Tried different strings on my AJ...here's my thoughts.

[sbpark]

I'd like to start by saying these are just my own person thoughts and impressions of different strings I've tried on my 2012 AJ. Obviously we all hear differently, play differently have different ideas of what we want our guitars to sound like and what we all define as pleasing, so take whatever I write with a grain of salt please! I like to play stuff ranging from old school country to cross picking and hybrid picking type stuff, sort of strumming with added embellishments at times, and throw in some bluegrass licks now and then and occasionally fingerpick, so basically a mish-mosh of different styles. With that said, here's what I tried, and ALL strings were light gauge.

Martin SP 80/20

John Pearse Phosphor Bronze

D'Addario EJ16 Phosphor Bronze

DR Rare Phosphor Bronze

Gibson 80/20 Masterbuilt

 

Martin SP 80/20: Sounded a bit thin and tinny out of the package, but quickly "mellowed" like a lot of 80/20's do, but also sounded dead pretty quick once they mellowed, which really surprised me. They sounded dead in a day, kind of like what I'd expect if the guitar was made out of cardboard! Pretty shocked, as I've always had great luck with other Martin strings on other guitars (love the SP PB's on my HD28 and 000-15M). Of course every guitar is different and responds to strings differently, but I still was shocked at how lifeless these 80/20's sounded on the AJ.

 

John Pearse Phosphor Bronze: A very bright, VERY LOUD, very complex sounding string. Nicely balanced, very clear and crisp. Compared to the rest of the lot they did seem to lack a touch of low end, robbing the guitar of some of the "thump" that I love about a lot of Gibson acoustics. Don't get me wrong, these strings sounded great, but they were just a little too crisp and clean for my ear, or too pretty if that makes sense. But seriously, if you want to be heard, these strings on an AJ are ridiculously loud. Too loud for me in a solo singer/songwriter situation, as I found the guitar constantly competing with my voice (understand that it is an AJ after all). A 1.0mm nylon pick helped tame these a bit, but still they were just a bit much. I'm guessing if you were strictly a bluegrass player a set of these in medium gauge on an AJ would really be an incredible banjo killer!

 

D'Addario EJ16 Phosphor Bronze: Can't really say anything bad about these strings. They're available everywhere, are reasonably priced and seem to work on most guitars. If I was in a pinch and had no other choices I'd use these no problem. Not as crisp and clean sounding as the John Pearse PB's, (which is good or bad depending on what you like, and a good thing in my opinion), with a slightly bigger low end.

 

DR Rare Phosphor Bronze: I usually love these strings on Gibson guitars, especially Gibsons with Mahogany back and sides. A VERY warm string, but maybe too warm for the AJ's rosewood. Sounded a little muted and muddy, but they did sound a bit "woodier" than the perviously mentioned strings. I loved these on J45's, but not my favorite choice on the AJ. One nice thing though about them is they were not nearly as loud as the John Pearse strings, and were a much better fit for the solo singer/songwriter type stuff, making the guitar more controllable when using it for solo stuff.

 

Gibson 80/20 Masterbuilt: To my surprise and amazement, my favorite sounding string for the AJ. Brought out what I'd consider to be the classic Gibson sound (at least what my brain perceives to be that sound). Usually 80/20's are overly bright and sizzle, but for some reason these strings are warm and woody right out of the pack. Not brittle like other 80/20's, and not zingy like a lot of PB's when new. I really was impressed, and they seem to last a while. The low E is nice and round, dig in and it get's a little snarly and dirty, then back off and it's sweet and clean. Great for strumming and fingerpicking, and hit them with a heavier pick for some bluegrass runs and they sound great. Not as good or loud as the John Pearse did for bluegrass, but a better all-around string for my uses.

 

Hope some of this can be useful to others, but I'm guessing the main take-away point is you really have to experiment. In the past I've sworn off 80/20's because I never had good luck with them on other guitars, but if I would have continued with that belief I would have never tried them on the AJ. I figure if you're going to spend that much on a nice guitar, shelling out a few more dollars to experiment with strings is something we all owe to ourselves to try, and also don't be afraid to try strings that you didn't have good luck with on other guitars because you may be pleasantly surprised!

[j45nick]

Thanks for those comments, although the results are not exactly as I would have expected.

 

An AJ would be on my list for sometime in the future, since I don't have a Gibson rosewood jumbo.

[Dotneck]

I like John Pearse phosphor bronze in the Bluegrass guage on my AJ. Maybe the heavier bottoms add a bit to the bass.

 

Maybe I'll try the masterbuilts if I can find a set

[BigKahune]

.

Nice post. I'll be trying the Masterbuilts on my AJ next change. . B)

 

 

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[EuroAussie]

Thanks for the report, timely for me Ive had a bit of a love and hate relationship with my AJ, but finally went much more into the love camp after fiding the right strings for it.

 

I also started with Martin SP 80/20's as I intended the guitar to be more for fingerpicking, but i found I didnt pick it that much, so thought about to make it more of all rounder. Although i did not have the same experienced as you about them dying early, for me they lasted for a long time.

 

But, to cut a long story short I found the AJ's sweetspot with DR Sunbeams. These PB's are warm from the first strum and sort of tame the inherent power of the AJ, making it sound much more like a J-45 with a attitude, and thats what my ears like.

 

Its now become my go to guitar at home if i want a responsive allrounder, but yes, this guitar is senstive to string selection.

 

Might give the Gibson 80/20's a go as you suggested, hope they last longer for me than the PB's as i get a week out of them before they turn to spaghetti.

[MissouriPicker]

I like reading about all these string comparisons. I kind of stick with a brand and type so long as they sound okay to me. Don't really have the interest or patience to change strings simply to hear the difference between them, so it's good to read honest opinions that are not trying to promote one type of string and demote another. One of the many things I enjoy about this forum: honesty (with the necessary bit of bull and storytelling). [thumbup] [thumbup]

[sbpark]

Thanks for the report, timely for me Ive had a bit of a love and hate relationship with my AJ, but finally went much more into the love camp after fiding the right strings for it.

 

I also started with Martin SP 80/20's as I intended the guitar to be more for fingerpicking, but i found I didnt pick it that much, so thought about to make it more of all rounder. Although i did not have the same experienced as you about them dying early, for me they lasted for a long time.

 

But, to cut a long story short I found the AJ's sweetspot with DR Sunbeams. These PB's are warm from the first strum and sort of tame the inherent power of the AJ, making it sound much more like a J-45 with a attitude, and thats what my ears like.

 

Its now become my go to guitar at home if i want a responsive allrounder, but yes, this guitar is senstive to string selection.

 

Might give the Gibson 80/20's a go as you suggested, hope they last longer for me than the PB's as i get a week out of them before they turn to spaghetti.

 

I'll have to give the Sunbeams a try!

[zombywoof]

As all of my guitars are older I tend to stick with strings would on a round core. I used to string with Sunbeams but over the past year have switched to Newtone. They do cost more but I have been real happy with them. They seem to keep their bark and bite a bit longer. I have been using the nickel wound and the PB and just ordered a couple sets of the 80/20 to see how well they do.

 

I did string my '53 Epi archtop with the D'Addario Nickel Bronze strings. I am sold on them at least for the archtop. They really gave the guitar some punch and project better than any string I have ever tried. Eventually I will screw up the courage and try a set on one of the flattops.

[slimt]

I realize that most of u all have string preferences..

 

Ive tried a few different types.. D addarios are what I use on all the guitars I have,.. Nothing but.. there to me the best.. I have not had a bad experience with those at all ,, and the acoustics not just Gibsons.. sound great and they last ..

[sbpark]

I realize that most of u all have string preferences..

 

Ive tried a few different types.. D addarios are what I use on all the guitars I have,.. Nothing but.. there to me the best.. I have not had a bad experience with those at all ,, and the acoustics not just Gibsons.. sound great and they last ..

 

This was me for YEARS. D'Addarios on all my electrics and acoustics, period. I'm not picky at all when it comes to electric guitar strings. I really can never tell much of a difference at all, but when I really started getting more into acoustics I was shocked several years ago at how much of a difference strings make. Very dramatic differences from one brand, alloy, etc. to another. Can be a fun experiment or annoying to some.

[jdd707]

Thanks for the post. I too have tried different strings on my AJ and have come to Pearse PB as THE one. In the case of my particular instrument, they warm up the sound. Alas, they do not have a long life so I change them often when I'm playing the AJ lot.

[dhanners623]

I know strings are a personal decision for many, but for the life of me I don't understand why people put anything but mediums on a Gibson slope-shoulder dread. I think you need mediums to move the top properly. Light strings just don't seem to have the energy in them to do a Gibson justice.

 

For the past two or three decades, I've used D'Addario EJ-17s on about everything I play. I've tried other strings from time to time, but always come home to EJ-17s. They have great consistency from set to set and they seem very versatile. They've sounded good on the two J-45s I owned, and sound fantastic on my J-35.

[EuroAussie]

Nope, dont agree. Tried that path and found mediums choked the tone on my SJ and in particular the bottom end. Was not a good sound, went back to 12's pretty quickly and tone opened up again automatically. There is a reason why Gibson puts 12's on their new guitars in the factory.

 

I know strings are a personal decision for many, but for the life of me I don't understand why people put anything but mediums on a Gibson slope-shoulder dread. I think you need mediums to move the top properly. Light strings just don't seem to have the energy in them to do a Gibson justice.

 

For the past two or three decades, I've used D'Addario EJ-17s on about everything I play. I've tried other strings from time to time, but always come home to EJ-17s. They have great consistency from set to set and they seem very versatile. They've sounded good on the two J-45s I owned, and sound fantastic on my J-35.

[62burst]

Yes, David, it is kinda counterintuitive, having to back off a little on the string gauge to hear more of the wood. Much agreement here with the observations of the OP, Mr. Park. Almost hilarious how fast the Martin SP's can be done/finished; the DR's, as well.

 

The AJ is a challenge to find the right strings for, and unless you're needing it to battle banjos or a crowd scene, if the guitar's set up can handle it without buzzing, it's good to back off a bit on string gauge, as the AJ can sometimes have a harsh edge to it, especially when coming from a nice, warm, short scale J-45. Might help on a J-35, too, as some of those can be a tad bright. Lots of guitars got wrecked back in the day with people putting the heaviest strings they could, whether it was some macho bragging thing, or needing to be heard. Give some lights a try; Pearse, DR, Elixir Nano's . . . you might hear something interesting.

[sbpark]

Nope, dont agree. Tried that path and found mediums choked the tone on my SJ and in particular the bottom end. Was not a good sound, went back to 12's pretty quickly and tone opened up again automatically. There is a reason why Gibson puts 12's on their new guitars in the factory.

 

Add me to the list as well. 13's on my J45 sounded choked. 12's and it sounded more open. I play lights on all my dreds, Martin or Gibson. And I said it before, never seemed to give Neil Young any problems playing light gauge strings on a dred. Also, I'm not trying to keep up with a bluegrass ensemble or try to be as loud as possible. The AJ is loud enough to begin with, last thing I need with that guitar is more volume, or a heavier string gauge that doesn't work well with my style of playing just because something out there says that all dreds need 13's.

[dhanners623]

As I mentioned, strings are a personal decision. I do wonder, though, how many of you who have experimented with several different brands of lights have ever experimented with several different brands of mediums. Maybe you just experimented with the wrong brand.

 

My J-35 came strung with lights and I found switching to mediums an immediate improvement in tone, sustain, volume, responsiveness -- in short, mediums improved, to my ear, everything about the guitar. These instruments are built to handle mediums. I get plenty of subtle tones out of the instrument. The strings that came on the guitar were obviously new, but they just didn't seem to impart any "zing" to the guitar. They just made it seem tinny.

[EuroAussie]

Actually, the J-35 is the one Gibson model i would consider putting 13's on, mainly due to the thin tone it delivers with 12's, i think 13's would be optimum for it and create a whole new experience.

 

As I mentioned, strings are a personal decision. I do wonder, though, how many of you who have experimented with several different brands of lights have ever experimented with several different brands of mediums. Maybe you just experimented with the wrong brand.

 

My J-35 came strung with lights and I found switching to mediums an immediate improvement in tone, sustain, volume, responsiveness -- in short, mediums improved, to my ear, everything about the guitar. These instruments are built to handle mediums. I get plenty of subtle tones out of the instrument. The strings that came on the guitar were obviously new, but they just didn't seem to impart any "zing" to the guitar. They just made it seem tinny.

[Willie King]

I have found I like the Masterbilt 80/20's on my Gibsons and they seem to last as well.

[Buc McMaster]

I too am in the the "mediums choke the top" camp.......at least on a Gibson. I used mediums on the Martin D-18V I used to own and they were very good on that instrument, but were sustain killers, tone chokers on every Gibson I've tried them on. Too much tension, stifling top vibration. To each his own, of course, but as has been said, there is a reason Gibson ships guitars with Masterbuilt 80/20 lights.........and I agree with factory spec on this point.

[dhanners623]

I should also add that when I owned J-45s -- a ''66 and a '98 -- I strung them with mediums and they sounded great. They would've been too quiet with lights.

[sbpark]

As I mentioned, strings are a personal decision. I do wonder, though, how many of you who have experimented with several different brands of lights have ever experimented with several different brands of mediums. Maybe you just experimented with the wrong brand.

 

My J-35 came strung with lights and I found switching to mediums an immediate improvement in tone, sustain, volume, responsiveness -- in short, mediums improved, to my ear, everything about the guitar. These instruments are built to handle mediums. I get plenty of subtle tones out of the instrument. The strings that came on the guitar were obviously new, but they just didn't seem to impart any "zing" to the guitar. They just made it seem tinny.

 

When I got my J45 I went though pretty much everything I have listed above (except for the Martin 80/20's) and even more strings including John Pearse Nickel, Martin Tony Rice Monels, etc. Not sure why people get so caught up in insisting that everyone has to use mediums. Some of us think lights sound better, others think mediums sound better. There's no right or wrong answer here, and no need to try and convince everyone else that one gauge is better than the other. Just use what you like. Like I mentioned in the first post, those were my own opinions based on my experience, so take them with a grain of salt, experiment for yourself and use what feels best to you based on your style of playing and what you hear.

[hardycreek1]

Has anyone ever used Thomastik-Infield Plectrum? They have an amazing smooth sound that is unlike anything else I've tried on my J-15. They are pricey, but I'm loving the sound and willingly will pay for them.