Acoustic Strings

[Nacho8807]

Any suggestions as far as brands, specific sets, etc.? I have never had a nice enough guitar to really care what strings I put on it, but now I have a really nice Epi PR5e and I was wondering what you folks on here use.

Some preferences: I would prefer a lighter gauge, balanced more to the mellow side. I use Ultex picks so that adds a lot of brightness to the tone. And when fingerpicking I would like to get a tone that could be compared to nylon strings. The guitar seems to be on the treble-y side anyway. I don't really have a specific reference to compare to. Such as, "I really like ___'s tone", so I'm wide open to hearing what you guys suggest. Thanks in advance!

 

[SlyFoxx]

Re: Acoustic Strings

I like Elixir.

http://www.stringsandbeyond.com/elphbrnaacgu.html

 

[BrianS.]

Re: Acoustic Strings

I saw these for the first time the other day:


http://www.daddario.com/DADProductDetail.Page?ActiveID=3769&productid=244&productname=EJ33_Folk_Nylon__Ball_End__80_20_Bronze_Clear_Nylon_Trebles&sid=77b59270-442f-479c-8386-c748e765e3a6

Never used 'em, but maybe up your ally. You'd have to recut the nut slots for the treble strings...

Other than that, you could check out the "Silk & Steel" D'Addarios:

http://www.daddario.com/DADProductDetail.Page?ActiveID=3769&productid=113&productname=EJ40_Silk___Steel_Folk__11_47

 

[PFDarkside]

Re: Acoustic Strings

Based on you requirements, Silk & Steel should fit the bill.

 

[Nacho8807]

Re: Acoustic Strings

Those Silk & Steels sound promising. The Folk Nylon set sounds interesting too. I'll be picking some up soon. Thanks guys.

 

[rts99]

Re: Acoustic Strings

I think you'll like the elixir nanowebs. They have a very mellow tone, very bluesy. They also feel great. They have a treble response but it is minimized, it gives them a unique "voice". You can try them out on the higher end Taylors at your local guitar shop. You'll also find them on the Rainsongs and the Carbon Acoustics. The Taylor's suffer some in tone by using them IMHO. But the carbon fibre guitars definitely benefit from them, they're too bright to begin with and the Elixir's tone them down quite well. Give 'em a try.

The Silk & Steel may also work well. They have lower tension than regular strings and so they generate more fret buzz. You'll have to raise the action to accommodate them.

Good Luck

 

[Nacho8807]

Re: Acoustic Strings

Thanks. Lower tension is another thing I was hoping for. I'll be sure to pick up a pack of nanowebs too. I appreciate the suggestion.

 

[Boogie Bill]

Re: Acoustic Strings

Elixirs have higher tension than similarly gauged D'Addario. I broke a lot of strings on my Taylor 710CE until I switched to D'Addario.

I use EXP and J-Series on my nine acoustics in medium, light and bluegrass gauges. I also lke the Martin SP strings.

If you want a brighter tone, switch picks from the Dunlop Ultex to the Delrin 500s. The Ultex is a pretty mellow sounding pick. Try the new Graph-Tech picks, too.

Bill

 

[Nacho8807]

Re: Acoustic Strings

Elixirs have higher tension than similarly gauged D'Addario. I broke a lot of strings on my Taylor 710CE until I switched to D'Addario.

Good to know. I don't have a problem with breakage, I just like the slinking feel.

QUOTE=Boogie Bill;3481529]If you want a brighter tone, switch picks from the Dunlop Ultex to the Delrin 500s. The Ultex is a pretty mellow sounding pick. Try the new Graph-Tech picks, too.[/QUOTE]

I found the Ultex to be a lot brighter than most other picks I tried, though admittedly I didn't try the Derlin. But I like them so I'll keep em.