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B25 strings


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I played one of these in a shop yesterday. What a cool guitar! I was tempted. The strings on it were regular light PB. I’d say it depends  on the condition of the top and if the braces are nice a secure then regular lights in the 160lb or less range would work well. If that guitar were mine though I’d try a set of D’Addario Ej21 nickels (labeled as electric strings but have 149lbs of tension and have a wound G and are somewhat comparable to other nickel strings) on it. Those are my go to strings for anything where I want to hear the wood. 

Edited by CJB
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 A '65 B25 despite the skinny butt neck is not all that delicate and unless the bridge is lifting or something it can handle mediums.   If yours has retained its original  hollow plastic bridge it is anchored by four bolts so is not likely to be going anywhere.  But unless you are intent on holding your own with  bluegrass pickers ,  .012-.054 will get the job done.  But you can obviously go as light as you want.  

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I've always been an advocate of 12s as a general string choice, and 13s for certain guitars. Having said that, I often find I can tease out the silkiest voices that are hidden away in small bodied instruments by using (whisper it!) 11s. I currently have DR Veritas 11s on my little Sigma CF-100 copy and it's a perfect match. I'd never use 11s on something like my SJ200, but small bodied instruments are "off book" in terms of my usual choices of strings etc.

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I'm a sucker for John Pearse Pure Nickel .012-.054s and would recommend those highly.  Slightly less tension than the comparable Phosphor Bronze, and they don't hype or color the sound the way some other strings do.  They work wonders on my J-45 and I wouldn't hesitate to run them on a smaller guitar in good condition.

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