trouble with strings - what's the diff?

kep67
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Sun May 27, 2012 2:25 pm

I'm looking at several packages of strings. I've always liked the Martin SP strings, but here I'm looking at packages of both phosphour bronze and 80/20 bronze.
I'd like to change strings on a Taylor 114 and like Elixir strings on it, but I have a set of 80/20 extra light.
How do I keep the difference between 80/20 and phosphour bronze straight in my head??

Today I'm gonna go with the Martin SP phosphour bronze and hope for the best - which can be very good, it's sweet sounding guitar.
I just get string stumped.


dennisg
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Sun May 27, 2012 4:34 pm

Your Taylor came out of the factory with Elixer Nanoweb 80/20 light- (not extra-light) gauge strings. 80/20 strings have the sound that Taylor prefers, but I switched to phosphor bronzes on my 814 because they produce a slightly darker sound. 80/20s are a bit brighter. My favorite string for the 814 is DR Rare -- not coated like Elixers, but just awesome tone. (For your guitar, you would buy DR Rares in medium-gauge, as that's nearly the equivalent of Elixer lights.) My general rule of thumb is that I put PBs on guitars that tend to produce a brighter sound (Taylors, for example) and 80/20s on guitars that already produce a darker sound (Martins). You will likely find PB strings to be slightly stiffer than 80/20s, too.

String choice is a very personal thing and, as Paul Simon once said, one man's ceiling is another man's floor. Fortunately, strings are cheap enough for you to try out various brands and types to see what floats your boat.


tovo
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Sun May 27, 2012 4:57 pm

A very informative answer from Dennis for you. One thing I would add is that you need to decide if you prefer coated or uncoated strings. I like coated, but you obviously need to decide which type floats your own boat.


kep67
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Sun May 27, 2012 6:19 pm

Thank you Dennis. Helped me remember, I do have 80/20's on a Martin - that has my favorite sound.
I do not like the PB's that I just put on my Taylor this afternoon, they are noticeably stiff with quite a bit of raspy finger sound, really amplifies the string sliding.
I'm going to order a set of the Elixir Nanoweb 80/20 light. Maybe the coating will decrease the finger slide sounds.

But, I do remember in the past putting on a set of new strings, disliking them initially but then really enjoying the strings a couple wks later. :blink:


dennisg
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Sun May 27, 2012 8:13 pm

kep67 wrote:
Thank you Dennis. Helped me remember, I do have 80/20's on a Martin - that has my favorite sound.
I do not like the PB's that I just put on my Taylor this afternoon, they are noticeably stiff with quite a bit of raspy finger sound, really amplifies the string sliding.
I'm going to order a set of the Elixir Nanoweb 80/20 light. Maybe the coating will decrease the finger slide sounds.

But, I do remember in the past putting on a set of new strings, disliking them initially but then really enjoying the strings a couple wks later. :blink:
I'm confused by your post. If you put on Elixer PBs today, then you already tried coated strings. Switching to 80/20s is only going to change the string material, not the coating.

Don't be quick to discard the Elixer PBs. They take about 3 or 4 hours of playing to break in, and once they do, they sound terrific. I'm surprised to hear that you're getting a lot of sliding noise. The coating on coated strings usually minimizes that type of sound. In my experience, uncoated strings are usually noisier.

Another option is Elixer Polyweb 80/20s which, as the Elixer web site says, are specially formulation to minimize string squeak. I've never used them, so I can't vouch for the sound.


kep67
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Mon May 28, 2012 12:15 pm

I kept the Elixir extra lights for a Baby Taylor my daughter strums

No the strings I put on yesterday were Martin SP phospour bronze, just didn't feel that great on the Taylor.
I have loved these strings in the past, at least on the Martin - although that guitar really prefers the 80/20 I think

I'll give the PB's a few days, but will likely change to the Elixirs


BigBear
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Thu May 31, 2012 11:55 am

As usual, Dennis is right on with excellent advice. But it's not surprising that you find true PB's squeakier than coated strings. The coating hides the sharp edges of the windings and virtually eliminates squeaking.

I love real PB's, and don't especially like the 80/20's, but most PB's (I like D'Addarios) oxidize so quickly that if you play much you need to change them every couple of weeks. That crystal sound you get starts decaying almost immediately.

So, because I'm lazy and cheap, I've gone to Elixir Nano mediums on my Taylor and Larrivee. They aren't quite as crystal-clear but they last longer. I'm not totally convinced that for the $16/set they charge they last 3X as long as PB's. But that's another story.

BTW- I recall Neil saying that he uses D'Addarios PB mediums (.013) but changes them frequently; every week or so. If I played like Neil maybe I would too! lol!

Cheers! :cheer:


coclimber
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Thu May 31, 2012 12:11 pm

I'm hoping I can piggy-back onto this conversation for some related advice that I suspect has been discussed elsewhere... I'm happy to follow a link to a more appropriate discussion if someone has one. But, all the good advice here inspired me to ask this question in hopes of similarly good feedback.

My question: how do you tell when its time to change your strings? I have used the same set of coated Elixir's on my Larrivee for, well ... a very long time. I'm almost embarrassed to say... over a year I think? I assume that an overly long time... :unsure: They seem to hold tune incredibly well still, I play pretty regularly, and they're not overly dark or squeaky. I guess I don't really know what to look / listen for to decide when strings need replacing.

I suspect I simply don't have enough experience and/or a good enough ear to tell when its time to change, so any hints are greatly appreciated.

Cheers!


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Music Junkie
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Thu May 31, 2012 12:24 pm

coclimber wrote:
I'm hoping I can piggy-back onto this conversation for some related advice that I suspect has been discussed elsewhere... I'm happy to follow a link to a more appropriate discussion if someone has one. But, all the good advice here inspired me to ask this question in hopes of similarly good feedback.

My question: how do you tell when its time to change your strings? I have used the same set of coated Elixir's on my Larrivee for, well ... a very long time. I'm almost embarrassed to say... over a year I think? I assume that an overly long time... :unsure: They seem to hold tune incredibly well still, I play pretty regularly, and they're not overly dark or squeaky. I guess I don't really know what to look / listen for to decide when strings need replacing.

I suspect I simply don't have enough experience and/or a good enough ear to tell when its time to change, so any hints are greatly appreciated.

Cheers!
Depending on your climate and the amount o time you spend playing, the duration of string life can change..... If you live in a mild climate, store your guitar regularly in the case and don't play very often, your strings will last longer.... I you leave your guitar out of the case and play daily, you will wear them out faster. I switched to the D'Addarios that Neil recommended and I really enjoy them so far. I play most nights, and change my strings about once a month. Maybe not a perfect situation, but my Taylor 814 seems to keep a very nice tone for me that way..... B)

So much of this is really up to personal preference though. What may sound good to me, may not sound good to someone else.... Give a few different brands and styles a go for about a week or two each and see what you prefer.... ;)

J


dennisg
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Thu May 31, 2012 12:47 pm

coclimber wrote:
I'm hoping I can piggy-back onto this conversation for some related advice that I suspect has been discussed elsewhere... I'm happy to follow a link to a more appropriate discussion if someone has one. But, all the good advice here inspired me to ask this question in hopes of similarly good feedback.

My question: how do you tell when its time to change your strings? I have used the same set of coated Elixir's on my Larrivee for, well ... a very long time. I'm almost embarrassed to say... over a year I think? I assume that an overly long time... :unsure: They seem to hold tune incredibly well still, I play pretty regularly, and they're not overly dark or squeaky. I guess I don't really know what to look / listen for to decide when strings need replacing.

I suspect I simply don't have enough experience and/or a good enough ear to tell when its time to change, so any hints are greatly appreciated.

Cheers!
Everyone's different. Some people play hard and really stress their strings; some are gentle finger pickers. Some play for four hours a day; others for 15 minutes. Some have toxic body chemistry that affects the lifespan of strings; others don't. And some people fail to wash the grime off their hands before playing, and some folks are fastidious about hygiene. But wherever you fit in this description, it's safe to say that a year of use is way too long.

Strings tend to get dull, flabby, and lose both their high-end shimmer and resonance when they get old. But this phenomenon happens so gradually, it's hard to detect. One day it'll just dawn on you that your guitar sounds like crap. So, I'll put it in terms of time (keeping in mind that this is just a generalization): if you play for about an hour a day, your coated Elixer strings should give you about 3 months of life -- maximum. Then it's time to change them. If you use uncoated strings, well, chaos reigns. I've gotten everywhere from a single week to a whole month with uncoated strings. For me, what's important is the tone I get from the strings -- not how often I have to change them. But that's just me.


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