Which on Which?

[JohnW63]

Sorry, it's a string click bate title!

I had some gift cards and now I have a set of Thomastik-Infeld Spectrum 12-54s and Plectrum 11-50s. These are both for acoustic sets. ( At least I think they are! )

Too expensive to buy if I don't know what they are like, but worth a try for free! So, which strings on which guitar ,in my signature, would you pair up? I know you haven't played any of mine, but if you were the kind to try things out for the pure science of it, throw out a suggestion.

Would any of my guitars not be a fit for the 12-54s? I haven't looked up all the manufacturers string specs, yet.

 

[jedzep]

Whichever of your guitars is the lightest build, I'd say. I used to play my '58 M20 with them, and now have them on my old featherweight Gibson, where the tone is degrading a bit after 3 weeks. I won't ever buy another set, as I'm a mostly percussive flat picker. They are slightly lower tension strings, so I wouldn't worry, structurally, about using on any of your guitars.

 

[chazmo]

I can't figure out how to navigate Thomastik's web site to get some sort of tension guide, but their strings are very unusual and multi-layered with silk wraps around a steel core. I would keep them down-tuned at least a 1/2 step.

I had Spectrums on a 1971 F-50R years ago and it was fine at pitch though.

 

[Boneman]

No science reasoning, but I would probably put the.12s on the D55, and the .11s on the F47

 

[Brucebubs]

They are a soft-feel, warm tone string, beautifully made with colored cotton binding on the string ends - different color for different gauge sets.
Not super loud.
I'd suggest putting them on a guitar you feel has a bright tone, these will certainly give it some depth.

 

[JohnW63]

I through the Spectrums on my D-55 last night. I had a heck of a time , with the low E in particular getting the bridge pins to stay down. The ends of the strings have a thread winding, like a violin or cello and that may have been part of the issue. I don't know for sure, but even with a curve in the end of the string, it would just push the pin up when it got tight. I finally go all of them in. Two of the pins still sit a little higher than the rest. I've not cut off the extra string at the tuners , yet, just in case I need to adjust things or the pins lift.

Now, to the sound. These strings really increased the volume of the guitar. I'm sure I had simple D'Addario strings. I didn't leave the used container in the case, like I have been doing as of late, so I'm not sure. EJ16s maybe? The guitar does sound " bigger " if that makes sense. I was afraid this model string would be too bright and I would lose to bottom end, but it didn't do that. So, as a first impression, I like them. Free is a good price. Now, if they last a long time, as they are supposed to, it may be worth paying for the next time, if they are on sale, We'll see. I only have maybe 10 minutes time on these. I would like to see if they are easier to play. Since I play electric some of the time, the D-55 has felt harder to play than my F47R and I want to "fix" that.

 

[jedzep]

Yeah. I used to trim the silky hairs off with a razor before stringing. Especially helpful since I play mediums, which make for an even tighter fit.