Acoustic strings

[tot_Ou_tard]

I'm looking for strings for my Spider-bridge resonator. I'm thinking 13s as I want to play fingerstyle as well as slide.

Any suggestions? The best would be ones that lasted a while. I always clean my strings after using them.

 

[wingsdad]

These are coated, but maybe a bit heavy (.016-.056) for your style of play; they're more for 'dobro' type resonators:

D'addario EXP42 Resophonic

But check out the other gauge sets of EXP's in Phosophor Bronze or 80/20 Bronze for a little less brightness. I prefer D'addario EXP's to Elixirs; too many DOA Elixirs,and the D'add's are a tad less coin.

They don't seem to make their Flatops for Reso anymore, guess I'm lucky I still have a spare set...but the wound FlatTops, tho uncoated, are less noisy for slide, and Phosphor Bronze, are still nice & snappy.
D'addario FlatTops

 

[tjcurtin1]

Tot, I've got Martin resonator 16's on mine, and they're surprisingly OK for fingerstyle as well as slide. They are nickle strings, so brighter. I was just playing it after a while away, and it seemed to me that they may have lost some of their spark after only a month, though. I'll try again tomorrow when I'm less tired.

 

[tot_Ou_tard]

!6 are waaay to large for me to play fingerstyle. If nickel strings are OK for resonators then I may go that way. I thought PB would be what was called for. Wing do you like coated strings for resonators? They don't sound dead? Would a slide rub off the coating?

 

[wingsdad]

...Wing do you like coated strings for resonators? They don't sound dead? Would a slide rub off the coating?

No, I don't like coated strings at all, for any guitar. Condoms have their purpose, but not on guitar strings, IMO.

Seriously, I prefer to use the FlatTops if I need to minimize string noise.

 

[Viking Power]

FWIW, I'm not sure that I'm so thrilled with coated strings either. I bought some "nanoweb" strings for my acoustic and maybe it's the fact that I'm half deaf anyway, but it seems like the strings are very dull sounding now.....I'm such a beginner that I'm wondering if it's just me or if the coating really is to blame?

 

[wingsdad]

.. it seems like the strings are very dull sounding now.....I'm such a beginner that I'm wondering if it's just me or if the coating really is to blame?

I'll suggest it's the strings.

Nanoweb Elixirs are supposed to be coated more thinly than Polywebs, and thus, a bit brighter, but consequently less 'squeak' suppressant. So the only Elixirs I ever tried were the Nanowebs. Maybe I was unlucky and got a couple of stray Polywebs packaged in error, or maybe they were just inconsistently overcoated. In any case, there's not much worse than one brand new dead, dull string out of 6, unless it's 2 dead strings, especially when a set costs twice as much or more than uncoated strings. And that happened to me twice too often with Elixirs. Sayonara to them. D'add EXP's seemed like a cross between Nano & Poly in degree of coating. At least I never hit a bum string in a pack. But still, they'd go dull virtually overnite -- not gradually dead -- just 'thud'. Gone.

I'm an old-school string wiper ... after playing, no matter how briefly, I wipe them down with a cloth to clear the acid & sweat off them and it helps maintain the fingerboard. Best thing you can do to extend string life. And if you play long & often enough to change frequently, then coated strings are simply a waste of money.

 

[tot_Ou_tard]

I'm an old-school string wiper ... after playing, no matter how briefly, I wipe them down with a cloth to clear the acid & sweat off them and it helps maintain the fingerboard. Best thing you can do to extend string life. And if you play long & often enough to change frequently, then coated strings are simply a waste of money.

I wipe my strings down after every session with fast fret & every now & then with a little naptha. My pure nickel strings on my electrics sound great for months even if I play them for several hours each day. The resonator doesn't get played as often only because of noise issues--the electrics can be played through my Tonelab with headphones. I would love similar longetivity for the resonator.

 

[wingsdad]

I hear ya, Tot...resos are the original unamplified louder guitar, by design, predating the electric.

Unfortunately, string life isn't one of their strong suits if you play them with a slide much. It's a losing battle. And the 3rd string, at least on a Dobro in G tuning, using fingerpicks, is played more than the rest and takes an additional licking; either it goes dead ahead of the rest, or it wears out & breaks. Jerry Douglas and many dobroists swear by EXP's to minimize slide noise, not for longevity.

 

[tot_Ou_tard]

Jerry Douglas and many dobroists swear by EXP's to minimize slide noise, not for longevity.

I'm not so concerned with slide noise, but I may give the ESPs a whirl anyway. Thanks Wings.

 

[Viking Power]

Good thread!

Wingsdad-Thanks for the thoughts on the nanoweb elixirs. I think I'm going to head to the store and get some non-coated strings this weekend. No more coated BS for me!


EDIT: Okay, I just re-read your post. Are you saying then that you use the D'add EXP's now?

EDIT2: Sorry for sort of high-jacking the thread.

 

[wingsdad]

...Okay, I just re-read your post. Are you saying then that you use the D'add EXP's now?...

I re-read it now and I wasn't quite clear, was I?
To be clear: No, I don't.
I gave the EXP's a couple of shots. No DOA strings like the Elixirs, but as I posted, I got the sudden dropoff of tone to dead-city. That phenomenon convinced me that coated strings would never suck my wallet again.
I use D'add Flattops only on one of my acoustic 6's and on my Johnson...

... Dobro. Johnson Dobro.