Andy P
C.O.G.
Posts: 4,982
My main instrument is: Taylor 312ce, Guild D25, Deering 5 string banjo
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Post by Andy P on Oct 11, 2015 17:16:03 GMT
Back in the Middle Ages when I first took up playing, you'd save up for a new set of strings and - WOW! - it instantly sounded like you had a new guitar. They were really brash, fresh and....twangy. They'd last for a while and gradually go off, until eventually you'd take them off, put them in boiling water for a couple of minutes and put them back on. This would give you a bit more wear out of them. After playing guitar etc for several centuries there was a period of about 50 years or so when I hardly took the thing out of its case. Then round about 2010 I took up playing again with a vengeance. I realised that something had happened to strings in that great hiatus. It seems nowadays that when you first put them on they sound pretty dead, but if you persevere for a few days (or give them some serious thrashing) they slowly improve, although to my aged ears they never achieve that brightness that I used to crave. I guess the purist would waffle on about depth and purity of tone and they would probably be right. I am STILL searching for the perfect strings. I was fairly happy with D'addario phosphor bronze 12-53s but the latest set I've put on my Lowden are still in a coma and refuse to wake up despite playing their favourite music, talking gently to them, even screaming at them. I have concluded that they are in a permanent vegetative state. I gather that 80/20 bronze are brighter. Are they worth a try? I've also tried most of the other brands popular with you folk (various Newtone, Elixir nanoweb, etc) but none of them are giving me the sparkle I'm after. Next weekend we're travelling up north for the 50th reunion of the Crewe Sing Out Folk Club, where it all started for me. They've heard a lot about my Lowden and I don't want to disappoint them. Thanks
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Post by solidtop on Oct 11, 2015 21:26:48 GMT
i use 80/20 bronze ad find they are pretty good. I hear the nanoweb and elixr stuff lasts a long time and the tone is pretty good too. They are expensive compared to the normal stuff but they last a lot longer by all accounts.
I like my standard strings though and get roto sounds.
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alig
C.O.G.
Posts: 1,059
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Post by alig on Oct 12, 2015 10:12:29 GMT
Elixir phosphor bronze, every time. Sound better and keep that sound much, much longer.
For me, at any rate.
There will be those that disagree though...
Have you tried different gauges? Might be that the Lowden likes extra light or mediums...
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Post by scorpiodog on Oct 12, 2015 11:30:34 GMT
I've found that I like different strings on different guitars. I like pbs on small bodied fingerpickers, 80/20's on dreadnoughts, nickel flatwounds on my only electric guitar. But if you feel you really like a bright sound, try Ernie Ball Aluminum (sic) Bronze strings. I have one guitar (a cheap Sigma 000) that takes to them like a duck to water.
I, too remember the delights of the first week with a new set of strings, and saving up for months for the next lot. Ah, yes, those innocent days. Footie in the park, jumpers for goal posts, rush goalies. Mmmm?
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Post by andyhowell on Oct 12, 2015 12:15:08 GMT
I've found that I like different strings on different guitars. I like pbs on small bodied fingerpickers, 80/20's on dreadnoughts, nickel flatwounds on my only electric guitar. But if you feel you really like a bright sound, try Ernie Ball Aluminum (sic) Bronze strings. I have one guitar (a cheap Sigma 000) that takes to them like a duck to water. I, too remember the delights of the first week with a new set of strings, and saving up for months for the next lot. Ah, yes, those innocent days. Footie in the park, jumpers for goal posts, rush goalies. Mmmm? You will be happier when you can get about more :-)
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Post by scorpiodog on Oct 12, 2015 12:23:31 GMT
I, too remember the delights of the first week with a new set of strings, and saving up for months for the next lot. Ah, yes, those innocent days. Footie in the park, jumpers for goal posts, rush goalies. Mmmm? You will be happier when you can get about more :-) Ah, no. You young people don't remember those heady days of being a teenager in the 1960's when one (dodgy) guitar was all you could afford and you had to choose between eating lunch for a month and buying a new set of guitar strings (boy, was I skinny in those days!)
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Post by Banadog on Oct 13, 2015 11:19:59 GMT
I would suggest trying D'addario Exp 80/20 or John Pearse 80/20
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Post by fretter on Oct 13, 2015 15:09:06 GMT
I think it could all be down to a matter of perception here. When I first started to play guitar, I hardly ever changed the strings. Consequently, they would be absolutely knackered when they were changed, and the new ones would sound much better. These days, I change them much more frequently so they probably still have some life left in them when they are taken off, so the difference is less obvious.
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Andy P
C.O.G.
Posts: 4,982
My main instrument is: Taylor 312ce, Guild D25, Deering 5 string banjo
Mini-Profile Background: {"image":"","color":"8e2be1"}
Mini-Profile Name Color: 060607
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Post by Andy P on Oct 13, 2015 17:30:20 GMT
I would suggest trying D'addario Exp 80/20 or John Pearse 80/20 I've ordered some, thanks.
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Andy P
C.O.G.
Posts: 4,982
My main instrument is: Taylor 312ce, Guild D25, Deering 5 string banjo
Mini-Profile Background: {"image":"","color":"8e2be1"}
Mini-Profile Name Color: 060607
Mini-Profile Text Color: 0b0b0c
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Post by Andy P on Oct 13, 2015 17:30:47 GMT
I think it could all be down to a matter of perception here. When I first started to play guitar, I hardly ever changed the strings. Consequently, they would be absolutely knackered when they were changed, and the new ones would sound much better. These days, I change them much more frequently so they probably still have some life left in them when they are taken off, so the difference is less obvious. Good point!
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Post by elverman on Oct 17, 2015 10:50:59 GMT
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leoroberts
C.O.G.
Posts: 24,502
My main instrument is: probably needing new strings
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Post by leoroberts on Oct 17, 2015 18:43:04 GMT
£25??? Madness! I'd expect them to last longer than the guitar at that price....
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Post by herb on Oct 17, 2015 21:00:19 GMT
Or maybe a legacy for the grandchildren Leo. Why leave money for them to waste.
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Post by elverman on Oct 17, 2015 22:06:54 GMT
I figured I only change 'em once in a blue moon and really you're only talking the cost of a round over (in my case) several months, why not give them a go?
Prior to that i've tried all the usual suspects and in all honestly will probably revert, but it's an interesting experiment anyway.
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Post by elverman on Oct 17, 2015 22:14:30 GMT
I should say that don't like the zing of new strings and dig them well worn in. Not dead but but definitely well played in. These crazy posh handmade jobbies do seem to be at another level. Low strings are very piano like and clear in particular. But to be honest i'm trying them on a guitar that's just come back from a re-fret and had a new nut, saddle and pins so I'm not sure how much of the newfound love is from any or all of those elements and how much of it is psycho-acoustics.
I will say that I find most coated strings (elixirs being the most common) seem to have a rubbery dullness to them from the get-go that I'm not a fan of tho. Perhaps that's auto-suggestion too. Who knows?
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