Best strings for an older Guild?

Graphicism

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I changed the strings on my 1973 flat-back D25 today and the sounds is surprisingly different...

I do not know what strings were on it previously, they were no doubt old and in need of replacing due to the condition of the guitar as per my previous thread. I strung up with some Martin SP Lifespan Phosphor Bronze and it sounds much more open, albeit less warm and bassy. I'm not exaggerating when I say it's the best sounding guitar I've ever heard, which if I had to pinpoint it I would point straight to the mid range... and that was before I replaced the strings. Now the guitar is slightly brighter and more open, and by that I mean the notes linger longer and have more air to them. Less muddy perhaps? If I had to nitpick I would say it's lost some of it's warmth in exchange for a brighter/louder presence overall... perhaps the previous strings were just old and worn.

Which led me to wonder; what strings do you guys use on your older Guilds?

I have read that the newer D25 with the arched back struggle with tone control due to them being louder so bare in mind mine is of the flat-back all mahogany variety.
 

Rich Cohen

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I've heard generally comments that claim the current "modern" strings generally are brighter in sound across the ranges, low, mid and high; such as the phosphor bronze or bronze examples currently available -- in comparison to the earlier era 60s, 70s and 80s. You might try the Martin "Retro" product, which attempts to capture that "old" sound, and might be closer to producing the sound of your axe when it was born. You can also go for silk wound strings. Have fun....
 

jedzep

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If you hate the brightness and like longevity and consistency try a set of Thomastik-Infeld 'Spectrum' strings They're 20 bucks a pop but don't drag you thru the usual transition from brassy to flat. They're balanced right out of the pack and sound good for around 6 mos.
 

Neal

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For what it's worth, i would play those PB's for a few days and reevaluate. They lose some of their initial brightness with some playing time.

I just strung up my '71 D-25 flatback with Elixer PB HD Lights and it is pretty bright and lively at the moment.
 

davismanLV

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Depends on what you mean by "warmth" because a lot of people say "warm" when I say, "vague" or "muffled"..... these string things get tricky. Just get on with your playing and change your strings often. Once you do that (try a different one every time, like GHS Bright Bronze) you'll find the ones you want or prefer for YOUR ears. :encouragement:
 

walrus

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What Tom said.

If the previous strings were on there for years, I'm guessing ANY new strings would sound better! A quest for your favorite strings can be fun!

walrus
 

Brad Little

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I've been using D'Addario Phosphor Bronze pretty much since they were introduced in the 70s. Before that, I used LaBella, but don't remember which ones.
Brad
 

txbumper57

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I would play the Phosphor Bronze strings in for a couple of days as well. They may hit the sweet spot once they get played in. If you are wanting that played in sound right off the bat I would try some Daddario EXP coated Phosphor Bronze strings. EXP17's are mediums and EXP16's are lights. The EXP strings sound warmer to me than the straight up Phosphor bronze models and last for a much longer time as well. Daddario even describes them as their Warmer sounding than the regular PB strings. You can find them for $5-$8 a set if you shop around.

TX
 

jedzep

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If you get away from the phosphor bronze and go to something like Thomastik-Infeld 'Spectrum' or Dunlop 80/20's you'll get away from the brightness or as I refer to it as a 'jangly' sound. The T-I's have very little or no initial jangle and stay good for a long time, and the Dunlops go on less bright than PB's and calm down quicker. They also have decent lasting power. I hate the jangle.
 
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Any new strings are going to sound brighter than old ones, and new-string brightness will back off in a day or two. I've observed this with all the string types I use (mostly phosphor bronze, but also silk & bronze, classical wounds, DR Zebras, GHS flat-tops, and Argentines). The half-dead tone you hear on a lot of old folk and blues recordings (I'm thinking especially of a particular early Tom Rush LP) sound exactly like very old strings. I suspect a lot of players only changed strings when they broke or developed divots in the windings.
 

Graphicism

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Thank you all for the replies and suggestions!

While I will give them some more time to settle I don't think they will drastically change. They may not be as bright as when I first played them however they would have to drastically change. Every note I strum has a clear air to them, it's missing body; I would go as far to say it sounds like a different guitar. Bright and lively as some have mentioned is a good description of the sound... as opposed to say warm and musical?

I'm going to order a set of Martin Retro's and possibly Daddario EXP or Dunlop 80/20's and see how they sound. The "Thomastik-Infeld Spectrum" strings seem interesting, some reviews say they fall apart but it might be worth a shot.
 

txbumper57

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Just a note, I have always found 80/20's of any brand to be inherently Brighter than any Phosphor Bronze string. I used to run 80/20's on my super dark sounding guitars to give them more sparkle. It took them longer to play in as well. Mine normally played in after a 4 hour gig and then they were good for the next 4 shows. They will differ from Guitar to guitar so they may sound great on your's but I think they will be somewhat brighter thank what you currently have. On Daddario's scale of Brightness to Warmth they list the 80/20' as the brightest, The Phosphor Bronze as the next Brightest, and The coated Phosphor bronze are after that. You should be able to find that Brightness to Warmth scale on the Daddario Website and they print it on the back of every acoustic string pack they make. Best of luck!

TX
 

jedzep

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80/20's...brightest? Weird. Just the opposite to my ear. Daddario has it backwards I think, but they don't make 80/20's, so maybe they're skewing to keep PB sales steady. Thom-Infelds don't come apart but the silk wrap at the ends of the wound strings is feathery looking and may give that appearance. They're expensive though.
 

adorshki

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80/20's...brightest? Weird. Just the opposite to my ear. Daddario has it backwards I think
80/20's have been described as "brighter" than PB since day one of PB..which was touted as "warmer" ever since introduced in about '74.
Guild hopped on that bandwagon right away.


, but they don't make 80/20's,
????
Sure they do:
da_prod_ej11_main_2.jpg
 
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griehund

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I would play the Phosphor Bronze strings in for a couple of days as well. They may hit the sweet spot once they get played in. If you are wanting that played in sound right off the bat I would try some Daddario EXP coated Phosphor Bronze strings. EXP17's are mediums and EXP16's are lights. The EXP strings sound warmer to me than the straight up Phosphor bronze models and last for a much longer time as well. Daddario even describes them as their Warmer sounding than the regular PB strings. You can find them for $5-$8 a set if you shop around.

TX

I have used EXP17's on my D40 since I bought it in 1975. I use EXP16's on the smaller bodied Yamaha.
 

jedzep

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80/20's have been described as "brighter" than PB since day one of PB..which was touted as "warmer" ever since introduced in about '74.
Guild hopped on that bandwagon right away.



????
Sure they do:
da_prod_ej11_main_2.jpg

Great! I'll be trying those puppies out.
 

Westerly Wood

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Just bought a set of Daddario uncoated mediums phosphor bronze. 50th bday gift. For the Cruz. No hurry in putting them on but should be interesting and huge sounding. Gonna drop to D standard too. Paint peeling registers no doubt.
 

txbumper57

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80/20's...brightest? Weird. Just the opposite to my ear. Daddario has it backwards I think, but they don't make 80/20's, so maybe they're skewing to keep PB sales steady. Thom-Infelds don't come apart but the silk wrap at the ends of the wound strings is feathery looking and may give that appearance. They're expensive though.

Everyone hears what they hear and I am not knocking that at all. It's just that they actually have the Warmth to Brightness scale on the back of almost every string pack they sell. Here is a link to the Daddario website and photos of the EJ16 string set package. If you will look at the back photo of the package you will see the "Warmth to Brightness" scale I mentioned earlier with the string types listed on it and yes those are all Daddario string types, Not other Manufacturers.
Hope this helps!

http://www.daddario.com/DADProductD...d=74&sid=d1ddc94b-74c7-480d-a006-9ffb27feaffb

TX
 
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