James Taylor, Olson guitars and John Pearse strings
 

Yesterday when I logged onto the forum I read a thread about James Taylor, Olson guitars and Adamas strings. Since there was some conflicting information from different posters on the thread about the brand of strings that JT currently prefers, I decided that before I posted any response, I would call both the Breezy Ridge/John Pearse strings office and the custom guitar builder Jim Olson himself. I wanted to make sure I had the correct information before I posted anything. In the process, I spent about thirty minutes or so on the phone with Jim Olson. (We have several mutual friends and the conversation was wide-ranging, not just about JT's string preference.)

Okay, just for what it's worth, as a guitarist myself it doesn't matter much to me what strings any famous player happens to use. At most, if a guitarist whose playing I admire expresses a strong preference for a certain brand of strings, I might give them a try. I think most of us are like that.

Give 'em a try? Sure. Slavishly follow whatever preference the famous player expresses? Nah - not hardly.

As it happens, I have my own strong preference for strings - I'm a John Pearse artist endorser, but was using Pearse strings almost exclusively for years before achieving that status.

Anyway, back to the topic at hand.

First, the short version: James Taylor used Adamas strings for a brief period in the early 1990's, for two to three years maximum. Since then he has used, preferred and endorsed John Pearse strings.

Jim Olson is a little vague on the exact time frame of when JT had those Adamas strings, since he himself was not directly involved. But what happened was that around 1991 Adamas/Kaman Corporation made up several dozen sets of strings in the gauges JT prefers: .011, .015, .022, .030, .040, .050. JT liked the Adamas strings well enough, and those were what he happened to be using when he was interviewed for the 1992 magazine article that is quoted on Jim Olson's website.

But Jim introduced JT to John Pearse strings shortly thereafter, and JT loved them. Since at least 1995 JT has used John Pearse strings exclusively. I spoke to Todd at the Breezy Ridge office just before talking to Jim Olson, and Todd told me that they send shipments of 4 dozen sets of the John Pearse 550 Slightly Light phosphor bronze strings to JT's guitar tech every time JT and the band tour. Just the middle of last month Todd sent them another shipment of 48 sets.

Todd also mentioned that JT's brother Livingston Taylor uses the same set. As it happens, it was James Taylor's preference for that set of gauges that inspired the Pearse "Slightly Light" set in the first place. Another string company might market them as the "James Taylor" set, but Breezy Ridge doesn't do that.

I looked at the page on Jim Olson's website that was cited as the source for the information that JT uses Adamas strings:

http://www.olsonguitars.com/taylor.html

To be fair it's hard to read. Immediately after the mention of the Adamas strings there's another paragraph that says that the information is from an old magazine article and is out of date, but that disclaimer is not in another typeface or all that easy to see, much less read.

But in our phone conversation yesterday Jim repeatedly emphasized to me that JT is using John Pearse strings exclusively, and has been for at least the last 15-18 years.

Jim also repeatedly asked me to post the correct information in a public response on the forum. So here's that post.

I have no intention of giving the original poster of the Adamas thread any kind of hard time, either via personal message or in a post. He posted what he thought was correct information. It's just outdated, that's all.

Anyway, it's not a big deal, but I thought it might be worthwhile to double check, so I did.


Wade Hampton Miller

Thanks for posting this, Wade.

As you mentioned, no big deal, but good to have it straightened out.

I'll be playing an Olson with John Pearse strings very soon.

Joe

Hi Wade:

What a great post! Very informative, factual, and interesting. Thanks very much for sharing that info with us.

I normally run the pearse strings on my SJ and it sounds great. But that guitar would sound great with rubber bands on it. I have very dry hands with no oils etc and can easily get a few weeks out of them so cost is not that big a deal to me. I do try different strings from time to time just to hear what's out there on the Olson but to my ear the pearse strings really do sound great in comparison.

Wade, thx for going the extra mile on this info.

I'm really enjoying the JPs on my Olson and my Bourgeois OM.

Great strings at a very good price point.

Thanks for the interesting read, Wade. I also am a big fan of John Pearse PBs, so it's nice to read about big name artists (besides you, Wade, of course) that use them.

Bluegrass
 

Just tossed on a set of Pearse BlueGrass

Gotta say they are "Different" strings and they
like to be picked hard and lean toward the "lead".

As a back porch picker I've found the inner flat-picker!

However as a more melodic player I'm thinking
to try a different offering perhaps phosphor.

Otherwise they are now a unique brand to me and
I intend on re-stringing a few more times with JP's
in different formats. They do ring and sound fine as
well as bend easy and slide well...

Perhaps I'm becoming a convert?!

Can anyone describe the difference between JP strings and say Martin or D'Addario of the same gauge, core shape, and wrapping alloy?

I have never tried them..

Hmm...you are a Pearse endorser, I see.
Anyway, is James Taylor now endorsing them as well ?

Hi Wade,

Thank you for all the time you put into chasing this issue down. Very interesting information.

- Glenn

Bern wrote:

Bern, I try to make it a point to mention that I'm a John Pearse artist endorser in every post relating to strings that I write. If you search the archives for my posts you'll find that I've always been completely upfront about this.

Which is how it should be.

As for James Taylor being an artist endorser, yes, it's been official for quite some time. He and his brother Livingston both are artist endorsers for John Pearse strings, and you can find their names here:

http://www.jpstrings.com/brend.htm

I'm listed under "M" and James and Livingston Taylor are listed under "T."

Random Works asked:

Well, they sound a bit different. It's been long enough since I used any Martin strings that I'd be on shaky ground trying to give you any accurate tonal comparisons. I do recall that I don't get as long a usable lifespan out of the Martins as I do out of the Pearses, but that won't necessarily be the case for everyone.

The greatest tonal contrast I can give you is between the D'Addario phosphors and the Pearse phosphors. The D'Addario phosphors have a much more noticeable and prominent treble response than the Pearse phosphors have. The Pearse phosphors have a more complex tonal profile than the D'Addario phosphors.

Trying to explain tonal differences in words "is like dancing about architecture," to use the phrase attributed to Frank Zappa. But as a general rule those players who are really used to D'Addario phosphors will find the Pearse phosphors dark by comparison, while to Pearse phosphor users the D'Addarios might seem overly bright.

So much does truly depend on how any individual instrument responds that it's basically impossible to get any more specific than that.

Hope this helps.


Wade Hampton Miller

Yep. I love JP PBs and find D'Addario PBs annoying bright. Might be my guitars or my right hand attack, don't know. So many people really like D'Addario PBs and I have read many comments about how dark JPs are (which I don't hear at all).

I use D'Addario EJ16 and Martin SP 80/20 light strings a lot and I also use John Pearse strings. In 80/20 I find John Pearse strings to be very pleasant sounding and a little more "rolled off" on the treble end compared to Martin SP 80/20. That is, the JP 80/20 are slightly less bright compared to Martin SP 80/20. Martin Marquis 80/20 have a treble closer to the JP 80/20, but the JP strings sound richer to my ears in the lower frequencies than Martin Marquis 80/20.

In PB strings, D'Addario EJ16 strings are way brighter and the JP PB strings are fairly dark to my ears. The JP PB strings are so dark to my ears that I just don't use them because I like a little more treble in my guitars and for my style of playing. On the other hand, I use JP 80/20 fairly often.

- Glenn

Thanks for your efforts on this Wade.

I like the combination of warmth and articulation I hear with the JP PB's though even those sound a bit too bright to me when brand new. Takes about a week for them to "settle in" to my ears. They last as long as anything for me.

EJ16's are too bright for me but I keep some on hand to use on my project Songbird or if I'm working on someone's all lam starter guitar I'll throw a set on that to liven it up some.

I'm still planning on trying Adamas though. You never know :)

Ray

I had used Martin Marquis exclusively for a long time before being introduced to JP strings by Griff Jones in 88 or 89. My first impression was that the
JP strings sounded quite similar to the Marquis but they lasted MUCH longer.

I've enough sets of JP strings here now to last me 2 James
Taylor tours if he needs me. Somehow I don't think......

Thanks, Larry. I appreciate your input to the earlier thread.

The reason I stayed out of yesterday's thread was that I hadn't yet talked to Jim Olson myself. I already knew that the Pearse strings are what he uses on the guitars he builds, but I'd been reading on this forum that James Taylor had started with John Pearse strings and switched to Adamas.

That, of course, turned out to be exactly backwards. You knew that, but I didn't.

Thanks again,


Wade

Yup, and you are going to love it Joe!!!

So...just so I can be sure. Which strings should I buy so's I can sound (as close as possible) to JT.

I can tell you my favorite JT album was (is) Flag which I believe was recorded in 1980. Next comes Hour Glass, October Road and then Never Die Young . I like the songs and impact Flag had on my life at that moment in time. Kinda a frozen snapshot of some very good "on the road" travels. Also a realization I like acoustic guitar better than electric.

Good gravy Hourglass. I mean what can anyone say about Hourglass. A recording and songwriting masterpiece. Almost endless sonic bliss. Reverbs that reset the very idea of reverbs. I dunno where to begin on this one.

Anyway..I've always used Adamas strings cause that's what I thought JT used. Now I've learned that's not the case. I'm confused. You guys think I should invest in a mess of John Pearse strings or stay with the 53 pack's of Adamas strings I've already purchased???

Joseph, I think the best way to sound as close as possible to the way James Taylor sounds is to work on your right hand technique and practice, man, practice!

I sure wouldn't change string brands until you've used up the sets you've already got, and I'm not sure it'll make all that much difference even then. Most of it is going to be in the hands.


whm

JT's sound is probably 80% his technique, 15% his pick-up, 4.9% his guitar and 0.1% his strings.

Gents, ideally my SJ would've been built with rosewood, just like JT's guitar -- but I couldn't resist the call of the Tree.

I'll find out soon enough whether that was a good call... ;)

I haven't used Martin PBs regularly, so I won't comment on them, other than the Marquis PBs are good. Here's my take on D'Addario PB vs John Pearse PB, in addition to what Wade has already said.

Especially when newly strung, the D'Addarios have a more pronounced overtone resonance - very pleasing sounding on standalone chords, especially ones that don't involve rapid changes. The D'Addarios are a bit diffuse for ideal single note clarity, although the sound is luscious and pleasing. Their biggest drawback is in ensemble playing, where their overtone rich sound makes the guitar less identifiable. The Pearse PB sound is somewhere between the D'Addario PB and a good 80/20 string: more harmonic resonance than an 80/20, but still having excellent primary note clarity. For this reason, the John Pearse PBs are my favorite strings.

John Pearse "Bluegrass" strings for me. Out of all that I have tried, especially on my favorite guitar, I believe that the combination of these particular strings, a nice tortoise shell pick, and my Adirondack/EIR Collings dread give me the best sound I have personally ever been able to produce on a guitar. YMMV.

I hear --- a complex resonance when playing with the fingers, along with a relaxed feel of balanced resistance against either hand -- bending is comfortable, and occasionally, restraint is necessary to keep notes from becoming sharp, but that is almost entirely due to operator error. Keeping the touch light in the fretting hand creates the best tonality, regardless of how lightly (or sharply) the fingers (or pick) may strike.

With a moderately thick pick and a favored bevel, the level of depth and projection in the sound has to be heard to be truly experienced. Or experienced to be truly heard; pick your poison. :wink: There are lots of dynamic levels available with these strings, and the reason for this, (I like to speculate, even at the risk of being exposed as being mistaken on the 'Net :eek:) is because the level of tension against the bridge and the top, at what is basically the factory action level, I "feel" to be pert near optimal.

Other strings, in comparison, mostly leave me wanting. I have used different brands/alloys that held my attention in the past, such as nickel strings for a few weeks in the winter every year, and there are some that I consider very acceptable for occasional use; to diverge from the norm just for the heck of it (D'addario strings come to mind as being pretty darned good, and Newtone Double-Wound are very interesting) -- but the JP strings have a wonderful take on the different colors I can find in the trebles; a shadow of rock and roll electrical grit in the solidly defined mids, and a woody bottom end, with definite echos of the reverb you might encounter in a D-42 with a few years on it - say, 50-60 percent.

You can get richly lyrical (even in higher registers) and then have a change of heart, and start rockin' out, with a few chicken-pickin', country thumpin', bluegrass runs. (If you can picture that, we might be kin.) Course, you may not want any of that, and if not, I respect your decision, but take my word for it; it makes people jump around while eating burgers at the truck stop. I saw it myself.

Finally, the strings are no slouch when strumming, give it a thumb nail or a pick, and you get note definition with no discernible mud, with plenty of power in the punch. Turn the pick for extra bottom end, or angle back for rock-a-billy, and you know you're home. Lay in deep with a complex finger pattern, dig in with the slight edge of buzz for sizzle, and watch heads turn at the surprising sweetness and warm, round clarity of the voice, like a baritone singer with a richly expressive higher range.

Okay, I'm done slopping it on. :D Give 'em a go, you might be pleasantly surprised ... it'll be educational, at the least.

... JT

Oh gosh guys now I'm embarrassed. That was all tongue in cheek. Here you guys are tryin to answer me sincerely. That's thoughtful Joe and Wade and I appreciate the sentiment, but I was just kidding :)

Hi Wade
 

Well I guess JT used Adamas at one time. I still love them.

As you know my experience with Pearss phosphor bronze was not stellar - though the sets you had sent directly to me were OK. Ordering them from JustStrings brought me dead strings.

I have no egoic investment in what JT plays. He can play Curt Mangan strings (ha ha) for all I care.

I just happen to like Adamas strings. To me they sound the best of all.

Cheers

In this case I'd suggest you put on a set of Elixir and forget about all this... LOL

Russ Mason wrote:

And that's all that counts. Use the strings that work best for you. As it happens, my guitar builder friend Duane Waterman happens to like Adamas strings a lot, too, and uses them on the guitars he builds when he can find them for sale locally.

I was confused by the chronology of events as they were reported on this forum, so I just wanted to clear that up mainly to satisfy my own curiosity. So I did.

In any event, we're fortunate to have as many excellent choices for strings as we have. There really aren't any truly bad choices - there are simply some strings that will work better for me than for you, and vice versa.

Anyway, no harm done. Your post prompted me to dig a little deeper, and that was a good thing.


Wade Hampton Miller

Great post, JT! Thanks!!

whm