Anyone use these? Martin Tony Rice Strings
No I don't. What do you usually use?
Elixir Nanowebs right now. I have a set of Martin strings but I haven’t put them on yet
Elixir 12s all the way.
I'm curious about Martin strings, too.
I have a set ready to put on but I just put Elixir strings on my Fender. My Taylor is still pretty new/ not played a lot yet.
Those Martin Monels are one of those things you either love or hate. I'm not crazy about them. Others rave about them. I admit they sound OK on a friends D-15. Perhaps all mahogany can handle a bit more brightness.
They do seem to last a long time and I'd suggest that even if you don't like what you hear at first, give them a good amount of time to settle in. You might just like what you hear.
As for me, make mine phosphor bronze with a few hours on them. Slightly dead but still in tune.
I vote for Elixers too!
I've used Elixirs for a long time, but the last set I put on my Taylor didn't sound so great. Don't know what the deal is because I've had good experiences with them in the past. I'm thinking of trying out some Martins.
I had Fender strings on my Malibu until they went dead. I put on a set of brass and gemstone string pins with these Elixirs but put the stock pins back on after about an hour. I didn’t like them at all. Now I put the Elixirs on. They sound the same as the ones on my Taylor. BUT I think they’re counterfeit. I got them on eBay. I checked all the ways to check to see if they’re fake, even took them to my local guitar shoppe and asked him to verify them. He said they looked good. Took a set off his wall and they checked out. I’m still not convinced because I got 3 sets for under $25. So now I bought a set of Martins. I’ll play these for a while until they dull.
I want to try Zager Easy Play Strings next.
My standard strings are Elixir Nanos Med too. But, after hearing all the buzz around the Santa Cruz Parabolics I'm giving them a go. Using the med tension (they do it by desired tension based upon guitar body size). So far, I'm liking them (better?) but it's only been two days. I'll report more.
That's about the only thing I can afford on the Santa Cruz website. Boy, they build some beautiful guitars...
Anyone use these? Martin Tony Rice Strings
Retros sound lovely on my mahogany guitars and I only ever use them on my hogs now - the tone is really pure, warm and woody. They feel great under the fretting hand (feel like they have a lot of flex in them) and they last for months.
I use the lights or custom lights rather than the Tony Rice ones, which are medium-heavy gauge (heavy on the bottom strings I think).
I heard monel strings dont sound as good on rosewood guitars (I'm not sure where this rumour came from tho, esp as TR plays a rosewood b&s Martin!)
Retros can take a few days to settle in and sound good - as Brian mentioned.
I'm not a huge fan of coated strings and never got on with Elixirs, so it's all subjective... But I really rate Martin strings. Their Lifespan 2.0s are also pretty good.
Kate
Think I'll try the Martin Retros on my D-18 the next string change out time. That warm and woody tone is what I'm looking for.
Good advices for strings here. I'm also looking to try out some new strings since the Elixir Nanoweb sounds pretty metallic on my guitar. Probably I try out the Martin Retro or Lifespan 2.0 👍🏼
