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Hi there,
I recently replaced my Yamaha fg-180's strings with D'Addario EJ16 Phosphor Bronze Acoustic Guitar Strings, Light, 12-53. And to say it plainly they sound pretty bad. It may just be me but they are very "Tinny". I'm used to this guitar having a very warm sound but these strings took it away. Anyhow what are your guy's preferred strings.

By the way I have had them on for almost a month now so it is not a sting stretching thing.

Thanks for you help!


Tyson k

Throw on a set of Pearse 80/20's Without knowing the guitar and knowing how you play...just a suggestion.

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Blue Ring Acoustics
blueringacoustics.ca

You might also want to try some mediums.

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

Could it be that you got a bootleg set of d'addarios from China? On the OLF a couple of months ago there was a thread about someone running across a set of these. They said they sounded absolutely terrible. I run EXP-16s. They sound good to my ear, are inexpensive, and last.

Michael

This might be helpful to you - it was to me: http://www.luthiersforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10101&t=47227

Im a D'addario guy. Never had a bad one.
Martin strings are fine and always seem to play as they should, though I'm not sure if I like their tone as much as the d'addarios.
Elixirs have their merits, (you play a lot, dont change tuning a ton causing premature breaks) and seem consistent as I'd expect.

Stay away from Dean Markley. I have literally never gotten a good set. What I have found is that their intonation is all over the place and they sound awful. (awful as in, not playing in tune, "sour" sounding buzzes, in general poor tone/sounds)

I like the sound of fresh strings and change often --- Martin Marquis M2100 Phosphor Bronze are under $4.00 a set and suit my requirements --- I think they sound really good.

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Ken Cierp

http://www.kennethmichaelguitars.com/

I too have been happy with daddario. From PB mediums to gypsy jazz to the new nyxl.


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Most people consider phosphor bronze to be "warm" sounding, most consider 80/20's to be "bright". However all of us hear different things on different guitars so the best thing to do is experiment. I play EJ16's on many of my guitars but I usually go for Elixers PB's because I get better life out of them.

edit to add - my 1969 Yamaha FG-150 has light gauge Elixer Nanoweb PB's and it sounds warm and wonderful. My second choice if I was restringing it today would EJ16.... Obviously milage does vary

and one last thought - if they have been on for a month and you've been playing the heck out of them that might be the end of their life. Some people change strings every few day, some every few weeks, with Elixers I get several months on a set.

I would have to say IMHO, it depends...... . The strings I use on my 1972 Martin D-35 sound like crap on my Guild D-55 and just OK on my Larravee OM-03R.
In my experience, the heavier built guitars need more tension. So, on the D-35 most light gauge sound pretty good. On the Guild, I need mediums or at least medium lights. On my OM-03R, I found DR Rare Metal works best. You just have to try a few different sets until you find the sound you want.

Brent

What was on it when it sounded good. If you go from medium to light guage, it will make a big difference on most guitars. I have been using daddios exclusively for many years and have always been happy. EJ17 on my dreads and EJ16 on my OMs. Maybe you could try some other brand???

I do mostly repairs, so it's the clients choice.
If they ask, I usually recommend D'addario or GHS stuff for electrics, Martins for acoustics.
I'm old school - I don't get all these coated strings, and don't hear anything special about Elixir strings.

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"Act your age, not your shoe size" - Prince