Martin Lifespan (phosphor bronze): overly bright??

[Petty1818]

I have been looking for strings to try to tame a bit of high end on my Taylor 310 with koa back and sides. I have always used Elixir but I wanted to experiment a bit. I tried the Martin Lifespan SP (Phosphor bronze) strings last night and I couldn't believe how bright they were. Is this normal? On one hand, they make my guitar project and it's louder than it was with the Elixir strings but the tone is just harsh. I mean it does pump out some great bass but it's almost like the treble/presence is over the top.

The other thing I noticed is that the strings are very sticky. I am assuming this is normal but I am not impressed with them. Anyone find similar results?

[Paddy1951]

Those strings are not a good choice on that guitar if you are trying to bring down the brightness, IMO.

They are good strings. Just not a good matchup for what you want.

I don't know what you mean by stickiness. If they are sticky like adhesive, then something has gotten on them.

Taylors are known to be bright. Start with GHS Vintage Bronze for a more mellow sound. Also, various brands of silk and bronze may suit you.

Good luck.

[Petty1818]

Originally Posted by Paddy1951

Those strings are not a good choice on that guitar if you are trying to bring down the brightness, IMO.

They are good strings. Just not a good matchup for what you want.

I don't know what you mean by stickiness. If they are sticky like adhesive, then something has gotten on them.

Taylors are known to be bright. Start with GHS Vintage Bronze for a more mellow sound. Also, various brands of silk and bronze may suit you.

Good luck.

Thanks for that. My next try are John Pearse strings which I have already. Might make the change tomorrow.

In terms of stickiness, I don't mean that my hand actually sticks to the strings but it's as if the coating on them has a sticky feel to it. I don't notice that with Elixir strings at all. I was surprised to with the Martin Lifespan strings that the B & E strings have an almost gold look to them. Haven't seen that before.

It's funny you mention GHS as I had forgotten about them. I remember a while ago I was looking for strings and a GHS rep contacted me and sent me 3-4 sets for free. I remember liking them but at the time I was set on Elixir. I might try them again.

[GHS]

I agree with Paddy1951. I have an Alvarez/Yairi koa and it is very bright. I use John Pearse 600l's on it. The Martin strings work nice on my 000-15 and D-28 but for the koa...no. I believe the Elixir's will be too bright too. I dont use them anymore because of that. Just my humble opinion.

[Tnfiddler]

I just traded a phenomenal 2008 Taylor Fall Ltd Koa GS because I couldn’t tame the brightness. It sounded amazing unplugged, but I fought the bright trebles constantly while it was plugged in. I decided Koa is great to look at but not for me Tone-wise.

[ataylor]

Try D'Addario nickel bronze strings. I did that with my old 210 (the old one that's more or less a 310 without the gloss top) and I feel like it gave the results you were after. I thought they mellowed out the high mids and trebles and warmed up the tone overall a bit.

[Petty1818]

Originally Posted by Tnfiddler

I just traded a phenomenal 2008 Taylor Fall Ltd Koa GS because I couldn’t tame the brightness. It sounded amazing unplugged, but I fought the bright trebles constantly while it was plugged in. I decided Koa is great to look at but not for me Tone-wise.

Yep, unfortunately when strummed, koa can be over the top. Mine has warmed up over the years though so it's still a nice guitar.

[Petty1818]

Originally Posted by GHS

I agree with Paddy1951. I have an Alvarez/Yairi koa and it is very bright. I use John Pearse 600l's on it. The Martin strings work nice on my 000-15 and D-28 but for the koa...no. I believe the Elixir's will be too bright too. I dont use them anymore because of that. Just my humble opinion.

Good to know, thanks. I often feel as though Elixir strings impart a presence that just makes my Taylor sound even brighter but I thought it was all in my head.

[SpruceTop]

Originally Posted by Tnfiddler

I just traded a phenomenal 2008 Taylor Fall Ltd Koa GS because I couldn’t tame the brightness. It sounded amazing unplugged, but I fought the bright trebles constantly while it was plugged in. I decided Koa is great to look at but not for me Tone-wise.

It was likely the ES1.2 pickup/preamp system that ruined it for you when plugged-in and had little to do with the guitar having a spruce top and Koa back-and-sides. I had a 2013 Taylor K24ce (all Koa) that sounded great unplugged but still had that ES1.3 magnetic honk when plugged-in and I got rid of it when the ES2 came out. Another Taylor K24ce is in my future.

[Tnfiddler]

Originally Posted by SpruceTop

It was likely the ES1.2 pickup/preamp system that ruined it for you when plugged-in and had little to do with the guitar having a spruce top and Koa back-and-sides. I had a 2013 Taylor K24ce (all Koa) that sounded great unplugged but still had that ES1.3 magnetic honk when plugged-in.

I'm sure that's what it was. I tried everything! Treble turned all the way down, Strings, picks, body sensors, even called Taylor and took their advice of a TRS/XLR balanced cable and still couldn't tame it. It was probably the best Taylor I've ever heard unplugged, but I bought it to use plugged in and it just didn't do it for me in that aspect.

[RussL30]

The Pearse strings will definitely tone down the brightness. I thought something was wrong when I tried them on a Taylor a few years ago and lost all the brightness. I know nearly everyone on the forum sings their praises as the best strings ever, but I did not like them at all on a couple different guitars I’ve tried them on.

I liked the old old lifespans but haven’t tried the new ones after being changed. I wonder if 80/20’s would work better for you than PB’s.

[Petty1818]

Originally Posted by RussL30

The Pearse strings will definitely tone down the brightness. I thought something was wrong when I tried them on a Taylor a few years ago and lost all the brightness. I know nearly everyone on the forum sings their praises as the best strings ever, but I did not like them at all on a couple different guitars I’ve tried them on.

I liked the old old lifespans but haven’t tried the new ones after being changed. I wonder if 80/20’s would work better for you than PB’s.

I did notice the new Lifespans, I might try them as well. I have some other strings to try as I am experimenting.

[jonbee]

I just tried Lifespan SP lights on my 812E 12 fret and they were very bright for 2 days. Settled down some, but I'm still not crazy for the tonality, which seems a bit light weight. Not nearly as good a match as Nickle-Bronze lights or balanced tension, which I've liked on all my Taylors. NBs are less bright, with more body and weight.

[Petty1818]

Originally Posted by jonbee

I just tried Lifespan SP lights on my 812E 12 fret and they were very bright for 2 days. Settled down some, but I'm still not crazy for the tonality, which seems a bit light weight. Not nearly as good a match as Nickle-Bronze lights or balanced tension, which I've liked on all my Taylors. NBs are less bright, with more body and weight.

That's another thing I noticed with the Lifespans, the strings themselves just feel light. It's almost as if I put light gauge on my 310. Guess it was an easy experiment though. I also have Martin Retros, Daddario EXP and John Pearse to try next. I am hoping that one of these does the trick.

[wguitar]

You may want to try DR RARE or DR Sunbeams. I use the Sunbeams on my 1989 Taylor 810 and they have a nice, warm sound. The DR RARE's are great strings also, and brighter than the DR Sunbeams.