My string-box grew yesterday - and the gift box she used

[BoSoxBiker]

I was gifted a bunch of strings I had stashed away in a wish-list. Now to decide on which strings to try on on which guitar. The mediums will all go on my Martin D-41. The rest will go on my Gibson Hummingbird Standard, SJ-200 Standard and SJ-200 Historic Collection Pre-war (RW B&S). If anyone has any thoughts on the strings/guitar pairings to try, please, feel free to comment.

My string box now. Some of these I had and some I've tried.

• Cleartone EQ (Lights) - Tried on hummingbird - mixed results. Still up in the air and wanted to try again.
• Cleartone Coated PB (Lights)
• D'Add Flat Tops PB EFT16 and EFT17 (Lights - mediums)
• DR Rare PB(Bluegrass and Lights)
• DR Sunbeam PB (Lights and Med) - Favorite for Hummingbird
• DR Veritas PB (Lights and Med) - Love the mediums on my D-41.
• Elixer Polyweb 80/20 (Lights) - These I had, but thought they were nano-web. Age and memory - bah! Anyhow, these were destined for the SJ-200 Standard. I might try a set on the RW SJ-200 for giggles.
• GHS Vintage Bronze (Bluegrass and Lights)
• Gibson 80/20 (Lights) - New lineup, I think these are the uncoated.
• John Pearse PB (Bluegrass, Med) - I liked the Bluegrass on my Hummingbird at first, but have grown less fond of them.
• John Pearse 80/20 Lights - Next up on my SJ-200 Standard
• La Bella PB (med)
• Martin PB MA550S & MA540S (Silked med and lights)  - I've tried twice on the D-41 and at least once on the Hummingbird. I very nuch enjoy them, but when these went bad, it was sudden and definitive and only 2-3 weeks activity.
• Pyramid PB Lights - One site suggested these in lieu of a UK maker's popular string being unavailable here in the states right now.
• Santa Cruz Parabolic (Low and Mid)

 

I started last year as a big D'Addario NB fan. The sunbeams replaced those. Without having tried about half the list above, the Sunbeams would be my go-to string choice.  

And the gift box, and hopefully a chuckle or two. Some families use gift bags. This is how I was gifted an assortment of strings. 

 

 

[zombywoof]

First time I saw that box I thought it housed a legit product.  Welcome to the land of the cool and the crazy.

Very cool on the strings.  Nice that somebody was paying attention.  The only strings scored off my wish list this X'mas were some Cleartone Red Brand copper bronze strings.  These were discontinued a few years back although the Cleartone hybrid set does include a copper low E.   Other than that the only strings on my "wish" list of those I want to check out are are Straight Up strings.  These are made by the same guy who designed the Santa Cruz Parabolic strings (which my wife loves on her J200) but sell for about 1/2 the cost.   Problem is every time I have looked over the past months they were out of stock which I assume was due to a pandemic shut down.  But your thread has reminded me to go check again.

[fortyearspickn]

Yep,   I saw that - they had a dozen really 'unique' gifts I was torn between ... until I realized it was just a box to put a real gift in !   

[Brucebubs]

I can tell you now that's an early model Roto-Wipe - if you look carefully the brush rotates in the wrong direction  - the poop hits the fan it is spread upwards - messy!

I did the very first string change on my 1957 SJ-200 a few days ago - went with J Pearse 80/20 lights - I normally hate 80/20's but this is a very warm sounding guitar - lifted the mids right up and still has plenty of bottom end.

[BoSoxBiker]

18 hours ago, fortyearspickn said:

Yep,   I saw that - they had a dozen really 'unique' gifts I was torn between ... until I realized it was just a box to put a real gift in !   

She used the ear-wax candle making kit box on me last year, but I was less gullible this year. That's alright, though. I retaliated with a little juvenile humor in the form of a pooping dogs calendar.  Good times. 🙂

16 hours ago, Brucebubs said:

I can tell you now that's an early model Roto-Wipe - if you look carefully the brush rotates in the wrong direction  - the poop hits the fan it is spread upwards - messy!

I did the very first string change on my 1957 SJ-200 a few days ago - went with J Pearse 80/20 lights - I normally hate 80/20's but this is a very warm sounding guitar - lifted the mids right up and still has plenty of bottom end.

Maybe if I break in and switch the wiring.....   LOL

I saw that in your string post, the JPs on you SJ-200. They will go on my Maple next.

19 hours ago, zombywoof said:

First time I saw that box I thought it housed a legit product.  Welcome to the land of the cool and the crazy.

Very cool on the strings.  Nice that somebody was paying attention.  The only strings scored off my wish list this X'mas were some Cleartone Red Brand copper bronze strings.  These were discontinued a few years back although the Cleartone hybrid set does include a copper low E.   Other than that the only strings on my "wish" list of those I want to check out are are Straight Up strings.  These are made by the same guy who designed the Santa Cruz Parabolic strings (which my wife loves on her J200) but sell for about 1/2 the cost.   Problem is every time I have looked over the past months they were out of stock which I assume was due to a pandemic shut down.  But your thread has reminded me to go check again.

I've seen some positive comments about the Santa Cruz strings. Why not try them, aside from cost. If I like them, I will have to hunt down the Straight Up strings and give them a shot.

I think that EQ set has the copper in it. I might try that set on my Hummingbird again. The 'Bord is much better set up than the first time around. Much of what I did not like was the E-A and maybe D strings were sitting higher in the nut slot than other strings. Made for some uneven fretting and a little more havoc on arthritis.

[QuestionMark]

That’s a whole lotta strings!  Happy pick’n and grin’n with ‘em!

 

QM aka “ Jazzman” Jeff

[AnneS]

Love DR Rare Bluegrass on my maple J100, fwiw.

[BoSoxBiker]

I'm still deciding if I like the John Pearse Bluegrass set on my Hummingbird, I've got some sinuses knocking me out of whack, so who knows. The sound seems like it's projecting very quickly, like when playing an electric guitar with a juiced up amp. My timing and groove seems to be off.

On other fronts, I ended up putting standard light DR Veritas on my Rosewood SJ-200 last night. Someone on the Martin forum turned me on to these. A little bit noisy at first, but they have a vibrant, deep and complete tone. The pick noise can be aggressive, tough, and I've not had the best longevity so far. I loved them on my D-41, so why not try them on my Gibson RW.   The set of Gibson coated PB lights had a B-string start to stretch apart down where the twist is near the ball end. I heard and felt it when tuning up a couple days ago. 

On 12/28/2020 at 3:45 AM, AnneS said:

Love DR Rare Bluegrass on my maple J100, fwiw.

The DR Sunbeams and Veritas have not let me down yet. I look forward to trying the DR Rare strings.

 

[Brucebubs]

I'll be interested to see how you find those J Pearse 80/20's on your rosewood SJ-200 - I just finished playing my maple '57 SJ-200 and they've really won me over ... and this is from a guy that HATED 80/20's before this!

[BoSoxBiker]

On 12/29/2020 at 6:51 PM, Brucebubs said:

I'll be interested to see how you find those J Pearse 80/20's on your rosewood SJ-200 - I just finished playing my maple '57 SJ-200 and they've really won me over ... and this is from a guy that HATED 80/20's before this!

I had not really thought of trying a set of 80/20s on the Rosewood SJ-200. My Maple, yes. Perhaps I'll get a second set and do a comparison. 

I switched away from 80/20s on everything 2-1/2 years ago, but do not recall why.

[BoSoxBiker]

On 12/29/2020 at 6:51 PM, Brucebubs said:

I'll be interested to see how you find those J Pearse 80/20's on your rosewood SJ-200 - I just finished playing my maple '57 SJ-200 and they've really won me over ... and this is from a guy that HATED 80/20's before this!

An update.

Three days ago, I put the John Pearse 80/20's on my 2018 SJ-200 Standard (Maple B&S). I do like this combo quite a bit. I took off a somewhat aged set of coated D'Add EXP16 that had mellowed out very nicely. Very warm as opposed to just plain bright when they were new early last Summer.

The JPs initial noisiness was less than normal. The tone was solid by the 3rd day. They feel very nice to play, and have a decent balance. They hold up well with the low end needs for rhythm, but I would not call them very thick in the lows. Just enough, I suppose. The mids and highs are fantastic. Somewhat rounded off with less pick noise than usual. It's a pretty tone. Loud, yes, but not too loud. Musical might be a better word.

Hopefully they last.

[Sgt. Pepper]

• Cleartone EQ (Lights) - I just ordered a few of these for my Dreads. They are on the way.
• Cleartone Coated PB (Lights) - I love Cleartone and they are what I have been using for a while at the recommendation of another member. Cleartones are coated but don't feel like it.
• D'Add Flat Tops PB EFT16 and EFT17 (Lights - mediums) - Never tried em. I have tried other D'addario strings and don't like em.
• DR Rare PB(Bluegrass and Lights) - Never tried em.
• DR Sunbeam PB (Lights and Med) - - Never tried em.
• DR Veritas PB (Lights and Med) - - Never tried em.
• Elixer Polyweb 80/20 (Lights) - Hate Elixirs, I've tried nano and poly and it feels like snot is on the strings and they are so slippery.
• GHS Vintage Bronze - Never tried em.
• Gibson 80/20 (Lights) -  Never tried em.
• John Pearse PB (Bluegrass, Med)  - Never tried em.
• John Pearse 80/20 Lights - I have tried em and remember liking em and need to try another pack.
• La Bella PB - Tried em and they came off after a day, need I say more?
• Martin PB MA550S & MA540S (Silked med and lights)  - Tried all kind of Martin strings. They are good and inexpensive but squeek to much.
• Pyramid PB Lights  - Tried em on my 12'er and they were okay.
• Santa Cruz Parabolic - I want to try them but the low E is a 56 and I'm a p-ussy, and the high tension I wont do cause 12's is as big as I'll go.

Edited January 22, 2021 by Sgt. Pepper

[BoSoxBiker]

I've had that same experience with some Martin strings before, though not exclusive to Martin strings. I've got some pics that I cannot use due to amplifying the squeaking. The silks did not have so much of it, though. At least to my memory.

According to their marketing speel, the Santa Cruz Parabolic strings are all about tension as opposed to gauge. I'll have to pay particular attention to that when I try them. I didn't know the low-e is a 56. Same as what comes in the Bluegrass set of DR Rare. Maybe I'll try them back to back.

[Sgt. Pepper]

5 hours ago, BoSoxBiker said:

I've had that same experience with some Martin strings before, though not exclusive to Martin strings. I've got some pics that I cannot use due to amplifying the squeaking. The silks did not have so much of it, though. At least to my memory.

According to their marketing speel, the Santa Cruz Parabolic strings are all about tension as opposed to gauge. I'll have to pay particular attention to that when I try them. I didn't know the low-e is a 56. Same as what comes in the Bluegrass set of DR Rare. Maybe I'll try them back to back.

Yeah I have been on Santa Cruz's site. I am a woosy and like 11's but my Dreads like 12's.  If I wanted bass strings I would pick up my Fender J for a slap and pop or two.

[BoSoxBiker]

Another informal string test update -  I put the DR Rare Lights on my 2018 Hummingbird Standard 8 days ago. Very bright and VERY loud. Still somewhat noisy. like bright strings before settling down into the sweet spot. To that end, I did not get the sweet-spot "wow" moment. Perhaps that moment is yet to come. I hope the balance will be better with the Bluegrass set. I almost have to try them on the HB just to gain a better feel for it. All that being said, this particular pairing made me think it was loud for the sake of being loud and nothing else.

fwiw, the JP's Bluegrass set I had on the HB lost the solid tone by the end of week-3. But what a nice 3 weeks it was. The JP 80/20s still sounded great on the standard SJ-200 when it went into hibernation a week ago.

I also have the RW SJ-200 on the stand this week. It's had the Veritas on it, with maybe 3 weeks of playing time now. As one might expect with the body types, the volume and tone are much more tamed on it than the Rares are on the HB. The difference is remarkable, too. Both are easy tension, but still a bit sharp on the finger tips.