D02 strings - Instant dislike for Martin strings

[gidget]

When I bought my D-02 it was set up with D'addario strings.  I kept reading the debates about strings and how they did/didn't make a difference.  I thought I'd change strings just to see what the fuss was and if there was a fuss at all so I did and now I'm a little worried about the instant and utter dislike I have for Martin brand.  They've been on for a month - I'm a beginner so I thought I'd leave them on on case it was my playing that was the problem.  But it wasn't.  It changes the guitar's feeling and sound completely to the point where I wouldn't have bought it.  They feel different and I don't like the sound either. 

Are there any small changes you've made to your guitars that you just can't stand?

[markj]

I've had a few sets of less than stellar sounding strings so I avoid them. I have pretty much settled in to D'Addario EJ16-12s although I remember liking the Nickel Bronze 13s as well. It's been a while since I anything but the EJ16-12 on my guitars. I need to get a set of Nickel Bronze on soon and try them again.

I also really liked the John Pearse, Silk 12s. Need to order a couple sets of those as well.

[mike in lytle]

 
I feel your pain about the strings. I guess it will take awhile before you figure what suits you best on the D-02.
Only advice to offer is try as many brands as you can and stick with what you like.
D'addario are good.

I have not made any changes to any of my Larrivees that I could not stand.
But it has mostly been setup work to make the guitars better for me personally.
Mike

[Mikeymac]

When I bought my D-02 it was set up with D'addario strings.  I kept reading the debates about strings and how they did/didn't make a difference.  I thought I'd change strings just to see what the fuss was and if there was a fuss at all so I did and now I'm a little worried about the instant and utter dislike I have for Martin brand.  They've been on for a month - I'm a beginner so I thought I'd leave them on on case it was my playing that was the problem.  But it wasn't.  It changes the guitar's feeling and sound completely to the point where I wouldn't have bought it.  They feel different and I don't like the sound either. 

Are there any small changes you've made to your guitars that you just can't stand?

Were the Martins the same gauge and type (Phosphor Bronze or 80/20 Bronze, etc.) as the ones they replaced?

I've always had pretty good luck with Martin strings - and there are other good brands out there as well (including D'Addario, of course). To each his own...

[Danny]

I use Martin strings on my 18 year old D-02. The guitar sounds superb. But then again any strings I've tried on it sound fine as well.

[mike in lytle]

I use Martin strings on my 18 year old D-02. The guitar sounds superb. But then again any strings I've tried on it sound fine as well.

Danny makes a good point, in that he commented on the D-02 as opposed to an L-body, or other body styles.
I have played Danny's D-02 and it is a fine guitar. I have played a few other Larrivee D-bodies, but I like Danny's guitar the best.
Danny gave me a few sets of Martin SP strings awhile back, phosphor bronze, .012 to .054 gauge.
I have used those sets on my mahogany L-bodies, and have one set left. I like them.
They are good strings.
My personal opinion (modestly offered) is that many different string types will work on a mahogany Larrivee.
I am not hung up on one brand or another on my three hog L-bodies. Except Martin Retros sound weird on a mahogany L-body.
Once one gets into the rosewood Larrivees, the guitar will "want to respond" to different strings in different ways. IMHO.
That is where I have spent my money on experiments. Two of three L-body rosewood guitars have settled on their "permanent strings".
The third rosewood L-body is arguing with me. But it is an -09, oh well.....
Mike

[AZLiberty]

Some people claim they can hear the difference between D'Addario PBs, Martin PBs, John Pearse PBs...

I'll give them the benefit of the doubt, but they all sound identical to me.   The Martin SP PBs are a tiny touch brighter.

On the other hand, Martin Marquis, the ones with the red silk, sound like 4 year old dead strings  - anytime someone says their guitar is to bright I tell them to try the Marquis strings, they'll suck the life and soul out of any instrument

Accidentally ordered 80/20s once, tried them, and coudn't get them off fast enough. Bleah, metallic and clattery.


Edit to add:  I maintain that Martin's string quality assurance went south when they started making the strings in Mexico instead of the US.  It got better last year when they started using sealed packaging (like D'Addario) instead of cardstock.

[Danny]

On the other hand, Martin Marquis, the ones with the red silk, sound like 4 year old dead strings  - anytime someone says their guitar is to bright I tell them to try the Marquis strings, they'll suck the life and soul out of any instrument.

[B0WIE]

Some people claim they can hear the difference between D'Addario PBs, Martin PBs, John Pearse PBs...

I'll give them the benefit of the doubt, but they all sound identical to me.   The Martin SP PBs are a tiny touch brighter.

On the other hand, Martin Marquis, the ones with the red silk, sound like 4 year old dead strings  - anytime someone says their guitar is to bright I tell them to try the Marquis strings, they'll suck the life and soul out of any instrument

Accidentally ordered 80/20s once, tried them, and coudn't get them off fast enough. Bleah, metallic and clattery.


Edit to add:  I maintain that Martin's string quality assurance went south when they started making the strings in Mexico instead of the US.  It got better last year when they started using sealed packaging (like D'Addario) instead of cardstock.

I hear the difference quite easily, but it may be due to the nature of my work. I've bought guitars that the owner said had a certain string on them and I could tell they were wrong by the sound (and it was reinforced when I took a look at the ball ends).

80/20 are an interesting topic. I always hear them described as brighter but what I've personally found is that it's not what they add, but what they don't add. PB has a lot of overtones in the midrange and bass that you don't get in 80/20. This focuses attention there and creates the impression of greater warmth and smoother highs.
For me, that quality is better on some things, worse on others.

[Danny]

    "WHAT KIND OF STRINGS DO YOU USE?"          " Guitar strings. "

[gidget]

I use Martin strings on my 18 year old D-02. The guitar sounds superb. But then again any strings I've tried on it sound fine as well.

I might have to go back to thinking it's my playing again and not the strings... or I'll probably take the river Denial and say it's 50/50 the strings vs my playing.

Accidentally ordered 80/20s once, tried them, and coudn't get them off fast enough. Bleah, metallic and clattery.
Edit to add:  I maintain that Martin's string quality assurance went south when they started making the strings in Mexico instead of the US.  It got better last year when they started using sealed packaging (like D'Addario) instead of cardstock.

I've got the Martin 80/20s on, the same gauge as the original D'addario's but the Martins's sound insistently brash to me.  It's like someone with a harsh grating voice is nagging me.  I wanted to find strings that had a bit more oomph with the base and the salesman told me to try the Martin 80/20s because everyone loves them.  I've kept them on for 2 months and I'm going to change them this weekend because I used to want to play and now I avoid my Larrivee.

[George]

Gidget, not Everyone loves 80/20's....  I don't have them on any of my guitars.

[AZLiberty]

Gidget, not Everyone loves 80/20's....  I don't have them on any of my guitars.

I accidentally ordered some once.  (bad e-commerce interface).

I now use them when I change guitar strings on my wife's OM-03.  It's what we call win/win.  I don't have the nasty sounding things on my guitar, and she's happy anytime someone changes the strings for her.

[Danny]

Gidget, not Everyone loves 80/20's....  I don't have them on any of my guitars.

Ditto here as well.

[Mikeymac]

Gidget, not Everyone loves 80/20's....  I don't have them on any of my guitars.

+2 My only guitar that 80/20's sound good on is my Gibson J-45. It also sounds good with Martin Retro's...

But I don't care for 80/20 Bronze on anything else.

I've got the Martin 80/20s on, the same gauge as the original D'addario's but the Martins's sound insistently brash to me.  It's like someone with a harsh grating voice is nagging me.  I wanted to find strings that had a bit more oomph with the base and the salesman told me to try the Martin 80/20s because everyone loves them.  I've kept them on for 2 months and I'm going to change them this weekend because I used to want to play and now I avoid my Larrivee.

I suspect your guitar had D'Addario Phosphor Bronze strings on it before.  They're excellent strings; you'll be fine if you stick with them.

[gidget]

Thing are looking up! I changed them to D'Addario Phosphor Bronze and it sounds so pretty again I don't want to put the guitar down (my next job is to learn how to change strings so it looks pretty and isn't just functional), and I've found a guitar teacher!

D'Addario Phosphor Bronze has good mojo.

[edit] My dad has seen my guitar and has decided we'll make a guitar together - sounds like fun. No details beyond using the aged stinkwood he has for part of the guitar but we'll work it out.

Good mojo 

[DaveyO]

Elixirs work great for me on my d03r
I don't like to change strings often and they sound
Good to me
Dave

[Rockysdad]

Strings???, well, let me tell you this about that
I just decided to try some D'Addario NB's 12-53 on my L-10 for the second time, I didn't care for them all that much the first time but, thought I should give a second chance, as I've been trying to find the *right* strings for it.  I take them out of the packaging and start changing them out. I get to the *G* string and I notice some tarnish spots, I look at the others and notice some more small spots. I finish putting them all on, these strings sound horrible. ( I've had them on other guitars with no problems) I send an e-mail to D'Addario on the weekend, get a quick response on Monday asking for some pictures, I send a few shots and get another reply saying they will send me a *new*  G string and a high E string and if that was acceptable let him know. I just sent an e-mail back telling them not to bother as I won't use them again.

[Parlor Picker]

I've always thought that different strings suit different guitars and different guitarists (in terms of how aggressive their sweat is, what their hearing is like and what their taste in sound is). I think D'Addario are consistently good strings, but never outstanding. Having always shunned Martins, I tried Martin SP Phosphor Bronze strings maybe 10 years or so ago and have always found them to sound better and last better than D'Addarios. I recently put a set of Martin SP 80/20 bronze strings on my Larrivée Rosewood Parlor, and rather than making it sound brighter, the result is an outstanding improvement - a fuller, more rounded sound (at least to my ears).

I am very dubious about using Elixirs (which look like plastic coated D'Addarios according to the coloured ball ends). A top slide player friend of mine shredded them to bits in a matter of hours. However, my picking partner who plays mandolin suffers from aggressive sweat and was forever changing rusty strings. I bought him a set of Elixirs a few years ago as a present and they immediately made his lovely Weber mandolin sound louder and it had a much nicer tone. I was not the only person to notice the remarkable change in the sound he was getting. And they last a lot longer.

As I have probably mentioned on this forum before, according to a professional American musician friend of mine, most brands are made in the D'Addario factory, but to the specifications of the various companies. This excludes Martin, who make them in Mexico. This could, of course, be an urban myth.

I know some professionals endorse particular brands, but at least two top acoustic players (one from the US and one from the UK) admitted to me that they only do it to get a free supply of strings.

[ducktrapper]

I'm with Danny on this. What kind of strings do you use? Six new ones. Some are better then others on certain guitars but I've never encountered a set of guitar strings, that weren't somehow damaged, that were so bad that I hated them. I've put on gauges that didn't work for me but you can't blame the strings for that. Besides, the CF Martin company, having been around for a few years, does know a thing or two about guitars and strings, so there's that.