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Post by Admin on Jan 10, 2013 15:28:47 GMT -5
For all you acoustic guys,
What strings do you use, and why? What music do you play?
I'm an old acoustic country (appalachian music) picker and use only Elixer Phosphor Bronze 11's. they are just right for the tone I want out of my Martin, Gibson or Grammer.
I've tried 10's and they're too bright, 12's a little too bass.
For some reason, Elixer just seems to feel and sound best to me.
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Post by slapjaw on Jan 10, 2013 16:53:35 GMT -5
I use Elixer on both electric and acoustic. And have never broken a string. On Electrics I use Nano 10-46. On the acoustics's I use either 12-53 or 13-56. Except on my ES-125 I had installed a set of D'Daddaro 12-52 flat wound. A lot of people don't like the Elixer because of the price, but man they last and to me sound good. I've even installed them on my Bass and on my martin 12 string. (which required a 2nd mortgage )
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Post by dadfad on Jan 11, 2013 8:19:29 GMT -5
Elixirs are pretty good strings, and they do last forever.
Years ago, maybe twenty years, I got a letter in the mail from Exlixir String Co. which I had never heard of before back then. They said that they had identified me from my buying habits at several music stores and would I be interested in participating in a survey using a new type of string they wanted to market-test. If I was interested just check off the boxes of the kinds of guitars I played and what brand and gauge of strings I generally used on them. So I did, and about a week later I got a little packet from them with three packs of acoustic and three packs of electric strings. They said use them for six months and then to please fill out the questionnaire and send it back to them.
I did, and I told them that I thought they were high quality strings, better sounding than most brands and that they lasted much longer than any other strings I'd ever used before they started to fatigue, lose their tone or go dead.
A few weeks later I got a letter thanking me and two more packs each for acoustic and electric. And just a year or two later I saw them coming out in a few guitar shops.
I use them, but not always. They do hold a great tone far longer than any other strings, but I think I get a better tone on new D'Adario phosphor-bronze on my acoustics. (And Ernie Ball Hybrid-Slinkies on my electrics.)
I have lots of guitars and I try to keep decent strings on all of them so what I do is on most of the guitars I use least I use Elixirs because I know if I don't pick up that guitar again for six months it's still gonna sound good. But on the few guitars I play pretty often, a couple of my acoustics, I'll use D'Adario Phosphor bronze. I use what they call Bluegrass Gauge which is a hybrid set with heavier wound bass strings and slightly lighter solid treble strings. They aren't on the wall in all guitar shops and so I usually order them by the box (12 sets). They seem to bring out the best in my old Gibson acoustics, especially that boom in the bass which as mostly a fingerstyle/alternating thumb-bass kind of guy now I really like. (On a couple of my really old more delicate acoustic guitars I use D'Adario phosphor-bronze Custom-Lights, which are again a special hybrid set sort of somewhere between regular Lights and Extra-Lights.)
Back when I gigged a lot I used to change my strings every six playing hours, which was about every eight sets. Usually that would be two gigs. I don't change them anywhere near that often any more. Just whenever they seem to need it. And on the guitars with Elixirs that isn't very often!
I have a couple of guitars where I choose strings individually (not in pre-packaged sets) like on a a couple of my old Nationals used almost exclusively for slide where I'll typically use say a wound-.060" (a bass-string) on down to much heavier than usual solids. (I order GHS or Ernie Ball solid .024" for my 3rd-string, etc.) In order to get more sustain for playing slide.
So I use lots of different strings, but Elixirs are definitely great strings, and that's probably what's on most of my guitars right now.
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Post by jlhooker on Feb 26, 2013 17:15:23 GMT -5
I use DR-Pure Blues 10's.I like the tone I get from them. JLHooker
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Post by Admin on Feb 26, 2013 17:42:09 GMT -5
I use DR-Pure Blues 10's.I like the tone I get from them. JLHooker Nice! What do you play (guitar and amp?)
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Post by dadfad on Feb 27, 2013 15:53:07 GMT -5
Here's a little story told by Thom Bresh, Merle Travis' son. He said once after a gig backstage some young guy came up to Merle and asked "What kind of strings do you use on your guitar." He said Merle looked at him for a minute and then finally said "Why guitar strings. What'd you think I'd use?" And then when the kid walked away, Merle said to Thom, "That boy's dumber than a bowl of cold grits."
According to Thom, Merle never paid any attention to what kind of strings he used. He'd just walk into a shop and point at some strings on the wall and say "Gimmee half a dozen packs of those."
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Post by jlhooker on Feb 28, 2013 8:57:10 GMT -5
I use DR-Pure Blues 10's.I like the tone I get from them. JLHooker Nice! What do you play (guitar and amp?) My favorite guitar is a Gibson 339 with 57 classic pickups.I play through a peavey classic 50 212 with a 115 speaker cab.I also use an old 65 fender twin reverb. Hooker
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Post by steve on Mar 3, 2013 16:50:37 GMT -5
I've started using Elixirs on acoustics- I use 12 guage.This came about after I broke a string at a gig and a mate of mine gave me a set of Elixirs from which i replaced the broken one. After the gig I replaced the rest and the strings impressed me with the lengevity. So from then on I used them on my gigging acoustics.
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Post by bulldogbill on Mar 21, 2013 7:18:47 GMT -5
Realizing that this is a very personal decision; I use and love Elixir nonoweb 12-56's. I play acoustic blues, mostly piedmont (fingerpicked, of course) and some Gary Davis Gospel tunes on my Washburn F48SW. They are expensive, but on the other side, they do last a long time. But, that's just my opinion, I could be wrong. When I had a metal resophonic, I used the DR's with good results. If asked for advice, I could only suggest that one try different brands and styles and select the one that works for you.
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Post by earleg on Mar 21, 2013 16:34:04 GMT -5
I too was on the Elixer strings testing in the '90s for 2 or so years. The strings did last a long time hours used wise. I returned however to my old favorite D'Addario and sometimes use GHS burnished on one electric. I use .010" & .011" sets on electrics and light .012-.053 on acoustic. Only other thing is using a little dab of "Lemon" furniture oil on the strings to clean, sort of smooth out and reduce squeaking.
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Post by minorkey on Mar 31, 2013 6:54:30 GMT -5
Well my electric had old strings on it (its a 2000 Squier SE strat). I got some Ernie Ball Slinky 9s and it sounded totally different! Livened it right up!
My Fender acoustic has standard Fender phosohor bronzes on but Id like to put some good lights on it next time I restring her,
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Post by Admin on Mar 31, 2013 6:58:29 GMT -5
Well my electric had old strings on it (its a 2000 Squier SE strat). I got some Ernie Ball Slinky 9s and it sounded totally different! Livened it right up! My Fender acoustic has standard Fender phosohor bronzes on but Id like to put some good lights on it next time I restring her, I saw where you used 9's on the Squire. They may be a little too light to get a good mid-range. Have you tried a gauge or two higher?
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Post by minorkey on Mar 31, 2013 8:21:51 GMT -5
Oh I cant afford to pick and choose with strings, I just go with what I can get. I hardly play the electric, just too much messing on with wires, finding a space to play and such. I got a pedal for my birthday too, it just sits there.
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Post by Admin on May 21, 2013 13:49:35 GMT -5
Just found Curt Mangan strings. WOW
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Post by Admin on May 21, 2013 21:00:47 GMT -5
Do you buy strings in sets or individual strings to customize the set?
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