Acoustic Strings

[The Joe]

Well, I just bought myself a nice new Martin DXK2 and I'm very happy with it. Thing is, I don't know which strings to buy for it and I was hoping someone here could give me an idea of what kind of tone to expect from what strings, Elixir, Blue Steel, etc. I just put a set of blue steal 13-58's on and they sound pretty nice. Took some getting used to; they're definitely not as bassy as whatever was on there before. Uh...help? Please?

 

[Boston Joe]

Re: Acoustic Strings

Well, I just bought myself a nice new Martin DXK2 and I'm very happy with it. Thing is, I don't know which strings to buy for it and I was hoping someone here could give me an idea of what kind of tone to expect from what strings, Elixir, Blue Steel, etc. I just put a set of blue steal 13-58's on and they sound pretty nice. Took some getting used to; they're definitely not as bassy as whatever was on there before. Uh...help? Please?

Well, you're dealing with a laminated top, back, and sides made of koa (which is even brighter than mahogany, though it may not be as tinny) and it may be a little stiffer sounding than a solid top-- 13s will move the top better, but try some DR strings (they have a good thump) in a 12 gauge for the sheer fact that 13s or higher may put some phenomenal strain on the bridge and neck.

 

[Bludave]

Re: Acoustic Strings

Much of this depends on what you plan on doing. If you tune to Pitch as Boston Joe stated it would be unwise to go heavier than 13's. It will pull the bridge off over time. If you will be tuning down to open G or D you may want to go heavier. I use D'Addario J17's (13 thru 56) on all my Acoustics. They last a long time for me and I have hardly ever broken a string. But thats me some people sweat a lot and this will effect the life of any brand of string. Bottom line is experiment and see what works best for you!! LOL

 

[Artie]

Re: Acoustic Strings

For what its worth, just yesterday, I put some Elixir polyweb 10's on my Yamaha FG-750. I don't have a lot of experience with acoustics, but they sound great. Bright, with good volume, and don't seem to "squeek" to bad on chord changes.

 

[The Joe]

Re: Acoustic Strings

So I should take the 13's off then?