new strings experiment: newtone 12-54

noisepolluter

I usually use phosphor bronze d'addario 12-53 on the J-45 but fancied something a bit sturdier for flat picking and the occasional drop D jaunt. Am now trying a hybrid 12-54 set from newtone - first impression is that even the 3 light gauge treble strings are stiffer than the d'add 12's, and the heavier bass strings feel like a medium set. Soundwise there's certainly more grunt all round - possibly even a bit overpowering for the smaller body and shorter scale length, I can feel the guitar 'sagging' a bit when I dig in. I'll see how these last. I can certainly see how these would be good on a D-28 if you didn't want full-on mediums. I'll see how these last and report back.