Different Type of String Question

[saintjb]

I have a question that I don't want to be misconstrued. It's about acoustic strings in general. I am not asking a question about PB being better than 80/20 or what strings sound better on a certain type of wood or are coated better than non-coated. I believe that intonation is subjective. My question is strictly about the quality of the strings. PB's or 80/20's different sound makes no difference in this question. In your own opinion, are there different quality categories that each manufacturer's strings fall into. Now I know that one manufacturer may make strings for many different brands, but they do so using the specs that the certain brand requires. Now with that all said, if we have three categories POOR-GOOD-GREAT, what brands do you believe personally should fall in what category? This question would be best answered by someone who has been playing for a long time, and has tried many different brands over many years. I am just curious about what kind of data the people of this forum will come up with. Then do general comparison of all that respond. If you want a certain question answered you go to the experts.

[rick-slo]

I don't think there are specific metallurgy answers for that, just subjective opinions about things you want to be excluded. Now with nylon strings I did have some opinions on which strings seemed to most consistently intonate from batch to batch, and that reflects on quality of manufacturing, but that has not occurred with steel strings. Some people have opinions that certain string brands have strings that seem to break more often, but others disagree.

Originally Posted by rick-slo

I don't think there are specific metallurgy answers for that, just subjective opinions about things you want to be excluded. Now with nylon strings I did have some opinions on which strings seemed to most consistently intonate from batch to batch, and that reflects on quality of manufacturing, but I that has not occurred with steel strings. Some people have opinions that certain string brands have strings that seem to break more often, but others disagree.

Hi Saintjb,

Derek ↑↑↑ is correct. Even string quality is subjective from brand to brand and becomes a question of what's most important to the user.

For example, on one of my guitars I love the sound of John Pearse PB light gauge strings. However, they have a tendency to break after a couple of weeks usage. Therefore, are they high quality because of the tremendous tone they bring out of the guitar, better than any other string I've tried? Or are they poor quality because they break more frequently?

I don't think anyone is going to be able to rate strings objectively.

[Oldguy64]

The question is unanswerable.
There are so many aspects to consider.
Some brands are hailed for longevity.
Some are hailed for sounding great.
Some are expensive, some are not.

Elixirs tend to last well for those with acidic hands.
Sometimes they are even lauded for playing easy, sounding good.
They tend to last a good while for some players. But they are also quite pricey.

Martin Marquis are lauded for sounding good, but not being all that long lived. But that is justified by the fact that they tend to be very inexpensive.

I play the brand I play, because, FOR ME, I can buy in bulk which lowers the price, I like the way they play, I like the way they sound, and they last acceptably.
But, at the frequency I usually change strings, I could say the same thing about a bunch of strings.

The other consideration, is that the strings I dislike, are loved by others.
The strings I like are disliked by others.
So, while its an interest exercise in thought....your results are likely to be inconclusive.

Even if we rated them say, on price, sound, longevity, and in that specific order, there will be no consensus.
Because I like "brand A" because it isn't pricey, sounds great, and lasts well.
But that may not be the case with another member, with the same string.

Then when you add in the variances between guitars....
I have two guitars that get on quite nicely with 80/20's
The same two guitars warm up considerably with PB.
I have two guitars that sound awful, to me, with anything but PB.

For this to be halfway credible, you have to find a number of members willing to road test a single type of string, say Martin Retros, in the same gauges, on one type of guitar, say a 00 with rosewood back and sides.
And even if it were a bunch of guys, playing the same strings on a single example of a single guitar, you're gonna get widely different reviews.

So, I submit...the question is largely unanswerable.


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[saintjb]

That's a good point. thanks for the replies.