GGJaguar
Reverential Member
It’s NSD (new string day) for the '58 A-350. It is currently strung with DR Sunbeam phosphor-bronze 12s and I’ve been happy with the way they sound. I was going to put on D’Addario PB 12s, but then I found a company that makes flatwound phosphor bronze strings. How exciting!
Quick backstory – my 1956-ish Gagliano Model 900 had ancient flatwound bronze-type strings when I acquired it. I was really surprised as I had never heard of flatwound bronze strings. I checked around at the time, but clearly they weren’t being made anymore. Still, the idea of PB or 80/20 flats on an acoustic archtop has remained in my mind. I mean, that’s what they used back in the day, right?
The strings I found are made by Magma in Argentina. According to the package, round PB wire is wound around the core wire (hex) and then flattened. They are definitely smoother than ground wound or half-round strings, neither of which I like because they don’t feel smooth or sound good (to me). The Magma strings are very smooth to the touch as one would expect for a flatwound string.
They come well-packed against moisture. Each string is in a heat-sealed plastic pouch that is in a paper sleeve. The paper sleeves are then packed in a heat-sealed plastic pouch that is in a cardboard “matchbook cover”. Not as environmentally friendly as other brands, but the strings are super fresh. I believe the plain strings are silvered, though there is no mention of this on package.
The gauge is a little different. The DR Sunbeams I took off are 12-16-24-32-42-54. D’Addarios are the same except for a 53 low E string. The Magmas are 12-16-24-34-44-54 and I like the slightly heavier D and A strings. Being very smooth, there is very little, if any, finger noise. I can get away with some sloppy playing that I couldn’t with round wounds.
Here is a comparison of the DR Sunbeam (left) and Magma Flat (right). You cans see the round wound wire on the ball end wrap and how it gradually becomes flattened moving up the length of the string.
The Magma strings sound somewhere between a nickel flatwound and a round wound phosphor bronze, but lean closer to PB. The biggest difference I hear is less metallic “clank” on the E, A and D strings compared to the DRs. If I didn’t know they were flatwounds, I would thing they were well broken-in PB round wounds or PBs that are “softer” sounding. They absolutely are not dull sounding and there is still plenty of high end sparkle present. The bass strings have some of the “thud” associated with flatwounds, but not much. The round wounds do sustain slightly better, but it’s a minimal difference.
Overall, I like them. I wasn’t sure what to expect, although I was kind of hoping that these strings were the secret ingredient to great vintage acoustic archtop tone. They are good, but they can’t make up for my poor playing, except for the finger squeeks. At $14 per pack, they are more than the DR or D’Addario round wounds, but they are worth the cost for experimenting. Before deciding if they are strings that I want to keep using, I’m going to try a set on my ’96 Artist Award and on the Gagliano Model 900. I’ll be sure to post the results when I do.
Quick backstory – my 1956-ish Gagliano Model 900 had ancient flatwound bronze-type strings when I acquired it. I was really surprised as I had never heard of flatwound bronze strings. I checked around at the time, but clearly they weren’t being made anymore. Still, the idea of PB or 80/20 flats on an acoustic archtop has remained in my mind. I mean, that’s what they used back in the day, right?
The strings I found are made by Magma in Argentina. According to the package, round PB wire is wound around the core wire (hex) and then flattened. They are definitely smoother than ground wound or half-round strings, neither of which I like because they don’t feel smooth or sound good (to me). The Magma strings are very smooth to the touch as one would expect for a flatwound string.
They come well-packed against moisture. Each string is in a heat-sealed plastic pouch that is in a paper sleeve. The paper sleeves are then packed in a heat-sealed plastic pouch that is in a cardboard “matchbook cover”. Not as environmentally friendly as other brands, but the strings are super fresh. I believe the plain strings are silvered, though there is no mention of this on package.
The gauge is a little different. The DR Sunbeams I took off are 12-16-24-32-42-54. D’Addarios are the same except for a 53 low E string. The Magmas are 12-16-24-34-44-54 and I like the slightly heavier D and A strings. Being very smooth, there is very little, if any, finger noise. I can get away with some sloppy playing that I couldn’t with round wounds.
Here is a comparison of the DR Sunbeam (left) and Magma Flat (right). You cans see the round wound wire on the ball end wrap and how it gradually becomes flattened moving up the length of the string.
The Magma strings sound somewhere between a nickel flatwound and a round wound phosphor bronze, but lean closer to PB. The biggest difference I hear is less metallic “clank” on the E, A and D strings compared to the DRs. If I didn’t know they were flatwounds, I would thing they were well broken-in PB round wounds or PBs that are “softer” sounding. They absolutely are not dull sounding and there is still plenty of high end sparkle present. The bass strings have some of the “thud” associated with flatwounds, but not much. The round wounds do sustain slightly better, but it’s a minimal difference.
Overall, I like them. I wasn’t sure what to expect, although I was kind of hoping that these strings were the secret ingredient to great vintage acoustic archtop tone. They are good, but they can’t make up for my poor playing, except for the finger squeeks. At $14 per pack, they are more than the DR or D’Addario round wounds, but they are worth the cost for experimenting. Before deciding if they are strings that I want to keep using, I’m going to try a set on my ’96 Artist Award and on the Gagliano Model 900. I’ll be sure to post the results when I do.
