New Strings. I want more sustain.

[Volt]

I need to replace the strings on my D-40 Cutaway acoustic which is a mostly mahogany guitar I believe. The tone of the previous set didn't hold up very well. They are only 30 years old or abouts. :shock: :lol:

I would like non-nylon strings with the most volume and sustain.
I am thinking about a set of Fender Phosphor Bronze 60CL Custom Light Ball End Acoustic Guitar Strings, 0.011". The reason I'm interested in the Fenders is that I like their Super Bullet strings for my electric guitar, they have a nice brightness to them.
I'm just getting back into playing after a 25 year hiatus. What do you think would be good strings for what I'm looking for?

 

[Graham]

Lots of string discussion here abouts volt.

I like the John Pearse either PB or 80/20 in light. I have XLs on the wifes guitar as she's just learning and she likes them very much.

Added bonus, for me, is that Don sells them here for a price far better than I can get locally.

 

[magicslim]

I need to replace the strings on my D-40 Cutaway acoustic which is a mostly mahogany guitar I believe. The tone of the previous set didn't hold up very well. They are only 30 years old or abouts. :shock: :lol:

I would like non-nylon strings with the most volume and sustain.
I am thinking about a set of Fender Phosphor Bronze 60CL Custom Light Ball End Acoustic Guitar Strings, 0.011". The reason I'm interested in the Fenders is that I like their Super Bullet strings for my electric guitar, they have a nice brightness to them.
I'm just getting back into playing after a 25 year hiatus. What do you think would be good strings for what I'm looking for?

Hello Volt,

Choose a string brand is really personal. Me on guitar acoustic I use the D'Addario phosphor bronze light gauge 53-12. I prefer the Martin string pure bronze but they oxidize too faster.
The guitar sustain it's not only the string brand or the gauge. Look at your saddle and nut material. Bone is fine and Fossilized Ivory is the top to transmit the strings vibration to the top.

 

[Taylor Martin Guild]

Any new string set will be a big improvement over your old strings.
Coated strings like Elixor's will last a long time but cost a lot and the sustain won't be as good as the John Pearce 80/20 strings.
D'Addario also makes great strings.
You will want either 80/20 bronze or phospher bronze strings for an acoustic guitar.
Don't go lighter than light guage strings for sustain and bass response.
Get some fret board oil and clean and oil the fret board while the strings are off of the guitar. This will help condition the fret board and keep it from cracking.
Only use the oil on the fret board and bridge, not on the guitar body.

 

[sitka_spruce]

Let's look at the laws of physics

I would go out on a limb here and claim JPs (whomever make them) and GHSs are two brands of string with among the least internal damping characteristics to the steel they're made from (meaning they resonate exceptionally well) yet they have a broad frequency response. Cryohardened is better, though harder to drive, than non-cryo. Theoretically this would nominate the GHS Laurence Juber Signature as a possible candidate.

I would also suggest you to try string pins of different materials and at various positions to enhance the fundamental tone of the strings more. Harder = brighter

A third thing to consider, as discussed, is the gauge of strings. Theoretically a heavier gauge would resonate longer than a lighter one. This would also increase the headroom of the strings, hence the time from attack until the string has stopped vibrating will be longer thereof.

 

[AfterDarkMusic]

A lot of sustain is in the hands, though old strings do tend to let the notes die out much quicker than new strings. As others have said, any new set of strings should vastly improve the performance of your instrument.

I've been using Ernie Ball Earthwood strings lately and loving them. They're 80/20 so they're brighter, but the last a lot longer before oxidizing compared to other 80/20s I've played. A great set of strings for $5, and the paper string envelopes smell like cinnamon (no, really, they do)

When I get my new guitar I'm going to try out a set of phosphor bronze, and a set of 80/20s and see which sound I prefer and go from there.

I've been extremely happy with D'Addario strings on my electrics lately and I plan to try them on my acoustic.

 

[kostask]

Volt:

I do use the GHS Laurence Juber Signature Bronze Lights (LJ30L, .012-.054) on all of my spruce topped guitars (Guild and otherwise). I find them to have a really good tonal range; bass as deep and as loud as the best bass from other strings, AND trebles that are bright and clear as the best trebles from other string brands. Sustain, to my ear, is longer than the D'Addario EJ16s, and a little better than the Martin SPs (all pretty much in agreement with Sitka_Spruce's message, above). A few things to consider:

1. They feel fairly stiff; noticeable stiffer than the D"Addarios, and even stiffer than the above Martins. It isn't just me, others who have played my guitars strung with the GHSes have also commented on this. If you are going to continue playing acoustic guitar, you will need the muscles anyway; it will be a little more painful at the start if you haven't played acoustic recently. They start out fairly bright, but settle down after a few hours of playing. They seem to last fairly long, but I rotate through a few guitars, so it would be hard to judge that accurately. Also, the GHS strings do not work well with my cedar topped guitar, they seem to choke sound of the guitar. I am using D'Addario EJ16s on that one.

2. I don't know what the case is in the US, but up here in Canada, distribution is not widespread. It is far easier to find D'Addarios or Martin strings up here. Also, the GHSes are a couple of dollars more expensive than either of the other two brands. I personally think they are worth it, but only you can judge whether they are to you.

Kostas

 

[sitka_spruce]

Kostask is correct in his reflection on the stiffnes of cryohardened strings. Sure feels a bit strange at first, almost like a heavier gauge then what's on. Could have a bit slick yet punchy tone these, and I would happily recommend cryohardened strings on Canadian guitars of the Larrivee school.

A rule of thumb could be: the more force you have to apply to make them sing, the longer they sing, beit due to hardening or going up in gauge.

 

[Volt]

Thanks for the info!

I originally did a search and it returned over 700 posts.
Too many to weed through......at my age.

One of the first things I did was to apply linseed oil to all of my guitars' finger boards.

There is no way I can play my acoustic for more than a few minutes right now as I have almost no finger calluses built up yet.

I like options and now I have quite a few. :mrgreen:

 

[JazzyDaddy]

I have tried so many strings over the years...and currently my faves are the DR Rares phosphor bronze. Great feel, easy to play, great woody tone and they're long lasting. I have them on both my Guild '76 D-25ch and my '94 Martin 000-16C. i use mediums, .12-.54s.

I've also heard that the DR Sunbeams PBs are excellent.

Good luck with your hunt!

Dave

 

[Bluesbob]

Martin SP Marquis...

I put a set of Martin .012-.054 (light gauge) 80/20 Bronze SP Marquis strings (MSP1100) on my '75 D35 (same as the D40 - mahogany body, spruce top, but less ornate). The sustain is unbelievable. It goes on for days! They're bright and bold, loud too. They cost more than the regular SP's, but not much, and they have an "acoustic bronze" (whatever that is) plating on the solid strings as well as the core strings. I think they'll last awhile and they look beautiful. I've tried D'addario's, DR's, and these, and the Martins are the best I've tried so far. I've read good things about the John Pierce strings but never tried them. It'll be a while until I do. I just ordered 3 sets of the Martins from MF - total $22 and change, with shipping. I'm going to put them on my DC-5E, too.

 

[bighouse]

30 years sounds like pretty good sustain to me. What kind did you have on it before?
Bill

 

[Ross]

Re: Martin SP Marquis...

I put a set of Martin .012-.054 (light gauge) 80/20 Bronze SP Marquis strings (MSP1100) on my '75 D35 (same as the D40 - mahogany body, spruce top, but less ornate). The sustain is unbelievable. It goes on for days! They're bright and bold, loud too. They cost more than the regular SP's, but not much, and they have an "acoustic bronze" (whatever that is) plating on the solid strings as well as the core strings. I think they'll last awhile and they look beautiful. I've tried D'addario's, DR's, and these, and the Martins are the best I've tried so far. I've read good things about the John Pierce strings but never tried them. It'll be a while until I do. I just ordered 3 sets of the Martins from MF - total $22 and change, with shipping. I'm going to put them on my DC-5E, too.

I use these on my D25. I've tried several other types, but always come back to Marquis 12s. I tried the lighter Marquis (.011), but they don't stay in tune as well and don't project quite as well either. Also, I use a capo fairly often, and the 12s are very forgiving of a capo, whereas the 11s occasionally sounded slightly out of tune when capoed. The Marquis Bronze, or Phosphor Bronze, are highly recommended!

 

[Volt]

30 years sounds like pretty good sustain to me. What kind did you have on it before?
Bill

LOL
My 30-year-old strings were some sort of Martins. 0.011". I usually keep the old strings I'm changing and put them in the new strings packaging, and keep them in the guitar case's storage compartment. I don't remember exactly what kind of Martins they were (I threw them out), but they were not phosphor-bronze.

My new strings are........
http://letstalkguild.com/phpBB2/viewtop ... f=5&t=7173