Master Flattop String Thread?

There are threads here about strings, a perennial subject, I see a 12 year old thread on Silk and Steel strings that could be revived... and there is such a variety out there maybe it would be nice to have a thread (sticky?) dedicated to nothing but strings, for flattops, mostly.

Like, what are the strings you love, on what guitars and and why, this info would be from and for Guild players primarily, but any guitar or string info is welcome. I see from the sigs that many have way more than Guilds, a lot of Gibsons, Taylors, etc...

How long have you been using them, what did you use before?

Some people boldly claim that the string counts for more than anything else in the tone of the guitar, and seen as without those wires vibrating at prescribed frequencies you have nothing, I can see the logic in it, besides the hundred or more other factors...

It seems that between all the guitars and basses I've had, it's a constant journey with strings (usually how to get the best deal ;-), and maybe it always will be?

I'd love to hear about any high end strings from those who are sold on TI strings, and other comparable brands, and what are those brands?

And, wth do you guys do with your used strings?

;-)

I have heard you can send a pound of old strings to D'Addario for recycling and they send you a free set of strings, haven't heard that lately though.

Ralph

Have a friend who weaves them tightly together and cuts and welds the ends to make a bracelet. Really look nice but my question would be, "will they stain your wrist after extended wearing?" And his top buyers are golfers. If a golfer thinks a bracelet will help take a couple strokes a round off their score-they will pay a premium.

I'm not overly picky when it comes to strings, but I like to use D'Addario EJ-16s on most of my guitars. They're a great local (Long Island based) family run company that treats their employees like family too, and that's rare these days. A great reason to support them, too!

Never miss a chance to promote one's own agenda:
http://www.letstalkguild.com/ltg/showthread.php?195557-The-Absolutely-Positively-Last-String-Thread

Might make a good jumping off board for your suggestion, I certainly wouldn't object.
:glee:
In fact given some of my own recent comments, I can hardly claim to be a D'Addario purist anymore.
Who'da thunk?
With an ear towards obtaining a more bass/midrange biased voice on the F65e, I started contemplating going completely off-spec and trying some silk and steel or even silk and bronze.
Turns out D'Addario's site indicates the Silk'n'steel should be warmer than Silk/Bronze so am focusing on that (I would have thought the other way 'round)..
But D'A's only S'n'S set only comes in .010, and those literally shred my nails when fingerpicking.
(Primary reason I went to Custom Lights on the F65ce, didn't want to overstress the top but needed something a little thicker for my poor nails)
Next step was comparing total set tension of the spec D'A extra lights (.010-.047 pb) to a variety of Silk and Steel offerings from anybody.
Noticed Martin's set matches D'A's for tension, but GHS' strings seem to run higher tension for same gauge on the steels.
Interesting.
But they offer an .012-.048 set of S'n'S that will be just a little less total tension than I'm currently running with EJ-26 D'A' Custom light uncoateds tuned down a whole step.
So they're on their way.
This exploration has also caused me to look at the issue of top tension from a different perspective:
Going from the stock .010's at standard tension to .011's a full step down, I give up about 10 lbs of total tension on the F65ce, and I actually get better sustain and can't actually discern any loss of volume.
It made me realize that I'm simply starting with a lower frequency baseline into the top and that the lower tension may well allow a little more amplitude in the top's vibration, which is why I always said lights can potentially sound better, even louder, than mediums, on tops designed for 'em.
That's at the expense of tiny bit of intonation wonkiness which would probably be cured by a slightly lower set-up and compensated saddle.

twocorgis said:

I'm not overly picky when it comes to strings, but I like to use D'Addario EJ-16s on most of my guitars. They're a great local (Long Island based) family run company that treats their employees like family too, and that's rare these days. A great reason to support them, too!

Click to expand...

+1 to Sandy. My favorite most oft go to string, and I have been all over the place with strings. I always return to these so I have given up the quest. I can use these D'Adarrio PB light gauge stings (.12-.53) on any acoustic, regardless the top wood or body size. YMMV

also, and I am sure Al will chime in with the story, some of us on LTG think Guild was the test acoustic D'A used when developing the phosphor bronze alloy in the early '70s. I like to think so anyway

Likewise with the D'Addario EJ-16s. I've tried others over the years but always come back to them. Only exception is D'Angelico PBs on my 12ers because they have a wound octave "A" string. When I do use the D'Addarios, I have to get a separate .024w for them.

I'm really liking what I'm hearing about D'addario, the company, and there's the Guild association, cool.

I also like the since 1974 inscription on the packages, it's one of my favorite years...

adorshki said:

Never miss a chance to promote one's own agenda:
http://www.letstalkguild.com/ltg/showthread.php?195557-The-Absolutely-Positively-Last-String-Thread

Might make a good jumping off board for your suggestion, I certainly wouldn't object.
:glee:
In fact given some of my own recent comments, I can hardly claim to be a D'Addario purist anymore.
Who'da thunk?
With an ear towards obtaining a more bass/midrange biased voice on the F65e, I started contemplating going completely off-spec and trying some silk and steel or even silk and bronze.
Turns out D'Addario's site indicates the Silk'n'steel should be warmer than Silk/Bronze so am focusing on that (I would have thought the other way 'round)..
But D'A's only S'n'S set only comes in .010, and those literally shred my nails when fingerpicking.
(Primary reason I went to Custom Lights on the F65ce, didn't want to overstress the top but needed something a little thicker for my poor nails)
Next step was comparing total set tension of the spec D'A extra lights (.010-.047 pb) to a variety of Silk and Steel offerings from anybody.
Noticed Martin's set matches D'A's for tension, but GHS' strings seem to run higher tension for same gauge on the steels.
Interesting.
But they offer an .012-.048 set of S'n'S that will be just a little less total tension than I'm currently running with EJ-15 D'A' Custom light uncoateds tuned down a whole step.
So they're on their way.
This exploration has also caused me to look at the issue of top tension from a different perspective:
Going from the stock .010's at standard tension to .011's a full step down, I give up about 10 lbs of total tension on the F65ce, and I actually get better sustain and can't actually discern any loss of volume.
It made me realize that I'm simply starting with a lower frequency baseline into the top and that the lower tension may well allow a little more amplitude in the top's vibration, which is why I always said lights can potentially sound better, even louder, than mediums, on tops designed for 'em.
That's at the expense of tiny bit of intonation wonkiness which would probably be cured by a slightly lower set-up and compensated saddle.

Click to expand...

Huh , I don't give tension a thought never have as I've never had an issue . Only thing I think about is how the strings feel on my fingers and there tone .

Guildedagain said:

I'm really liking what I'm hearing about D'addario, the company, and there's the Guild association, cool.

I also like the since 1974 inscription on the packages, it's one of my favorite years...

Click to expand...

I think that's when I found out my special purpose .

Guildedagain said:

I'm really liking what I'm hearing about D'addario, the company, and there's the Guild association, cool.

I also like the since 1974 inscription on the packages, it's one of my favorite years...

Click to expand...

And that's only when they went to market with PB under their own name.
They'd been around for quite a while before that, and had been closely tied to Guild long before that as well:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D'Addario

Rayk said:

Huh , I don't give tension a thought never have as I've never had an issue . Only thing I think about is how the strings feel on my fingers and there tone .

Click to expand...

I was pretty much the same way until I got the D25 and paid attention to what they used.
But when I got my F65ce, I quickly put EJ-16's on it, thinking "It's a Guild, it can handle it".
Then one day a couple of years in when I was really eyeballing it closely I noticed that tell-tale lift at the back side of the bridge.
It's a known Guild weak point because of the way they installed bridges in Westerly, but I didn't know that at the time.
Also didn't know if it was because the strings were putting too much tension on it or if it was actually there since new and just never noticed.
(And it's been stable ever since I made a template outlining how deep a piece of paper would fit under it, about 3/16"), but it did alert me to the issue that maybe Guild built 'em for .010's for more than just "feel".
Also realized the .012's actually felt too stiff on that guitar and didn't really add any volume anyway.
Then the recent switch to toning down a full step really started me on total set tension on a top.
Don't want to overstress any of 'em but that guitar in particular probably needs 110% TLC.

There's two or three string threads going on at the same time right now! Where's bluesy's gopher photo? Does he not sense these threads?

And Al, what about this?

http://www.letstalkguild.com/ltg/showthread.php?195557-The-Absolutely-Positively-Last-String-Thread

walrus

walrus said:

There's two or three string threads going on at the same time right now! Where's bluesy's gopher photo? Does he not sense these threads?

Click to expand...

I think it might have all been a bit too much for 'im:

walrus said:

And Al, what about this?

http://www.letstalkguild.com/ltg/showthread.php?195557-The-Absolutely-Positively-Last-String-Thread

walrus

Click to expand...

See post 5, line 1.
:glee:
In the meantime, stumbled over this old thread which has JTE's (a former Guild dealer) note about D'Addario dating from at least '76, and agreement that the Squier-made strings ain't as good as the D'A's.
http://www.letstalkguild.com/ltg/showthread.php?163029-Guild-Phosphor-Bronze-Strings
Figured that's got a place in a "Master Flat-top String Thread".
:tranquillity:

twocorgis said:

I'm not overly picky when it comes to strings, but I like to use D'Addario EJ-16s on most of my guitars. They're a great local (Long Island based) family run company that treats their employees like family too, and that's rare these days. A great reason to support them, too!

Click to expand...

I'm pleased to hear this - I've always enjoyed playing D'Addarios and I'd have to still consider the EJ-16's to be my real "go-to" string after all these years. I still love trying out others - lately the Martin Authentic Acoustic SP 92/8 Phosphor Bronze Lights have been going on my main gigging guitar and the John Pearse Light PB's are great too - but I always have a box of EJ-16's around.

adorshki said:

I think it might have all been a bit too much for 'im:

:tranquillity:

Click to expand...

LMAO! :highly_amused:

walrus

FWIW, I've been playing around with strings off and on for about a year now. Here are some I've tried and my opinions about them. (This is on my vintage D40C) I mostly fingerpick, but I will often move from that to strumming -- which I do with the back of my index fingernail, so not quite as much of a dig in as a real pick will get you, but more than my fingerpads. I tend to do songs that build in intensity (lots of Chapin songs do that) so it goes from pretty soft fingerpick to medium loud strum. I have a hard time finding the perfect string to do both well. It's usually a trade off. Anyway, my opinions:

Martin Metro - Lights: -- I like these. A lot. Sounds a little more muted but in a cool way. Frets really nicely (which for my 59 year old fingers is a plus). Lose a little volume, but gain some nice woody texture. I keep coming back to them. But I keep leaving them too...

Martin Authentic Acoustic Marquis Silked (Phosphur Bronze):
This is what I have on it now. It's been about a week and I'm going to change them out. They fret really easy. Very loose feel. They are OK when I'm fingerpicking. But strumming sounds just awful. I swear you hear the air moving as they vibrate. No clean tones. Very muddy sound. Makes my guitar sound cheap. I just hate 'em.

Ernie Ball: EARTHWOOD LIGHT 80/20 BRONZE ACOUSTIC GUITAR STRINGS - 11-52 GAUGE
When I put these on, I really loved them. Guild sounded bright when strummed, voiced the strings distinctively when fingerpicked. But man they died fast. I'd say in about two weeks the brightness was lost, and it sounded noticeably duller. That was a bummer, because I really loved the sound for the first week.

Elixir Acoustic Phosphor Bronze with NANOWEB Coating:
I actually got these in medium gauge (I usually get lights) because I saw an interview with Phil Kaeggy and he said that's what he used. I figured, hey give them a try. I didn't care for the medium gauge. I thought they lost some brightness quicker than they promised, and the Nanoweb coating seems like more of a gimmick than a feature. All that said, if I owned an Olson and Other-worldly skills, I'd probably stick to them. Phil sure makes them sound great.

D'Addario EJ26 Phosphor Bronze Acoustic Guitar Strings, Custom Light, 11-52:

Whenever I get my guitar worked on by Stuart Day, they always come back with D'Addarios on them. They sound fine. I just don't like the feel of them. They seem to grab my skin more. When I slide up or down the frets, I really get a high squeak/creak from them. More than any of the other brands except GHS which feel very similar to me.

My next strings are probably going to be John Pearse. Or I might try the Ernie Ball ALUMINUM BRONZE ACOUSTIC GUITAR to see if they might be able to hold their sound better.

As always, YMMV

Guildedagain said:

There are threads here about strings, a perennial subject, I see a 12 year old thread on Silk and Steel strings that could be revived... and there is such a variety out there maybe it would be nice to have a thread (sticky?) dedicated to nothing but strings, for flattops, mostly.

Click to expand...

The Moderators are generally willing to make a thread sticky upon request. This Moderator believes that if a thread is worthy of being sticky then it should contain information that is not especially time sensitive and it should be on topic. This Moderator will start getting annoyed if time has to be spent culling out veers from the sticky thread and moving posts that belong there but were made elsewhere. Thus there will be some implied commitment by the membership that the Veer will be Feared in a sticky thread and that commitment is somewhat unlikely.

There is a recognition that there is a lot of good useful, archival material, buried in posts that is hard to find, and some kind of of curated presentation would make it easier to access. But the interest seems to fade when it actually gets to the point of getting volunteers to do both the behind the scenes tech work and the gathering, editing and curating to get the content in the appropriate format.

It has been a few years since this was seriously discussed so it might be time to revisit the general topic in a new thread.

In the meantime, since the search function is not always useful, remember the trick to add "site:www.letstalkguild.com" as a qualifier on a Google search and you can gets hits on D35 or D-35 although you won't see posts that are Members Only.

It's true what you hear about D'Addario's employees, long term relations with them.

Ralph

F312 said:

It's true what you hear about D'Addario's employees, long term relations with them.

Ralph

Click to expand...

Agreed, like Sam Ash and Costco. Great companies that are proof that you can treat (and pay) your employees well, and still make a lot of money.

Although I have moved from D'Addario to Ernie Ball Aluminum Bronze on my acoustic with no regrets, I have used D'Addario EXL110W electric strings for decades. .10 - .46 with a wound third.

walrus