Martin Titanium strings

[fwphoto]

Originally Posted by Dothraki

Well they are definitely 1st on my list next string change. Ordered some retro monels to try on the hog/adi dread first. Do the Titaniums sound similar to monels in any way?

I'm personally not a fan of the Retros. They've never worked out for me. They sound OK early but don't last. I have used JP Nickel with better results. They both have similarities to the Titaniums but neither has been better for me. I just keep coming back to the Titaniums & am always happy with them.

Let us know how you like them! Not everybody does & I do understand that. What I never understand, though, are folks that trash them on the net because of their price but have never actually tried them. Yeah, they're costly but so are a few others that I've tried over the years. I come back to them because they make my favorite guitar sound better than any other string set I've tried, & I've tried many over the near 50 years I've been playing this guitar!

Frank

[Sdrew22]

The Titanium have a similar sound to the Retros, but beefed up if that makes any sense. The Titanium strings were the best sounding strings I have ever used, but at 40 dollars a pop they are not worth the risk of having a string break while tuning to pitch.

Martin Retro's are phenomenal strings in my opinion and they last forever. I strung up my Foley on 11/5/2022 and they still sound and play great today.

Curt Mangan round core Nickle's are also a great option

I am completely sold on Nickle strings

[Dothraki]

Originally Posted by fwphoto

I'm personally not a fan of the Retros. They've never worked out for me. They sound OK early but don't last. I have used JP Nickel with better results. They both have similarities to the Titaniums but neither has been better for me. I just keep coming back to the Titaniums & am always happy with them.

Let us know how you like them! Not everybody does & I do understand that. What I never understand, though, are folks that trash them on the net because of their price but have never actually tried them. Yeah, they're costly but so are a few others that I've tried over the years. I come back to them because they make my favorite guitar sound better than any other string set I've tried, & I've tried many over the near 50 years I've been playing this guitar!

Frank

I’ll be honest…it does worry me a lot. Not just because of the price, but because I don’t break strings and wouldn’t want to add that problem to the equation. If I was out performing a solo gig and a string snapped, then I went to replace it and it snapped again, that guitar would essentially be out of commission for the night, and if that happened I wouldn’t ever use them again either. I’d like to hear what tone they offer but don’t have time to waste on strings that break. I’m a little perplexed that Martin would release them with having such a widespread breakage issue across the board. But I do want to see what they sound like on my git-fiddles.

[Dothraki]

Originally Posted by Sdrew22

The Titanium have a similar sound to the Retros, but beefed up if that makes any sense. The Titanium strings were the best sounding strings I have ever used, but at 40 dollars a pop they are not worth the risk of having a string break while tuning to pitch.

Martin Retro's are phenomenal strings in my opinion and they last forever. I strung up my Foley on 11/5/2022 and they still sound and play great today.

Curt Mangan round core Nickle's are also a great option

I am completely sold on Nickle strings

I was thinking the same thing, I’ll give them a try a some point just to see what they sound like but will be nervous as hell stringing up lol.

The Retro Monels should be here in a few days, cant wait to check them out!

[fwphoto]

Originally Posted by Dothraki

I’m a little perplexed that Martin would release them with having such a widespread breakage issue across the board.

Sure, & I can't believe they haven't stopped shipping guitars until they have fixed that massive problem with most of their bindings, yet! ;-)

I don't believe that Titanium string breakage when stringing them up, is a "widespread" problem. Yes. it does happen. Yes, we seem to hear about it every time it does. I don't know what percentage have that problem but it's probably very small. Really, are we talking one in a hundred? No way. One in a thousand? I still doubt it. One in a million? Possibly. Fewer than that? Probably. Obviously I don't know what % do have problems but I do believe it is a relatively small number. How many sets of these strings are sold every year? Lots. Of those, how many strings break? Yeah, there are enough issues to hear about. True, true, true. We probably hear about most of the issues, & when taken out of the context of production numbers, it becomes a "widespread" problem. People like me that have been using them for multiple years, on multiple guitars, but have never, not once, broken a string are somehow seen as the exceptions & not the majority. If the problem really is that widespread I'd also be perplexed that Martin is still producing them. But they are. And they continue to support them by doing good by those that have broken some.

Please don't get me wrong. I do believe those folks that have had breakage issues. I don't know if it's a QC issue or maybe they're not careful enough with them. Doesn't matter. I'd stop using them, too. I, personally wouldn't complain as much, though, if they sent me replacements & tried to make things right. Sometimes, though, it's just too hard to make everyone happy. That's OK as long as the effort to make good is genuine in nature. Some folks will never be satisfied, though. You know who you are. :-)

Anyway, Titaniums are not for everyone. If you've tried them & had a bad experience, sorry. I've tried dozens of strings over the years & have only stuck with a few. If you're just frugal in nature & refuse to spend that much on strings (even if you'd be using them on a very expensive guitar), more power to you. Just don't take the word of the few that have had problems at face value & diminish the opinion of the vast majority of other users that are happy with the way these strings make their guitars sound the best they ever have.

Bottom line? Play the best guitar you can with the strings that make it sing for YOU!

Frank

[Dothraki]

Originally Posted by fwphoto

Sure, & I can't believe they haven't stopped shipping guitars until they have fixed that massive problem with most of their bindings, yet! ;-)

I don't believe that Titanium string breakage when stringing them up, is a "widespread" problem. Yes. it does happen. Yes, we seem to hear about it every time it does. I don't know what percentage have that problem but it's probably very small. Really, are we talking one in a hundred? No way. One in a thousand? I still doubt it. One in a million? Possibly. Fewer than that? Probably. Obviously I don't know what % do have problems but I do believe it is a relatively small number. How many sets of these strings are sold every year? Lots. Of those, how many strings break? Yeah, there are enough issues to hear about. True, true, true. We probably hear about most of the issues, & when taken out of the context of production numbers, it becomes a "widespread" problem. People like me that have been using them for multiple years, on multiple guitars, but have never, not once, broken a string are somehow seen as the exceptions & not the majority. If the problem really is that widespread I'd also be perplexed that Martin is still producing them. But they are. And they continue to support them by doing good by those that have broken some.

Please don't get me wrong. I do believe those folks that have had breakage issues. I don't know if it's a QC issue or maybe they're not careful enough with them. Doesn't matter. I'd stop using them, too. I, personally wouldn't complain as much, though, if they sent me replacements & tried to make things right. Sometimes, though, it's just too hard to make everyone happy. That's OK as long as the effort to make good is genuine in nature. Some folks will never be satisfied, though. You know who you are. :-)

Anyway, Titaniums are not for everyone. If you've tried them & had a bad experience, sorry. I've tried dozens of strings over the years & have only stuck with a few. If you're just frugal in nature & refuse to spend that much on strings (even if you'd be using them on a very expensive guitar), more power to you. Just don't take the word of the few that have had problems at face value & diminish the opinion of the vast majority of other users that are happy with the way these strings make their guitars sound the best they ever have.

Bottom line? Play the best guitar you can with the strings that make it sing for YOU!

Frank

Seems pretty widespread to me. Handful of people in this thread alone had multiple reports of breakage, same with other threads and forums too. I came across at least 3 youtube reviewers that had multiple breakages…and there is not many vids on these strings to begin with. So the percentage is high. Haven’t heard of any problems with any other popular strings from Martin or D’addario or John Pearse or Santa Cruz etc. etc. So yes I would consider the strings to have a “widespread” breakage issue.

I’m glad they work for you. Maybe the saddle angle and nut slots are perfect for them on your guitar, maybe you play fairly light handed and don’t bend strings (which you mentioned you don’t) but to try and say this is a one in a million issue is not correct when you look at the evidence.

I still want to see what they sound like, but I expect a string to break when tuning up, I just hope with the replacement string that 2 times a charm.

[Dothraki]

Btw… I don’t think it’s a QC issue I think it’s a material/design issue.

[fwphoto]

Originally Posted by Dothraki

Seems pretty widespread to me. Handful of people in this thread alone had multiple reports of breakage, same with other threads and forums too. I came across at least 3 youtube reviewers that had multiple breakages…and there is not many vids on these strings to begin with. So the percentage is high. Haven’t heard of any problems with any other popular strings from Martin or D’addario or John Pearse or Santa Cruz etc. etc. So yes I would consider the strings to have a “widespread” breakage issue.

I’m glad they work for you. Maybe the saddle angle and nut slots are perfect for them on your guitar, maybe you play fairly light handed and don’t bend strings (which you mentioned you don’t) but to try and say this is a one in a million issue is not correct when you look at the evidence.

I still want to see what they sound like, but I expect a string to break when tuning up, I just hope with the replacement string that 2 times a charm.

A few anecdotes on this thread & a few more here & there (some from the same people) + 3 YouTube videos, IMO, does not make it a widespread problem. "So the percentage is high." Like what? 1%? 5%? 10%? There is a small but very vocal group of complainers. Can you give me a verifiable number of complaints per year? 20, 30, 50, 100? Do you know how many sets of Titanium strings Martin ships a year? I don't either but I'll bet they sell a lot of them. I did say "possibly" one in a million, maybe less. One in a thousand is only .1%. That's too many IMO but certainly not a "high percentage."

I play rhythm guitar in a band &, while I don't bend notes, I certainly don't play gently. I have had my guitar set up by a very good tech but not to Titaniums specifically.

Finally, I don't always post to threads like this but I thought you were truly interested in trying a set of these strings. I was just trying to share my honest experience with you. I do personally get tired of the same people trashing these strings because of the negative experiences of a few users. Either that or they will "never pay that much for strings" & then praise other sets that are only a little less expensive. No one doubts that some have experienced breakage but to characterize it as a widespread problem with no data beyond some anecdotes & a few YouTube videos does nothing to make it so. You will always find folks that are just waiting to trash Martins or Taylors or Gibsons or whatever. Just because they yell the loudest doesn't make it true or credible.

I'm done here.

Peace out.

Frank

[Dothraki]

The thing is…you lose credibility when not acknowledging something that is completely apparent. No matter how much I like something I would never defend a product that has failed so many people, even if it was perfect for me.

For others that are interested in these strings…here are some reviews by knowledgeable trusted sources (especially the first one). Look through the comments and decide for yourself. I personally see the obvious fact that these break for a ton of people. Most say they like the sound and feel…but they break.

https://youtu.be/fwDz1KIQHe0

https://youtu.be/dZ03YmTdzBk

https://youtu.be/LL3mXlaAaIA

Blindly defending products is hurting us as consumers. We need them to know we have standards as consumers to ensure we receive products that work and are of appropriate quality to cost ratio.

I will eventually try these strings…maybe they’ll break maybe not, but I won’t deny the numerous people having multiple breakage problems with them.

@fwphoto I am not here to argue, just sharing the info I found while researching these $40 strings, that apparently sound awesome but break for a lot of people. I wish it weren’t the case but it is.

[steelvibe]

Originally Posted by fwphoto

I don't believe that Titanium string breakage when stringing them up, is a "widespread" problem. Yes. it does happen. Yes, we seem to hear about it every time it does. I don't know what percentage have that problem but it's probably very small. Really, are we talking one in a hundred? No way. One in a thousand? I still doubt it. One in a million? Possibly. Fewer than that? Probably. Obviously I don't know what % do have problems but I do believe it is a relatively small number.
Frank

Here is another way to look at Titaniums...we don't know. I'm not sure we hear about it every time a Titanium does break, because that assumes all buyers are also AGF members who are regular posters. Not likely. Also, if Titaniums sold at the rate Retros do, the break rate would likely be relatively small- but I don't think that's true. While I certainly cannot prove it, I'm guessing Martin sells a lot more Retro sets than they do Titanium due to cost alone. Another thing to consider is alternate tunings. Metal fatigue is certainly a factor- further deterring me even trying them (but I kind of want to you know...FOMO).

I'm not saying you shouldn't enjoy them. I'm glad they work for you! Nothing like finding a wonderful string that is a match made in heaven for a specific guitar, and I've done so myself many times. I'm also not one to freak too much over the cost of a set. I recently had a set of $28 Thomastik Infeld strings on my Taylor and loved them- they also lasted 13 weeks and probably still had a little life in them. I was impressed and will buy again in a heartbeat.

[Sadie-f]

TL;DR found a place I like these strings

I posted to this thread back on the first page, after trying them on my OM-28, I hadn't loved them. However at the price, I figured I might try them again, didn't cut them on removal, and preserved the kink carefully to be sure the wrap wouldn't spring free on the round core.

Fast forward 18 months (dang, time flies). I've received my SCGC OM, played her for 4+ months. Soon before this guitar arrived I bent a set of SCGC parabolics onto my OM-28 so I could compare tonality with that element being equal ... Beyond the contrast, I didn't love the SCGC strings on the Martin, they were mellow/warm to the point of sounding dull (I was seriously considering moving the Martin along, and auditioned cedar top and mahogany OMs as possible trades).

Put a set of D'A XT 80-20s on the Martin, and lo & behold, while she's still a far cry from the Santa Cruz custom, these are definitely better strings for what I want from a guitar. And, having worn out the parabolics after an impressive 4 months life, I figured i may as well give the titanium strings a go on the new guitar.

I'm super surprised, they sound great, definitely different from the parabolics, I don't think I can qualify the difference, they just sound good - not better than the PBs they replaced, perhaps even better note definition, a shade less warmth.

An odd thing, last weekend the plain B string began to take on a glassy tone, maybe in interaction with e &/or G. I like glassy tones in general, however this is a whole other thing, almost like breaking glass, very distinct from the other notes, and a little hard to pin down. It may have partly interaction with my nails, I've since had to replace the index nail cover that most often strikes B, I think the artificial nail was loose at the back and that affected attack? Still nothing like that either on the Martin or my Strat.

I don't think I like them better than the parabolics, however they're unique in a good way, and with their known longevity, I expect it will be well into summer, maybe even fall before I trial something new on this guitar (that change is planned to try TI Plectrums (flat wound)).

Two last notes .. obviously I had no problem with strings breaking. Given people have reported these letting go simply for switching to an alternate lower tuning and back, I'm not sure if I feel lucky? Anyway, they survived. Finally, I'm curious about strings 1, 2 which are cryo treated. The only stainless I know of that uses cryo treatment are the precipitation hardening grades, 17-4 & 15-5 PH. When I finally take these off, I'll try to get them into an electron microscope to run EDS element analysis and see if I can determine the alloy.