Elixir versus Martin Retro Monel

[AndrewG]

Would be nice to hear the same comparison done after a few weeks.

[Goodallboy]

I tried the Monels and immediately loved the softer, woody tone.

They quickly began to lose volume and clarity and became a muddy mess in about 2 weeks. Reading how long others say they last is very surprising.

One and done for me.

[llew]

I've used Models once on a CS HD-28 Adirondack. I liked them okay but when string change time came I went back to a set of EJ-17's.

[varmonter]

Loved your playing. And song choices.
If we lived closer id love to sit in with a mandolin.
Ive gone with monel on all my instruments.
To my ears the elixers sounded
old and broken in. The monels sounded
brand new. Elixers to me always
seem to have that worn in sound
right out of the box. the plus side
is that sound lasts a long time.
The monels i think last longer than
pb strings. And maybe your body chemistry wont react to nickle like
it does to PB.
An interesting comparison would be
to re-string and play your guitar for
a week or so before making the recordings. Great job though..really.
Apologies if these points were touched on already.

[Guido_59]

Tommy Emmanuel says in a video that don't existing the right strings for each ,but right the right string for each guitar and each guitar want it !
Then : It's your guitar that choose string not you !

[steelvibe]

Love Retros! They have worked well on 3 different guitars I've had- including carbon fiber. Great strings and I've gotten 4 months of heavy play out of a set.

[valleyguy]

Odd how we all have different tastes in what we want a guitar to sound like. I tried Monels and found them too brash for my taste, even after 3 days, but then I like a more mellow sound. I still heard that brashness in your video. For fingerpicking, though, I thought they sounded fine, a nice crispness. Since I flatpick 99% of the time, no Monels for me.

Thanks for doing this, nice video.

[Guido_59]

Sincerely I don’t have try Retro monel by Martin at today I put it on my Maton ebg808te next Saturday.
I’m very curious to ear its sound on my guitar, because I read that are much bright while on tube aprir me are warm and with more low end than PB especially Elixir. So I need to try and after decide if they are for me .

[sford52]

wow. I really like your choices and your style. You are where I hope to get to someday, or at least try. Good subject matter too. Thank you

[Llewlyn]

I play all flesh fingerstyle on my Martin OM-28 and I love mellow warm tones. My strings of choice are GHS Vintage Bronze and Martin Retro (either light or LJ custom light). With Retros, projection decreases but I really enjoy the tone sweetness: I find that the strings do not add any brightness to the sound which to my ears enhances the overtones of the rosewood. The tone of the Retro improves over the first 2 weeks, then plateaus for the next few months. I also find easier to control that finger squeaks.

Ll.

[Guido_59]

I resume this post
About you Martin retro Monel string is suitable for a small body guitar like Epiphone EL-00 pro ?

[jmjohnson]

Sure. I have a set on my LG-2. Lights should do it.

I love Monels...besides the Retros, I also like Curt Mangan round core.

[Zaam]

Just a couple of notes here —

• Likely mentioned already, but Monels tend to sound better after a few days of playing. Could be this has something to do with your ear adjusting to their sound profile, but I swear they actually sound fuller, less 'damp.'
• My experience is they outlast just about any other string out there. Nickel does not corrode as easily as the other common metals.
• Most folks seem to like Monels better on mahogany builds. I love them on my rosewood. Go figure.
• FTR, I am not a fan of Elixirs.
• If you like the Martin Retros you HAVE to try Curt Magnan Monels. They are round core, have a bit more substantial sound, and feel fantastic. Martins feel good to me, Magnans feel great. They are about twice the price but well worth it considering how long these things hold up.

I still love what this particular guitar gives me with good PB strings and miss that a bit; but the Monels stand equal for most music I play. I have been trying to justify buying another OM recently and am seriously considering this as a necessity — having my choice at any given moment.

[Guido_59]

I don’t know Curt Magnan I’ll try to find
Thanks

[Zaam]

Originally Posted by Guido_59

I don’t know Curt Magnan I’ll try to find
Thanks

Strings and Beyond carries them.