Very Disappointed in Strings

[dane]

Hi all,
Every once in a while I like to try something different in strings. I seen a set of D’Addario EJ26 Phosphor Bronze .011 to .052 at the music shop and I thought what the hay I’ll give them a shot. I put them on today and they sound like crap. There flat and muddy with no real ring to them. The .052 sixth string has no sustain what so ever. I’ve used D’Addario EJ16 .012 to .053 in the past and found them to be ok strings, but the EJ26 set I would not recommend using. I’ll be changing the strings again tomorrow.

 

[West R Lee]

What are you putting them on Dane. For a flattop, especially a rosewood, give John Pearse strings a shot. Don, or administrator carries them. I've gotten them from Don for about 3 1/2 years now. They are cheap and have great tone, I also like the plyability of the 80/20's for fingerpicking. I do have one finicky maple dread that requires Plectrums though.

West

 

[Frosty]

That's interesting. What is the difference between the EJ16 and EJ26, other than gauge? D'Addario PB are a default standard for many builders and pickers, but certainly not right for every application. I agree with West about the Pearse strings - quality products.

 

[capnjuan]

Hi Dane; too bad about the strings ... the Thunder 1 in your siggie ... is that the one you posted a few weeks back? Didja buy it? John

 

[dreadnut]

I find that very interesting - I'm a long-time player of DA phosphor bronze mediums, and I haven't been able to duplicate the tonal quality with other strings. Tried a set of JP's recently, they were only on for about a week when I took out my Guild and it sounded like it died. Seriously, it sounded like a cheap import to me - some of the strings were making that "thud" sound with no sustain whatsoever. Checked to make sure I hadn't left the humidifier in the soundhole :wink: then I took the JP's off and replaced them with DA's and back came the tone. Not trying to sell any kind of strings here, just relating my experience.

 

[Frosty]

Hey guys, let's not be too quick to disparage "thud and no sustain". I use Thomastik Plectrum AC112 strings specifically for those attributes! Lots of thud and no jangle is the right way to propel a string band! And "bass thump" is what the Kentucky choke-style of fingerpicking is all about.

"One man's dull thump is another man's Merle Travis" - an old saying I just made up. :wink:

 

[dreadnut]

:lol: :lol: If I wanted thud and no sustain I wouldn't have a Guild!

Actually, I hear what you're saying, Frosty. When I want that "thud" beat on fingerpicking blues or whatever, I just use the palm of my picking hand to mute the strings a bit. But that's not what I want all the time.

 

[dane]

First a point of clarification. I’m not in any way saying that D’Addario strings are junk. I have used them on and off for years on many of my guitars with no problem. This is why I was so surprised, and disappointed about this set.

What are you putting them on Dane.

West, they were installed on my D46 flat top. I took them off today and put on a set of EJ16, simply because that’s what I had here at the house, (music shop is 50 miles down the road) and all is good again. Weird?!?! :?

That's interesting. What is the difference between the EJ16 and EJ26, other than gauge?

Hey guys, let's not be too quick to disparage "thud and no sustain". I use Thomastik Plectrum AC112 strings specifically for those attributes! Lots of thud and no jangle is the right way to propel a string band! And "bass thump" is what the Kentucky choke-style of fingerpicking is all about.

"One man's dull thump is another man's Merle Travis" - an old saying I just made up. :wink:

Frosty, you’re right about the gauge being slightly different, (lighter) and it goes without saying that the string tension will also differ to some degree. Other then that I see no difference. I have used extra light sets on this guitar with no problem, it just wasn’t as loud, and again that stands to reason.

Your right about some styles of playing sounding better with “thud and no sustain”. But I need good sustain for what I play. And on the occasions where I just need a thud for the bass line I ether palm the E A &D or place my left hand fingers on the fret just right…a technique I perfected over the years.

Hi Dane; too bad about the strings ... the Thunder 1 in your siggie ... is that the one you posted a few weeks back? Didja buy it? John

Capnjuan, I think you may have me confused with someone else. I bought my Thunder 1 used for a whopping $75 back in 1973. It’s been a good amp for me for a long time. I only use my Peavey when I need the reverb or if I’m playing an outside gig and I need the extra volume.

I find that very interesting - I'm a long-time player of DA phosphor bronze mediums, and I haven't been able to duplicate the tonal quality with other strings.

:lol: :lol: If I wanted thud and no sustain I wouldn't have a Guild!

Dreadnut, again I’m not bashing DA strings in general, only this set of EJ26. It could be that I got a bad set, but I’m not going to waste another $8 to find out. When using DA strings I’ll stick with the EJ16 set.

And as far as owning a Guild for fantastic sustain…all I can say is amen brother amen! 8) 8)

 

[walrus]

I really like the way the EJ16's sound and feel. I have been using them for several years now - can't speak for the EJ26's, though.

walrus

 

[capnjuan]

Capnjuan, I think you may have me confused with someone else.

So I did! .... this getting old stuff is for the birds John

 

[dreadnut]

Did I mention what great sustain my DV-52 has? Oh yeah, I think I did That baby's got sustain into next week...proved it one Sunday night at 11:59:30

I know yer not bashing the D'Addarios, I just thought it was peculiar that we had the opposite experience with the same strings...

Now, if they only still made Nashville Straights!

Well, whatever you do, don't overtighten those JP's :lol:

 

[chazmo]

My wife once told me I was all thud and no sustain... I wasn't sure how to react.

 

[Taylor Martin Guild]

I purchased some D'Addario med PB's in bulk last year.
I had 6 loose sets at that time.[6 loose strings of each size]
The first 3 sets were fine.
The 4th and 5th sets sounded dead within a few hours of being strung up.
The last set was fine.

My point is that you may have just had a bad/old set of strings.
I would give them one more try before I decided their final fate.

One more thing that I have notices about uncoated strings.
In the winter, I add a sound hole humidifier and in higher natural humidity times, I just use a home made soap dish humidifier in the case.

When I use the sound hole humidifier, my strings don't last as long.
They even show signs of rust on the strings.

This winter, I quit using a sound hole humidifier and monitored the humidity in the guitar case to be sure to have enough humidity using only the soap dish humidifier and the results were that the strings lasted longer and the guitars still had adequate humidity.

I won't be using sound hole humidifiers any more, at least for now.

 

[Scratch]

My wife once told me I was all thud and no sustain... I wasn't sure how to react.

I think sustain without thud would be pretty frustrating Chaz :? :lol:

 

[chazmo]

My wife once told me I was all thud and no sustain... I wasn't sure how to react.

I think sustain without thud would be pretty frustrating Chaz :? :lol:

Hehe... You gotta' go to the doc's if you have more than 4 hours of sustain.

 

[danerectal]

I've always though 11s sound dead on an acoustic. I've tried them before to equal disappointment. :roll:

 

[nanccinut]

Just wonder since DR strings are owned by the son of one of the original owners of Guild what the feed is on them .I know in looking at the web site they boast in doing most of their acoustic guitar string test on Guild guitars. By this I mean they ocilloscope the test results trying to acieve the best possible sound in both substain and tone and volume balance. They are my next must buy strings on my list. Anyone out there playing them now on a D-35?
nanccinut :wink:

 

[bek]

I just use Martin Marquis Lights (.12) on my D25. Have since about the fourth set of strings (about 36 years, now). Never used any humidifiying on any instrument. Guess I got lucky.

 

[BluesDan]

Just wonder since DR strings are owned by the son of one of the original owners of Guild what the feed is on them .I know in looking at the web site they boast in doing most of their acoustic guitar string test on Guild guitars. By this I mean they ocilloscope the test results trying to acieve the best possible sound in both substain and tone and volume balance. They are my next must buy strings on my list. Anyone out there playing them now on a D-35?
nanccinut :wink:

When I purchased my D-25 (used), I immediately loved the tone of the strings, knew they weren't my usual D'Addario's, they felt and sounded different. So I called the guy that sold me the guitar and he told me they were DR Rares. He swore by them. Since that time I have to give a mixed review of the DR Rares. My experience with them is that they are inconsistant. The set that my guitar came with was great. The replacement set I put on was dead, lifeless. Tried another and they were decent. Switched supplier and bought another 3 sets. Mixed results. One great sounding set, the others just OK. Found it frustrating to the point where I switched back to D'Addarios PB. I may experiment with the DR's again though, because when they were good, they were REAL good.

 

[BluesDan]

oops......double posted........