I’m starting to think string choice is overrated.

[rokdog49]

Originally Posted by paulzoom

I should have been specific and say string brand choice. String weight (medium, lite, etc) and type (PB, 80/20, coated or not) are not overrated. But, once that's settled the rest is a bit overrated.

Sorry, I still don’t agree.
If I could get them, I would always buy the original Gibson Masterbuilts for my J45. In fact, me and a group of other J45 owners lobbied GHS pretty hard to try and get them to consider making them to Gibson’s specs under a new name. We like all them better than other brands. Sadly, it was not to be.
BTW, the specs on the Masterbuilts are unique.

[Rosewood99]

Originally Posted by rokdog49

Sorry, I still don’t agree.
If I could get them, I would always buy the original Gibson Masterbuilts for my J45. In fact, me and a group of other J45 owners lobbied GHS pretty hard to try and get them to consider making them to Gibson’s specs under a new name. We like all them better than other brands. Sadly, it was not to be.
BTW, the specs on the Masterbuilts are unique.

I've used the Gibson Masterbuilts on my J45 and could not see a significant difference between those or the Martins that I ended up using because they were cheaper. But if they work for you as opposed to any other brand, more power to you.

[bufflehead]

I don't agree with the premise in the OP.

Strings need to match the guitar and the playing style. A bad match sucks the life out of the performance. A good match creates a bit of magic.

[Silly Moustache]

Tend to agree generally.

I play mainly Collings guitars.

I use only phos-bronze uncoated strings mediums on big'ns and lights on smaller ones.

I mainly use D'addario. They are pretty consistent, although over the years I have had the occasional dud.

On the old Collings form it seemed that most preferred John Pearse equivalents.

When Martin decded to reduce their string ranges I read many who mourned the passing of SPs, so I bught some.

I thought the JPs to be slightly warmer (preferred by collings users)- Collings are often thought to be bright.

Martin sps seemed a little brighter to me. Prefered by Martin owners (Martins tend to be a bit bass biased).

D'addarios somewhere in between. At least this was my "perception" (subjective).

Dunlops seem to be rather "smooth" sounding and feeling, and Rotosound feel rough initially.

However once all these have been on for a week or so - really couldn't tell the difference.

[Nick S]

Somewhere on Frets.com, I seem to recall, Frank Ford tells a story about changing the brand of strings (not gauge or alloy) on guitars he is working on, without telling the customers. To see if they notice.
Please forgive me if I am wrong. Especially Frank if he sees this.

[buddyhu]

Originally Posted by paulzoom

I should have been specific and say string brand choice. String weight (medium, lite, etc) and type (PB, 80/20, coated or not) are not overrated. But, once that's settled the rest is a bit overrated.

I agree. There is a meaningful difference between strings made of different materials, and strings of different gauges, and coated vs in coated . But the differences between one brand of particular strings, say 80/20 lights, and another brand of 80/20 lights is negligible. It might be detectable to a sensitive ear in some cases...but detectable isn’t the same as meaningful.

Probably the same with picks: different materials and thicknesses make a difference, and IMO, some design details (holes vs. no holes) can make a difference. But we probably overdo our discussion of details and preferences.

We don’t talk much about technique...even though it is abundantly clear that technique is a primary determinant of tone.

[Yrksman]

Originally Posted by paulzoom

You just proved my point. It's more about weeding out the bad brands more than it is finding that unicorn of a string. I doubt your audience could tell the difference in "sparkle" but if you have a brand that feels greasy, those are definitely a brand you would not want to use again.

It’s not just what the audience hears, it’s what I hear and feel and how inspiring the sound of the guitar is to me, both for playing and singing. I definitely play and sing with more feeling when I’m in tune with the sound of the instrument in my hands.

Weeding out the bad brands seems to me like a glass half full/empty analogy. I’d refer to it as finding the best strings for my needs.

[YeOldRocker]

Not to second guess a position attributed to Tommy Emanuel on changing strings types for the good of the guitar itself - and he'd know better than I - I'd suggest that what might be beneficial - since we've mostly agreed strings do impact the way our guitars play and sound - is that different strings push you outside your comfort zone, which is ultimately good for you as an artist. Dealing with a suddenly brighter guitar, for example, is a way to explore your own playing if you tend to prefer a warmer, less bright sound; how do I get my fantastic guitar to sound better with these zingy strings on it?

While it's entirely possible T Emanuel believes changing string brands regularly enhances the guitar itself over time, the more likely benefit, IMO, is that it challenges the player to play around with what changed on an otherwise great sounding guitar. So, rather than ripping them off immediately and returning to what you're already happy with, you live with the new sound for a bit and save thousands on yet another guitar. Me, I'm too old for any of this and intend to stick with what I already know works.

But, artistically speaking, it's an idea, anyway...

[Rosewood99]

Originally Posted by Yrksman

It’s not just what the audience hears, it’s what I hear and feel and how inspiring the sound of the guitar is to me, both for playing and singing. I definitely play and sing with more feeling when I’m in tune with the sound of the instrument in my hands.

Weeding out the bad brands seems to me like a glass half full/empty analogy. I’d refer to it as finding the best strings for my needs.

It’s not the half glass full or empty analogy at all. What I’m saying is there’s usually not one great string out there. There are some bad ones and once you weed those out the remaining are all gonna basically sound pretty good. I’m surprise it take string choice to make you feel inspired.

[LeDave]

I can hear the difference between strings on my only guitar, a $429 one. From reading some posts on here, I am realizing that maybe higher-end guitars than mine, have minimal differential in sound from swapping out different strings; While my newbie guitar has substantial differences because it is newbie?

[Shredmaster007]

Probably nobody will read this, but anyways..

I think string choice absolutely affects a guitar's sound, but it just depends on whether you care or notice. Pick choice also makes a big difference if you use one. After all, why else would would the market support so many choices?

I look for a string that has the right tension, feel, sound and longevity.

I think half of people replace their strings too frequently and the other half not frequently enough. Seriously - there is a sweet spot between wasting money and having a string that stays in tune / intonates well / plays smoothly.

As for Masterbuilts - I still have half a dozen packs for the J45 I no longer own - they really did have a certain synergy with the Gibson that I've not experienced with any of the Taylors / Martins / Takamines I've had over the years. I'm holding on in case I pick up another 45 or an AJ down the road!

[FingahPickah]

I've always considered alloy and gauge first... I don't care much for coated strings.

On a level playing field (ok pun kind'a intended) if I want a PB in a standard medium gauge (.013 -.056) there are many competitive brands (with perhaps a few exceptions) that perform pretty much the same...

I do however have alloy and gauge preferences for particular instruments...mostly based on body size and shape and wood combinations .

[L20A]

To tell you the truth, I don't know if I could tell you what strings were on my guitar if someone else put them on for me and didn't tell me what strings they were.

I do think that I can tell the different sound between say Martin and D'Addario strings but I wouldn't want to bet very much on it.

[Monsoon1]

Originally Posted by Mirosh

Are counterfeit strings a factor here? Which brands are more likely to show up in counterfeit form? It looks like D'Addario is doing a lot to counter the counterfeiting of their strings.

Ugh. Am I the only one who didn't even know counterfeit strings were a thing?

[Monsoon1]

Originally Posted by L20A

To tell you the truth, I don't know if I could tell you what strings were on my guitar if someone else put them on for me and didn't tell me what strings they were.

I do think that I can tell the different sound between say Martin and D'Addario strings but I wouldn't want to bet very much on it.

Same here.
Identical metallurgy and string size, and I doubt if I'd be able to pick out the diference between sets.