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April 10, 2013 at 6:22 pm #4746
I have an old old Alvarez acoustic that appears to be made from solid maple. Its very light weight and I’ve decided to string it up for occasional strumming. One of my pet peeves about acoustic is the string noise and squeak.
Anyone use coated strings and do they help cut down on the noise?
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April 10, 2013 at 9:05 pm #10455
Hi Keith…I recently tried Elixar brand phosphor bronse coated strings on my Ovation acoustic.. they are more slippery and less noisy than regular uncoated like Martin, D’Addario, I had tried before. If you like to string bend (for blues etc.) much I suggest
u go with a very light gauge as I find their .012 – .053 set a bit too heavy for me to bend. Nice clear bright tone..supposed to last 3 x longer. Regardz, Neil E
ps…they are more expensive…around 15 $ in Canada. -
April 11, 2013 at 5:32 am #10472
my taylor came with elixers on it
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April 20, 2013 at 6:15 pm #10563
I tried Cleartone once for $16. My music store said they were the best strings, the thinnest coating, all the fixings. I got them on, and there is no way I am ever going to pay $16 for those things again. Now I use D’addario EJ16 and they’re great. I think that, no matter what, if you put any kind of coating on guitar strings, you’re going to affect the sound. I haven’t had a good experience with coated strings, but I have with D’addario, and they sell something called Flat Tops, which they say reduce finger noise. They’re Phosphor Bronze and a little less bright than regular Phosphor Bronze strings, according to D’ddario’s website. They’re about $11 bucks, but from my experience, the coated strings did not last any longer than my EJ16’s. Plus it’s got a 4 1/2 star rating on Musician’s Friend, compared to the 3 star rating of Cleartone ($17) and the 4 star rating of Elixir ($12).
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April 20, 2013 at 7:05 pm #10564
I was so impressed with DR Pure Blues electric strings that I bought a set of DR Acoustic Black Beauties for $10 on Ebay today so we will see how they sound. Planning to install a bone saddle, nut and bridge pins at the same time.
I’ll post the results when I get the parts installed.This is from their website:
The K3™ coating is the first coating that players report, “sounds as good or better than uncoated strings.” DR’s new, remarkable, proprietary and patent pending K3™ Technology Coating is the first coating that makes no apologies and no excuses for not delivering sound equal to uncoated strings. Players tell us that these strings have more volume, less unwanted overtones, greater clarity and articulation than standard, uncoated strings. In fact, they provide the same protection due to corrosion and perspiration as well as increased tone life that coated strings are known for. At DR Handmade Strings we always combine old fashioned craftsmanship with only the very finest American made materialsThe string noise associated with acoustic guitars is the main reason mine has been in its case for so long. As I was listening to the clips from the websites that I was posting, I thought that I would try it again and see if the coated strings. The Santa Cruz, Collings, Taylor, Breedlove & Seagull guitars sound so good, I kinda got bit again to play acoustic
With my Alvarez being a spruce top with maple sides, it has a very mellow tone to it. I’m hoping that replacing those parts and the DRs will bring the best out of it.
DR also has 2 other formulations, Sunbeam and Hi-Beam 80/20 that aren’t coated and they are supposed to be good for guitars that has a low output due to lower quality materials. -
April 20, 2013 at 9:50 pm #10565
I have an old Alvarez 12 string, i hardly ever have 12 strings on it, i guess im just not into the 12 string thing
anyway its a 1973 model 5021 ive had it since 1977 its really red on the sides and back makes me think maybe mahogany? i traded my car for that guitar and $200 in 1977. I dont have the $200 any longer 🙁
it doesnt sound bad but ive got to say my Taylor blows it out of the water. on the other hand ive heard alot of people say to be really careful with the humidity with the Taylor or they will crack. that Alvarez has been every where and didnt give it a second thought and theres not a crack in it
sorry what were we talking about? -
April 20, 2013 at 10:18 pm #10566
**** sorry what were we talking about?
Maybe you need a cup of Pete’s strong coffee to keep you focused|?? LOL
I’m in search of the right string that will give me a quiet performance as far as string noise is concerned but a string that will bring as much out of that Alvarez as it will produce. Mine was made in 1976 so the wood has aged well by now, it time to replace the saddle & nut and find the right string
Alvarez has made a ton of guitars over the years and they’ve been a good mid-priced guitar for the most part. Until you get into the Alvarez-Yairi….. much more expensive .
I think the points that you made are very relevant because, like you, my Alvarez hasn’t been pampered as far has humidity and temperature is concerned. The quality is good but fact is fact, its not a Taylor or Breedlove or Santa Cruz. Ford Focus being compared to a Mercedes. Both are cars with tires & engines but that’s about all they have in common.
When you get into the exacting standards that a Taylor is made to, those standards are the basis of their sound. A mid-level guitar may be made to a lower tolerance, the high end stuff requires that closer tolerance to produce its signature tone. The wrong humidity for the right amount of time will cause a warp that may be all but unnoticeable but just enough it could cause a change in the high end sound they produce.
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April 20, 2013 at 11:37 pm #10567
http://mobile.reuters.com/article/idUSL0172939720080702?irpc=932
Here is a short article about wood density and sound charactaristics. Ive read several articles similar to this about old violins but never though about in terms of guitar till I picked one up. if two people have instruments of the same size and material, they may still sound vastly different based on the climate conditions of the area where the wood was harvested. Two pieces of ash from different areas of the world will have different growth ring spacing and therefore very different resonance charactaristics. im also thinking based on this information that each instrument therefore would respond differently to string changes, saddle/nut material, etc. just my $.02.
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April 21, 2013 at 6:35 pm #10569
@droidlizard wrote:
http://mobile.reuters.com/article/idUSL0172939720080702?irpc=932
Here is a short article about wood density and sound charactaristics. Ive read several articles similar to this about old violins but never though about in terms of guitar till I picked one up. if two people have instruments of the same size and material, they may still sound vastly different based on the climate conditions of the area where the wood was harvested. Two pieces of ash from different areas of the world will have different growth ring spacing and therefore very different resonance charactaristics. im also thinking based on this information that each instrument therefore would respond differently to string changes, saddle/nut material, etc. just my $.02.
Droid
That’s an interesting article and you can’t argue with the success of a Stradivarius. Interesting still that they looked at the violins with a CT Scanner to judge the density of the wood.
I once saw a website that a man was buying lumber that he found from barns being torn down that were at least 100 years old. He was building Telecaster style guitars from them and it was his contention that pine was an exceptional tone wood – if it was properly aged and completely dried out. He explained that pine required around 75-100 years to really dry and that the sap in the wood grain is detrimental to tone vibrations. Stands to reason that it would take quite a while to dry – I remember holding a large splinter and when it was lit, the resin dripped off of the wood plus fueled the fire. The resin, which when dried is used on violin bows, when the wood is burning is a thick black liquid which was about as thick as 90 weight oil. Considering the density of the sap, the wood would be much easier to vibrate once the sap was was dried and gone.
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