hex, there will be a different sound to the strings as well. It'll be interesting to see how you like each. Play-ability will also be different with round and hex both performing a bit different. Be sure to keep us informed of what you figure out!

The GHS thin core are a bit unique in that they are a thinner round core with a thicker wrap. The sound should be about as robust but with greater play-ability. They are a popular string for this reason.

Lastly, not to add more to your plate, but don't sleep on the La Bella Phosphor Bronze series. Check out the 7GPM for the 13-56 size.

We are looking forward to hearing more!

I looked at those while I was shopping your site, but I skipped them and the Black Diamond offerings because I saw generally mediocre reviews out on the internet in general. If I had realized this was going to turn into the scale of project it has, I probably would have included both, plus the DR Rare and Veritas (which was just an oversight).

I like the round-core DR Sunbeams on my Taylor, but my Larrivée doesn't sound right with them. Originally I was just going to order the Dogals and the Pyramid Western Folk, looking for a round core that sounds better on this instrument, but when I started my order I was looking at each brand to see if they had round or hex core, and I figured what the heck, let's try a bunch.

The actual experiment starts this evening. My wife will select one set at random, remove the strings from their package, and bring them to me. I'll evaluate them not knowing what brand I'm using. I've removed the Martin Marquis and the Cleartone EQ from this randomization process, because those two will be clearly identifiable even without their packages. My plan for the Marquis is to put them on right after the regular Martin PBs, to see if I notice any difference. I don't know what I'll do with the Cleartones yet.

This is not a completely blind test, because as I get closer to the end of the series, I'll know more and more about which strings I am not playing. But if I were to keep all the brands secret from myself until I'd tested all of them, it'd be harder to associate my gut experiences with the brands afterward; I'd be relying on descriptions that would be up to a year old. Plus which it would be very frustrating for readers if I were to log on every few weeks and say "String set X sounds like [whatever they sound like], come back next year to find out what they are."

[Strings By Mail]

Well it sure sounds like you got it covered!

You make a great observation with the DR Sunbeams. Every guitar will be different, so really taking the time to try different strings is really the only true way to see what sounds the best! I love bringing in some randomization to this process too.

Excited you get to start tonight. Keep us updated!

[dwasifar]

Okay, here are the first results.

Right now I do not know what strings I installed, so we'll call them String Set A.

Visual inspection: They are a little inconsistent. I notice a bit of discoloration on the plain strings in spots. It doesn't feel like corrosion, but it does seem like the gauge of the string is a little bit uneven in those spots. Wound strings look better and more consistent. There is something unusual about the ball ends, but I'm not going to say what it is right now, so that nobody blurts out, "Oh, those are [x]!" and ruins my attempt at objectivity. The twist ends are a little shorter than I'm used to.

Tension and playability: I don't notice anything out of the ordinary. They seem about the same in this regard as the EJ17s I took off, neither stiffer nor more flexible.

Initial sound: They are quite a bit darker and murkier than anything else I've tried on this guitar. I'm not sure whether that's going to be a good thing or not as they settle in. They are also quieter than the EJ17s were. This concerns me, because that was one of the reasons I didn't keep the DR Sunbeams on this guitar; they muted its voice, and I'm thinking these are going to turn out to be the same. The bass is very pronounced, which could turn out to be a positive depending on where everything settles.

Overall impression: I'm not sure yet. I'll have to give them a chance to grow on me. My gut is that I will want more powerful-sounding and forward strings than these, but we'll see over the next few days.

I am burning with curiosity about what these are, and it's going to be hard not to cheat and go look where my wife hid the packaging.

The guitar details: This is a 2017 Larrivée D-03R, stock except for ebony bridge pins and Gotoh 510 tuners, which I just installed. The tuners are a little shorter in the post than the stock ones, resulting in a sharper break angle. All string sets in this test will be installed using the Martin method where you wrap the string back around itself. This helps prevent round core strings from unraveling when you trim them, and since I won't know in advance whether I'm installing a round core set, I'll be using this method throughout the test.

[Playguitar]

Will you also be posting the audio from your tests?

[dwasifar]

Originally Posted by Playguitar

Will you also be posting the audio from your tests?

I might try. Not sure yet how that will come out.

[Ncbandit]

I will be watching with interest after seeing those prices. I am paying way too much for the Elixir nanowebs.

[UncleJesse]

Originally Posted by Ncbandit

I will be watching with interest after seeing those prices. I am paying way too much for the Elixir nanowebs.

Have you tried daddario exp strings? They're coated and sound better to my ears than elixir. I used elixir exclusively for many years.

[Ncbandit]

Originally Posted by UncleJesse

Have you tried daddario exp strings? They're coated and sound better to my ears than elixir. I used elixir exclusively for many years.

No I haven't but I will be sure to give them a try.

[dwasifar]

Originally Posted by Ncbandit

I will be watching with interest after seeing those prices. I am paying way too much for the Elixir nanowebs.

I used to play nanowebs once upon a time, but I switched away from coated strings a long time ago, which is why there are none in the test.

[Brucebubs]

Originally Posted by dwasifar

Okay, here are the first results.

This concerns me, because that was one of the reasons I didn't keep the DR Sunbeams on this guitar; they muted its voice, and I'm thinking these are going to turn out to be the same.

My very first time with DR Sunbeams was similar.
I tried the .013 mediums on my EJ-200.
Disappointing.
By sheer chance I happened to have a set of .012 lights on hand so ... why not?
Chalk and cheese - the guitar came alive.
Love them!

[dwasifar]

Originally Posted by Playguitar

Will you also be posting the audio from your tests?

Well, here's a clip from my Zoom mini recorder. This was taken after the strings had been on for about 24 hours.

Tell me if this is useful. If it's not, I won't bother with audio going forward.

https://xec.net/share/STE-005.wav