Acoustic strings? Or Electric Strings? Which?

[GuitarLight]

I know this sounds like a silly question.... but I've just bought a very nice, new, Epiphone Masterbilt DR-500MCE Acoustic/Electric guitar. Since it is considered both acoustic AND electric...I am wondering which string is the best to use, Acoustic strings, or Electric guitar strings? Or doesn't it matter? It would seem like acoustic strings are not good for an Electric,while Electric strings may not suit an acoustic! What are your thoughts on strings for "acoustic/electrics" ...And what is the difference between acoustic and electric strings? Thanks! At the moment I have .12 to .53 Elixir nano light acoustic strings on it. They sound good, but are they too heavy for this DR-500MCE acoustic/electric? And would the extra light .10 Elixir Electric strings better suit it?

[Versatile]

The general 'rule' would be...electric strings only required for magnetic P/U's (usually with visible pole pieces)

 

Strings for electrics are generally steel/nickel etc for maximum magnetic interaction with magnetic P/U's

 

Strings for acoustics and piezo/etc electro-acoustics are the same 1st and 2nd's as electrics...with the wound 3,4,5,6 having a copper alloy wrap (sometimes even gold plated) such as brass or bronze for better tone production...

 

The guitar mentioned appears to have an interesting stereo internal contact mic (ie piezo strip or similar) set-up

 

Therefore acoustic strings would give the richest tone response

 

OTOH I like electric nickels on a couple of pure acoustics

 

12 gauge are often standard on acoustics (termed 'medium-light' or 'light' gauge)

 

Many players who finger pick experiment with 11's, 10's or even 9's for easier handling..

 

V

 

[GuitarLight]

Thank you Versatile, that was very helpful!

[milod]

I have Elixir 10s on all but one of my AEs largely because mostly I'm strumming on 'em..

 

That includes the AJ500me with the nanomag. Works fine.

 

OTOH, on the Epi PR5E, which is almost the same size as an ES175, I just fingerpick it as I do my electrics.

 

The strings on that are DR Zebra 9-42.

 

That brand is designed for AE use and I rather like the feel which is similar to all but one of my electrics with 9-42s. (The exception is an old Guild solidbody with 8-38s since it was new in the '70s.)

 

m

[GuitarLight]

I have Elixir 10s on all but one of my AEs largely because mostly I'm strumming on 'em..

 

That includes the AJ500me with the nanomag. Works fine.

 

OTOH, on the Epi PR5E, which is almost the same size as an ES175, I just fingerpick it as I do my electrics.

 

The strings on that are DR Zebra 9-42.

 

That brand is designed for AE use and I rather like the feel which is similar to all but one of my electrics with 9-42s. (The exception is an old Guild solidbody with 8-38s since it was new in the '70s.)

 

m

Thanks for the input Milod!

[RaysEpiphone]

These, preferably the 12 gauge light's.

[Cougar]

I have Elixir 10s on all but one of my AEs largely because mostly I'm strumming on 'em....

 

Elixir electric or acoustic guitar strings?

[BobF_]

D'Addario EJ16s

 

I like fresh strings and I hate coatings on strings. To me, it's like taking a shower with a raincoat on ...

 

I also like Martin SPs

[Nyghthawk]

I use acoustic strings, Elixir Polyweb Lights (.12 - .53). It came to me with D'Addario Lights (.12 - 52). Mine was refurbished and they replaced the nut. I am not sure if the original strings were the D'Addario's or not. I like the Elixir's better. My guitar is a DR 500mce. The Elixers boosted the volume and sweetened the tone.

[milod]

My Elixirs are acoustic variety - but gotta mess around a bit to get 9-42 since 10s are the lightest they make for acoustic.

 

Here's another option that I've used and buy a lot of - DR Zebra strings that are designed especially for AE, although I've had no difficulty with the nanomag pup on the AJ500me Masterbuilt.

 

Too, a friend uses his early 1950s Gibson CF100 guitars with mag pups - one came that way, he added a Fishman to the non-electric version - and regular acoustic strings. It sounds fine run through his PA board with his style of playing, a fairly gentle flatpicking.

 

Gotta figure that "electric" strings are relatively new for guitars. (Okay, I'm old, so some of you may figure they've been around forever and ever, but...)

 

m

[agradeleous]

I feel D addareo's offer more consistent tone and construction consistentency.

 

Now going to the flip side in my opinion I love the ernie ball earthwoods .

 

If your gunna record a tune and have your ducks in a row these strings sound great ,brite and sharp and crisp ... Can I say it like that lol but .... They fail rather quickly but they only cost like 5.00 bucks .

 

But strings are like guitars they all have there own personality so you just need buy lots of'em haha till you settle on what you like be it mellow or brite ,sticky or strings with stalagtites hanging off them (been there lmao ) there's all kinds from all over so have fun and please recycle . :)

[Hack]

My DR500MCE came with whatever strings the factory puts on. Strings were high, hardly playable.

 

Had the guitar set up lower strings, cut nut some, installed Martin silk and steel 11.5 strings (luthier recommendation) .

Playability much better, nice sound, not much fret buzz. Still somewhat hard to play buy maybe that's cause I'm used to Les Paul.

 

Put oon D'Addario XL 9 to 42.s electric super lights.

Now its easier to play, particularly bar chords,but there is quite a bit of string rattle if you strum with any force other than lightly. Tone is not as good, have to mellow out with the tone controls. Bending lighter strings easy.

I play lightly so I'm going to leave it alone for a while but will probably switch back to the Martin 11.5's after I get more used to the increased finger pressure required for the acoustic guitar. For non amplified or outdoor playing, the 9's are not so hot

 

By the way, this guitar sound fabulous. Acoustic only with the Marting strings is great. Amped, the electric pickup is way better than anything I've ever heard from an acoustic/electric.

[milod]

I think a lotta folks think of an AE as being an amplified acoustic.

 

IMHO, that's an incorrect assessment. That dates back to when I got my first AEs that were some of the first made, the Ovations in the early '70s. Prior to that... well, you had a soundhole pup or an otherwise-installed magnetic pup just like on an electric.

 

But the early magnetic pup-added acoustics didn't yet really have "electric guitar" strings so much as we do today. So... most guys I knew - and some who still play the old-style instruments - simply played with the strings they were most familiar with on an acoustic, and added a bit of volume and tone control changes. A friend with an early 1950s Gibson CF100e - and his later CF100 that he added a soundhole pup - does exactly that and the things sound pretty much the same as "acoustic" through a board or an AE amp. He's always been a pretty gentle flatpicker by choice.

 

Even on my old steel string and nylon string Ovations, I quickly learned that one needed to find a bit different playing dynamic than on either a pure acoustic or pure electric.

 

That leads me to the next point: A lot depends on what you expect. Putting 9s on any "acoustic" will sound a bit tinny. Yet on an AE, whether only with a piezo or with a dual pup setup such as on the Masterbuilts, if you have truly a light touch, the sound can be marvelous whether "acoustic-like" or modded to be more "electric-like."

 

Frankly 9s ain't gonna work that well if you're hard-strumming. I have 10s on my "strumming" big body flattop AEs, and even then I do it with a different technique whether amplified or not, compared to wearing 11s or 12s that I quit using around the mid-late 1970s.

 

In ways I think playing an AE is more like playing a full-acoustic classical guitar in that it offers an opportunity to have an incredible variation in tone, attack and decay compared to how most of "us" play anything pure electric or pure acoustic. It ain't either one. It's almost more like using microphone technique as a speaker or singer to be able to whisper at audience-perceived full volume or scream/yell at your full volume and not be heard as putting out more decibels than the above whisper. Recording studios also do that for artists; we have to do much of that for ourselves in live performances if we don't have a major pro at a major pro sound board.

 

So, playing my electric archtops fingerstyle with the 9s also gives far more of that additional potential too, regardless that most archtop/"jazz guitar" pickers tend to wear very heavy and often very heavy flatwounds.

 

So... I guess blame my perspective on starting out playing a nylon-string "classical" guitar a long time ago, and that the options for playing the things greatly affected my mindset.

 

m

[cliffmac]

Try Ernie Ball Aluminum bronze 11-50 see what you think Mine sounds amazing

[Hack]

Try Ernie Ball Aluminum bronze 11-50 see what you think Mine sounds amazing

 

Ok, that's what I did. The Martin Silk strings were a little easier on the fingers but the sound was muffled. That's the best I can describe it.

I got the Ernie Ball Aluminum Bronze Extra Lights 10-50 and the difference is amazing. The Ernie Balls are so much better, tone wise, than any of the other strings I have tried. They are a little harder to press down but I'm learning to cope with that. I had to do a lot of studying about guitar setups, bridge and nut making etc. I made a new bone bridge and now the guitar is set up fine.

I'm settled in on the Ernie Ball Aluminum Bronze for now. The guitar sounds great unplugged and plugged in. Thanks for the tip.