Which strings are you using on your hummingbird?

[ServantOfGod]

As some of you know I recently bought a Hummingbird. After some adjustments so it stayed as it should. I am extremely impressed with the sound of this. It's a 2006 so it already opened.

 

The first string I had on hand were some elixir's nanoweb 12's and they are pretty good, but I would ask those who have experimented with different sets. What have been the experiences with each different set that have tested ?. and which one has better liked you?

[kidblast]

Elxir Nanowebs: .12s are my first and only choice. I wont use anything else (I actually like the 100% phospher bronze vs. the 80/20. They don't shred their coating nearly as fast)

 

Cleartone strings: Tried a set, and I like them, I didn't get the hype that they were louder with more output. (maybe I just didn't notice) They lasted a while tho and sounded good.

 

D'Addario coated phosphor bronze: I hated them. They felt sticky, all the time, and they just didn't have a clear ringing tone these other 2 have.

[GuitarLight]

Congratulations on your wonderful Hummingbird!...that was a good move you made buying it!..it is the guitar which dreams are made of...I Love mine like crazy! On my Gibson Hummingbird, my first choice is, and will remain after much experimentation ... Elixir nanoweb 80/20 lights (.12--.53) The Elixir PB's are just as good if you like that PB tone. I prefer the crystal clarity of Elixir 80/20's..and always the nanoweb light version. I also prefer..by far...the sweet clear Elixir tone above all other strings. Martins sounded good but did not last but 2 weeks. Cleartones, were a waste of time and money. The worst was D'Addario, which sounded awful, and lasted even less than the Martins.

 

My Hummingbird sings sweetly with Elixirs..yours will too!....and it will continue to sing for 6 months to a year after installing Elixirs. There are many Elixir lovers in here..many..but there are haters who judge them, and the people who use them negatively...remember Elixirs last much longer...this means Elixirs take more time to break in. After that it is clear sailing, And your Elixirs will pay for themselves many times over. To the haters and trolls and bashers in here, I am not an Elixir salesman...I do not sell Elixir stock, as I have been accused of. To those insidious judgmental trolls I say......Let them use D'Adarrio! You deserve them!

[seanp33]

I'm not a fan of the tone or the feel of elixir strings (or any coated strings for that matter). I haven't tried them on my hummingbird TV though. I use DR Sunbeams, 12-54 gauge. I've settled on these after having tried a few different sets, including Gibson Masterbuilts, D'Addario EJ-16s, and Martin SPs.

 

I find the Sunbeams to be very warm and also very flexible (bouncy/bendy). They also sound very good right after you've installed them, not the typical brassy/harsh sound you sometimes get with new strings. The string life is pretty good as well (they obviously won't last as long as coated strings) and the strings are cheap and widely available. I would like to try a set of the Monel nickel strings eventually, but I just like the sound/feel of the Sunbeams too much right now. Enjoy the fun string experimentation and congrats on your new guitar!

[ServantOfGod]

Elixirs are winning so far! You know what, I used to use them in a lot of Taylors and I hated the way elixirs sounded on them, just too bright! but with Gibson is a different story! I also like DR's (the ones on the green package), but i haven't try them on my burd. Seems like gibson guitars are more sensitive to any change in either the strings , bridge pins or even picks.

[Joe M]

Another Elixir user here. Like GuitarLight, I prefer the Nano 12 80/20's on my HBTV. Actually, the Gibson strings that came on it didn't sound too bad to me, but they only lasted a week or so before they went dead.

[gibsonjunkie]

Elixir 80-20's light gauge. Best that guitar has ever sounded!

[music4love]

Trust me, try a set of Pyramid Western Folk Strings. They give my Hummingbird TV that classic 60's Hummingbird sweet warmth . The only problem is I can't find them on the shelf in stores here in the US. But they can always be ordered online. They last longer than the Gibson or John Pearse Strings. I like them a lot better than Elixirs on My Bird. If I didn't have the Pyramid Westerns I would use DR Sunbeams.

[rocket launcher]

When my new Custom Quilt Maple Bird was in the shop in Montana earlier this year, the tech suggested I try out the new Elixir HD strings. They (Gibson)seem to think they work well on the Bird. I have purchased a set but have not put them on yet. I just wanted to apss it along since it was the Gibson folks that recommended it.

[Smurfbird]

I guess my question here is why buy a warm, intimate sounding guitar only to then put on strings that brighten the sound so the guitar then sounds like your standard Martin?

 

As you noted, putting coated strings on a Taylor is redundant and just makes a bright guitar brighter.

 

I was in a GC where the mahogany Martins, 00-15, D15M....had Cleartones on them and that sounded fine, but I'm not versed in what they're supposed to sound like in the first place.

 

Pyramids sound intriguing.

[ServantOfGod]

I guess my question here is why buy a warm, intimate sounding guitar only to then put on strings that brighten the sound so the guitar then sounds like your standard Martin?

 

As you noted, putting coated strings on a Taylor is redundant and just makes a bright guitar brighter.

 

I was in a GC where the mahogany Martins, 00-15, D15M....had Cleartones on them and that sounded fine, but I'm not versed in what they're supposed to sound like in the first place.

 

Pyramids sound intriguing.

That makes sense. That was the reason I started this thread. Apparently the majority prefers those bright strings. Is it because they are compensated very well what warm guitar with bright strings ?

[DenverSteve]

You'll have to experiment to see what you like but I like Gibson Masterbuilt strings on my Gibsons.

[GuitarLight]

I guess my question here is why buy a warm, intimate sounding guitar only to then put on strings that brighten the sound so the guitar then sounds like your standard Martin?

 

As you noted, putting coated strings on a Taylor is redundant and just makes a bright guitar brighter.

 

I was in a GC where the mahogany Martins, 00-15, D15M....had Cleartones on them and that sounded fine, but I'm not versed in what they're supposed to sound like in the first place.

 

Pyramids sound intriguing.

Dark strings on a darker, very warm guitar like a Hummingbird can sound too dark, even lifeless....the spirited bright Elixir 80/20's seem to balance these factors to create the perfect Hummingbird tone for me. But to each his own.

[Joe M]

Dark strings on a darker, very warm guitar like a Hummingbird can sound too dark, even lifeless....the spirited bright Elixir 80/20's seem to balance these factors to create the perfect Hummingbird tone for me. But to each his own.

 

Couldn't have said it better myself, GL....

[EuroAussie]

I really like Pyramids but I find they really need to be fresh, or actually any string thats on a Bird needs to be quite fresh. The honey glaze is pretty strong on my HB TV and needs to be balanced by some string sizzle. 80/20's I find was too much, so right now Im reluctantly using Elixir PBs' on it, purely because they stay fresh forever.

 

Ideal tone would be Pyramids with the longevity of Elixirs.

[Smurfbird]

Interesting thread. Good info. Thanks on my end.

 

Any idea what acoustic Keith Richards is playing on songs like Tell Me, Good Times Bad Times (off 12X5)?

[j45nick]

Interesting thread. Good info. Thanks on my end.

 

Any idea what acoustic Keith Richards is playing on songs like Tell Me, Good Times Bad Times (off 12X5)?

 

 

Harmony H-12-70 12 string. It's in the R&R Hall of Fame.

 

It's a big sucker.

[Fullmental Alpinist]

I use DR Sunbeams, 12-54 gauge. I've settled on these after having tried a few different sets, including Gibson Masterbuilts, D'Addario EJ-16s, and Martin SPs.

 

I find the Sunbeams to be very warm and also very flexible (bouncy/bendy). They also sound very good right after you've installed them, not the typical brassy/harsh sound you sometimes get with new strings. The string life is pretty good as well .

 

Agree with everything you said. I switched from the Masterbuilts after they changed the packaging and apparently the maker. They began sounding horribly brassy out of the box and took a couple of days to settle in. Then they sounded very good, tho.

 

The DR Sumbeams sound great shortly after I put them on and stay that way for quite awhile. Plus I can go up to 13's easily because they are not as stiff as other strings.

 

I've been meaning to try the Pyramids because they have received great reviews as well.

 

Coated strings? Nah, my chemistry seems to destroy them very quickly. Don't know why.

 

Thomastik Infeld Spectrums? Maybe the best sounding of the lot but they're very stiff and very thick so 13's will barely fit through the bridge hole and are very hard to bend. And at $24 per set discounted I think I'll pass.

 

FMA

[Smurfbird]

Thanks, Nick! I love the sound of old records. Back in the days when a good mic and a warm board could get the most magical of sounds.

[Matt237]

I'm currently using a set of Dean Markley Helix PB 12-53 on my HB MC, which are sounding fantastic. I'm not a fan of coated strings, and generally like the tone of standard D'addario's, but find they don't last any time at all before they sound dull and feel yack for me. Tried a set of Dean Markley Helix, as they are supposed to be wrapped with a different shaped wire to make them longer lasting. Well, they are easily outlasting any other non-coated strings I've tried, and they sound awesome. And I mean, awesome! The PBs have a perfect tone and balance for flat picking, and are warm and mellow when finger picked. May try a set of the 80/20s next for a bit more brightness as I tend to fingerpick more.... its all subjective of course, and just my opinion :)

 

Matt

[E-minor7]

I've been using Gibson Masterbuilts and original plastic pins* on 2 Birds since around the 20'th of September.

 

But have a rather uneven history with those strings behind me (accounted for on these pages).

 

At first some years ago, I praised and found them very good. So good that I ordered 3 sets on the web.

Those 3 sets really disappointed me and I told about it a few times here.

2 months ago, coincidence presented me a couple of new sets, which came back on as a test and they were splendid.

Then noticed the package was different from the 3 bought on the Bay and concluded they must have been old tho still in the box, simply out of niveau.

Being played every day, the new Masterbuilts are falling to below average and for the experiment will be replaced by Martin Flexible Core on both guitars at the same time soon.

Thing is that the Birds sing so good, even with faded MB steel, that I keep delaying the exchange. .

 

All 12's

 

 

 

 

 

*normally use bone, horn and wooden pins in 85-90 % of the holes

 

[Dave F]

Lately I've been using Martins on my Gibsons and Elixirs on my Martins. All Custom Light gauge.

[RickP]

I am on my third Gibson   1. Hummingbird  2. songwriter Studio Deluxe .. and recently picked up a  Hummingbird Sustainable ... have always found Elixer Nanoweb  mediums  to be the best sounding and best feeling string by far ...

[Bigrig]

Just got this for $2000.. was it worth it? 
 

Edited April 28, 2021 by Bigrig
Added pic

[Twang Gang]

A week or so after I got my Bird last fall I was loving the tone so much I wanted to be sure I used the same strings as the factory had put on.  So I called Bozeman customer service and the fellow there just said they were Pho/Bronze .12-.53.  I usually don't care that much for PBs, but in this case it seems to do the trick.  I'm tempted to try Elixirs cause I have used them often on Taylor guitars and on Electrics as well, but we'll see?  About due for another string change so might get brave and experiment with something else.  Seems the Gibson Masterbuilts aren't currently being offered on this site.