Long-term scientific "blind" acoustic string test

[dwasifar]

String Set B is Dunlop DAP1254.

Well, that's kind of a surprise. My previous experience with Dunlop in other gauges (13s) doesn't match with this experience. And I have to say, for budget strings (which these are), they performed quite well within their limits. I just wish their limits were a little higher.

As it turns out, my previous experience is not quite as I remembered, but in a good way. I went back to that other site and looked up what I said about the Dunlop 13s at the time, a year and a half ago, and it was this:

They sound nice, they settled in well, they feel good under the fingers, don't require a lot of extra pressure to play. Tone is even across the strings. They're not jangly.
...
About the only criticism I can level at them is that their dynamics are a bit limited, at least for me. I'm normally a fairly aggressive player, and I think my particular style comes close to maxing them out, so that if I want to hit them a little harder for emphasizing a particular chord or whatnot, there's not as much additional headroom for it as I'm accustomed to. It's like I have a limiter. I'm not sure whether that's the strings' problem, or mine. Maybe they would train me to rein in some of my excess.

So that's right in line with what I discovered about the current set. This is gratifying because it's consistent, and I feel like it helps clear up a big uncertainty about this test in general; namely, how do I know I'm not just imagining differences? In two blind tests of the same brand, I came to the same general conclusion, even though they were different gauges and different guitars. So that's very reassuring. And it even makes sense that I said I "come close" to maxing out the 13s, but I do actually max out the 12s; 12s are lighter and easier to max out.

 

[dwasifar]

Readers with good memories will recall I promised a downloadable spreadsheet. It's up and available now; I've edited the first post to link to it.

Please let me know of any version compatibility problems. The file is in Excel format but it wasn't actually created in Excel, so if anything is amiss, please tell me.

 

[dwasifar]

String set B will be coming off tomorrow. Final grades are unchanged from the two week eval:

Final grades:

• Construction A
• Volume C+
• Playability A
• Tone B+

Nothing further to say that I didn't say previously.

But, in other news, I've decided to add one more brand to the test: Webstrings Portland Acoustic. I didn't include them at first because I instinctively balked at the extra costs of making a small order from Webstrings. Their prices are on a sliding scale, plus shipping, and if you order only a few sets the financial incentive of buying from them is largely negated. But I overcame that, because I realized it was kind of silly to care about the few bucks difference, and ordered three sets. In a prior test at "that other site," Webstrings performed well. I think the phrase I used was "punched above their weight class." So they deserve to be included.

They arrive tomorrow, which is why I'm waiting until then to put String Set C on; this gives them a chance to be in the mix for the next round. Possibly I will put all three sets in the mix, to add to the "blind" part in the same way that the three sets of Martin SP already do.

 

[Balderdash]

If I do that, then I can't post anything useful to readers of this thread until the entire test is complete. It doesn't help you, as a reader, to know that I've tested sets A, B, C, D, and E so far, and D was bad but B was great. Without telling you what brands they were, there'd be no point in documenting progress in this thread; I'd basically just have to go away for a year and come back with a completed spreadsheet.

It is a flaw in the process, I grant you, but to keep it interesting for the readers I'm just going to try to work around it. If I don't keep reviewing the original list and comparing it to what's been tested so far, I stand at least an even chance of not remembering a year from now what all has been tested and what is left to go as I come down to the final set.

Or, here's an idea, I can just test the final two the way you suggest. So even if I know Brand X and Brand Y are the final two, I won't know which is which until both have been tested. This delays reporting of the penultimate brand's results only. What do you think?

You could follow Nuuska’s idea and have your wife maintain and post the spread sheet..., (which, if you could do that, would also tell us a lot about her in addition to the strings). But, admittedly, this project is already challenging and interesting enough without adding new layers of complexity.

 

[dwasifar]

String set C is on the instrument, a day later than expected, due to the United States Postal Service. I wanted to give the Webstrings a chance to arrive and be added to the selection pool, and the post office had no particular hurry.

Measurements and observations:

• Actual gauge measurements: 1st .012, 2nd .016, 3rd .024, 4th .032, 5th .043, 6th .0535.
• All strings are ~41" long. Core wire protrudes from wound strings about 2", leaving a usable wound length of 39". Hex core.
• Deflection of the sample 6th string on the testing jig is 44mm, with the weight placed 30mm from the string end.
• Ball ends are plain brass. Ball end windings are well wrapped, a bit lumpy on the larger strings, but with no wrapping gaps. However, the 6th string core wire is not curved tightly around the groove in the ball end, leaving a small slack gap at the end. When these strings come off, it will be interesting to see if string tension took that out. It was a bit difficult to get the 6th string to seat properly in the bridge slot.
• The wrapped strings look extremely nice. The wrap is perfect from end to end, no irregularities, no marks or spots or flat areas. Color is typical phosphor bronze.
• Plain strings are completely smooth end to end, no detectable faults.

Tone and playability:
They are a bit jangly right now, but I can hear that this is going to be another set where the tone leans toward warm rather than bright. They clearly need to settle in before any usable tone evaluation, so I'll defer any more remarks about tone until the two-day eval. Playability is very nice. As expected by looking at the construction, they are smooth under the fingers, and generally feel nice to play so far. They bend well, not especially stiff nor especially pliant. They're also not especially loud, but they don't get all nuts when you hit them harder, like the last set. Tuning stability is good; they were pretty easy to get up to pitch and they're pretty much staying there.

Initial grades:

• Construction A- (marked down a notch for that loose loop around the ball end of the 6th)
• Volume B+
• Playability A
• Tone NR (not rated at this evaluation)

My gut says these will turn out to be a good middle-of-the-road set, with nothing amazing but no particular faults either. My spider sense also suspects these are the Webstrings, mainly based on the end wraps. But I may just be thinking that because the Webstrings are in my mind right now, having just been added to the pool today. Anyway, we won't know that for two weeks.

 

[dwasifar]

It's a day early yet, but I just want to note that the tone is shaping up to be quite nice. More detail tomorrow.

 

[dwasifar]

Two day evaluation of String set C.

Tone and playability:
These are really shaping up extremely nicely. The jangliness has already faded, leaving a nice rich balanced tone that leans toward warm, not peaky in any specific area, well-balanced from string to string. The overall tone focus is mids; highs are clear but not overbright, bass is solid and definite but not overwhelming. They have decent sustain, and a nice sweet overtone as notes fade. Flatpicking runs sound even, chords sound pleasing and free of unwanted dissonant harmonics. They're easy to fret and bend; I wouldn't call them exceptional in that regard, but they are just as you'd want them to be. Volume is not their strong suit, but they don't fall apart if you hit them hard looking for more sound.

Two-day grades:

• Construction A-
• Volume B+
• Playability A
• Tone A

Part of my process for this is trying to get a sense for how much I want to pick up the guitar over the course of a day. If I have reservations about the strings, I find myself playing less. That is not what's happening right now; I just like how these sound, a lot, and my evidence for it is that I want to play more.

If they hold true to how they are breaking in right now, I could definitely see buying these again.

 

[dwasifar]

Two week evaluation of String Set C.

This is technically a day early, as tomorrow will be the 14th day; but it's evening, I'm not going to be playing any more before tomorrow, I have the time now, and I've already formed my opinion; half a day won't change anything.

Tone and playability:
I really, really like these. If anything they are better at two weeks. Tone is just perfect for this instrument. They're warm as opposed to bright, but that is not to say that they lack highs. High end is fine; the balance across the fretboard remains nicely even, as I stated in the earlier reviews. Flatpicking runs remain even, chords remain nicely harmonized without discordant overtones. I will say they could be louder; they're better for more moderate play than they are for energetic play. This was also my observation with the Dunlops (Set B), but the lack of volume was a dealbreaker for the Dunlops, whereas it's still within the acceptable range with these.

A special word about tuning stability is in order. Two weeks ago when I put these strings on, my whole-house humidifiers were not working correctly, and the house was getting pretty dry. Right around that time, I fixed them, and since then the humidity has come up to a more acceptable range. On top of that we've been having pretty wide temperature swings outside, which also affects humidity indoors. So the guitar has been subject to a fair amount of environmental variance. This means I've come back to the guitar a couple of times to find it generally sharp or flat. I can't lay that on the strings; that's the humidity. But I will say that when they are brought back to pitch, they stay there; they don't start out on pitch and then wander off pitch during the sustain period, as you so often see. I'm using a Peterson tuner, which is pretty sensitive, so I can say with confidence that their tuning stability is good.

Two-week grades:

• Construction A- (this will almost always remain unchanged throughout the test unless something breaks)
• Volume B+
• Playability A
• Tone A+

I would definitely buy these again. Of the known strings I've tried on the guitar so far, I've liked Martin SP the best. These are in the same class as those; very similar sound, tone, and playability. But I don't think they are Martin. It's time for me now to go get the package and find out.

Isn't the suspense killing you? I'll be right back.

And String Set C turns out to be Webstrings Portland Acoustic.

You'll recall that my spider sense said these were the Webstrings when I put them on. This was because of the end wraps being a little bulky, and the slightly out-of-place end loop, which I've seen before from that brand. Of course it was possible that they were some other brand, but it seemed familiar and I guessed right.

Nonetheless, this outcome is flat-out hilarious. Webstrings are the cheapest set in this test, by a considerable margin, yet so far I would consider them the leader, beating out the generally highly-regarded John Pearse. If I were to stop the test right now, I'd probably just start buying Webstrings consistently for this guitar. It's still early in the test, of course, and we have a long way to go. Something better may come along. But these are plenty good, especially for the price.

 

[Stuball48]

Did you mention how long a set of Webstring Portland Acoustics last?
Thanks for all your time and effort in compiling these tests.

 

[dwasifar]

Did you mention how long a set of Webstring Portland Acoustics last?
Thanks for all your time and effort in compiling these tests.

I did not, at least not here.

My experience with them on other guitars is that their life was a bit on the short side. I suspect that is because, unlike most makers, they do not seal their packages. Webstrings come in paper envelopes inside an old-school clear plastic pouch with a tucked-in, unsealed flap.

If I were to buy a lot of sets of Webstrings at once (and I imagine people often do, because that's how you get the best price), I'd vacuum-seal them in groups of three or four, to extend their shelf life.

 

[dwasifar]

Well, today we say goodbye to String Set C, Webstrings Portland Acoustic. They actually still had plenty of life left in them but it's time to move on with the test. Nothing new to say about them that hasn't already been said. Warm tone, easy play.

Okay, one thing to say. I was wondering if the little bit of slack around the ball end on the low E would pull out with play, and it did not.

Final grades remain the same.

Final grades:

• Construction A-
• Volume B+
• Playability A
• Tone A+

 

[dwasifar]

String Set D is on the guitar. Actually I put them on last night, but it was a busy day and I was too tired to write it up.

Measurements and observations:

• Actual gauge measurements: 1st .012, 2nd .016, 3rd .025, 4th .032, 5th .0415, 6th .054.
• All strings are ~41" long. Core wire protrudes from wound strings about 5.5", leaving a usable wound length of 35.5", which is pretty short compared to others. This caused a problem with the deflection test. Hex core.
• Deflection of the sample 6th string on the testing jig is approximately 50mm, but it's hard to be definite because the string clipping was a bit too short for the jig, so results are estimated. The weight placed 30mm from where the string end would have been had it been long enough.
• Ball ends are plain brass. Ball end windings are well wrapped, without gaps. The winding area is of short-to-medium length, such that the end windings are not visible above the bridge surface. #2 string had a finger-poking spike at the end of the winding.
• The wrap wire is a tiny bit uneven. In directional light, I can see highlights, little sparkles, where the wrap wire is not completely smooth, and those areas are faintly tactile under the fingers. The wrapping itself seems to be perfectly even, though. Color is typical phosphor bronze.
• Plain strings are completely smooth end to end, no detectable faults.

Tone and playability:
When I first put them on I was impressed by the tone; shimmery and glassy, good volume, decently long sustain with pretty overtones. These are very different from the previous set; brighter, more airy, less warm. But they're still new. Playing them today, I can already hear them losing some of that shimmer, so that seems like it might be part of the new-string sound for these. Playability, well, not so happy with that. These feel definitely stiffer and harder to finger than the others so far, which is surprising considering the deflection test. I'm learning that the deflection test does not seem to measure what I expected it to; I thought it would correlate with playability but it doesn't appear so.

Initial grades:

• Construction B
• Volume B+
• Playability B-
• Tone A

The playability is a real minus but I'm liking the tone so far. I thought initially on hearing them that they might be DR Sunbeam, but then I checked and they are hex core, and DR are not this short. So I have no actual clue what they are at the moment.

ps: If you're curious what had me so busy, I was setting up some display shelves in my living room:

 

[geoguy]

My grandmothers would have approved of your treadle sewing machine.

 

[dwasifar]

My grandmothers would have approved of your treadle sewing machine.

There are two antique sewing machines in that picture, actually, and a bunch more elsewhere in the house. My wife has sewing machines like I have radios.

She has a side hustle making custom teddy bears, and her production machine is a 1957 Singer 201 bought for $22.50 at a resale shop, which I restored for her:

 

[dwasifar]

String Set D two-day report.

Tone and playability:
When I first put them on, the tone was very nice, but apparently what I liked was their version of new-string sound, and as they lose that, they're getting less attractive. They lean to brightness rather than warmth, and the initial glassy shimmer is giving way to a somewhat harsh tone, which is not pleasing for me. Overall the string-to-string balance is not where I'd like it to be; the overtones clash from string to string and sound faintly dissonant on chords rather than blending, especially when hit harder. Also I'm experiencing some unexpected tuning stability problems. It's like I can't quite get the guitar intonated properly with them. I hypothesize that it may have something to do with the playability; I absolutely have to press these a little harder to play them, otherwise they clatter during hammer-ons, and maybe by applying that extra force I'm actually pushing the fretted strings out of tune with the open strings. They're also extra-squeaky when I slide on one.

They do continue to sound very nice when fingerpicked, however. Their tone balance is good for that, whereas a warmer string that sounds fine when flatpicked can sound dead and muffled with flesh-and-nail.

Second day grades:

• Construction B
• Volume B+
• Playability C
• Tone B-

I still have no guess what they are.

 

[GSFV]

This thread is amazing!!
Is it too late to make a recommendation? Stringjoy makes handmade strings the old fashioned way. And I just put some on and have been pleased. If it is too late, I will await info on the remaining string sets.

 

[dwasifar]

This thread is amazing!!
Is it too late to make a recommendation? Stringjoy makes handmade strings the old fashioned way. And I just put some on and have been pleased. If it is too late, I will await info on the remaining string sets.

Thank you for saying so.

I've heard good things about Stringjoy, but I decided against including them because they fell outside my selection guidelines for the string test: they have to be reasonably priced, which eliminated brands like Pyramid, Dogal, Santa Cruz, and Philippe Bosset; and they have to be easily available, which lets out brands like Mapes or Straight Up. The goal here for me is to find the strings I like best without having to put too much cost or effort into each change.

Stringjoy by all accounts makes excellent strings, but I know I would not buy them regularly at $15/set. However, if price is less of an object for you, why not do what I'm doing and blind-compare them against some of your previous favorites? I'd be curious to hear how that goes for you.

 

[GSFV]

I recently got my first set. They aren’t terribly cost prohibitive in my eyes because my hands chew things strings quickly. Acoustics are better than electrics, but unless it’s coated I’m lucky for electric strings to last 2 weeks. Because of this I’m used to elixir pricing. It’s actually cheaper for me and I spend less time.

 

[walrus]

Yes, +1 on enjoying this thread!

walrus

 

[dwasifar]

I know there is still quite some time to go before the two week mark, but I'm starting to think these strings might not make it that long. The more they break in, the less I like them.