Mediums hurting my tone ????

[Rdodger300]

Hey guys , i strung my d02 with medium/lights (bluegrass) today and i dont know if its just me but they just dont seem to sound as good as the light guage i had on earlier .both sets of strings are d'addario and both are bronze .To me the mediums sound less lively or dull compared to the light guage. Is this normal or does my guitar prefer light guage. Any opinions or advice is greatly appreciated

[Walkerman]

Mediums hurt my fingers.  You have to press down harder than you do with lights.

[George]

Hey guys , i strung my d02 with medium/lights (bluegrass) today and i dont know if its just me but they just dont seem to sound as good as the light guage i had on earlier .both sets of strings are d'addario and both are bronze .To me the mediums sound less lively or dull compared to the light guage. Is this normal or does my guitar prefer light guage. Any opinions or advice is greatly appreciated

How low is the action?  I have seen guitars with low action that prevent heavier gauge strings from resonating properly, or something could have shifted when you changed the set (some nuances can cause this) or you may just have a dud set of strings...

I like the volume of mediums, but they hurt my fingers too so I use custom light gauge...

[Rdodger300]

This is the second set of mediums ive tried , the first set i thought might have been just a dead set but this set was purchased elsewhere and from a different manufacturer. The action is low but not crazy low there is absolutely no buzzing anywhere . And , shouldnt i be able to have lower action with the mediums since they dont move as much as the lights because of the increased string tension ? I dont have an issue playing the heavier guage just an issue with the tone change .its kinda driving me nuts because i always thought mediums drive the top more hence better sound/tone

[L07 Shooting Star]

Going to a next higher gauge will raise the action, just like you suggested.  But the difference is usually slight to negligible.  I realize that's not your issue.  I suggest that if you don't get the expected change or benefit from the change of strings, then just go with what you like better ( in this case, the strings you had on before the change).  That said, no harm in experimenting.  There are so many variables involved, though.  Various gauges, brands, formulations would have to be tried.  Go with what feels and sounds the best to you and take what a certain string is "supposed" to accomplish with a grain of salt.

Just my 2 cents.

[Rdodger300]

Agreed, i tend to get caught up in "whats supposed to sound good " instead of trusting my own ears and experience. Thanx

[L07 Shooting Star]

Agreed, i tend to get caught up in "whats supposed to sound good " instead of trusting my own ears and experience. Thanx

That's a trap many of us fall into.  Good luck.

[unclrob]

Sometime's a guitar wants what it wants?

[eded]

I say this so often, I'm sure some folks are tired of hearing it, but...

Every time I get a guitar, I go to Webstrings.com, and buy an assortment of strings...  light, med, and bluegrass in PB and 80/20.  Their strings sound ok, but don't last long.  They are cheap...  about $3 a set, so I don't mind putting them on and scrapping them after a few days.  It lets me know what is going to work best on a given guitar.  Considering the $$ I've put into gadgets and gear over the years, it's a relatively cheap ($20 or so) experiment.  I usually try again a year later to see if anything has changed, but usually what works on a given guitar is what's going to work.

Best of luck.

Ed

[Rdodger300]

This is exactly what ive been doing since i picked up the d02 qnd so far i think its a toss up between d'addario 80/20 bronze and ernie balls aluminum bronze light guage . Just about to change out the day old mediums and headed back to light guage
Side note : if you guys haven't tried the aluminium bronze you really should , they perform exactly as they say on the pack. Louder projection and extremely clear notes

[AZLiberty]

I think that Mediums suck the tone out of any guitar unless you play with a fairly heavy flatpick.

I play with bare fingers, maybe a thumb pick, and mediums have deadened the response, killed the sustain, and deadened the overtones of every guitar I have put them on.

[B0WIE]

Change brands first. Lights have a weaker bass response so they sound brighter, but they don't tune as well (note pitch drops with the sustain). Larrivee dreads are already lean in the low end so mediums are a really good choice, IMO. But, ultimately it's up to your tastes.   I just recommend changing brands first.

[Rdodger300]

I noticed the low end drop off as soon as i switched back to lights so maybe i ll take yoyr advice and try a different brand , i have some martin mediums kicking around somewhere

[unclrob]

You can also try mixing gauge's.Use the Low E,A,D from a medium set and use the lite's on the G,B and high E.

[eded]

You can also try mixing gauge's.Use the Low E,A,D from a medium set and use the lite's on the G,B and high E.

That's a "bluegrass" set. 

Ed

[unclrob]

I did not know that.....thanks

[Rdodger300]

Tried the d'addario bluegrass and wasn't a fan but gonna try different manufacturers as suggested before

[Rdodger300]

I was thinking about my issue at work today and thought maybe its my style of play thats messing me up when the mediums are on .im a pretty light touch with a pick and just recently started flatpicking some bluegrass so maybe i just need to work on technique and digging in a bit more to get the sound from the mediums.
Just a thought

[broKen]

I would make sure the string slots are cut properly. But that's the first thing I do with every guitar I've had.

[B0WIE]

I was thinking about my issue at work today and thought maybe its my style of play thats messing me up when the mediums are on .im a pretty light touch with a pick and just recently started flatpicking some bluegrass so maybe i just need to work on technique and digging in a bit more to get the sound from the mediums.
Just a thought

Are you using thick picks?  Try thinner pics with more pointed tips for a brighter tone.  Fender thin is a good starting point.  Won't help with bluegrass leads but they're nice for strumming.