What kind of strings

malevolentsparkle · Posted: Sun Dec 05, 2004 1:03 am Post subject:

hi,
i use black diamond silver coated strings. they're steel strings like electric but instead of nickel plating they have silver. they're a bit brighter than bronze strings but no way close to nickel/steel strings. good if you guitar is a bit too warm for your likeing, and they have a distinctive white colour. these babys will last you a lot longer than normal acoustic strings (silver is a lot less reactive than bronze). the only complant i have is that they feel a bit 'sticky' if you know what i mean.

Strummer · Posted: Sat Nov 10, 2007 6:00 pm Post subject: Strings

Strings are deffinately a personal prefference, there are many fine quality strings out there. Just need to try some and find what works for you. Me I like Elixers, many do not. Alot depends on the sound and style of your playing. I like the elixer phosphor bronze light gauge. I like the overtones and the subtelties I get using these strings and they dont darken the sound when I finger pick. Also the coating makes for easy slides, you hear the tone of the slide instead of string squeek. If you are more of just a strummer and some occasional flat picking you might prefer D' Addario or the Martins suggested. I like to play alot of complex picking patterns and finger picking so the elixers give great overtones. It is hard to realy suggest a string without knowing what your style prefference is and your tone prefference. Do you prefer a warm tone or a brighter tone?

J Dan Brown · Posted: Mon Nov 19, 2007 6:29 am Post subject: Favorite strings

After using D'Addario Phosphor Bronze lights for decades, a friend recently sent me some GHS "extended life" that even the little B and E are plated with bronze and I think I like them better. I tried the coated Elixer strings and were not impressed. I don't like extra light on acoustics. I remember as a kid growing up in a small town (Natchitoches, LA) all you could get at the local sporting goods store was "Black Diamond" which would turn your fingers green. I remember driving 75 miles on a 5HP Honda 50SS to Shreveport for decent electric and acoustic guitar strings. My old Guild for some strange reason is blessed and strings seem to go about 2 months (even playing every day) before becoming hard to tune and losing major tone.
Blessed, yet undeserving, Dan

"But today I feel like I'm just one mistake away, from You leaving me this way"

music wasn't part of me · Posted: Mon Nov 19, 2007 6:53 am Post subject:

I've been using the light one all this time on my acoustic, it's the 0.11inch one, light gauge Dean Markley (I don't if you guys have that or not in the states)...anyway,I'm thinking about getting a much deeper tone,little more bass with the strings...does that mean i should try the heavier type instead of the light gauge?

My no.3 just broke yesterday,so this is the perfect time to ask the forum....any suggestions?

Mudbugclub · Sea Monkey Joined: 05 Mar 2008 Posts: 12

I think you just get used to what you use. I've used Fender stings starting at .009 for years now.

George E · Posted: Tue Jul 01, 2008 9:34 pm Post subject:

My six string is a self-modified hybrid. It's a Squier acoustic with an Artec pre-amp/equalizer and single-coil soundhole pickup retrofitted. Think of the Gibson acoustic with a neck pickup that the George Harrison and John Lennon used to play, except much, much cheaper. Amplified, the sound is midway between an acoustic and an electric.

I had been using Fender medium Phosphor Bronze strings. They were reasonably good. When I'd play purely acoustic they sounded very good, and amplified they weren't bad. Then, on the recommendation of a guitar store salesman whose opinion I respected, I switched to Fender's 80-20 strings. They made a major improvement.

They still had an excellent sound when I'd play acoustic, but they were even brighter through the single-coil pickup.

With hybrids become more and more common, these strings are ideal.