Martin Retro Strings...your thoughts?

They're great on mahogany guitars, especially mahogany tops. I prefer Pearse Pure Nickels on spruce tops, but not by much. I have retros on my wood-bodied resonator, and they're fine -- maybe a little mellow.

But like I always answer in these string threads -- for eight bucks, it's cheap and easy to decide for yourself.

[Shades of Blue]

Originally Posted by Jaden

Generally thinner, less thick than bronze wound or pb. They cut into the guitar wood and bracing like a sharp probe and extract what’s ever to be found there.

Still have them on my OM-21 (ethereal), on my first new 000-15m it was metallic ear bleed.

Are you saying that the strings physically damaged your guitar? I don't know what you mean here...

Originally Posted by Jaden

They cut into the guitar wood and bracing like a sharp probe and extract what’s ever to be found there.

Originally Posted by Shades of Blue

Are you saying that the strings physically damaged your guitar? I don't know what you mean here...

metaphor (noun): a figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object or action to which it is not literally applicable.

[LAGinz]

They sound great on my J-15 (walnut back and sides; Sitka top). Have had them on for 6 weeks, and still going strong!

[hat]

Like most of the others, I like them on Mahogany. they give that more fundemental, old timey tone. the D'adarrio Nickel Bronze are nice too, but brighter initially and cost twice as much. I have not tried them on Rosewood, and probably won't.

[beatcomber]

Listen to Bob Dylan's early pre-electric albums... that is the sound of monel strings.

I tried a set on my '64 Gibson F25 Folksinger and immediately loved their woody thump and delicate treble. That first set lasted maybe 5 months, so that's a pretty good run.

I next went back to PB (D'Addario's) and, while I liked their zing, I found that they sounded thinner than I liked vs. the monels. I went back to the Retros, and have no plans to use any other strings on that guitar.

[Shades of Blue]

Originally Posted by Willie Voltaire

metaphor (noun): a figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object or action to which it is not literally applicable.

I realized it was a metaphor, but I was wondering if it was more a hyperbole describing some sort of damage that they did to the guitar.

[kayakman]

Retro`s work very nice on my 38 L5, also the D Addario NB`s are also nice sounding strings..

[Jaden]

Originally Posted by Willie Voltaire

metaphor (noun): a figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object or action to which it is not literally applicable.

Thanks. I always follow your posts with interest.

[steviebee74]

I use them on my acoustic archtop and they are perfect for that & seem to last for months. I use 13 gauge if it’s any interest.

[archerscreek]

I immediately became a fan when I put a set of Retros on my D-18GE. The Retros softened the sharpness I otherwise heard with PB on that guitar, bringing it a bit closer to my HD-28 custom. Longevity has at least matched that of my best PB uncoated strings. I lost no volume. Such a fan that I bought a dozen sets when strings and beyond had a sitewide 15% off sale.

[rokdog49]

Originally Posted by beatcomber

Listen to Bob Dylan's early pre-electric albums... that is the sound of monel strings.

I tried a set on my '64 Gibson F25 Folksinger and immediately loved their woody thump and delicate treble. That first set lasted maybe 5 months, so that's a pretty good run.

I next went back to PB (D'Addario's) and, while I liked their zing, I found that they sounded thinner than I liked vs. the monels. I went back to the Retros, and have no plans to use any other strings on that guitar.

Yeah, but a recorded guitar in a song doesn't sound like that in person after all the EQ and compression used. It's not really a fair representation of the tone.

[JC.]

I find Retros typically last about 10 - 15 minutes. That's usually how long I can bear them before I rip them off.

However, I've just put them on a Mahogany/Spruce OM.....and they're not awful...

[Jaden]

Originally Posted by JC.

I find Retros typically last about 10 - 15 minutes. That's usually how long I can bear them before I rip them off.

However, I've just put them on a Mahogany/Spruce OM.....and they're not awful...

I found the same when trying Retros on my guitars for the first time - unbearable at the start, and I had high expectations for them on my first 000-15m which I have since let go - it was a very ‘tight’ guitar from new and it was not a good match (very hard/ strict severe metallic ring to them).

On a whim I put them on my spruce-rosewood OM-21 and they have remained, revealing a very sweet voice to that instrument and quite unexpected.

[tnez13]

I'm beginning to have a love/dislike relationship with the Martin Retros. In my experience, the Retros offer a consistent sound for a longer time than 80/20 or PB's. I have a sitka/pau ferro guitar and the sound is fairly good. That's where the dislike starts to come in.

I was thinking my guitar didn't have the sizzle or the dazzle of the sound I was hearing from the artists I listen to and I wasn't sure why. A couple months ago, I had an extra set of PB Martin Mediums that needed to be used so I put those on when I replaced the Retros. And that's when the sizzle returned to my guitar. I realized that I like the zing from the regular PB strings. The lifespan of the PB's was shorter and I'm now trying out a set of heavy Straight Up strings to check their sound, life, and playability.

So, I have a conundrum. I like the life of the Retros and am okay with the sound. I really like the sound of the PB's but wish they sounded good for longer than a month. (I'm purely a hobby player so I don't put a lot of hours on strings very quickly.) Martin Mediums run about $7, last a month for a yearly budget of $84. Retros are $9, last about three months for a yearly budget of $36. The Straight Up strings cost $12 including shipping. I'm guessing a life of around two months for a yearly cost of $72. If they can go three months, the yearly cost is $48. Budget-wise, the Retros will win out but I think I'm going to be spending a little more because the PB is better in my ears.