Favourite strings on a dreadnought?...

[PorkyPrimeCut]

I'm asking because I'm replacing the strings on my newly acquired Guild D50.

I had a little search last night and got several answer regarding gauge & material. It seems the concensus is on light gauge strings & a lot of people favour bronze phosphor. Suits me as I use the latter myself but alway bought medium gauge. I'm fine with moving to a lighter set.

I'm going for a new brand too, Elixir, as I've never tried them before. My go-to brand had been Martin up until now. There seem to be several brands that have a coating used to extend the life of strings (by countering the effects of dead skin & sweat I guess) but I'm not sure how much of it is marketing talk. Elixir have "nanoweb".

Also, I say "dreadnought" in case other larger or smaller bodied acoustics are designed to use different strings. I'm sure body (maybe even neck) construction may be a factor too. Mahogany, rosewood, sitka, spruce etc... For the record, my D50 is rosewood with a spruce top.

I was also told, once upon a time on Denmark Street, that dreadnoughts should be strung with 11s. Any opinions?

[shadowplay]

I've used Rotosound Super Bronze for a long time, the 'Super, bit relating to their piano wind. There might we'll be better strings out there but I've never thought to change. Made in England too.

D

[Despot]

I'm going for a new brand too, Elixir, as I've never tried them before. My go-to brand had been Martin up until now. There seem to be several brands that have a coating used to extend the life of strings (by countering the effects of dead skin & sweat I guess) but I'm not sure how much of it is marketing talk. Elixir have "nanoweb".

I was also told, once upon a time on Denmark Street, that dreadnoughts should be strung with 11s. Any opinions?

I use Elixirs on my Lowden ... mainly because they seem to suit how it sounds. In my experience Elixirs do what they claim to do (they last a lot longer), but they're quite bright sounding strings. Not in a bad way, but they don't sound very 'vintage' if that's the tone you're looking for with the Guild Mark. Lowden recommend using .12s on the F models, so I use Elixir .12s.

I use Martin phosphur bronze strings on my J45 because they have more of (what I would think of as) an American tone, which suits the J45. You'll need to change them more often than the Elixirs (I have the same set on the Lowden since I bought it over a year ago, and despite getting serious play they sound the same as the day I strung it), but I sort of prefer these strings when they've 'deadened' a bit and are less bright than when they're just strung. Hold tuning well too. I have .12s on the J45 as well, mostly because it's a shorter scale so it helps the feel of the guitar.

.11s on the Guild might work (it's a full scale, right?) just as well as .12s on the J45. I guess string tension would also have some impact on the bowing of the top of the guitar ... heavier strings will pull the top up more and slightly increase action as well perhaps, so if that's a consideration then maybe go with .11s.

Is it loud? I imagine that heavier strings will equate to more volume, but I'd think there's probably a ceiling on that that's dictated by the guitar size/shape and woods more so than the strings.

Hope that all helps.

[rkharper]

I was also told, once upon a time on Denmark Street, that dreadnoughts should be strung with 11s. Any opinions?

blablayaddayadda….nothing "should"! if you feel better with 10s, then use 10s. THis is just silly Guitar Store Talk.
Sure, there is a difference soundwise, and feel-wise. try it out, and see for yourself.

I myself, use coated Martin 11s. (on Parlors and Dreadnoughts, because I like the playability).

[PorkyPrimeCut]

Funny that you both use the strings I normally go for.

Interesting that you consider the Elixirs to be bright too, Despot. I'm still adjusting the the brightness and volume (yes, it's very loud) of this guitar after being so used to the deeper tone of my mahogany Eko Ranger. I'm loving what I hear though, I'm just a bit more curious of how much brighter this thing can get. I know how new strings retain the metallic chime.

If all else fails I could just take them off & go back to my usual Martin Bronze Phosphors. I see they do a set called "Lifespan SP" which I gather are coated as I mentioned before. Any experience with these? The last lot I got were a 5 pack of......cough....."Clapton's Choice".....cough......

[Despot]

Exactly - try a few sets over time and you'll figure out what you like more.

I've certainly found that heavier strings can 'choke' certain guitars ... it's the opposite of what you'd expect on an electric, where heavier strings might actually improve how it sounds ... the heaviest strings I've ever put on an acoustic have been .12s (which, I think, are classed as light strings on an acoustic).

I also worry about what string tension does to the top of a guitar over time - if using a lighter set will put off the need for a neck reset down the road, then I'll use a lighter set.

[UlricvonCatalyst]

Elixirs definitely stay bright for a loooooong time - that part isn't marketing hype at all at all. It could be argued that they are too bright, though; you need to discern that for yourself. I wouldn't hesitate to stick them on your 12-string, but they're Marmite on a dreadnought. To my mind they sound unnatural, which isn't entirely a bad thing; the tonal difference seems to me like if you habitually play electric guitar through a clean amp with fairly flat eq then introduce a light chorus/dimension effect where the bottom end is sucked out and the sound becomes kind of brittle, but definitely pleasing to the ear. They're neither wronger or righter as an acoustic sound, but they're definitely different from what you're used to.

I used to use Elixirs all the time, but at one point I had a recurring problem of them breaking at the ball end for no apparent reason. Since then I haven't had any particular brand loyalty. I've tried various 'long life' strings (none of which have been as bright as Elixirs in my experience). I have a set of Fender 'Dura-tone' strings ready to go on my Takamine any day now; no idea how they'll sound, but how bad can they be?

I think anything lighter than .11s is too light for an acoustic, but that's personal taste. The Fenders I bought are 12-52, which seems about right to me. Martins are alright and are cheap enough to allow you to change fairly soon if you don't like them, but it's always good to broaden your horizons.

[Despot]

Didn't realise that Martin did coated strings now ... hmmm... might have to try those out. The J50 (I keep calling it a J45 by mistake!) is due a string change soon.

[zakmaster]

I've certainly found that heavier strings can 'choke' certain guitars ... it's the opposite of what you'd expect on an electric, where heavier strings might actually improve how it sounds ....

Agreed. I went to a very trusted luthier who told me not to worry about the tension of string gauge impacting the top or neck or bridge of my guitar. I did find that when I tried 13's (mediums), all the great sound did get choked out of my guitar. 12s (light) work and sound better to me.

I really like John Pearse, Phosphor Bronze, lights.

[ChrisFFTA]

Have you tried the silk and steel strings?

[PorkyPrimeCut]

Have you tried the silk and steel strings?

I haven't, no.

I just watched this, pretty much the first video that came up, that was very useful as he's comparing the strings I'm about to put on the Guild to the ones you've just mentioned. Not a huge amount to go by, them being new & him using an iPhone mic but I get a good idea of what they're like from his opinion (which seemed level-headed). I'm more a strummer than a picker so may favour the ones I'm getting over these but I like the fact they're warmer & sound good played softly. I'm better picking that way as, the louder & more pronounced I get, the more I seem to fuck up!

As has already been said by myself & others, trying a bunch will make the difference, especially as I'm moving up from a tough-as-old-boots mahogany Eko Ranger to a slightly more refined spruce Guild.

[ChelseaFC]

I've tried silk and steels and I thought they were a little too mellow and subdued for my liking. They didn't project as I would have liked. I played them on a Larrivee 00 guitar that was, I believe, mahogany. They are soft feeling strings though.

The only acoustic guitar I own at the moment is also a Guild, an F212XL, and I really like d'adario Exp. They are coated but they sound really natural. I can't compare them to Elixir, never tried them, but being a 12 string player it helps to not have to change strings as often.

[Telliot]

A few years ago I started using flats (D'Addario Chromes) and never looked back. It gives me that old, thick, thuddy tone I grew up hearing on my parents' records and I love it. It's also nice not having string scrape for recording, although I do miss that aspect sometimes.

[DotDash]

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[PorkyPrimeCut]

...Pyramid Gold set in 11-50...

Now there's a brand I'd overlooked.

A dear old forumite, Ben (theworkoffire) who ended up being my go-to guitar tech (& general sharer of all things Spacemen 3 & fuzzy) put some flat wound Pyramid strings on my Jazzmaster & I was blown away by their tone & quality. I'll look into them for sure.

EDIT - I just read up on them & this bit's worth remembering.....

"Very important: As with all round core strings, after putting on a new string do not cut the wound strings to the desired length, because the wrap wire can loosen and the string will go "dead"! At first make a sharp Z bend into the string where the free end leaves the machine-head, then cut the string behind this bend".

Am I reading this right? Does this mean I'll end up with annoying zig-zaggy string ends or can I clip them once they've settled in a bit?