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New Strings

(@kennyg)
Trusted Member

So at 74 and anter flirting a few times with learning to play I pulled the trigger on a Takamine guitar. I've had it for about 3 monthas now and have the original stings on it and am not sure what brand, gauge or quality they are. I guess they sound ok, I really don't know, having little experience. i know Devon has srings he promotes and am sure they are probably excellent. I hav a couple sets of D Addario medium gauge strings and am woundering if I should go ahead and replace the factory strings? Do you guys think that they are probably better than the factories? Do you think that I would be pleased with making a change? I know I could just go ahead and do it but thought that I would get some feed back on the D Adarrio's and just what it is that makes strings sound better. BTW it is the GD51 BSB model guitar. 

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Topic starter Posted : October 27, 2020 2:30 PM
Eric Reinhardt
(@rinny51)
Famed Member

I don’t know where you bought your guitar, but when I bought my Taylor at guitar center they told me what type of strings they put on their guitars. 

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Posted : October 27, 2020 5:26 PM
(@kennyg)
Trusted Member
Posted by: @rinny51

I don’t know where you bought your guitar, but when I bought my Taylor at guitar center they told me what type of strings they put on their guitars. 

It was a blind buy from Amazon so no info like that. The long story is that after getting out of the army I spent some time in Missoula Montana with a bunch of other service men that had just gotten back from Nam and they were into Bluegrass. They were really impressed with the Takamine although they played Martins for the most part. I checked all the nearby cities out of Polson, MT and all they sold in my price range were Yamaha's. I think it sounds real good (but what do I know) and just curious if it would or could sound even better.

'

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Topic starter Posted : October 27, 2020 8:08 PM
(@jerseychicadee)
Famed Member

I’m a novice player too. If you check out Takamine web site the specs on what they use should be there. I also go to eBay and search the exact model and in the description the string type and gauges are there. Myself, I’ve thrown caution to the wind and have tried Martin,  Fender, Elixirs and now the Woodtones. I only hear the difference on my Taylor now with the Woodtones on it. I like the way my fingers feel with the Woodtones too. The Elixirs made my finger tips feel like someone cut my fingers open. Sad because I have 3 sets sitting here now. 

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Posted : October 27, 2020 10:09 PM
(@kennyg)
Trusted Member

@jersychicadee Thanks for the tip I'll check that out.

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Topic starter Posted : October 28, 2020 12:16 AM
(@shysue)
Famed Member

I do like the Woodtones, and they have a warmer sound than the Elixirs. It's weird because I used to really like Elixirs. Maybe they've got a different wire supplier or something but they just don't sound as good as they used to (at least to my ear they don't).

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Posted : October 28, 2020 7:33 PM
(@kennyg)
Trusted Member

I really appreciate all your feedback. One of my major issues with the tone that I am getting is from the high E string on the up stroke when strumming. It seems to be to a little to pronounced. I am thinking it may be from the angle of the pick, maybe I'm hooking the string too much but it doesn't sound as mellow as I think it should. When I pick a single note it rings out nicely but with a chord it just doesn't sound as nice. I understand some sellers, sell sets described to be for bluegrass and country where the higher strings are  a heavier gauge. I have also heard that the more a guitar is played that the better sound it develops is that true?

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Topic starter Posted : October 29, 2020 1:04 PM
(@jerseychicadee)
Famed Member

As the wood ages and the  top vibrates the sound will ‘open up’ there a vibrating device called the Woodtone amp, runs about $150. It looks a an aquarium pump. You let it run for like a week and it’s supposed to ‘open er up’ look on Randy Shartiger’s YouTube Video list. He recently posted about it 

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Posted : October 29, 2020 2:25 PM
(@shysue)
Famed Member

@kennyg Definitely, the more you play it the better it sounds!

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Posted : October 29, 2020 7:29 PM
Eric Reinhardt
(@rinny51)
Famed Member
Posted by: @kennyg
Posted by: @rinny51

I don’t know where you bought your guitar, but when I bought my Taylor at guitar center they told me what type of strings they put on their guitars. 

It was a blind buy from Amazon so no info like that. The long story is that after getting out of the army I spent some time in Missoula Montana with a bunch of other service men that had just gotten back from Nam and they were into Bluegrass. They were really impressed with the Takamine although they played Martins for the most part. I checked all the nearby cities out of Polson, MT and all they sold in my price range were Yamaha's. I think it sounds real good (but what do I know) and just curious if it would or could sound even better.

'

Are you still in Montana? I just moved to Montana recently.

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Posted : October 30, 2020 8:28 PM
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