What strings/gage/brand do you like, and on what Gibson's?

[anzafrank]

I know that this question has probably been asked many times on this forum in the past, but I've only been here a few months, and am curious what strings/gage you have the best tone/longevity with.

 

With my J-30 I have been using Martin Marquis 80/20 bronze light gage, but switched to medium to get better sound/longevity. The longevity part is not happening for some reason, as I only played for about 2 or 3 hours with my neighbor who has a band, and the new strings are already toast. I always wipe the strings off after playing, and the guitar goes back into the case.

 

I love the tone when the cheap tinny new string sound wears off, but the sweet spot sure doesn't last very long at all. Do most of you use light gage, or are there other people here like me who prefer medium, and don't you get more life out of medium than light gage strings? Thanks,

 

Frank

[theswede]

i use dadarrio exp 16 for my hummingbird and j 185.sounds great .

[Jon S.]

I usually use 12 gauge Masterbuilt or D'Addario strings on my acoustics. If you are looking for longevity in strings, coated strings(like EXP or Elixirs) work well.

[larryp58]

Elixer Light Nanoweb PB's.

[Taylor Player]

I have Elixir Phospher Bronze Nano's (12-54) on all of my acoustics. I play mostly fingerstyle and find that those strings suit me perfectly whether on my Gibson AJ, My LG1, My LG0 or my Taylor 612C. All sound best (to me) with the Elixir PB Nano lights. String choice really is a personal thing though, so try a bunch and see what you like. Coated strings are not to everyones taste for certain. I like that they last a very long time, reduce finger squeek to a minimum and give me the tone that I am looking for.

[Buc McMaster]

........and don't you get more life out of medium than light gage strings?

 

Why would that be the case? I've not heard this mentioned as a reason for using medium gauges.......

 

Anyway, I have been using Pearse .012 on my CJ-165 but recently tried the Gibson P-Bronze in the same gauge. I think I prefer them to Pearse......for now. They didn't have much of that new string zing right out of the package, sounding warm and round immediately. The experiment continues.........

[anzafrank]

I have Elixir Phospher Bronze Nano's (12-54) on all of my acoustics. I play mostly fingerstyle and find that those strings suit me perfectly whether on my Gibson AJ' date=' My LG1, My LG0 or my Taylor 612C. All sound best (to me) with the Elixir PB Nano lights. String choice really is a personal thing though, so try a bunch and see what you like. Coated strings are not to everyones taste for certain. I like that they last a very long time, reduce finger squeek to a minimum and give me the tone that I am looking for.[/quote']

 

I went through the "try every string on the market" thing 35 years ago, and settled on Martin all these years with Daddarrio's a close second. I'm just curious what others are using. When I ordered a new case, I also ordered a set of Elixir polyweb lights, and 3 sets of Martin medium. I never used Elixer's before, and I will put them on next. Sounds like most like the nano's.

 

Frank

[anzafrank]

Why would that be the case? I've not heard this mentioned as a reason for using medium gauges.......

 

Anyway' date=' I have been using Pearse .012 on my CJ-165 but recently tried the Gibson P-Bronze in the same gauge. I think I prefer them to Pearse......for now. They didn't have much of that new string zing right out of the package, sounding warm and round immediately. The experiment continues.........

 

 

"Why would that be the case? I've not heard this mentioned as a reason for using medium gauges......."

 

It's been my experence that medium's hold the tone longer than light's.

 

Frank

[adoptedson]

Right now I have Pearse 11's(p-bronze) on my SWD. I just put them on a week ago and really like them. I was just experimenting when I bought them(trying something lighter than the 13's i had on there), but I think I'm going to stick with them. I'm going to try the 10's too, and if i don't like them, I'll probably stick with the 11's for a while. This is my first set of John Pearse strings, and i really like them so far.

[RenJ-185]

I Like the GHS 13's bronze for the J-185. Beautiful tone on this thing. I use twelves on my Yamaha FG401. The cheap martin strings actually suit this one pretty well

[EuroAussie]

Im a big fan of DR Sunbeams as they have a great warm tone right off the bat, the feel great with slightly less tension and last a long time for uncoated strings.

 

Gibson Materbuild's lights PB's also suprised me positively and i currently use them on my CW.

 

I strongly dislike Elixir strings.

[anzafrank]

Im a big fan of DR Sunbeams as they have a great warm tone right off the bat' date=' the feel great with slightly less tension and last a long time for uncoated strings.

 

Gibson Materbuild's lights PB's also suprised me positively and i currently use them on my CW.

 

I strongly dislike Elixir strings.[/quote']

 

Thats funny, I put on a set of Elixir polyweb light's last night (first time, and the guitar plays in tune when playing a 'D' without having to detune the second string as I have to with Martin's. I guess some boxes respond to Elixir's, and some don't. I like a brighter tone, and medium strings, but all in all they aren't bad at all. Sure love the looks that CW of yours!

 

Frank

[Eddie Rondack]

Martin 13's on everything... cheapest ones they make. Don't like coated strings. No difference in longevity w/ 13's, just better tone and more volume.

 

Takes a little work to get your fingers used to them, though.

[QuestionMark]

Martin Acoustic SP Bronze 80/20 Lights for me on all my instruments. They seem to last long, sound good, and really enable me to get my money's worth for the numerous instruments I own. I tried Elixers years back and was disappointed in their bass response and in my experience seemed to konk out sooner than the Martin Acoustic SP Bronze 80/20 Lights. Years ago I would use Mediums (13s), but then considered their heavier tension affect on the guitar and made the switch to Martin Lights (12s)...to be honest, I never really noticed much difference and if anything I could get a bit more string bending voicing out of the Lights. If for some reason I can't buy Acoustic SPs, my next choice is Martin Marquis, which are okay in my book, but the SPs are better.

 

For awhile I was able to find Martin Fingerstyle SP Bronze 80/20 Lights, but that was a few years back and haven't been able to find them since. Those were pretty close to the Acoustic SPs with maybe something different about them, although what I can't really say what it was.

 

For me, I'm stickin' with the Acoustic SP Bronze Lights...

 

QM aka Jazzman Jeff

[RASHARU]

[Guth]

A couple of things:

 

Some of this is dependent upon your own body chemistry and I would think that any strings which tended to hold up better over time for you in the past would be a good place to start. If your second runner up was the D'Addarios, then that would seem to be a likely choice. (I've used D'Addario phospher-bronze strings on my guitars almost exclusively for the past 20 + years and have been pretty happy with them regardless of the guitar used.) I tried the coated strings quite some time ago and never liked them (neither tone, nor feel). It sounds as if the coated strings have improved with time.

 

Other than body chemisty, some of this is bound to be guitar dependent. I used to own a J-30 and it was never a terribly bright/lively guitar. In general I liked the tone okay. However, once the "newness" of the strings was gone, so was a lot of the life in the sound of the guitar (I tried a few different types of strings, same results). Some of the note articulation was also lost. That just happened to be how the guitar sounded. Still, I lived with it happily for many years, but am now much more enamored with the tone of my current J-45 as a comparison.

 

All the best,

Guth

[albertjohn]

Martin SP 12s. Love the tone (both acoustic and plugged in), the longevity and the price. Have used D'daddario EJ 16s in the past which I also like.

 

Not a huge fan of coated strings on my SWD (spruce over rosewood) but I must say they do work very well on the Tak 12er (spruce over maple). The 12 version of the Martin SPs are also great on the Tak. I use 10s on this one.

[Shambolic]

I use Rotosound Jumbo King 11s on my J-200 Just gone back to them after trying elixir Nanoweb 11s. The Nanowebs made the J-200 sound closer to a Martin, made the strings more ringy and with greater seperation between the strings. The Rotosounds bring a sweeter tone out of the guitar and a more compressed effect on Chords giving the chords a more complete character in themselves as opposed to being a disparate set of strings ringing together. These are the only two makes I've tried on the J-200 so far and am interested in anyones experience of other sets that bring out that J-200 strummed sweetness.

[sternfan]

I've found that I love the sound of Dean Markley's Alchemy P/B's (12-54's) on my J 185. I'm hoping to get a J 45 TV in the next week or so and I'll test drive several types over the next month and half and let you know if the DM's are my fav. on that one, too.