wonderful remark Posted June 20, 2008 Share Posted June 20, 2008 i know they come with lights .12... but is it okay for the neck if i put mediums on? the guy at the store told me not to... i got a set of Daddario EXP 80/20.. for free... but i havent put them on yet... i usually use Elixers... but my wallet is getting way too thin... any suggestions for strings? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jannusguy Posted June 20, 2008 Share Posted June 20, 2008 d'addario EJ16s. 6 or 7 bucks. good strings. or try the EJ 17s if you want med. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wonderful remark Posted June 21, 2008 Author Share Posted June 21, 2008 d'addario EJ16s. 6 or 7 bucks. good strings. or try the EJ 17s if you want med. but would the neck hold it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerry K Posted June 21, 2008 Share Posted June 21, 2008 J45's will take medium no problem. However, you are going to see changes in neck relief and action due to increased tension of the heavier strings. So you may need to tighten truss rod to compensate and possibly change saddle height. If you are not comfortable doing adjustments like that, bring two sets of medium strings to a luthier and have him set it up for mediums. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TWilson Posted June 21, 2008 Share Posted June 21, 2008 I put a set of medium Gibson SJ-200 strings on my '04 J-45 and it handled them fine. No adjustment was needed and it sounded great. But my left hand gets really stressed and cramps up so I had to go back to my 12's. I also agree on the D'Addarios. They are inexpensive and sound great. I've used EJ-16's for 25 years or so. Try the EJ-17's if you want to give mediums a go. Any dreadnaught worth it's salt should handle mediums easily. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eddie Rondack Posted June 23, 2008 Share Posted June 23, 2008 I think Gibsons sound better in general with lights... you get more volume from the mediums but I think you lose that Gibson "jangle". I use the cheapest Martin strings... they sound better than anything else to me... just three-something a set, too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ballcorner Posted June 23, 2008 Share Posted June 23, 2008 My advice on medium strings is always - don't do it. Even my HD-28V Martin (sorry everyone) which is built exclusively for use with medium strings has been set up for lights and was ordered with the neck angle set for lights. The reason I have gone exclusively to light strings is to avoid costly repairs. I have reset three necks at $400 each due to medium string use in my years of playing and I completely ruined one guitar playing outdoors on mediums on hot summer days - in direct sunlight! Ah, to be young and stupid again!! Whatever advantage you might see in tone, you lose in feel (I find mediums a heavy play) and the cost of destructive tension. I know there are many here who would think I am nuts - lots of people love playing mediums - but in addition to agreeing with Eddie Rondack about the tone on lights, I would also like to mention that the guitar I ruined with outdoor summer play on mediums would be worth almost $40,000 today - but I bent the neck, bellied the top, cracked the bridge and bridge plate and popped the binding out on the lower bout. I did finally have it fully restored at a cost of $5000, and today it is worth about that - if I am lucky. I envy you people in the US getting the good string prices. In my actual town a set of EJ16s is $13.95 plus tax at 13%. When I heard the cheap Martin strings going off at $3 I almost cried. The best deal I got on Mexican Martin strings was $7.99 for Eric Claptons. This month, a larger retailer about 30 minutes away has EJ16s in three packs for $15.50 - needless to say I bought a boat load. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jinder Posted June 23, 2008 Share Posted June 23, 2008 I used to swear by Mediums, but I recently changed back to 12-54s, and found the extra breath in the sound and the better intonation a revelation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JOESTONE Posted June 24, 2008 Share Posted June 24, 2008 I wouldn't put more than 12's on any acoustic guitar. My .02 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerry K Posted June 24, 2008 Share Posted June 24, 2008 If you are going to try mediums it is essential to get a good idea of the action you like now. Get a good action gauge like this one: http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Tools/Measuring_tools/String_Action_Gauge.html . Guitarstrummer or someone recommended it a while back. With that you can get a good read on your current action. Compare to the action on your most playable guitar. Now when you change to medium you must measure it again. I think a lot of folks just change to medium, don't like it, then change back. Chances are your action is going to be noticeably higher with mediums. So it's not going to feel good right off the bat. The increased pull of the strings only has to change the neck very slightly to have a serious effect from your finger's point of view. These are very tiny tolerances. Chances are pretty good you need a different setup for mediums. Mediums don't flop around as much as lights, so you can have slightly lower action with them. You have to experiment and go with what you like, but mediums can work rather well on some guitars for some players. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buffalosix Posted June 24, 2008 Share Posted June 24, 2008 I've used Martin Custom Lights .11-.52 for years on my Gibson acoustics; always felt guilty about it as I was afraid I was not moving the top enough to get the best sound out of the guitar. But I always liked the feel and the sound I was getting (although it is sometimes hard to compete with other guitars to be heard when jamming), so I never got around to setting the guitar up for a heavier string. Frankly, I'm surprised to hear some of you say that light strings give you better intonation and sound. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerry K Posted June 24, 2008 Share Posted June 24, 2008 Nothing wrong with lights. I played them exclusively for 20 or 30 years. I had a D-18 which never once had mediums on it. I played it at outside gigs in Taiwan. The tropical heat and humidity softened the lacquer to play-doh consistency. Eventually the bridge came up. The neck needs resetting too. Never had mediums on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Posted June 24, 2008 Share Posted June 24, 2008 I've always used mediums. I love the sound and find that they last longer. Have to say that I'm surprised by the responses here. I feel that most guitars can handle mediums without any problems, especially if you keep the thing humidified and don't play a gig inside your oven. However, I've played gigs in the sun and will attest to the fact that harsh weather can throw the tuning out of whack. Still, I'm pleased with my guitar's ability to stay in tune. Have you heard of the bluegrass strings? The low strings are medium and the high strings are lights. Interesting, though they didn't do much for me. If you're playing intricate stuff, lights may be a great choice. If you're banging away at bluegrass or doing some Dwight Yoakam-style honky tonk, mediums are wonderful. Also, I can imagine that lights would be helpful as one gets older and experiences some joint pain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ballcorner Posted June 24, 2008 Share Posted June 24, 2008 Have you heard of the bluegrass strings? The low strings are medium and the high strings are lights. I have used John Pearse hybrids (Bluegrass) and they are good for drop D tuning where you want that drone of rolling bass. I would be interested to learn if ksdaddy or any other technical specialist has an opinion about the mixed tension of these sets. Another post noted surprise that some of us find better tone and intonation on light strings. My theory there is that a lighter touch player does not present with enough attack to bring the mediums to life. I know my touch has become steadily lighter over the years and I much prefer the sound of a guitar that is played with some delicacy where before I wailed on them. I still wail sometimes, but only on Martins. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg Ferguson Posted June 24, 2008 Share Posted June 24, 2008 I bought my Dove in '87. For the 21 years I've had her, she has been dressed in mediums. I play her a lot in a hard, loud strumming fashion, and she hasn't minded it one bit. When I get new strings for her, I have to tune for the first few days and then not again usually for days on end. She amazes me with how she stays in tune. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
degle28 Posted June 25, 2008 Share Posted June 25, 2008 I've used bluegrass strings before and liked them ok. My personal opinion is that mediums sound better to my ear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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