Trying strings out on my F50

[portsider]

My F50 plays great and has an installed DTAR system which is possibly the best acoustic pickup system I have used.
However I haven't been completely thrilled by it's acoustic sound. A lot of heft but the little D15 next to it sounds more pleasing to my ear.
So I decided to experiment with strings. First I got Elixir Nanoweb PB 12's, not bright enough. Next up Kurt Mangan round core PB 12s, ok but not great. Then I put on a set of DR Dragonskin PB 11's, nope. Then DR Sunbeams 12s, no special improvement and hard to play. Next D'Addario 80/20 11's, better but kinda back to square 1. Two days later Amazon had D'Addario XS strings on sale I ordered a set of PB 12s and a set of ebony bridge pins with abalone dots th match the fretboard.
The XS strings sound great, lots more highs which is what I was missing on this guitar. To be fair the bridge pins may have helped, the old ones are brass which I thought was supposed to brighten things up, but I'm no expert. Also regular D'Addario PB 12s may work just as well, but for now I am an XS boy. My only concern is they are a little hard to play (not as bad as the Sunbeams) so after a while I may switch to 11s if I can't acclimate .
Strings can work on one guitar and not another, my D15 did fine with the first set of strings I put on it, D'Addario PB 12s.
One note, the new bridge pins are really tight. I had to really work to get them seated properly, perhaps I should sand them a bit next string change.

 

[Cougar]

I'm kind of the opposite of a string connoisseur, but one thing I do know: When I was first starting out, I mentioned to the wise old luthier who was going to set up my guitar that I was thinking about some lighter strings -- lighter than 12s -- to make playing easier on my fingers. He said, "No, no, no, NO, NO! You gotta have 12s!" Anything less would rob the guitar of its potential. Well, OK. I took his word for it. And I think he was right.

 

[jedzep]

You were close. The Curt Mangan 80/20s are as good as it gets. Just tried the Martin 20 dollar Martin Luxe Nickel Cobalt. Awesome!

Seems like you may be a little hasty, not letting the guitar settle into the played in tone of the guitar. All round core strings sound dulled to me. Brass pins should go right in the trash.

 

[chazmo]

Good luck. The hunt is fun. I'm not sure I'm gonna' stick with my go-to John Pearse phosphor-bronze or try something new on my F-50 Standard. I have a bunch of others to try over time.

 

[JohnW63]

"You gotta have 12s!"

I hate with setup/repair people say this stuff. They aren't playing it. They normally don't know what type of music you play. I had a well known one give me the " It won't drive the top ". I don't play loud so I don't need to drive the top and make it a... ( wait for it ) a canon. They don't know how MY guitar top responds or what MY ear wants to hear.

I play my F47R more than my D-55 because it's easier to play. I want my 55 to play nice and easy. I would run out of grip, if I had to play a good number of songs in a row on it.

I would suggest you ignore those comments and find the strings that make it play the way YOU want to.

 

[Brucebubs]

OK so not a Guild F50 but I have a 2020 Gibson Custom historic 1957 SJ-200 and it's probably the warmest sounding guitar I've ever played .. and yes, it's Maple.
Factory .012" PB's sound muddy when they wear in, I wanted something cleaner and clearer.
First string change I tried John Pearse 80/20 lights and they were fantastic.
D'Addario Nickel Bronze lights are also superb.
.. and for something different, Kurt Mangan round-core 80/20's lights which have an uncanny trick of highlighting the mids almost like a guitar with mahogany back & sides.

 

[F30]

I use John Pearse and have tried others over the years but the John Pearse have been my go to.
Consistent and sound great.

 

[portsider]

Lots of good points here.
12s, I have always felt that they were better for tone, but in my experiments so far I have now really noticed that. The funny thing is that I use extra light strings on my 12s like EJ41 or Earthwood lights and they sound just like I want. I can't really play my F112 or D2612ce with regular lights. (My G312, on the other hand, came with D'Addario lights and plays fine. Go figure.). I have DA 12s on my D15 and its just fine.
I agree that there are fine sounding guitars with 11s and that a player has to find out what works best for him.
two votes for Kurt Mangan 80/20, I have a pack of those which I'll try on my next string change. I also have Kurt's PB 11s, so they may get a shot.
I agree I'm probably not giving the strings a fair shake, but I figure if I don't like them new I won't like them later. I know gigging musicians who change strings before every show.

I have never gone through this before and Ive been playing (at least that's what I call it) for 60 years. Usually I just tune it and play it. Anyhow its been kind of fun even though truth be told I'd be better off just playing the guitar.

 

[JohnW63]

Joining forums make you change many things. Strings, picks, capos, chairs, brands of guitar...etc.

Full of info but the instiller of doubting what you always used to do.