Larrivee Sitka/Mahogany OM strings

[John Lee Pettimore]

What are your favorite strings on your Larrivee Sitka/Mahogany OM?

I'm playing Ernie Ball Earthwood PB 12-54.  They're the only strings I've had on it and they sound great, but I still like to experiment with a few strings on recent quitar acquisitions. 

[John in Charm City]

D'addario XS - just my personal preference.  Martin used to be my go to but after their latest change (a few years ago), they just don't seem to hold up as well.  I do prefer coated strings so ymmv.

John
 

[BlueBowman]

XS strings are pretty great. I do like them on my Larrivee sitka/mahogany OM. I think my personal favorites might be SCGC medium "parabolic" strings. Like the XS's, they also last quite a long time. If you don't wanna go in for the price of those, try out a set of Curt Mangan roundcore strings. I go with phosphor bronze. Really lovely sounding strings. Just make sure you do your due diligence in NOT cutting the strings before tuning them to pitch.

But the truth is, I don't think I've put a bad set of strings on that guitar, no matter the brand. It's tough to make a really good spruce/mahogany guitar sound bad with any set of strings, IMO. Can't say the same for spruce/rosewood, which can be a little more finicky string-wise.

Let us know what works for you!

[John in Charm City]

thanks - had not heard of Santa Cruz strings before - just ordered a set of light tension to try them out.

John

[BlueBowman]

thanks - had not heard of Santa Cruz strings before - just ordered a set of light tension to try them out.

John

Cool. I seem to always hear a little something extra in the treble when I use them on my Larrivee OM. I'm sure it's the bass strings influencing the high E, but I like it. Hope they work for you.

[B0WIE]

thanks - had not heard of Santa Cruz strings before - just ordered a set of light tension to try them out.
John

They're my favorite. Funny thing is, despite being expensive, they last so long that I find them more economical than other brands. I get 5 days out of most strings. 3 weeks from DR. 3 months from Elixr. SCGCs last me at least a year. And, the best thing is there's no dramatic swing in tone. They change very little over their lifespan and then finally get a little dull around the same time the texture changes. That's important to me as I hate adapting my technique to the condition of the strings.

 If you have not used round-core strings, keep in mind that the wound string behavior is different. The wounds aren't as bright as hex core, but they have a more defined fundamental that sustains longer. This can be advantageous for fingerstyle, arpeggios, etc.

[John in Charm City]

They're my favorite. Funny thing is, despite being expensive, they last so long that I find them more economical than other brands. I get 5 days out of most strings. 3 weeks from DR. 3 months from Elixr. SCGCs last me at least a year. And, the best thing is there's no dramatic swing in tone. They change very little over their lifespan and then finally get a little dull around the same time the texture changes. That's important to me as I hate adapting my technique to the condition of the strings.

 If you have not used round-core strings, keep in mind that the wound string behavior is different. The wounds aren't as bright as hex core, but they have a more defined fundamental that sustains longer. This can be advantageous for fingerstyle, arpeggios, etc.

Put a set on my EIR OM and have to say - wow.  You're not kidding about the wounds not being as bright as hex core.  Really tames what was a bit too jingly to my ear. You're  also right about the increased sustain.

Thanks for the suggestion

John

[B0WIE]

Put a set on my EIR OM and have to say - wow.  You're not kidding about the wounds not being as bright as hex core.  Really tames what was a bit too jingly to my ear. You're  also right about the increased sustain.

Thanks for the suggestion

John

That's great to hear. Thanks for the follow-up. I'm always curious how these things turn out for people.

[William2]

II was looking at these strings on Amazon. They classify them as light or medium but give no number values for the strings in the set. Are the lights 12-53?

[B0WIE]

II was looking at these strings on Amazon. They classify them as light or medium but give no number values for the strings in the set. Are the lights 12-53?

I can dig up a tension chart if you need. But, essentially Light Tension is similar to a set of 12's and Medium is closer to 13's (better for dreads and lower tunings).
I use the lights for all my guitars and down tunings because they stay clear when the tension is low, even when other strings would start to sound dull or floppy.

[William2]

I can dig up a tension chart if you need. But, essentially Light Tension is similar to a set of 12's and Medium is closer to 13's (better for dreads and lower tunings).
I use the lights for all my guitars and down tunings because they stay clear when the tension is low, even when other strings would start to sound dull or floppy.

Thanks, Mr. BOWIE. I'll order a set.

[John in Charm City]

So just a follow up after a month with the SCGC strings.  They really do sound great but...

They are noticeably stiffer than the XS lights.  I found I actually prefer that extra stiffness, just makes everything feel more deliberate. 

I didn't get the life others have mentioned.  After a month and probably 100 hrs of playing (retirement is great!) the 1st and 2nd strings were very dead.  It happened so quickly I was actually checking the frets and saddle to see if something was wrong.  All of the wound strings still looked/sounded great.  Keep in mind I am primarily a bare finger player so they do get plucked pretty good and are exposed to perspiration, etc.  By comparison the XS used to last about 2 months or so.

While they are coated they are noisier than the XS strings by far.

So I had to swap them out today and I put the XS back on only because I didn't have a spare set of the Santa Cruz.  It actually took me a bit to adjust back to the lightness of the XS 12's and the guitar does not have the same ring.  So it will be back to the SCGC once I order a few more sets.

I've not tried the Mangan strings yet although I do have a set of them.

John

[BlueBowman]

Congrats on your retirement, John!

Nice to hear about your positive experience with SCGC strings. They sound great on all my guitars.