Jump to content
Gibson Brands Forums

Strings for advanced jumbo


Paulnumbfingers

Recommended Posts

Hi everyone, well for those you provided me input on my first gibson, I ended up buying an advanced jumbo. I am loving this guitar. I currently have d'addario exp16 light strings on it. They are the coated phosphor bronze strings. Can I get your thoughts on other strings used on your own advanced jumbo that you thought brought out the best in your guitar. Thanks.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Good timing, I acquired the same guitar a month ago, which came with the same Daddario PB strings. I like the tone but it was recommended to give 80/20's a go.

 

I found the 80/20's to have a warmer, more rounded finish, while the Daddario PB's had a brighter, a little harsher top end.

 

Surprising as you would expect the 80/20's to be brighter, but on this guitar they sound more warmer and rounded to me.

 

I actually recorded two samples with the PB's and 80/20's couple weeks ago - do you hear a difference or not, any preferance ?

 

With Daddario PB lights

 

 

With Martin SP 80/20 lights

 

 

Congrats on the new AJ btw, its one heluva guitar !

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Good timing, I acquired the same guitar a month ago, which came with the same Daddario PB strings. I like the tone but it was recommended to give 80/20's a go.

 

I found the 80/20's to have a warmer, more rounded finish, while the Daddario PB's had a brighter, a little harsher top end.

 

Surprising as you would expect the 80/20's to be brighter, but on this guitar they sound more warmer and rounded to me.

 

I actually recorded two samples with the PB's and 80/20's couple weeks ago - do you hear a difference or not, any preferance ?

 

With Daddario PB lights

 

 

With Martin SP 80/20 lights

 

 

Congrats on the new AJ btw, its one heluva guitar !

 

 

That is a tough call. I think the d'addario strings are definitely brighter and have a nice country sound to them, the martin seem much more bluesy to me and I may give them a try. It seems to bring out more of the base in your guitar and a more of a mood that I have come to like in Gibson guitars. Thanks for your input. Nice guitar playing by the way.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That is a tough call. I think the d'addario strings are definitely brighter and have a nice country sound to them, the martin seem much more bluesy to me and I may give them a try. It seems to bring out more of the base in your guitar and a more of a mood that I have come to like in Gibson guitars. Thanks for your input. Nice guitar playing by the way.

 

I am still flabbergasted how good Martin Lifespan strings sound on my J45 and WM45. Try 'em.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've been through several different types/brands on my '92 AJ (good choice on your part btw). I used the d'addario coated custom lights (.11) for a long time but switched to uncoated lights (.12) in PB. That was the best the AJ has sounded, ever! The 80/20s are just too bright. Recently (while having her professionally set up) I went to bone pins and a set of coated strings on her. Too bright and lost those great undertones. So this week, I'm going back to the iveroid pins and the noncoated .12s ..... Hope that gets the sound back and the loss is not related to the set up.

 

What you should do is try every combination that makes sense to you ..... then select what sounds good for that guitar. You'll get what works and it's cheap and fun.

 

Congrats on the AJ ... they are wonderful Gibsons.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

hey,

 

I don't have an AJ but a RW J45.

 

I've tried a few different strings now (PB's + 80/20's), IMO, the 80/20's give a more rounded fuller flavour.

 

I tried the red pack $4 martin 80/20 12's. I went back to d'adrios(coated and uncoated) and tried some fender(coated) ones in between. I was shopping on amazon last week and they were doing 3 packs of the Martins for for a 10er so I got em.

 

I don't know if these are dodgy strings, but after 1/2 days the shine goes and they now sound a little unbalanced and muddy?

 

So once these are gone I'll be going back to the d adrio 80/20's(coated or not) cause they sound nice when they are new and fade into a decent sound too.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi folks, The strings I've found best for any guitars, are, the ones that the fingers play the best. No magic wand, the key to the Kingdom, is, practice again and again. For the life of me, I can't understand how people think there might be a shortcut to the "Kingdom". Martin 1940D28

 

Who said its about a short cut .. ?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

In plain "baby talk", if'n you can play, you can make a rubber band sound good. I'fn you're dreaming, you'll always be looking for an easy way to the "Kingdom". So sorry I wasn't clear in my post. Martin 1940D28

 

I understood you perfectly in your previous post.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi folks, The strings I've found best for any guitars, are, the ones that the fingers play the best. No magic wand, the key to the Kingdom, is, practice again and again. For the life of me, I can't understand how people think there might be a shortcut to the "Kingdom". Martin 1940D28

 

This is a somewhat odd comment. Strings do make a difference in the sound produced by a guitar, and looking for the best strings both for playing feel and tonal quality for a particular guitar is a legitimate avenue of enquiry. They are not--and it has never been suggested that they are--a shortcut to the playing skill that only comes, as you say, from endless practice.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi folks, The strings I've found best for any guitars, are, the ones that the fingers play the best. No magic wand, the key to the Kingdom, is, practice again and again. For the life of me, I can't understand how people think there might be a shortcut to the "Kingdom". Martin 1940D28

 

I agree the strings that are best ,are the ones that the fingers play the best.

Since strings are different...some just dont inspire the fingers/ear/heart to play they're best.

 

P.S Im intrigued...you have a 1940 D28?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Blindboygrunt wrote "yeah...and some lubricant". Boy how that statement took me back in time, like about 65 years, just about when I was going into first grade. My dear old Mother, Lord rest her soul, knew that when I would GRUNT, sitting on the potty, it was time for my lubricant, BKA "Fletchers Castoria", or as a suppository, it cured my "grunt" for a week or so, Maybee blindboygrunt could try some of it, but then again, I don't know which end is "grunting"! Guess it makes no difference, as both ends seem to spew the same thing. Martin 1940D28

 

ouch

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...