Acoustic Strings Losing Brightness

[ch willie]

My Martin HD-28V (a 96 vintage reissue) is built to deliver a clear and deep bass. It's not boomy.

When I first put on a set of extra light strings, it sounds beautiful and balanced, but after only a week or so, the strings lose their brightness. The Martin still sounds great, but I like hearing those high frequencies that disappear.

Are there any strings known for keeping the highs for a longer time? I don't care if they're coated or not, but I prefer non-coated.

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Looked at some forums and consensus says to use 80/20 bronze; they said that all strings lose their brightness very quickly. So I guess it's a common thing? Still, if you know of strings that retain the brightness, do tell.

[OldStrummer]

Have you looked at Stringjoy? I admit, I haven't used them yet, but they are on my list of "next set of strings to get."

[gibsonjunkie]

There is nothing like the sound of fresh strings on an acoustic. I have been very happy with Elixir Nanoweb strings. They sound great, but it's also because I have 8 acoustics and I don't want to be changing stings all the time!

I also liked John Pierce strings - they held the sound for a while, but do go after a while.

[Offshore Angler]

Strings are pretty much hype. Almost all strings are made by the same company (DiVinci) and the difference is how they're marketed or packaged.

Yes, your strings lose the sparkle after a few hours of playing. The best thing you can do is clean them after playing and if you like the sound of fresh strings - change them often.

Strats and Teles I change a lot, Les Pauls seem not to care as much.

YMMV.

Chuck

[ch willie]

Chuck, I didn't realize that about the manufacturer. I'm not shocked because I know that a lot of products are made and marketed similarly. Lee Jeans and Kmart jeans were the same thing, different stitching on the pocket, no other difference.

And I will just have to do the string change more often. not that I',m getting a bad sound. Also I wonder if my age has shaved off some of the treble.

[DanTheBluesMan]

it wouldn't surprise me in the slightest if one manufacturer made the bulk of the strings.

There was a segment on one of those news shows about eyeglasses, and the veritable monopoly one company has on the industry. That was a real eye opener (pun intended )

[Don]

I don't like brand new strings. I like when a bit of the brightness goes away, but I don't like when my strings are completely dead. I've tried a lot of different strings on my 000-15M and I'm happiest with Martin's coated phosphor bronze strings. They seem to start of a little less bright, then stay where I like them for a long time.

[ch willie]

I've always like the Martin Marquis strings. 80/20. They sound great for about a week, sweet highs. One day I was playing along with something on The White Album, and my Martin with those strings sounded EXACTLY like their Martins, however processed the guits are eq'd and fx.


The only time it really matters to me is when I record, and I usually put new strings on after a week of 2 or 3 hours a day of recording. I've got some Martin Retro 80/20s I'm getting ready to put on it. I'll let you know how those sound and how long they keep their brightness.

[jrgtr42]

I'm with Don - I don't like BRAND new strings - I like then with a couple hours of solid play on them.
That said, if you (the OP) play this guitar evrey day, the strings will fade relatively quickly.
Have you tried the Elixir Nanoweb strings? I don't care for them myself, but they do last a lot longer than regular strings.

[ch willie]

I'm with Don - I don't like BRAND new strings - I like then with a couple hours of solid play on them.
That said, if you (the OP) play this guitar evrey day, the strings will fade relatively quickly.
Have you tried the Elixir Nanoweb strings? I don't care for them myself, but they do last a lot longer than regular strings.

I have tried the Elixirs, and I wasn't sold on them. I think my only solution is just to change strings every couple of days when I'm recording. I know I can take care of it with eq, but I like that sweet tone coming right out of the guitar. Of course, the Martin is no slouch, new strings, old strings, wotever.