guild strings ... nice

[learnintoplay62]

I don't usually start new threads however, I just wanted to give a little info. on my experience. I strung up my 000 sloped on 3/7 with Guilds .012 -.052 L-355 phosphor Bronze. Purchase them at Sam Ash for around 7 dollars I think. A little pricey but I just wanted to give them a go. The box cover said they were balanced and I have been trying to find a set that will keep the tone balanced and at the same time bring a little more base. They are very balanced and made the guitar sound light and almost orchestry like. However, no noticeable base increase so I think it's the guitar. Immediately I thought of a 12 string sound. They stayed in tune pretty much throughout the month however today they went dead on me so they have to go. I play 3 to 4 hours a week so I guess that's pretty good . They are non coated . The down side was they were stiff and not easily bendable . Would I buy them again, yes but I might look for a better price. They definitely gave my guit a more fuller sound. Of course ymmv.
Anyone else have a review or experience.

 

[DCannon]

I tried them on my F-130R and didn't care for them. Just nothing special. I found the feel to be tight and unforgiving as well. Actually, strings lasting only a month when playing only 3-4 hrs a week isn't too good unless your body chemistry is such that it deadens strings quickly. I play in a band, rehearsals, practice at home, as well as weekly Irish sessions and a set of strings lasts me at least two months, sometimes three.

What 000 guitar do you have? Your sig says you have a dread.

Hard to say which strings will be a good fit for your particular guitar, but I've discovered the following strings produce a warm/full sound and good balance with possibly a bit more bass on my guitars: Adamas 1818, Martin Marquis PB light, DR Rare, John Pearse 600L, and the king of them all....Thomastik-Infeld Spectrum SB112, although they're very pricey (~ $20/set) and probably not a good choice financially if strings go dead on you quickly. But the tone is amazing.

DC

 

[fretless]

I tried some of the Thomastiks on my AJ, had a few extra bucks that day and thought I'd treat my new guitar to something nice, see what the big deal was and move on next time. god I love these strings. plus, the silk on the wound strings is pretty cool too. I keep thinking i'll put some on my F50 maple, but Elixirs sound so good on it it's hard to change. on the more affordable side I'm enjoying the D'Addario Bluegrass 12-56s

 

[Bill Ashton]

I recently put the same set on my (former) GAD30PCE, and found them to be kind of harsh, and a little tighter to play...while I bought it new, it did not have D'Addario strings on it but the "house" strings of the music store which are GHS. Through experimentation during the time it was in my posession, I found that Labella light PB's were really what it liked...should have put those back on.

I have a set of Balanced Tension Mediums waiting in the wings for my D55, I am interested to see how those are with DADGAD tuning.

 

[learnintoplay62]

Hey Cannon. I only have one guitar made by Nelson. I called it a dread but it is a small one . It's a copy of an Epi FT27 from way back. I have to stick with lights. I've been wanting to try the Adamis strings. Pearse was ok. I haven't tried Thomastik as they are to pricey. The Martins are ok. I am not really sure which string set is the best. I want to try Magnums but they are hard to find. I've had some success with Ernie Ball super slinky 2148's so I'm gonna throw them back on.Ever try Martins Flexible core strings ?
Even after a year with the guitar , I am still getting to know her. It's been fun.

 

[learnintoplay62]

Bill I've heard good things about LaBella. I'm not sure if any string set will bring out the base that I want considering it's size but I'll keep experimenting :excitement:

 

[DCannon]

I'm not sure if any string set will bring out the base that I want considering it's size but I'll keep experimenting :excitement:

I think the Thomastik would, and make the tone richer in general. In response to your question about Martin FX strings, when I bought my Gibson J-35, I asked the store to put a new set of strings on it and they used the FX. I wasn't impressed.

You're right... one of the best parts of of a new guitar is experimenting and finding strings that work well on all levels... tone, volume, feel, playability, balance, longevity, etc.

 

[fretless]

the low E on the D'Addario Bluegrass is a 56, and the A is 45 and the D is 35, and the larger gauge strings help with the bass. Higher strings are 12, 16, and 25, so pretty normal medium lights. for $6 bucks or less they are pretty cool. They're 80/20s

 

[learnintoplay62]

Thanks fretless. Ill give them a go

 

[Bill Ashton]

Mr. Cannon, correct me if I am wrong...please!

"Bluegrass" strings are generally Medium gauge Low E - A - D and Light gauge G - B - A. Sort of like Ernie Ball Skinny Top/Heavy Bottom strings for acoustic...

"True Medium" strings are Medium gauge High E - B and Low E, and Light gauge G - D - A, appropriate for alternate tunings such as DADGAD.

Personally, I am just going with Medium strings, now that I am trying to learn flatpicking; for fingerstyle, Lights are probably more appropriate...

 

[DCannon]

Hey Bill, call me Denny!

That's correct, except the high string is E, not A in standard tuning (EADGBE). True med is usually .013, .017, .026, .035, .045, .056. Personally I use lights in DADGAD on all my guitars. I find that although mediums may provide slightly more bass when playing open without a capo, I get better sustain and overall tone with lights, whether strumming or fingerstyle. They're also easier to play and just feel better to me, especially when capoed on the higher frets (7-10). Up in that region, mediums feel and sound tight and don't have the sustain of lights.

Funny, but when players talk about strings, they rarely capo as much as I do, and are mainly speaking about playing open. When playing Irish/Celtic in DADGAD, I very seldom play open. Most of what I do (probably 90%) with the band and at sessions is capoed on frets 5, 7, 9 and 10, sometimes 2 when I play in Em using the Dm position to get a different effect. And for this, trust me, lights are better all around. I often get aggressive when strumming and have no issues with lights. But then I have my guitars set up accordingly.

BTW, one of the most important considerations for me when buying a guitar is how it sounds when capoed and I spend much of my time playing a guitar I'm interested in using various capo positions. I've played MANY guitars that sound great when played open, but fall short as soon as I start capoing. All the guitars I currently play were selected because of their excellent tonal qualities when capoed as well as played open.

DC