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Martin SP (non Lifespan) 80/20s on SJ200


Jinder

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Hi all,

I played one of the Sofar Sounds shows this evening with my SJ200 in tow. It's sporting one-gig-old Martin SP 80/20s, and I'll be damned if it's ever sounded better. Just wonderful, warm, woody, articulate and bright yet rumbling and rich. Despite playing SJ200s for well over a decade, I feel like I fell in love with them anew this evening!

 

Those strings REALLY suit my SJ200 for my style of playing.

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Hi all,

I played one of the Sofar Sounds shows this evening with my SJ200 in tow. It's sporting one-gig-old Martin SP 80/20s, and I'll be damned if it's ever sounded better. Just wonderful, warm, woody, articulate and bright yet rumbling and rich. Despite playing SJ200s for well over a decade, I feel like I fell in love with them anew this evening!

 

Those strings REALLY suit my SJ200 for my style of playing.

As a maple lover I really understand this.

I think the reasoning behind this is Maple is naturally bright ... If we add the brightness of a new string ... It's too much .Deaden the string and it's the perfect match !

 

 

Since I only ever play for myself my phos-bronze gibson strings can last a whole 6 months or 12 (pushing).

 

 

 

Gibson's maple guitars are some of the finest guitars oit there

 

JC

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I follow Bragg on twitter. Just followed you. These look like great shows!

https://imgur.com/gallery/3hHFl

 

Thanks for the follow, Sal! I'll follow back in a min. The gig last night was terrific. Whitherward in your pic were excellent, and BB was his usual great self. Although he just flew back from Canada and Air Canada destroyed his J45!

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Agree 100%. Just took off a set that had been on my SJ200 for a year. Best sounding I can ever remember. Switched from Elixers. Hated taking the Martin SPs off, but I try to change strings once a year, even if they do't sound like they need it.(New Years Resolution). I also do not 'play for pay' so - I'm not as picky. Had been using Elixirs. The new set is LifeSpan - I'll have to see how that works out. Still, if the 'regular' still sounded great after a year, I can't imaging the LifeSpan will sound any better. Thanks.

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Thanks for the follow, Sal! I'll follow back in a min. The gig last night was terrific. Whitherward in your pic were excellent, and BB was his usual great self. Although he just flew back from Canada and Air Canada destroyed his J45!

 

Did your you not comment a while ago that he had to buy something in Europe because his j45 was lost or something ?

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1505999129[/url]' post='1882527']

Thanks for the follow, Sal! I'll follow back in a min. The gig last night was terrific. Whitherward in your pic were excellent, and BB was his usual great self. Although he just flew back from Canada and Air Canada destroyed his J45!

 

Worry not over the follow back... unless you want to see geek fianance in your feed. If you do, your hip quotient will drop substantially!

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Did your you not comment a while ago that he had to buy something in Europe because his j45 was lost or something ?

 

Well remembered! We had to go guitar shopping in Austria as a Croatian airline lost the J45, it was found eventually though and returned to BB...just in time for Air Canada to subject the poor thing to the ultimate El Kabong.

 

It wasn't a rare or unusual J45, just a stock 2013ish black nut Standard, but a very, very good example of one. BB tunes down to D with 13s, so it had to be set up in a particular way to avoid buzzing and choking out when played hard, but it really took that well. I often took it back to my hotel room when on the road for restringing and setup tweaks, and I'd often get lost for hours playing it. I'll miss it but I'm excited to see what he buys next!

 

He's currently playing an Epi Masterbilt AJ45, which is surprisingly lovely-really warm, purring tone.

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Had SP 80-20's on my maple G's since December 2015 and they continue to lift the task. The most natural extension of the guitars

Hey - share us a 200 sample.

 

Handily, this video has just been uploaded by a chap who filmed last night's gig...it was a house gig and the PA was barely on, mainly just a lift for the vocals, so the natural guitar sound really comes through on this.

 

It's the first ever live outing for this song, it's not out until December but I thought I'd road test it last night. Not the most en pointe performance of it, but the guitar tone is there!

 

PS...for those not familiar with the geography of the UK, Newport Pagnell is an unremarkable sh*thole of a town!

 

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I think you just proved your point on the sound of the-big-maple-Gibson-with-old-strings idea. . . a fine combination. Some real tone captured there. Also appreciated were the dynamics at both ends of the tune.

 

Also: could you remind- what is the pickup in the '200?

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I think you just proved your point on the sound of the-big-maple-Gibson-with-old-strings idea. . . a fine combination. Some real tone captured there. Also appreciated were the dynamics at both ends of the tune.

 

Also: could you remind- what is the pickup in the '200?

 

Thanks 62! The pickup is a Matrix Infinity. Normally run through an Aura 16, but here it was just straight into the PA. I've tried just about everything pickup wise, and whilst nothing's perfect, the Matrix Infinity and Aura setup is the best combination of tone, feedback resistance and responsiveness.

 

The SJ200 came with the Aura Ellipse, and whilst I loved the plugged in sound, I couldn't abide the way the buttons rattled on the preamp when playing unplugged...so it came out and the Matrix Infinity went in. No regrets at all! To sweeten the pill further, I paid £120 for the MI and sold the Aura Ellipse on eBay for £220, and used the bonus £100 to buy a secondhand Aura 16. All my gigging guitars (SJ200, '41 Reissue SJ100 and Hummingbird) are all Matrix Infinitied and sound great through the Aura.

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Hi all,

I played one of the Sofar Sounds shows this evening with my SJ200 in tow. It's sporting one-gig-old Martin SP 80/20s, and I'll be damned if it's ever sounded better. Just wonderful, warm, woody, articulate and bright yet rumbling and rich. Despite playing SJ200s for well over a decade, I feel like I fell in love with them anew this evening!

 

Those strings REALLY suit my SJ200 for my style of playing.

 

I like them much on hummingbird too, i understand the way you describe em.

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Handily, this video has just been uploaded by a chap who filmed last night's gig..

 

 

You sir, are an entertainer - and got more than a squire in that pale 200.

Sounds very good in that live situation. Juicy, rich, well balanced, , , , and yeps, it's a maple guitar, which as we know love this way of playing.

 

Seems B.B. has himself an old Epiphone slope (are they also called J-45's).

Warm and more muddy and vintage than the Jumbo, but probably a rather nice acoustic to handle.

A good looker too.

 

Keep rolling

 

He's currently playing an Epi Masterbilt AJ45, which is surprisingly lovely-really warm, purring tone.

Ouh, , , didn't see this line.

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Handily, this video has just been uploaded by a chap who filmed last night's gig...it was a house gig and the PA was barely on, mainly just a lift for the vocals, so the natural guitar sound really comes through on this.

 

It's the first ever live outing for this song, it's not out until December but I thought I'd road test it last night. Not the most en pointe performance of it, but the guitar tone is there!

 

PS...for those not familiar with the geography of the UK, Newport Pagnell is an unremarkable sh*thole of a town!

 

That was fun; glad you posted this. And, yes, that is THE tone alright. Gonna give them a try on my J100.

12s or 13s? (I usually prefer meds, but curious...)

Thanks!

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I've yet to try the SPs on my Hummingbird. It seems to REALLY like D'Addario EXPs so I've stuck with those, I must try the SPs on it soon though!

 

Yup i have EXP16 on it right now, but had been using martins 80/20 ever before.

Both are great on bird, but it is a completely different register... One more mellow, sweet and balanced tone, the other more boomy and punchy and better low end...

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That has absolutely been my experience with the SP's. . . but on the big maple Gibsons, that sounds like a perfect match.

 

I am in my fourth month of using my Martin SP 80/20 Bronze strings on two of my guitars that I am gigging 5 times a week with. And, there is still much life left to them from what I can tell. I suppose strings react differently to different players...

 

Just my two cents.

 

QM aka Jazzman Jeff

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I am in my fourth month of using my Martin SP 80/20 Bronze strings on two of my guitars that I am gigging 5 times a week with. And, there is still much life left to them from what I can tell. I suppose strings react differently to different players...

 

Just my two cents.

 

QM aka Jazzman Jeff

 

Same here, and when/if i find them start to be inaccurate/out of tune or hard to tune i just use Gibson Luthier's choice string cleaner - a thing that i avoid with condom strings- and they're good to go again...

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