Thomastik-Infeld Spectrum strings on D55 - Tone down the Tone - Thoughts?

GuildFS4612CE

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ooo! Ooo! A string thread? Where is pascal? :biggrin-new:

My two pence worth...late production nh d55. D'addarios always work, no problem. Rotosound jumbos are nice, little more treble. Dr rares really sound good to me, problem in the past has been consistancy... Mostly dead or quickly dead single strings. But, trying the dr veridian...verizon...what the h*#$ is it, starts with "v," my d55 loves them. I think it is supposed to be a longer lasting string, without resorting to dragon-snot or whatever. Really sound good, even went to local store and bought a set a just about list price. Yeah, that good, at least for me. There is love here for john pearce 80'20's, to my ear not bad at all but like the dr vermouth strings better :tongue-new:

What she does not like, are the d'addario nickel-bronze, which i think is their try at a monel-like string. Just sounded awful, pulled them off after a couple days...yet the collings d2h loves 'em, and suppose that makes sense as it is a more "martin-like" guitar.

'veritas' that's upper case but 'post' is reducing it to lower.
 
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jcwu

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NH D55's came with mediums EXP-17 13-56 coated PB.
I used to think they went coated just to inhibit corrosion but your comments make me wonder if they also knew they they'd keep it a little bit toned down.

I actually ended up using the EXP-17's on my DV52 because I found I loved the sound of my (uncoated) strings best when they were a few months old, and not so bright, and the coated EXPs toned things down just enough and were perfect for what I was looking for (it's like putting on a set of semi-used strings - pre-relic'ed strings!).

I don't think the EXPs were around back when the DV52 was made (?) so these wouldn't be factory spec strings, but I love them!
 

adorshki

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I don't think the EXPs were around back when the DV52 was made (?) so these wouldn't be factory spec strings, but I love them!

I don't think EXP's were per se but I think coateds were in their infancy at the time.
Another "Big thing" at the time was crygenically treated strings, anybody remember them?
:biggrin-new:
What really grabbed my attention, though, is you're actually using mediums on your DV52?
It would have come with lights (12-53)
 

X-170AB

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Forgive my being late to the party! Just wanted to comment that TI Spectrums are among my favorite strings, both for flattops and for acoustic archtops. They're balanced, and have plenty of 'shimmer' without being too bright. If you're used to 12s you might start with the 12-54 set - it might feel slightly lighter than your D'Addarios but should still sound fine. Hope to hear the results of your tryout.
 

Taylor Martin Guild

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My D-55 is currently strung with Martin TR Retro strings.
I like them and they have lasted a long time.

I still like Martin Lifespan strings on the D-55 a bit more though.
 

ClydeTower

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UPDATE:

Still waiting to receive my order from Strings & Beyond...

Meanwhile, I am thoroughly enjoying the DR Rares 12-54. They have settled in quite nicely. The tone is sweet and consistent with just the right amount of sustain and clarity. If I wasn't testing other strings, I would definitely stick with these over the Daddarios.

Looking forward to comparing with the Spectrums...

Clyde
 

valleyguy

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I recently bought my '75 D55 and put my standard Martin SP Phosphor Bronze lights on it. Bright sound, I was not real happy, but as the strings aged they started to sound nice. Let me say off the top, I don't like bright strings (or guitars), and in the past years I have been leaning to flatpicking and individual note leads, not fingerstyle. The Tacoma D50 is the perfect guitar for this (bluegrass adirondack top), and I have played it almost exclusively for ten years. Looking for a more balanced and sweet tone I bought the D55 with its overtones and sweet sounds, a sound I did not prefer 10 years ago when I bought the D50. I actually went shopping for a D55, but preferred the D50.

Overtones and sustain can be good and can be bad. My D25 has sustain till the cows come home. With some styles or songs that is good, but strum hard and loud and it starts to break up, get too busy and cacaphonic (such a word?).

I bought several silk and bronze strings to try on the D55 for a more mellow sound. I started with the GHS Silk & Bronze. Perfect, and they have aged magnificently. I'm anxious to try the other silk strings, but I will definitely go back to the GHS, it gave me the sound I was looking for, very mellow. Perfect for that quiet mellow late-at-night playing in subdued lighting. What a beautiful sounding instrument.

I'm putting the TI Spectrums on my list to try, thanks for the heads up.
 

JohnW63

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Well, the darn thread made me order strings more expensive than I thought I would EVER need to try. If they don't pan out, I'm going to send them out, in envelopes of one string, to all the people who extolled their virtues. You HAVE been warned !
 

valleyguy

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Well, the darn thread made me order strings more expensive than I thought I would EVER need to try. If they don't pan out, I'm going to send them out, in envelopes of one string, to all the people who extolled their virtues. You HAVE been warned !

Stay away from those blue chip pick threads !!
 

ClydeTower

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Well, the darn thread made me order strings more expensive than I thought I would EVER need to try. If they don't pan out, I'm going to send them out, in envelopes of one string, to all the people who extolled their virtues. You HAVE been warned !

Did you order TI Spectrums?

I still haven't received my order, but if they sound as good as the Plectrums do on my 812, I think it will be worth the investment. However, it all depends on what you're looking for as far as sound and feel, and if they're a good match for the guitar you're trying them with... so YMMV!

I still have some LA BELLA Silk & Steel 12-56 waiting in the wings but haven't had the opportunity to try cause the Plectrums still sound good after about 6 weeks...

Good luck and let us know how you like your new strings!
 

jcwu

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I don't think EXP's were per se but I think coateds were in their infancy at the time.
Another "Big thing" at the time was crygenically treated strings, anybody remember them?
:biggrin-new:
What really grabbed my attention, though, is you're actually using mediums on your DV52?
It would have come with lights (12-53)

Yes, I remember the frozen strings!! Never used them. Seemed too gimmicky.

And yes, mediums on my acoustics. I can't remember what the guitar was like when I first got it, and for many years I didn't know the difference between mediums and lights for an acoustic, but for the last 10+ years I've been using only mediums. I think I went to lights once and didn't like how floppy the strings felt.

Just for reference, for a while I was using 12-52's on my electrics, finally backed down to 11-49's. 10's feel too slinky (and yes, I used to use Slinky strings because Slash used them).
 

merlin6666

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I tend to prefer PB strings but have fallen for the d'Addario NB (nickel-bronze) on the Orpheums. To my ears, they sound a bit like uncoated PBs, but seem to last longer than coated PBs. My luthier has mentioned Martin Titanium strings to last even longer (years?) and the few reviews I checked out seem to be quite favorable. I am not willing to pay this much for strings though, but as this thread is about the Thomastik sets, price is probably not a big issue.
 

chazmo

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Did you order TI Spectrums?

I still haven't received my order, but if they sound as good as the Plectrums do on my 812, . . .!
Just remember, Clyde, they will sound different. The Spectrums, as far as I can tell, are completely unique as a hybrid of regular strings with silk&steel.
 

Westerly Wood

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John Pearse has a great Steel & Silk PB string. probably my fave of the silk and steel strings out there, as they sound and feel like PB uncoated strings but are a bit softer on touch.
 

ClydeTower

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Just remember, Clyde, they will sound different. The Spectrums, as far as I can tell, are completely unique as a hybrid of regular strings with silk&steel.

That's what I'm hoping for :)

I know the Plectrums have a silk core, but its unclear if the Spectrum do also:

"These strings are specially designed for the demands of professional recording, yet they are also unsurpassed in live performance situations. A unique bronze formula, combined with Thomastik-Infeld’s mastery of mechanical filtering with their silk inlay technology, gives a full warm tone, with a sparkling clarity that lets you cut through a dense sound mix."

I'm anxious to see how they hold up when really digging in.

The Plectrums gives my 812 an almost "Classical guitar" sound and feel. Its quite amazing. However... the price is pretty steep. If I change these strings every 2 months, it would cost me about 150$/year (200$ CDN) in strings just for that one guitar... Ouch! Gonna try the LA BELLA Silk & Steel for my next string change, see how they compare. Price wise, they're a lot cheaper.

The search for the perfect strings continues!
 

chazmo

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No, the Spectrums have a steel core, with silk around it, and then with bronze winding. That's why they're so interesting.
 

ClydeTower

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UPDATE:

Finally received my strings order!

So I've first put on the TI Spectrums 12-54 to compare them directly to the DR Rares 12-54 I had on there and with which I was quite impressed. And after 30 min of playing, I've got to say... these strings sound horrible on my D55!

If my intent was to reign in a bit of the overtones and sustain, well I've just about killed it completely. The D55 sounds dead with these. I would say volume and sustain have been cut at least in half. And the beautiful midrange/treble is gone. To be fair, I should reserve my judgement and keep them on my guitar for at least a few days to let them settle in, but I don't think I can last that long. As much I love the TI Plectrums on my Taylor 812, the Spectrums have no business being on this Guild.

The worst is I also bought a pack of 13-57s... anybody want some strings?

Well, I've got more strings to test... the Monels, the DR Rare Bluegrass, Elixir HDs...
 
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