Page 1 of 1

New Reviews Coming!

Posted: Sat Jul 23, 2022 12:17 am
by Diane Kauffmds
Hey guys,

With the continued generosity of Strings By Mail, one of our great sponsors, I'll be posting string reviews again in the coming months.

This time around, I've enlisted the help of a couple of professional guitarists. This way you'll have reviews of a wider variety of string types, as well as a couple of head to head comparisons. The first review should be around August to September, depending on how long the current strings last. Rather than scheduling a rigid schedule of string reviews, I think it'll be better to truly put them to the test, including durability and tone over a period of time.

I'll be working with folks who play classical, acoustic flat top, archtop, and electric, guitars.

Stay tuned. If you need string, Strings by Mail is a really excellent supplier.


https://www.stringsbymail.com/?gclid=Cj ... R6EALw_wcB

Re: New Reviews Coming!

Posted: Sat Jul 23, 2022 9:01 am
by jread
Thanks again to Strings by Mail for supporting our forum! They have every brand you'd ever want to try and seem like great people.

To save a little money what I've started doing is putting on a cheap set of bulk strings when I first finish a guitar or reset. You can get nice phosphor bronze sets in 25 packs for about $4 per set. I usually want to change the strings after a week or two when the guitar settles and I give it final adjustments. Then I put on my current favorites, the $14 Martin Guitar Authentic Acoustic Lifespan 2.0 lights. They definitely last a lot longer than the regular phos bronze.

By "last", I mean, non-coated phosphor bronze strings seem to tarnish which I don't mind but they also to my ear seem to get less responsive and dynamic in sound after about 2 weeks of daily playing for me. They really don't need to be changed that often but I'm a builder who likes them fresh. Some people like them old and jangly. I saw Jeff Tweety who owns many priceless guitars say that he never changes strings on a guitar unless they break. He thinks the old, used ones give it character that is lost with a new set. hmmm. No thanks. haha. But I can't argue, his records sound great.

One interesting thing is that age alone doesn't seem to kill strings. I had some guitars come that sat in their cases since the 1980's with brand new strings. They sounded great but started to wear like a new set would once we started playing them. I figure metal is metal. Unless it's oxidized for physically damaged, they will ring like new now matter how old they are. I've used packs of strings that were 50+ years old and they sounded really great.

Re: New Reviews Coming!

Posted: Sat Jul 23, 2022 11:23 am
by Kevin Sjostrand
Great news. Bring on the reviews.

Re: New Reviews Coming!

Posted: Sat Jul 23, 2022 12:34 pm
by Skarsaune
Let me know where you’re getting your bulk strings.

I just stocked up on Daddario phosphor bronze, but I also like to use a cheaper set for initial set up and play.

Re: New Reviews Coming!

Posted: Mon Jul 25, 2022 12:29 pm
by Diane Kauffmds
If you're planning on doing a lot of guitars, I recommend the bulk strings from Strings by Mail. They're Martin strings and they'll run you less than $5/set.

Re: New Reviews Coming!

Posted: Mon Jul 25, 2022 4:41 pm
by jread
Skarsaune wrote: Sat Jul 23, 2022 12:34 pm Let me know where you’re getting your bulk strings.

I just stocked up on Daddario phosphor bronze, but I also like to use a cheaper set for initial set up and play.
These are good Martin strings. Just cheaper in 25 packs with no fancy packaging.

https://www.stringsbymail.com/acoustic- ... ronze-550/

I've used these long term and they are great, non-coated ones just wear faster than the coated ones. I'm looking forward to the upcoming reviews though to see if there is something new to I gotta try.

Re: New Reviews Coming!

Posted: Mon Jul 25, 2022 6:39 pm
by Skarsaune
Thanks!