Bozz Posted September 25, 2015 Posted September 25, 2015 I ran across this video and thought it was a pretty well done comparison of a few of the more popular string brands that Gibson owners are using. They are all PB Lights and the guitar looks like an Epiphone AJ. I mostly use D'Addario EJ16's, as they really give me a full balanced tone. but I also really like the top and bottom end I get from Masterbuilt 80/20's. I am not sure this video bears that out as much as what I hear and feel from my own slope shouldered Gibsons. I believe that most Gibsons currently ship with Masterbuilt 80/20 Bronze Wound Lights. Unfortunately, they are not included in the review.
MissouriPicker Posted September 25, 2015 Posted September 25, 2015 Interesting. I kind of think the Elixirs were a bit quieter (more mellow?) at times, but that could be due to how hard the strings were being hit. Anyway, they all sounded pretty much how guitar strings should sound. I use mostly Martin SPs on all of my guitars. They're often on sale at GC and they sound as good as the others. They never break with my style of playing and I don't change them until I change the battery for the pickups in my guitars...once a year. Lots of folks enjoy trying different brands of strings and they hear variations in the sound. I typically stick with the Martins and go with what I got.
Boyd Posted September 25, 2015 Posted September 25, 2015 Recently I have been experimenting with non-standard string gauges. Currently I have the following Phosphor Bronze strings on my 1965 J-50, gives me a nice rich bass while still letting me bend the notes on the upper strings. .011 .015 .023 .035 .045 .056 I have something similar on my 2008 J-50 as well. So far I've just been mixing and matching parts of boxed sets that I already have. In the future I will probably start ordering individual strings after a little more experimentation.
E-minor7 Posted September 25, 2015 Posted September 25, 2015 .011 .015 .023 .035 .045 .056 , , , , experimentation. Serious stage to enter ^ I know a sublime acoustic guitarist who does the same. Personally I can live with what comes in the packages, but have to say strings are my weak flank (unfortunately). I happen to hear the guitars very differently each day - talking finer nuances here - and the fact strings are the 1 factor on a guitar that changes most significantly over time, makes it close to impossible for me to judge properly. Never the less, , , or maybe for that reason, I keep a strict journal, which in spite of my somewhat blurred overall impression, tells what steel worked well where. A bit embarrassed and dissatisfied about this, hereby confessed. .
Mafy31 Posted October 1, 2015 Posted October 1, 2015 Interesting. I kind of think the Elixirs were a bit quieter (more mellow?) at times, but that could be due to how hard the strings were being hit. Well i've been testing Elixir nanoweb light on my hummingbird last weeks. At first i did not like the sound (too bright, lost the mellow, i already knew about this, cause i used to try them on other acoustics). After a few days it was about great. After 2 weeks of use, it sounds dull already, low bass response (E and B strings OK still)... So for me i guess i'll forget elixirs, compared to the Gibson Masterbuilt that come with the hummy there is simply no match, and they're cheaper.
Jesse_Dylan Posted October 1, 2015 Posted October 1, 2015 Well i've been testing Elixir nanoweb light on my hummingbird last weeks. At first i did not like the sound (too bright, lost the mellow, i already knew about this, cause i used to try them on other acoustics). After a few days it was about great. After 2 weeks of use, it sounds dull already, low bass response (E and B strings OK still)... So for me i guess i'll forget elixirs, compared to the Gibson Masterbuilt that come with the hummy there is simply no match, and they're cheaper. Yeah, I'm still trying to find something that sounds as good or better than the Gibson Masterbuilts but lasts longer. I'm really liking DR Rares on my Martin 7-28 and think they might be the ticket. Been perseverating for weeks trying to decide if I should try DR Rares, JP Bronze and Silk, or Martin Retros on the Hummingbird first... The JP Pure Nickels are okay on the Hummingbird, but it seems like something is lost. Maybe I'm just tired of Pure Nickels. And maybe getting a taste of the 80/20s on my J-15 and Hummingbird has shown me there's more to life than Pure Nickels.
Mafy31 Posted October 1, 2015 Posted October 1, 2015 Anyone tried Cleartone strings? I read that Cleartone provides strings for brands like Larivee (on all guitars), Gibson (coated strings), Martin... Their coating apparently is thinner than the ones on Elixirs and other stuff, providing great brightness and longevity. Going to check them out, they are expensive though. edit : found many users who tried them on this forum, should have done a search before
EuroAussie Posted October 1, 2015 Posted October 1, 2015 Interesting comparisement. I normally don't like them but from what I was hearing the Elixirs sounded the strongest by far, the Marserbuilts were OK while the Daddarios sounded dreadful.
EuroAussie Posted October 1, 2015 Posted October 1, 2015 Anyone tried Cleartone strings? I read that Cleartone provides strings for brands like Larivee (on all guitars), Gibson (coated strings), Martin... Their coating apparently is thinner than the ones on Elixirs and other stuff, providing great brightness and longevity. Going to check them out, they are expensive though. edit : found many users who tried them on this forum, should have done a search before I think Martin SP Longlifes use the Cleartone coating, I quite like them, have used them on my AJ.
MorrisrownSal Posted October 1, 2015 Posted October 1, 2015 EM... strings as your weakness? Blessing. Strings are a lot less expensive than guitars! I still always come back to the Gibson 80/20 lights as my favorite on slopes and birds... I also love th Elixir 80/20 lights on my LG2. I dont know why!
E-minor7 Posted October 1, 2015 Posted October 1, 2015 EM... strings as your weakness? Blessing. Strings are a lot less expensive than guitars! Touché, Sal - learn while doin', , , changed the line. Better ? Btw. The Many Sides of You wasn't the D-35 - Think it was done on my then new Firebird Custon ;-)
MorrisrownSal Posted October 1, 2015 Posted October 1, 2015 Touché, Sal - learn while doin', , , changed the line. Better ? Btw. The Many Sides of You wasn't the D-35 - Think it was done on my then new Firebird Custon ;-) Crap... Now I have to sell the D35 and buy a Firebird............
E-minor7 Posted October 2, 2015 Posted October 2, 2015 Crap... Now I have to sell the D35 and buy a Firebird............ Ha, , you can borrow mine - then I'll borrow your 35 and compare it to my 84'er. I'm a fool for A/B's. (the closest I come to being a scientist)
Jesse_Dylan Posted October 2, 2015 Posted October 2, 2015 Supposedly Gibson's strings are all made by D'Addario. Not that that means they'll sound the same, as they're a different formula, or something... Were these all new strings in the video? I'd be curious how they'd sound compared after they were broken in. Most new strings are too brash to hear what they even sound like.
aliasphobias Posted October 2, 2015 Posted October 2, 2015 I am absolutely amazed that everyone in the world does not play Martin Marquis 80/20 lights. What is not to like about the silky red stuff coming into contact w/your bridge material. Do a favor, get a set. I think you'll like them (no affiliation).
Jesse_Dylan Posted October 2, 2015 Posted October 2, 2015 I am absolutely amazed that everyone in the world does not play Martin Marquis 80/20 lights. What is not to like about the silky red stuff coming into contact w/your bridge material. Do a favor, get a set. I think you'll like them (no affiliation). Do they take a while to break in? I can't stand that. I've never had much luck with Martin strings. They all seem to take a while to break in, the Lifespans being the worst. I wasn't expecting the Retros to need to be broken in, but even they do. Still plan to give them another shot sometime though! DR Rares need to be broken in a little bit but nothing compared.
58 Relic Posted October 2, 2015 Posted October 2, 2015 1443756443[/url]' post='1698689']Do they take a while to break in? I can't stand that. I've never had much luck with Martin strings. They all seem to take a while to break in, the Lifespans being the worst. I wasn't expecting the Retros to need to be broken in, but even they do. Still plan to give them another shot sometime though! DR Rares need to be broken in a little bit but nothing compared. I use Martin FX Mediums on my GS Mini E and get a really good result . Sorry but they do not like the J45 , Masterbuilt 80/20s or the PBronze work best for me on the Gibson , come on Gibson start producing coated sets please .
aliasphobias Posted October 2, 2015 Posted October 2, 2015 Do they take a while to break in? I can't stand that. I've never had much luck with Martin strings. They all seem to take a while to break in, the Lifespans being the worst. I wasn't expecting the Retros to need to be broken in, but even they do. Still plan to give them another shot sometime though! Not to my ears. I could probably get used to anything given time. I used to go bananas trying all different strings, and finally just gave in and put the Marquis on everything. The newness comes off fast and after that they just sound the same forever. Occasionally I'll pick up something random. I have a set of retros or something around here (the ones w/Tony Rice on the box) but the gauge scares me a little. Not sure I have tried the rares.
Jesse_Dylan Posted October 2, 2015 Posted October 2, 2015 Not to my ears. I could probably get used to anything given time. I used to go bananas trying all different strings, and finally just gave in and put the Marquis on everything. The newness comes off fast and after that they just sound the same forever. Occasionally I'll pick up something random. I have a set of retros or something around here (the ones w/Tony Rice on the box) but the gauge scares me a little. Not sure I have tried the rares. Interesting! In that case, I will add Marquis to my list! Yes, I am going bananas too. I'm really glad I like the DR Rares so much so far. Yeah, the gauges on the Monels are weird. The Tony Rice Signatures are a "bluegrass" gauge, and then they have the Retros (same thing) in light and I guess extra-light? Okay, I checked. They are all "Retro" now. You've got light, custom light, and then you have Med/Light (Laurence Juber) and Bluegrass (Tony Rice). Confusing. So there are no actual mediums. I wonder what the difference is between bluegrass and med/light. Seems like they'd both have light treble strings and medium bass strings. Maybe the Laurence is the opposite, light bass and medium treble. Gee I wonder why I go bananas! I hope eventually to just find one string I really like, or at least one type of string for each guitar, and stick with it, but it seems like quite a process.
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.