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Strings are currently XS PB. Guitar sounds good but I’m thinking something a little more ‘fundamental’ may suit better.
I’ve never really experimented with strings but want to with this guitar to try and find the right match early on.
Currently there’s quite a bit of high ‘zing’ and also low mids/bass can be a bit ‘woofy’ when I dig in. Part of this will be the guitar, small size and rosewood back and sides, but can’t help thinking there is probably a better string – something slightly more muted. The EXP’s have settled in a bit, but being coated they will be trying to keep that core sound.
Strings I’ve been thinking about:-
Martin Retro’s
GHS Vintage Bronze
GHS Silk and Bronze
Daddario nickel bronze
Not trying to change the tone of the guitar, I’m enjoying it so far, and would be happy as it is, but I think there will be a better string for a guitar of a 1930’s type design. Woods are adi/rosewood.
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Comments
* Martin Retros (dull, flat, metallic - all in a good way, but very different)
* GHS Silk & Bronze (lovely strings, but very different in an opposite direction. They are not the full silk & steel sound but they go a long way towards that. These would work better on (say) something with a cedar top. Would they take the zing of the Red Spruce? Absolutely. But they might strangle it. Try by all means, but as an experiment, not an answer.)
* D'Addario Nickel Bronze (I love them, but they are even more retro than Martin Retros.Very dark.)
GHS Vintage Bronze are nice but a bit colourless in my experience. (Which mightn't be such a bad thing on a rosewood and Red Spruce guitar like yours - that combo can want a bit of taming.) Curiously, although they are brass (in an 85/15 alloy rather than the more usual 80/20), they are not blow-your-face-off bright like most brass strings. Maybe this unexpected dash of softness is something that 85/15 strings do (though I can't for the life of me imagine why that should be so) because the D'Angellico Prohibition Bronze 85/15 strings I love on my Cole Clark Angel are similar in this respect (and might make something you'd like to try).
Just the same, I reckon your best bet is staying with phosphor bronze but going to something with a bit more heart and body than the rather colourless and sterile D'Addarios.
The first ones I thought of (which is to say these are the obvious choices and a good place to start), more-or-less in this order: Darco D220 or Martin MA540 (same string, different packet); SIT Royal Bronze, GHS Phosphor Bronze, John Pearse Phosphor Bronze, Galli LS, Pyramid Western Folk, Rotosound Jumbo King, Wyres CP1254.
(P.S. I envy you the E20 OO. I have been studying what's about to buy a smaller guitar for my 70th and the Eastmans E20 and E10 were on the list. Also the lovely Sigma SOOR 45VS. Current fave is Taylor GS Mini - probably the mahogany one.)
Cool. I’ll have to try the monels, they seem to divide opinion but the fact they are different means they are worth a try.
Yeah the E20 OO is great, I love the neck and string spacing. I would have tried the GS mini’s but they missed my searches due to the narrower nut. They should do a wide nut version!
So I've down tuning down half a step and using a capo on the first fret really helps tame what needs taming. The woofy bass notes have subsided and the top end is sitting right (which might just be playing a lot and the strings dulling a bit).
Either way, tuning down has opened the guitar up, certainly until it is full broken in. But being a 12 fretter losing a fret is not an ideal permanent solution.
I was looking at what strings would have the same tension at concert pitch as my current XS 12-54 strings have a half step down. They are about 160lbs
I was thinking the GHS silk and bronze, but they are showing as 174lbs, unless I'm reading things wrong.
Do different manufacturers quote tension using different scale lengths?
Saying that, looking at other GHS strings, their standard PB's and Vintage blond are both lower tension than their low tension silk and bronze strings.
I may just drop to 11's for now, not something I've ever done on an acoustic and I don't particularily need to but the guitar might prefer it.
@WindmillGuitars suggestion of Stringjoys is worth considering. I thought of listing them earlier but left them off because I am not the only one here to have tried them and thought they were dead, muddy, dull things. But that's what you are looking for! Something to tame the highs. Could be worth a try.
These were an easy first choice as they were cheap on Amazon Prime and ticks a quick box before I get a setup.
But I’m going to play the field a bit and take some notes along the way so suggestions are all duly noted.
But yeah, monels are definitely different.