I put some fresh strings on my Larrivee D-03MT today, and it literally had me dropping my mouth wide open all over again. Man, it had been a while since I put new strings on her, and it is a totally new guitar once again! It is amazing how a dead set of strings can change a whole guitar! I really need to treat her better and keep a fresher set on her all the time :whistling:
Gotta love that first day of fresh strings....(actually I like day 2 with fresh strings a little better than day one)
How often do you all change strings?
'bout the time I'm thinking I'd like a new guitar. :tongue: :winkin:
Yeah, the way she played today with new strings pretty much wipes away any GAS. The dred sounds AWESOME!
Lots of conversations about tonewoods, construction techniques, saddle and nut material, etc, etc, etc. It really is amazing how much strings can transform a guitar. I'm a firm believer of finding the correct strings for the right guitar. Enjoy!!!
When to change strings: I have a real problem with that because since I started using Curt Mangan's they just don't go dead. I'm almost embarassed to say I changed strings on my H&D 00-sp in May when I realized I hadn't changed them since Dec. and they still sounded good. I know a lot of people change every couple weeks or even every week. It's what you like and can afford.
f
ffinke -- great... thanks :rolleye:... a string I haven't tried :humour:
Now I've got to track some down and see if I like them :doh
I normally change between 2 weeks and 2 months, depending play time and available time plus how they sound to me. But I wanted to see if the coated strings were as advertised.
The Cargo and Parlor and 00-3 all had coated strings from the Spring. (Nanoweb and EXP's)
The L-09 had EJ-17's also since April. These were holding up ok, slowly getting mellow and softer which is my usual experience with them and MSP4200's.
So:
The Cargo and Parlor got EJ-17's. Huge improvement and lively gustsy sound.
The 00-03 got RED mediums. Huge improvement and lively gustsy sound, deep bass almost like adding half a size.
The L-09 got GHS LJ True Mediums. Nice fresh string sound, but the old EJ's weren't that bad.
MY lesson? Coated strings aren't that great and don't last any longer for me.
Only had a Larrivee for a few months now (EIR/L). First time I changed strings was a set of phosphor bronze light gauge. So darned bright I couldn't wait for them to deaden up a bit. After 6 weeks or so of constant playing they got so dead that I finally felt I had to change again. This time happened to use regular bronze light gauge. Perfect! Not too bright/tinny, not too dull. Guess they won't last so long.
Where would the D'Addario EXP16s that Larrivee recommends fall on the bright-to-mellow spectrum? I understand that they're coated, but don't yet have any experience with that.
(In case there's some difference in terminology: by bright I mean high overtones dominate fundamentals; by dead I mean the opposite.)
I used to change every 20 to 25 hours of play or 2 days before a gig. Now I wipe them down faithfully after every use but I can't gig anymore (health reasons), so it is more like every month and a half or 2 months. Whenever she starts looking a little dull or spotty (I sometimes spray a bit when I sing). I use DR Sunbeams so they really do not need replacing when I do most of the time but I do just for maintenance sake and access when cleaning up a bit).
Dale-I,
I agree with ffinke: Curt Mangan's are well worth a try. I've been going nutso trying strings for a couple of months and have ranked them at the top (see http://www.larriveeforum.com/smf/index.php?topic=32277.20)
Trying out different strings is the only hobby I can still afford. A fresh set of strings is like getting a new guitar. The differences are subtle and undetectable by most humans but we guitar folk thrive on nuance and details. Also my favorite strings on the Ovation I had just don't sound that good on the Larrivee and vise versa. Thus string recommendations are very subjective.
Quote from: saintandsinnerguy on August 20, 2010, 02:03:18 PM
I put some fresh strings on my Larrivee D-03MT today, and it literally had me dropping my mouth wide open all over again. Man, it had been a while since I put new strings on her, and it is a totally new guitar once again! It is amazing how a dead set of strings can change a whole guitar! I really need to treat her better and keep a fresher set on her all the time :whistling:
Gotta love that first day of fresh strings....(actually I like day 2 with fresh strings a little better than day one)
How often do you all change strings?
I put three sets on today. Only one was due to age. I have a lot of strings and I switched the F-IV to mediums and really like it (EJ-17's). My F-III was the only one that I changed because of a noticeable decrease in it's very rich and vibrant tone. That is when I for sure dump the old ones and put on a new set.
New strings on a good guitar are like the sun bursting through the clouds in Seattle after two months of clouds and drizzle. :guitar