Acoustic string journal

Tannin

One nice little thing. The other day I put in a tide-me-over order for two sets of Sunbeams from the Acoustic Centre in Melbourne - probably Australia's best acoustic guitar retailer. I also ordered a set of Thomastics to try. Strings arrived yesterday but only one set of Sunbeams! So I rang them up and they were going to send out the other set. Later on at home I noticed that one of my two sets of Sunbeams was medium gauge! Had they sent me the wrong gauge? Or had Strings and Beyond got it wrong? No way to tell.

But wait! The picture above shows Sunbeam 12s. I took that before the Acoustic Centre order arrived. Therefore the Acoustic Centre order was the one with the wrong strings. So I emailed them, adding that I'd post the 13s back to them tomorrow. Reply came back promptly (paraphrased): :"We have just sent you two sets of Sunbeam 12s, please keep the other set with our compliments, sorry for the stuff up".

Can't ask fairer than that.

Supportact

Thanks for doing these notes @Tannin ! I'm on the lookout for a new brand for my acoustic so I'm going to study your findings. 

Tannin

More updates today:

Revised thoughts on the GHS Americana (good very good) and DR Sunbeams (good great). SIT Royal Bronze revisited and they are every bit as nice the second time around. Tried the Sunbeams on a different guitar with moderate success. La Bella Golden Alloys, of which I expected nothing much, turned out to be very nice strings with a character all their own. Dunlop phosphor bronze, another set which I didn't expect to like much, also have their own character, which I can't say I care for. Finally, started out the upside-down leftie with a slightly modified set of Rotosound Super Bronze contact core. 

Tannin

Update time again. Revised thoughts on the unlovely Dunlop and the pleasant SIT Phosphor Bronze sets. Added the new WA May Maton guitar to replace the Cole Clark 12-string. Three new strings to amuse me: John Pierce phosphor bronze, SIT Royal Bronze, and the extraordinary Optima 24K Gold - probably the most expensive strings in the world. Are they worth it? Tune in next week and find out. Same bat time, same bat station.

Mellish

OMG at one set mentioned ^. Probably not the one you're thinking. I'll wait until the set is tried then comment further


EDIT: to be fair to the brand, though, the two sets may have been part of a bad batch and not typical. 

Mellish

@Tannin ; the strings brand you mentioned that got my reaction was John Pearse. 

I know some members use 'em but the two sets I bought were dead straight out of the box.

As I said above, though, that may not be typical of the brand. The two sets may have been part of a bad batch (it happens), or they had been sitting on the retailer's shelf too long  

Cryptid

Similar experience with John Pearse strings here. Either dead out the pack or finished after a week of being on the guitar. I've had slightly better results with their Silk & Steels on my fingerpicking guitar - I like the mellow tone and low tension but I have to be on it with keeping my hands really clean and wiping the strings down properly after playing. 

I've just put D'Addario EJ16's on my Country & Western, to me those strings are like a litmus test for a guitar as I'm very familiar with how they sound. Actually far preferable to the Gibson strings it came with so I'll probably stick with them - decent price, easy to obtain and last well with my body chemistry. 

Although... I did used to love DR Sunbeams on my old Hummingbird so may have to give them a try on the C&W at some point.

Tannin

Oh! Curious. Around most places, John Pearse has about as good a reputation as you can get. That fits with my experience too, they have always been top drawer. (Also, the chap who fettles my guitars and made one of them swears by JPs.)

I have heard that they have excellent customer service. Way too late now (and would you bother for just two sets anyway?) but I reckon they'd have replaced those strings for you @Mellish. ;

Let me see, you mostly use Elixirs and Martins, both in 80/20, yes? I'd expect the JP 80/20s to be quite similar to the Martins. 

One thing I do notice is the very inconsistent packaging between brands. I generally hate unnecessary plastic packaging like poison, but I do like to see strings - which are after all, a perishable product - sealed in something moisture-tight. I should start making note of which ones are sealed and which ones are still (in 2022 FFS!) just in a slip of paper.

Tannin

PS: The JPs currently on the Maton dreadnought are doing fine. I'm not seeing them as anything super special, but they feel good and sound good. Mind you, I buy mine in the States, where they are likely to be fresher and turn over faster than UK stock. 

(Should guitar strings have a Best Before date on the package? Discuss.)

Mellish

@Cryptid ; I'm in the same boat with hand-washing. I have the wrong chemistry.

That aside, this Dove hates Martin MA140, which my HD-28 loved. It likes EJ16 but not EJ11 (80/20 equivalent).

DR Rare I've had good results with, Sunbeams, Veritas, La Bella, Gibson (finding these hard to get now)  

Mellish

@Tannin ; yes, when I had the HD-28,those were the strings I'd use. But, as said above, this Dove hates MA140. It's another string journey for me, I'm afraid.

Going back to JP, I dare say they *would* have replaced the two sets. I didn't ask tbh. And you're probably right, in that they may be fresher in the USA due to higher sales  

Cryptid

My mate swears by JP strings and they last longer for him, so I think it's partly a case of incompatibility with my sweat/oils.

They do seem to have a more reactive composition than most other strings and packs are poorly sealed. Probably should have a Best Before. 

Mellish

@Cryptid & @Tannin ; its why I didn't bash the brand. To do so after only two sets would be unfair

A best before? Absolutely 

Tannin

BTW, I put my first set of Cleartones on the WA May this morning. Can't say I like them all that much. 

Mellish

@Tannin ; same here. Tried a set of Cleartone on my HD-28, wasn't impressed  

Tannin

It's always risky saying too much on the first day or two until strings settle in, but at this stage, they feel a little stiff (stiffer than Elixirs, which are pretty stiff already) and a little harsh; not much bass, very squeaky. As I said, early days, but at this stage I'll be swapping them out pretty soon and not buying them again. Pyramid Western Folk might be the very thing for this guitar. We will see. 

Mellish

Tried a set of Elixir Nano 12s on my Gibson Dove this morning. They killed the tone, felt stiff, so back to EJ16.

I noticed someone had been in the box, went in via the side opening to avoid breaking the seal. Probably just checking that they weren't tarnished   

Cryptid

EJ16 lasted less than a week on my Country Western, playing an hour a day with no rehearsals or gigs. They sounded good for a few days! 

Had some Elixir Nano 80/20 in the drawer so put those on this morning. The extra brightness is welcome but the character of the mids has changed drastically... a bit brash. Hopefully they'll settle in a bit, will probably try Elixir Nano PB's on it next. 

Mellish

@Cryptid ; - try La Bella mate, you might be pleasantly surprised  

Cryptid

@Mellish Never tried La Bella strings but heard good things. On the list they go  

Next up for the Country Western is a set of DR Sunbeams - quite hard to find any stock these days. They were my faves on my old Hummingbird so I'm quite excited to hear how they sound on this. Can't wait to get these stiff Elixirs off!