Silk strings

[drumrnmuzik]

Has anyone ever tried silk acoustic strings?

 

I was playing a nylon string acoustic for a bit and I really like the sound. Martin and D'Addario both say that silk strings give a mellow classical like sound.

 

BTW, I searched the posts and didn't see anything.

[EuroAussie]

I tried Silk & Bronze strings plus Silk & Steel strings on my old Taylor 214 to try to get some warmth into the guitar.

 

In the end I just sold the Taylor ...

[drumrnmuzik]

I tried Silk & Bronze strings plus Silk & Steel strings on my old Taylor 214 to try to get some warmth into the guitar.

 

In the end I just sold the Taylor ...

 

 

Wow ! Why didn't you just change the strings back to bronze....

 

Ohhh, I get it, a Taylor joke !

[AnneS]

Has anyone ever tried silk acoustic strings?

 

I was playing a nylon string acoustic for a bit and I really like the sound. Martin and D'Addario both say that silk strings give a mellow classical like sound.

 

BTW, I searched the posts and didn't see anything.

 

Tried 'em for a day on my LG-1, but might've required a truss rod adjustment. After mediums, they felt (and sounded) like hair.

 

I have a friend who uses them on his Epi, but imo, he's cheating his guitar out of the sound it's capable of.

 

In my experience, silk strings just cannot move the top of a decent guitar. What you gain in playability, you lose in depth. To my ear, it doesn't provide a "mellow" sound so much as a shallow one.

 

Just my opinion, not trying to assert "facts" here..

[EuroAussie]

Yeah, I agree and definitely would not use them on Gibson as you lose so much of that lovelly Gibby growl, its like castrating the guitar ..

 

Tried 'em for a day on my LG-1, but might've required a truss rod adjustment. After mediums, they felt (and sounded) like hair.

 

I have a friend who uses them on his Epi, but imo, he's cheating his guitar out of the sound it's capable of.

 

In my experience, silk strings just cannot move the top of a decent guitar. What you gain in playability, you lose in depth. To my ear, it doesn't provide a "mellow" sound so much as a shallow one.

 

Just my opinion, not trying to assert "facts" here..

[drumrnmuzik]

Tried 'em for a day on my LG-1, but might've required a truss rod adjustment. After mediums, they felt (and sounded) like hair.

 

I have a friend who uses them on his Epi, but imo, he's cheating his guitar out of the sound it's capable of.

 

In my experience, silk strings just cannot move the top of a decent guitar. What you gain in playability, you lose in depth. To my ear, it doesn't provide a "mellow" sound so much as a shallow one.

 

Just my opinion, not trying to assert "facts" here..

 

 

Yuch ! I don't want to play a "hair" guitar...

 

BTW, what are the first and second strings like? Are they wraped?

[drathbun]

Ummmm I don't get the original question. Are you talking about putting classical strings on a steel string guitar?? :blink:

[drumrnmuzik]

Nope, I don't want to put nylon strings on my acoustic.

 

What the string companies say is that the internal wire, usually in steel, is made of silk instead and then wound with bronze.

 

I'm kinda curious what they sound like. D'Addario calls them Folk strings.

[amp]

I tried silk and steel strings on my very old Washburn (1896), thinking the lighter strings would better. All they did was take away all the character of the guitar. It sounded like a nice, quiet folk guitar instead of the very distinctive sound it normally had. Got rid of them right away.

[onewilyfool]

I've tried the Martin silk and steels on an old parlor, sounded good for about a month, then went south....don't last long for me....I uses Newtone Heritage strings now.....much more of a steel string sound for me...same string tension as silk and steels..

[drumrnmuzik]

Yeah, thanks for all the input. it may be a sound that I might like but I hate changing strings too often.

 

I might try them out if I can find them here then I'll see if I toss them like all of you are saying.

[Mojorule]

Yeah, I agree and definitely would not use them on Gibson as you lose so much of that lovelly Gibby growl, its like castrating the guitar ..

 

A castrated Aaron Lewis? A Woody without the balls? The mind boggles.

 

Will likely follow your advice and try out some 13s at some point, though don't want to repeat your truss-rod experiment, as the action on mine is just perfect. From previous posts, I get the sense that 13s can usually go on without a TR adjustment. Does your little experiment confirm that wholly or is it just a matter of preference for you? Is there any risk in not adjusting relief? Getting good growl with the standard lights (11s, right?). Just need a thick pick. But intrigued by the idea that 13s might give it even more. Will stick with the current strings till they fade, though.

 

13s might solve my only playability issue: despite truly generous string spacing, my fretting fingers are a bit cramped when playing flatpicked hybrid chords with hammer-ons in open positions (that Thomann riff). I've got plenty of space when playing fingerstyle and my left hand seriously benefits from the shorter scale length (my old beater really hurts for fingerstyle, and already did before the Gibson arrived). Even playing the same figures fingerstyle my left hand has no problem. Something happens to my fretting hand when I play with a pick, perhaps I hold the notes down harder or something. Or perhaps the extra force moves the light strings more and causes them to sit less solidly under my left-hand fingers. Anyway, this is the one area where having a wide nut and long scale length actually works better for me. If I were to work this style with the shorter scale length I'd probably need an even wider nut (Jackson Browne size). Or perhaps heavier strings would just sit still while I pound the hell out of them, and allow for more accurate hammering-on.

 

As far as I can see all other problems with my playing stem entirely from my own need to get to know my new instrument better, and to adjust to the mixture of short-scale and wider nut, having been working out on short-scale standard nut or long-scale wider nut.

[EuroAussie]

I just tightened the truss rod slightly when i put the mids on it as i thought the neck could be slightly straighter, but it was a very tiny amount, insignificnat really. After i made the adjustment and lost the tone i simply went back to where it was before, no issue.

 

The great thing about 13's is that I actually find them more comfortable than 12's to play as they sit in place better and the real benefit compared to the 12's is actually not about the growl but but the richness of tone when played softly, more depth.

 

I would really recommend trying 13's, this guitar was designed for 13's.

 

 

A castrated Aaron Lewis? A Woody without the balls? The mind boggles.

 

Will likely follow your advice and try out some 13s at some point, though don't want to repeat your truss-rod experiment, as the action on mine is just perfect. From previous posts, I get the sense that 13s can usually go on without a TR adjustment. Does your little experiment confirm that wholly or is it just a matter of preference for you? Is there any risk in not adjusting relief? Getting good growl with the standard lights (11s, right?). Just need a thick pick. But intrigued by the idea that 13s might give it even more. Will stick with the current strings till they fade, though.

 

13s might solve my only playability issue: despite truly generous string spacing, my fretting fingers are a bit cramped when playing flatpicked hybrid chords with hammer-ons in open positions (that Thomann riff). I've got plenty of space when playing fingerstyle and my left hand seriously benefits from the shorter scale length (my old beater really hurts for fingerstyle, and already did before the Gibson arrived). Even playing the same figures fingerstyle my left hand has no problem. Something happens to my fretting hand when I play with a pick, perhaps I hold the notes down harder or something. Or perhaps the extra force moves the light strings more and causes them to sit less solidly under my left-hand fingers. Anyway, this is the one area where having a wide nut and long scale length actually works better for me. If I were to work this style with the shorter scale length I'd probably need an even wider nut (Jackson Browne size). Or perhaps heavier strings would just sit still while I pound the hell out of them, and allow for more accurate hammering-on.

 

As far as I can see all other problems with my playing stem entirely from my own need to get to know my new instrument better, and to adjust to the mixture of short-scale and wider nut, having been working out on short-scale standard nut or long-scale wider nut.

[Mojorule]

I just tightened the truss rod slightly when i put the mids on it as i thought the neck could be slightly straighter, but it was a very tiny amount, insignificnat really. After i made the adjustment and lost the tone i simply went back to where it was before, no issue.

 

The great thing about 13's is that I actually find them more comfortable than 12's to play as they sit in place better and the real benefit compared to the 12's is actually not about the growl but but the richness of tone when played softly, more depth.

 

I would really recommend trying 13's, this guitar was designed for 13's.

 

Yes, on further playing I've come to the conclusion that it is definitely string movement which is causing my fingers some confusion. With my r/h fingers the movement is less, and my hammer-ons are less stilted. With the pick, things shift.