Hummingbird String Choice

[mastercheif]

Hello Everybody! Been lurking for a while, finally joining in on the action

 

Just wondering what your favorite string choice for the humming bird is. I've had my late 08' MC for 9 months now, and I still haven't settled in for one pair of strings yet. This is how my adventure has been so far

 

1. Came with Elixr poly-web PB

Threw those off immediately. Gross feeling and sounding

 

2. Gibson Masterbuilt PB 12 Gauge

I liked the sound in the beginning, a little dark for my taste. But it decayed a lot faster than I would have liked.

 

3. D'Addario PB 12 Gauge

Much better. A little boomy on the low end, but the highs were there. Missing in the mids tough, very scalloped sound.

 

4. John Pearse PB 12 Guage

Eww. I gave them a week and threw them off. No bass.

 

5. Martin SP PB 12 Gauge

Ok, nothing special

 

6. Martin SP 80/20 12 Gauge

Ohh, much nicer sounding on the mids and high end. Lacking a bit in the bass.

 

7. D'Addario 80/20 12 Gauge

This surprised me, but I really didn't like them. Very odd since I thought D'Addario made the best PB strings.

 

8. John Pearse 80/20 12 Gauge

Love at first strum. However, only lasted a little over a week before decaying rapidly. Also had some weird overtones for the first few days.

 

9. Martin SP 80/20 13 Gauge

Ohh I like. The 13s give much more sound and are not that much harder to play. I even liked the sound at first, but it decayed in a week. A little mellow for my taste.

 

I'm currently on Juststrings, and I'm gonna pick up a few packs of different strings. Currently in the card are the new "Red" brand strings, which are actually more bronze than PB, just to try something different. I'm also thinking of getting a set of 85/15s, just too see whatsup with those.

 

What strings are on your Bird'?

[Jinder]

I have tried a lot of strings on my Hummingbird, and I've really settled on D'Addario EJ17 12-53 PBs.

 

Martin strings went off really quickly, Elixirs were just horrible on the 'Bird, Ernie Ball Earthwoods were vibrant but went off even quicker than the Martins, Rotosounds (by far my favourite on my SJ200) were too dark sounding...I guess there are more to be explored, and I LOVED D'Addario EXP 12-53s on the 'bird, but they're just too expensive when I'm doing 3-5 shows a week.

 

I buy the bulk pack of 25 sets of the EJ17s every couple of months...that's my Hummingbird tone, and wonderful it is too.

 

Mine's an '08 too...great guitars, dontcha think?

[Low Country Boy]

It's interesting how different versions of a paticular guitar model sound with various type strings.

 

I have a custom 'bird with koa sides & back, adi top and ebony board. I've tried ALL of the major (& some of the minor) string brands.

 

On my axe, to my ears, Elixir nanoweb PB light-medium (12-56) kills everything else. Tons of sparkle and good overtones. I don't mind the way they feel & they last forever.

 

Jinder's D'Addario EJ17 12-53 PBs are a distant second.

 

Stay cool,

 

LCB

[bkharmony]

I have tried a lot of strings on my Hummingbird' date=' and I've really settled on D'Addario EJ17 12-53 PBs.[/quote']

 

I don't have a 'bird, so take my opinion as you will. But I agree with Jinder in the EJ17s. Best all-around strings I've ever found, and I've tried many.

 

I agree the bass can be boomy on certain guitars with the heavy PBs. I have that problem with my Jumbos, but not with my L-4A. I change strings pretty often (about every two weeks), but I often keep the low E and A on for months. The extra age mellows them out a bit and evens out the overall sound.

 

P.S. Martin strings are dreadful. I can't believe they put their name on that rubbish.