My brother gave me one of his acoustic guitars

JeffB

JeffB

Let it B
I have been playing electrics since 1983 or so, but have never owned or spent a whole lot of time on a acoustic. Neve had much interest , though I love some players' acoustic work. Probably never got the bug cos I sux at fingerpicking. So I am pretty much a novice when it comes to details.

The guitar is a John Lennon Epiphone J160. My brother has it strung up with 13s in D tuning which totally kills me with my CTS. I figure I will drop down to some 10s and up to standard tuning..

Can anyone school me on acoustic strings and the differences in materials? I see stuff like phosphor bronze, 80/20, etc. I am not sure what to get.

Also the bridge has pins...will I need a bridge pin puller?
 
Re: My brother gave me one of his acoustic guitars

Phosphor Bronze strings and nothing else IMO and as much as you won't want to hear it don't go any lighter than 12-54's unless you just have to...10 gauge strings just won't drive the top enough to get a good tone IMHO.

Pin puller is a must if you have a flat top either a stand alone puller or the one on the back of a peg winder...
 
Re: My brother gave me one of his acoustic guitars

I will second TGWIF on the phosphor bronze issue.

don't go any lighter than 12-54's unless you just have to...
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The vast majority of my repair work is on acoustic guitars, & I've strung a fair amount with light strings. While I don't argue the validity of what TGWIF's statement, I wouldn't feel too bad about using the 10s, the guitar will still sound good...and you'll be able to play it!

This is the best pin puller I've found so far. It beats any puller integrated into a peg winder that I've ever used.

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/accessories/dunlop-bridge-pin-puller-bottle-opener
 
Re: My brother gave me one of his acoustic guitars

I was a .12 man for quite a while but have found .11's and a thinner pick work just as well for me.
 
Re: My brother gave me one of his acoustic guitars

I have gotten good results with 11 gauge strings on acoustic but most of the time 10's just seem to lack any real body or punch.

That said, try it and see what happens...nothing to loose by trying it except 5 or 6 bucks for a set of strings!
 
Re: My brother gave me one of his acoustic guitars

Bite the bullet and go with 12s. You'll adjust fully within 1-2 months, and your playing will become much better. Also, a cheap small pair of pliers such as for electrical work does the job. Keep only 2-3 string wraps on your tuning pegs, under the hole, no knots. Straight ahead.
 
Re: My brother gave me one of his acoustic guitars

I prefer this method of stringing on my acoustic. I'll go with the majority of preferring phosphor bronze strings, but use the gauge your hands can stand.



 
Re: My brother gave me one of his acoustic guitars

Thanks for the advice folks. I have carpal tunnel and repetitive stress syndrome in both hands,so it is not simply a matter of getting used to heavy strings. I have had to drop 2 guages on my electrics over the past 8 years just to have the ability to keep playing. I do not wish to "push it" with the acoustic. I will try some 11s, and see how they do first,and drop to 10s if necc. I can play the 13s, but it is painful after a couple minutes.

So is the difference between phosphor bronze and 80/20 the amount of bronze present in the wrap? Tonally how do they differ,generally speaking?

Iwas rummaging around the gig bag, and see my Brother put a planetwaves winder/cutter/pin puller tool in the pocket, so that should suffice for the time being.
 
Re: My brother gave me one of his acoustic guitars

LReese said:
I prefer this method of stringing on my acoustic. I'll go with the majority of preferring phosphor bronze strings, but use the gauge your hands can stand.



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Thanks! That was going to be my next question. :bigthumb:
 
Re: My brother gave me one of his acoustic guitars

Just on the discomfort you felt with the 13's (heavier than I'd go admittedly), would it be worth getting the setup checked on it first? A small adjustment might make a big difference to the way it feels. My own experience suggests acoustics take a little more effort to get absolutely spot on, and might be the reason why it doesn't always get done. You'll need it done if you drop a gauge or two anyway.
 
Re: My brother gave me one of his acoustic guitars

One bit of advice I got from my repair guy after my Martin was refretted was to use the lightest set of strings that gets you the results you want.

The thing I've found is I think my best results are with a very close to straight neck (mine's at .006" - might need a hair less relief). Also realistic action on the 6th string @ 12th fret is around 6/64". I dinked with mine and its sitting at about .085". 6/64" is about .093" (.070 on the High E).

Also keep an eye on the humidity - between 45 and 55% is recommended.
 
Re: My brother gave me one of his acoustic guitars

It is setup to my brother's own tastes, but it is a good setup. He has a ton of guitars but they are all maintained and played often. Could it play better/easier at standard tuning with some adjustments? Maybe? IDK.
 
Re: My brother gave me one of his acoustic guitars

So is the difference between phosphor bronze and 80/20 the amount of bronze present in the wrap? Tonally how do they differ,generally speaking?
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I'm going off of memory here, but I'm pretty sure this is right: 80/20 bronze is what most would call brass. Phosphor bronze wasn't used in guitar strings until some time in the 70s. D'Addario may have been the first to use it.

In my opinion, brass strings have a clearer fundamental, and p.b. strings have more overtones. The way I describe the tonal difference to myself is that brass sounds more basic or clear & p.b. is more tonally complex. I think flatpicking bluegrass players prefer brass strings, and most everybody else uses p.b. I only string guitars with brass (80/20 bronze) if a customer specifically asks for it.

You probably already know this, but the action at the nut has a huge impact on the playability of an acoustic guitar. I've seen so many guitars come through the shop where just recutting the nut slots made all the difference in the guitar's playability.

Also, fwiw, if you were my customer & I knew of your condition, I would most likely set your guitar up with 10s and as low an action we could get away with without causing too much fret buzz...and that would be determined by your playing style.

Good luck!
 
Re: My brother gave me one of his acoustic guitars

the guy who invented fire said:
I have gotten good results with 11 gauge strings on acoustic but most of the time 10's just seem to lack any real body or punch.

That said, try it and see what happens...nothing to loose by trying it except 5 or 6 bucks for a set of strings!
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Yeah, and remember I told you that maybe one day you'd grow up and use big boy 13s....

:D

Congrats Jeff! Sounds like you've got a great family.
 
Re: My brother gave me one of his acoustic guitars

I did not have an acoustic since I moved from Copenhagen 14 years ago....and I love acoustics, cool that you got one now, it is a different world, it will almost instantly kill all kinds of noodlings when you play it:D Open tunings and the lot, it is inspiring in a different way than electrics, get some EJ26 D'Addarios 11's....
They are comfy to play and sounds sweet!
I use EJ 16 12-53 on my Seagull, also have a fairly high action....but then again you have to take care, so the 11's are a good choice, and see if you lower the action some, is the nut filed close to the first fret??
If not, then guitar is harder to play.
 
Re: My brother gave me one of his acoustic guitars

Very cool dude. It's nice having at least one acoustic around.

I like the Martin Marquis strings and crazy enough, the D'Addario PB strings work well on my D28.
 
Re: My brother gave me one of his acoustic guitars

BrianS. said:
I'm going off of memory here, but I'm pretty sure this is right: 80/20 bronze is what most would call brass. Phosphor bronze wasn't used in guitar strings until some time in the 70s. D'Addario may have been the first to use it.

In my opinion, brass strings have a clearer fundamental, and p.b. strings have more overtones. The way I describe the tonal difference to myself is that brass sounds more basic or clear & p.b. is more tonally complex. I think flatpicking bluegrass players prefer brass strings, and most everybody else uses p.b. I only string guitars with brass (80/20 bronze) if a customer specifically asks for it.

You probably already know this, but the action at the nut has a huge impact on the playability of an acoustic guitar. I've seen so many guitars come through the shop where just recutting the nut slots made all the difference in the guitar's playability.

Also, fwiw, if you were my customer & I knew of your condition, I would most likely set your guitar up with 10s and as low an action we could get away with without causing too much fret buzz...and that would be determined by your playing style.

Good luck!
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That's correct! And I agree on your assessment as well. Phosphor Bronze can add some richness to a cheaper acoustic, whereas the natural tone of a nice guitar can sound great with 80/20. (I still prefer PB ;))

As far as action and setup is concerned, put a capo on the first fret and see if its easier to play. Players that are primarily electric using .009 and .010's may put up with higher nut slots than they realize. .012's and .013's "feel" too difficult to play, but with a good setup .012's should play like butter on an acoustic.

EDIT - I see you mention CTS... Perhaps the lighter gauges are the way to go. But still, a good setup does wonders!
 
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Re: My brother gave me one of his acoustic guitars

I'm going with everyone else here, phosphor bronze here. Just fuller, brighter, and more complex than 80/20. 11's are about as small as I can go without noticing any significant tonal changes in the guitar.

Also, I find the 'Martin way' to restring guitars is just a waste of time, never had any tuning problems with any of my acoustics, and quickly reverted back to standard string winding.
 
Re: My brother gave me one of his acoustic guitars

Kamanda~SD said:
Also, I find the 'Martin way' to restring guitars is just a waste of time, never had any tuning problems with any of my acoustics, and quickly reverted back to standard string winding.
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Actually for me, the resulting break angle makes it easier to get in tune. It follows the angle of the peg head more closely.

I've got a professionally cut bone nut FWIW. For that reason its worth it IMO.
 
Re: My brother gave me one of his acoustic guitars

If you came to my shop, I'd highly recommend D'addario PB 11's and set your guitar up with you in front of me so we could dial in the nut, neck relief, and saddle height tailored to YOU! Passing the guitar back and forth until it felt just like you wanted...
 
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