Forum

Many of the major string manufacturers sell what they call "bluegrass strings" with regular gauge high strings and heavier gauge bass strings. I assume this is to make the bass punch out better. They seem like a good idea for smaller guitars that lack bass.

Has anyone tried these strings and what did you think?

Well, sorta. I was using D'Addario .012-.053's on my Yamaha LJ (Auditorium size, Jumbo shape), and the low E string was definitely lagging behind the others in volume. I tried a set of DR strings which happened to have a .054 low E, and it sounded dramatically better. I later began using D'Addario medium Phosphor Bronze on this guitar, and it went into sonic overdrive. Bear, the difference is not small.

So while I haven't tried Bluegrass strings explicitly, I can verify larger gauge strings are most definitely much louder, so I think it very plausible that Bluegrass strings with their heavier gauge bass strings will have a very beefy voice.

Dan

John Pearse strings, made specifically for bluegrass music. Hard to find, but the right strings for that sound ya need. Beats Martin by a mile.