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Post by forestdweller on Jul 4, 2023 15:31:23 GMT
Just got these Newtones through the post today. I wanted a different sound to D'Addario XS. I know particular double wounds are Keith's favourite. I will report back once installed New strings by Robert Jessep, on Flickr
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Phil Taylor
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Post by Phil Taylor on Jul 4, 2023 15:38:51 GMT
Those look interesting Robbie. Not heard of double wound strings before. Are you just putting a heavier top string on rather than top two?
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ocarolan
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Post by ocarolan on Jul 4, 2023 16:18:01 GMT
Just got these Newtones through the post today. I wanted a different sound to D'Addario XS. I know particular double wounds are Keith's favourite. I will report back once installed.... Oooh, I hope you didn't try them thinking I liked them Robbie - your memory must be playing tricks on you - I only tried one set of double wounds and didn't like them at all - took them off long before they died. They seemed "stodgy" compared to my usual ones and not as vibrant somehow. My faves are the ordinary Masterclass PB in 12-52 or 12-54. But, thank we are all different, and guitars are different, so I really hope you do like the double wounds! I'd be really interested to know how you get on! Keith
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Post by forestdweller on Jul 4, 2023 16:19:33 GMT
Strings safely installed. I changed my usual anchor method at the headstock - I used the locking method, knowing that round wounds are prone to unravel Strings installed by Robert Jessep, on Flickr First impressions? Ummm! It was like putting on dead strings. They are about as far removed from Dadd XS strings as its possible to go I think. Not unpleasant. When I pluck the wound strings using XS strings I get quite a metallic zing. The newtones give me quite a thud, with fewer harmonics. I get the impression that I will hear more of the wood of my guitar. Feel wise they seem quite smooth. Will be quite interesting to see how I get on with these though Phil- I got a 13 and a 17 for the top two. The 17 was underneath the 13. Robbie
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Post by forestdweller on Jul 4, 2023 16:41:17 GMT
Just got these Newtones through the post today. I wanted a different sound to D'Addario XS. I know particular double wounds are Keith's favourite. I will report back once installed.... Oooh, I hope you didn't try them thinking I liked them Robbie - your memory must be playing tricks on you - I only tried one set of double wounds and didn't like them at all - took them off long before they died. They seemed "stodgy" compared to my usual ones and not as vibrant somehow. My faves are the ordinary Masterclass PB in 12-52 or 12-54. But, thank we are all different, and guitars are different, so I really hope you do like the double wounds! I'd be really interested to know how you get on! Keith No sorry, I meant to say NOT Keith's favourite. I don't now why I wrote that as I knew you hated them!
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Post by fatfingerjohn on Jul 4, 2023 16:50:44 GMT
Hi, I've used Daddario EXP 16s for many years although always tried different ones. These are the only coated ones I liked. They stopped making them and have tried their new ET versoin and found they became dull very quickly. Like the Newtones but never as much as the old EXPs. Have just tried a set of these Dragon Skins; Hard Coated PB Lights and really like the balanced sound. They were recommended by someone I follow on You Tube. I'll see how they go and update after a couple of months. Sensible price too. FFJ Attachments:
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Post by forestdweller on Jul 5, 2023 6:03:08 GMT
Well, after an evening of playing them in here are my thoughts so far - very fundamental tone, very few harmonics
- the strings blend together nicely, but 6th string on its own sounds dull and a little too thuddy
- they remind me of D'Addario Nickel bronze, but even less harmonics
- they don't sound good in CGDGAD (which is a shame as this is one of the reasons I bought them as I thought the basses would be a bit heavier)
- Any lower than a D and that 6th string sounds like an elastic band
- On the whole I have always had a problem with Newtone 6th strings sounding dull and with little sustain- this 6th is no different
So I will probably keep them on for a month, or less if they sound any deader than they are. Newtone describe the tone of these as unique- they aren't wrong! With my string experiments overs the years I think I have come to one conclusion: the only strings that I have liked consistently and with reasonable longevity are Elixir. I don't know why I have such an aversion to buying them though- I suppose, like guitars, its the thought that there might always be something better out there that I haven't tried yet. Robbie
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Post by jonnymosco on Jul 5, 2023 23:01:35 GMT
Well, after an evening of playing them in here are my thoughts so far - very fundamental tone, very few harmonics
- the strings blend together nicely, but 6th string on its own sounds dull and a little too thuddy
- they remind me of D'Addario Nickel bronze, but even less harmonics
- they don't sound good in CGDGAD (which is a shame as this is one of the reasons I bought them as I thought the basses would be a bit heavier)
- Any lower than a D and that 6th string sounds like an elastic band
- On the whole I have always had a problem with Newtone 6th strings sounding dull and with little sustain- this 6th is no different
So I will probably keep them on for a month, or less if they sound any deader than they are. Newtone describe the tone of these as unique- they aren't wrong! With my string experiments overs the years I think I have come to one conclusion: the only strings that I have liked consistently and with reasonable longevity are Elixir. I don't know why I have such an aversion to buying them though- I suppose, like guitars, its the thought that there might always be something better out there that I haven't tried yet. Robbie I tried them once and also didn't like them. Perhaps try Santa Cruz Parabolic - I have the mid tension on my Sobell and low tension on my 00... they really sound great and have a coating of some sort, so should last a while. I usually hate coated strings as they are pretty dull in comparison with uncoated, but these seem clear and responsive. Sadly not cheap. Jonny
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juliant
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Post by juliant on Jul 6, 2023 0:09:06 GMT
Well, after an evening of playing them in here are my thoughts so far - very fundamental tone, very few harmonics
- the strings blend together nicely, but 6th string on its own sounds dull and a little too thuddy
- they remind me of D'Addario Nickel bronze, but even less harmonics
- they don't sound good in CGDGAD (which is a shame as this is one of the reasons I bought them as I thought the basses would be a bit heavier)
- Any lower than a D and that 6th string sounds like an elastic band
- On the whole I have always had a problem with Newtone 6th strings sounding dull and with little sustain- this 6th is no different
So I will probably keep them on for a month, or less if they sound any deader than they are. Newtone describe the tone of these as unique- they aren't wrong! With my string experiments overs the years I think I have come to one conclusion: the only strings that I have liked consistently and with reasonable longevity are Elixir. I don't know why I have such an aversion to buying them though- I suppose, like guitars, its the thought that there might always be something better out there that I haven't tried yet. Robbie I tried them once and also didn't like them. Perhaps try Santa Cruz Parabolic - I have the mid tension on my Sobell and low tension on my 00... they really sound great and have a coating of some sort, so should last a while. I usually hate coated strings as they are pretty dull in comparison with uncoated, but these seem clear and responsive. Sadly not cheap. Jonny I've got the Santa Cruz on one of my instruments and like them a lot. Not cheap, though. But I don't put them on the National, because they're a bit too posh for something that's basically a bar room guitar.
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My main instrument is: Turnstone, Wandering Boy & Santa Cruz
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Post by Welshruss on Jul 6, 2023 7:36:41 GMT
I have Santa Cruz Low tensions on 4 guitars now, only my Wandering Boy doesn’t have them. Just put them on the Turnstone for the first time. Definitely my favourite strings.
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Post by forestdweller on Jul 6, 2023 9:50:31 GMT
Thank you for all the additional suggestions. Santa Cruz have long been on my radar, but the thing that stops me trying them are the gauges- they are extremely confusing. I would love to try the dadgad ones as I think these would be ideal, but....do I go for low tension, given that my guitar is short scale, or the higher tension ones? And if the higher ones the actual gauges are quite big- I think its something like a 60 for the 6th string. Given that my nut width is on the narrow side I would worry about having some work done on the nut to accommodate these and then find things are a bit cramped.
During my practice session last night I began to enjoy the Newtones a bit more. I certainly don't miss the over zinginess of the D'Addario XS strings for instance. But its just that 6th string- its like plucking a double bass string and so much less sustain than the other strings. I don't feel compelled to take them off yet, so I will give them time to settle in. In the meantime I will investigate Santa Cruz, but could those that have mentioned them already perhaps chip in with what gauge I should try? I am ultimately going to leave this guitar in dadgad and cgdgad tunings, or possibly dropped D and dadgad with the possibility of another guitar that I might be able to borrow that would handle CGDGAD and CGCGCD. Gosh, this all sounds a bit complicated doesn't it?
Robbie
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Post by forestdweller on Jul 8, 2023 7:17:57 GMT
Well, what a difference a few days make. These strings have certainly settled in a little over the last 4 days and I am absolutely loving them. Don't know how long they will last, but its so nice to be able to hear my guitar for a change. I'll try and explain what I mean: with the D'Addario XS I had on before I had often thought that the guitar sounded a little plasticy, especially on my recordings. Its almost as if what I was hearing was the strings and very little of the wood of the guitar. But it occurred to me last evening when I was playing that what I was hearing was the wood of my guitar. I no longer had all those horrible zingy, metallic harmonics going on drenching everything. I could finally focus on the music coming out of my guitar rather than the sound.
I hope to do a little recording today, and then I should be able to compare the sound directly. Only trouble is, that low 6th is still not ideal in C, but its acceptable.
Also, one more thing to add (and I've seen this mentioned in other reviews)- these strings are very in tune. The intonation is spot on- very easy to get in tune, and they sound in tune all the way up the neck, which wasn't always the case with the D'Adds. Also, some of the more difficult harmonics to execute (eg on the 4th and 9th frets) pop out a little more clearly now.
Its difficult to know what it is about these strings that I like so much- is it the fact they are round wound? The double wound nature of them? I also don't quite know whether they are phosphor bronze or 80/20- the colour of them would suggest the latter. [edit: I can see quite clearly on the packet it says PB, but it sure looks like 80/20]
Robbie
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Post by martinrowe on Jul 8, 2023 11:32:28 GMT
That's interesting Robbie forestdweller , the point about hearing the wood of the instrument rather than the strings. I've thought something similar regarding my mandolin. I've tried various strings and I think the D'Addario 74's (I think, the ones that all the bluegrass musicians say they use) are the most guilty in this respect. I've got a Davidson round hole so its a folk instrument really so that may be part of the problem. I know you're a mandolin player, can I ask what strings you usually use on the mandolin. And have you come across a 'string sound versus wood sound' solution for a round hole mandolin? thanks Martin
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Post by fatfingerjohn on Jul 8, 2023 12:56:25 GMT
Perhaps try Santa Cruz Parabolic - I have the mid tension on my Sobell and low tension on my 00... they really sound great and have a coating of some sort, so should last a while. I usually hate coated strings as they are pretty dull in comparison with uncoated, but these seem clear and responsive. Sadly not cheap. Jonny Hi, Just shows that everyone has dfferent experiences with different strings and the only rule seems to be 'use what you think suits you'. There are so many factors involved. I'm sure Johnny is much more knowledgeable than me. Here's my take on Santa Cruz strings. I tried them after a recommend by someone on the forum for 'low tension' and ease of playing as fingers get older. Bought 2 sets; as Johnny says, not cheap. I bought 'low tension'; Santa Crus say string guage is not relevant, it's the tension. But out of interest I found somewhere something which said the low tensions were 12 16 23 32 44 56. Put one set on my Taylor. Sounded great first on. Took them off after 6 weeks as they sounded very dull. My Taylor is 310ce dread and my main 'strummer'. Put the other set on my Turner Koa, I have this tuned permanently in open d and play it 80% fingerstyle. Just replaced them after 12 months Santa Cruzes still sounded OK but you could see the wear on them on fretboard and lost some of their 'ring' and sustain. So, it may well just be the usual horses for courses. I won't buy SCs again because cost is high and I didn't feel any real benefit from the 'low tension' theory. No doubt others have come to different conclusions! (Replaced them on Turner with my first try of Dragon Skins which early days sound great) FFJ
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Post by forestdweller on Jul 9, 2023 7:41:51 GMT
That's interesting Robbie forestdweller , the point about hearing the wood of the instrument rather than the strings. I've thought something similar regarding my mandolin. I've tried various strings and I think the D'Addario 74's (I think, the ones that all the bluegrass musicians say they use) are the most guilty in this respect. I've got a Davidson round hole so its a folk instrument really so that may be part of the problem. I know you're a mandolin player, can I ask what strings you usually use on the mandolin. And have you come across a 'string sound versus wood sound' solution for a round hole mandolin? thanks Martin Interesting question Martin. You must know that I don't own a mandolin now (haven't done for several years now). When I did I just used ordinary D'Addarios if my memory serves me correct. However, for what you want to achieve you might want to investigate D'Addario nickel bronze, I know they do mandolin strings in that formulation. I don't know if you can get Monel formulation mandolin strings? I suspect you can, and they may be a solution as well, as I know in the guitar world a lot of players are raving about these. Back when I used to run a mandolin orchestra my girl friend at the time had a lovely Phil Davidson- it was a round (well oval I think) hole but carved top. Lovely thing it was. I think flatop mandolins have a very different sound to archtops- there is more of a mid range bark to archtops. Talking of mandolins, the last time I actually owned a mandolin was my Eastman round hole (505? something like that). I sold it to someone on here, but can't remember whom. That was a lovely thing too. Wander how its getting on? Robbie
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