Martin sp 2.00 lifespan strings gauge 12

marktheharp

Put these on my faith all mahogany Venus. Pretty impressive. Have been on for 3 months and still sound and feel great.
I think I paid about £8 brand new . Now they are £15 and more. 

Anyone tried Fender Dura-Tone 80/20 Coated Acoustic Guitar Strings - 880L Gauge (.012 - .052) 
I have tried 80/20 strings on my faith and they sounded nice but untreated daddario sounded lifeless after a fortnight!
obviously guitar strings are very subjective and a potential mind field of choice… 
I am a tight Yorkshire man and be-grudge paying £15 for my strings???
any advice appreciated? Thanks in advance.
cheers Mark  

marktheharp

Any advice anyone?

sev112

Yep try the Harley Benton Western ones for about a fiver - they are coated nd surprisingly good

Tannin

I haven't tried the Martin Lifespan strings, mainly because on the whole I prefer uncoated strings and assume that the Lifespans sound similar to the (excellent) Martin Authentics. As a rule I'd rather pay half as much and put fresh ones on twice as often. 

For the same reason I haven't tried the coated Fenders.

If you are looking for good cheap coated strings, I recommend DR Veritas (£8.50), GHS Americana (£9), and Rotosound Nexus (£12). Also consider the uncoated Dunlop Phosphor Bronze at £6 which are very stiff and hard under the fingers and, for that reason, last for ages and ages (if you can cope with the muscle required). 

Rough rule-of-thumb: hard, high-tension strings last longer than softer ones. Of those I listed above, the Rotosounds are probably the longest-lasting but also the highest tension. DR Veritas are rather special in that they last well but, being essentially the same as DR Sunbeams only coated, have that lovely Sunbeam feel.

Last point. Many people like the sound of nickel or monel strings on all-hardwood guitars. If this is you, then a set of D'Addario Nickel Bronze (£10) or Martin Retros (£14) will last practically forever. 

marktheharp

Great comments and advice thank you