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NSD – Martin Flexible Core
I had a set of GHS Authentic Bronze in for about 5 weeks and felt they lost their zing. They were an overall good set of mellow strings. So today I got a set of Martin Flexible Core Tommy Emmanuel strings. There’s are light gauge. Same as I’ve been using all along. First impressions, they are very flexible and not very loud. Very smooth with a lighter pick. Will have to see how they do after a few weeks.
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4 Replies
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What brand/model guitar are you playing?
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2013 Taylor 314ce. I love it. Because it is a naturally bright guitar, I’m constantly looking for ways to mellow it out. The main 2 ways to mellow the tone is with string and pick experimentation.
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Have you had this guitar since 2013? Just asking because you said you had the GHS strings for about 5 weeks and wondered what you used before that. I had to look up your guitar because I’m not familiar with Tayor models. Looks like a nice guitar! I have a new Martin 0028. I’ve had it about 4 months and it has the MAS-40T lifespan 2.0. I don’t have anything to compare it to. My guitar is small bodied and has a more clarity than ring. I imagine different guitars would sound different with the same strings. It would be nice to record the different strings to compare the sound differences. Keep us posted on what you think of the strings.
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Yes, I had it since 2013. Got for my 50th birthday. I took a little time choosing it. Tried several at Guitar Center and even more than one of this model. I knew very little about acoustic guitars and strings then. The 2 – 314ce’s I tried had different strings (brighter bronze, and less bright phosphor bronze). I ended up choosing the one with the bronze but have since defaulted to phosphor bronze.
I’ve been on a string journey for over a year. I mostly played the Elixir nano web phosphor bronze strings. I still like those strings and consider them my default.
I’ve tried the Santa Cruz low tension strings and they lasted about 6 months before I decided to change them. They were a good string but felt a little rubbery under my fingers. I’ve also tried Straight Up strings (the developer of these helped design the Santa Cruz strings), D’Addario regular phosphor bronze, D’Addario XT’s, D’Addario Nickel Bronze, and Martin SP MA140, Lifespan 2.0, Monel Retro, and the current Flexible Core strings. There may be others I’ve tried but this is from memory. Oh, the GHS Authentic Bronze ones… My next set to try most likely will be the new D’Addario XS coated strings. I’m not a big fan of D’Addario strings. Probably because the first set I tried were regular uncoated strings and didn’t impress me in lifespan or feel under my fingers. But I will say D’Addario has top notch customer service. On more than 2 occasions they have sent me free replacement items when I had issues.
I was pleasantly surprised with the Martin SP MA140’s and Monel MM12’s. Two totally different strings but both sounded good and lasted a least 2 months on my guitar. The Lifespan 2.0 easily lasted 2 months and could have gone on for at least another month.
I try to keep them on at least 2 months so they don’t deaden too much between comparisons. Any new string will sound awesome compared to a dead string unless dead is the tone you are looking for. And yes, I agree about recording. I should have thought of that when I started my journey.
There are so many factors when it comes to tone. Guitar shape and size, woods used, solid, laminate, age of guitar, string material and gauge, playing style, and last but not least, pick shape, thickness, and material. All these things play a role in the tone.
String journeys are fun. But in all honestly, I can barely tell the difference between them…
JohnV
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