KoreanGuitarMan
New member
I've been playing D'Addario phosphor bronze lights on my acoustic for more than a decade. They're rich sounding and not too bright.
The old standard.
But D'Addario recently came out with a nickel coated phosphor bronze wrapped on their NY steel. After listening to a few comparisons thought I'd order a set and give them a try.
The new hotness.
Initial impression:
"Wow these are really dull sounding!"
You know why I thought that? I was expecting that cutting, zippy upper mid-range spike I'm used to with brand new phosphor bronze strings. Usually takes a good stretching and a few hours of playing time for them to mellow out.
This was not the case with Nickel Bronze. They sound great from the word go. It was only my ears that needed adjustment.
The sound is harmonically rich. Very good presence without being sharp or harsh. I would say the top end is sweeter than phosphor bronze but no less well defined. The definition may be a smidgen better simply by virtue of the frequency response being better balanced.
Per the D'Addario sales copy on the package:
I'd rate that as true, but with this caveat. A pack of Nickel Bronze strings costs $11.99. A 3-pack of phosphor bronze costs $13.99. Are they 2.5x times better? Well...let me just say that I'll be buying more in the future but I'm not going to be throwing out the 3-pack of phosphor bronze I've still got. I only have one 6 string acoustic guitar, I never break strings, and I play them til they're dead. Twelve bucks a pack isn't going to break the bank for me, and they're by no means the most expensive strings out there.
Highly recommend that you try out a set.
If you have already tried them, love 'em or hate 'em or other? If not, what is your current favorite acoustic string and why?
The old standard.
But D'Addario recently came out with a nickel coated phosphor bronze wrapped on their NY steel. After listening to a few comparisons thought I'd order a set and give them a try.
The new hotness.
Initial impression:
"Wow these are really dull sounding!"
You know why I thought that? I was expecting that cutting, zippy upper mid-range spike I'm used to with brand new phosphor bronze strings. Usually takes a good stretching and a few hours of playing time for them to mellow out.
This was not the case with Nickel Bronze. They sound great from the word go. It was only my ears that needed adjustment.
The sound is harmonically rich. Very good presence without being sharp or harsh. I would say the top end is sweeter than phosphor bronze but no less well defined. The definition may be a smidgen better simply by virtue of the frequency response being better balanced.
Per the D'Addario sales copy on the package:
I'd rate that as true, but with this caveat. A pack of Nickel Bronze strings costs $11.99. A 3-pack of phosphor bronze costs $13.99. Are they 2.5x times better? Well...let me just say that I'll be buying more in the future but I'm not going to be throwing out the 3-pack of phosphor bronze I've still got. I only have one 6 string acoustic guitar, I never break strings, and I play them til they're dead. Twelve bucks a pack isn't going to break the bank for me, and they're by no means the most expensive strings out there.
Highly recommend that you try out a set.
If you have already tried them, love 'em or hate 'em or other? If not, what is your current favorite acoustic string and why?
