The Strings my D25 would have left Westerly strung with at the end of 1971

[Rayk]

Aluminum bronze .. Oops that just slipped out . Hehehe ... We're talking moving to Ww if you'll share ?

 

[SFIV1967]

Totally. Need that brightness to wake up the all hog sound.

But a mahogany top is much stiffer compared to a spruce top, so medium strings are needed to drive the top hard enough I would say. Light strings won't accomplish that on a hog top, or?
Ralf

 

[Westerly Wood]

Aluminum bronze .. Oops that just slipped out . Hehehe ... We're talking moving to Ww if you'll share ? ��

What is the question Ray? Where am I moving to? tucson, bro.

 

[Westerly Wood]

But a mahogany top is much stiffer compared to a spruce top, so medium strings are needed to drive the top hard enough I would say. Light strings won't accomplish that on a hog top, or?
Ralf

So D'Addario Medium 80/20s would have been the closest string to the set my Br left Westerly with in late 1971/early 1972? Or would Martin 80/20 Meds be closer, seeing as they owned Darco at the time? John Pearse would not have been around making strings then, I believe he would have been playing live back in those days and touring. So it has to be D'Addario or Martin strings then, no?

Oh, a real snipe hunt now. and I got no pillow case or big stick. (for those that have been on a snipe hunt...)

 

[killdeer43]

Oh, a real snipe hunt now. and I got no pillow case or big stick. (for those that have been on a snipe hunt...)

Been on a snipe hunt? Heck, I've caught 'em.

Wilson's Snipe

I used a salmon net, no stick. :encouragement:

Joe

 

[Westerly Wood]

Been on a snipe hunt? Heck, I've caught 'em.

Wilson's Snipe

I used a salmon net, no stick. :encouragement:

Joe

thanks Joe, I didn't know snipe actually existed. mind blown.

 

[Westerly Wood]

Hans replied with his typical Guild genius and prowess, and I will never truly be able to replicate the original strings, but check out how cool this info is...Thank you Hans!

Hello Woody,

Thanks or your email and sorry for the slight delay i getting back with you. Too much private email these days!

The strings that your guitar was set up with were most likely Guild's own 'Angle Wound' strings.
Obviously these were not made by Guild, but I'm not 100% sure who the maker was.
My research leads me to believe that these were specially manufactured for Guild by E. & O. Mari, the makers of La Bella Strings.
The number for that particular set of strings was M-410 with gauges .013 - .058.
Smaller guitars were usually set up with the L-310 set with gauges .011 - .053.

Sincerely,

Hans Moust

Now the good news. As Ralf so correctly suggested, I can and should string my D25Br with medium gauge strings. I mean if the Br left Westerly with .58s, holy cow, I can totally survive .56 for the low E.

Anyone care to weigh in on which old school string maker can match the alloy of La Bella mediums? I am real close to netting this elusive Wilson Snipe...

Wait, before Sandy tells me to do a google search, I did one myself, and La Bella strings still exist !!!!!!!!!!!!! What ????????? The below is most likely the closest I can theorize as the string type/gauge that left Westerly.

http://www.labella.com/products/40pm/

 

[Neal]

Ahh, the mystery is solved.

No way would I put mediums on my '71 D-25BR at this point in its life, given the lightness of build and it's already iffy neck angle.

Unless...I dedicated it as a bottleneck slide guitar, tuned it in open D, and went intentionally for high action.

Wood, since your BR now has a good neck angle, I would put 80/20 Mediums on there and go to town!

Neal

 

[Westerly Wood]

Yes Neal, about to order a set of these: http://www.labella.com/products/40pm/
No way am I stringing with with heavies, but outside of this, I believe I have found the original Br string, within a few inches of course
Thank you Hans, Ralf and everyone else who weighed in to encourage me on this absurd yet awesome effort!

 

[SFIV1967]

Not with .058 bass string but a M-410 set! Don't know how old they are however...
http://www.vintageguitarsale.net/Gu...age-Strings-Medium-Gauge-M410-sale_16323.html
Ralf

 

[Westerly Wood]

Not with .058 bass string but a M-410 maybe from the mid 70ies?: http://www.vintageguitarsale.net/Gu...age-Strings-Medium-Gauge-M410-sale_16323.html
Ralf

Very cool find Ralf, yet phosphor bronze would not have been an alloy used by Guild in 1971-early 72 right? I believe you are right when you said it would have left with 80/20s. Of course, phosphor bronze could have been already leveraged as a string alloy by La Bella back then, as their website states the PB was their most popular string in the 70s, but does not state when in the 70s...

 

[SFIV1967]

Very cool find Ralf, yet phosphor bronze would not have been an alloy used by Guild in 1971-early 72 right? I believe you are right when you said it would have left with 80/20s. Of course, phosphor bronze could have been already leveraged as a string alloy by La Bella back then, as their website states the PB was their most popular string in the 70s, but does not state when in the 70s...

Well, I have to believe what D'Addario wrote that they were the "first" "mass producing" PB strings in 1974. So no, unlikely they were PB in 1971. Hans didn't mention what they were made of.

There is a October 1970 Guild strings catalog on ebay, but the page for the acoustic strings is not pictured unfortunatelly: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Gui...-Price-List-/281316055404?hash=item417fbe596c

Ralf

 

[Westerly Wood]

And why would they string a hog topped guitar, heck an all hog guitar with phosphor bronze anyway? I just can't get there in my brain. I just been testing this very thing and 80/20 is a better alloy for the hog top. YMMV of course...Well, I know I have not really found the exact string, but I got to figure I am real close with the La Bella Golden Alloys (80/20s), and medium gauge. Close enough to give them a whirl. Should have them by the weekend Will post a short youtube vid to share the result. La Bella still based in USA, NY to be exact.

 

[adorshki]

But a mahogany top is much stiffer compared to a spruce top, so medium strings are needed to drive the top hard enough I would say.

Duly noted. I'll trust your inputs because I think you've got access to a lot more source material than I do.
I was thinking the 'hog would mellow out the brightness, and Clay seemed to agree.
And thought maybe '72 was still a bit early for Guild to have been shipping D25's with mediums.

 

[Westerly Wood]

Duly noted. I'll trust your inputs because I think you've got access to a lot more source material than I do.
I was thinking the 'hog would mellow out the brightness, and Clay seemed to agree.
And thought maybe '72 was still a bit early for Guild to have been shipping D25's with mediums.

Well, according to Hans, it is highly probable my Br would have shipped with Mediums. I plan to keep them dropped a half step, but that is more to satisfy my paranoia than anything else.

 

[adorshki]

Well, according to Hans, it is highly probable my Br would have shipped with Mediums.

Thank you for the feedback!
But waitaminnit, does that mean we're all done now?
:grey:

 

[Westerly Wood]

Thank you for the feedback!
But waitaminnit, does that mean we're all done now?
:grey:

LOL, yes Al, my apologies for continuing to draw this one out. Please do not fault me if I start a new thread over the weekend with a clip of me playing the La Bella's...

 

[davismanLV]

Did you ever try GHS Bright Bronze in Mediums?

 

[Westerly Wood]

Did you ever try GHS Bright Bronze in Mediums?

Not yet Tom. I have them on my radar but really want the strings that would have been closest to the string alloy and gauge my Br would have left Westerly with. Though I do hold some hope in one day giving the GHS Bright Bronze a go. At that time, would I do the BBs or the Contact Core?

 

[davismanLV]

I don't know what Contact Core is...... I don't really see what difference it makes which strings it left the factory with. That was 44 years ago!! String technology has improved a bit. I know you think it's gonna be magical to put the same strings back on but...... I doubt it will be. Good luck with the dream, anyway.