String gauge for vintage mandolins

[Skanderbeg]

I have five mandolins including an Eastman 614, Breedlove Cascade and Weber Yellowstone. The other two are a Gibson A-2 and a Lyon & Healy A. I have used medium strings on all of them, but someone told me that they will harm the vintage instruments by putting too much pressure on the instrument and possibly caving in the top. Is this correct? Should I be using light strings on the vintage or all of them. The lights just don't produce as much volume or punch. Thanks for the help.

[MikeEdgerton]

I wonder how they made light gauge strings back in the day before manufacturing tolerances and abilities were what they are today? I'm going to hazard a guess that medium gauge strings might have been the lightest non-gut strings that were available when these were built. I could be wrong.

[Bob DeVellis]

I think lighter gauge strings were standard on bowlbacks, which go back to at least the 1880s or so. Lights may have been thinner on the ground in the 1920s but they must have been around prior to that and I suspect that some were still available at least through the early '20s, though perhaps not at your corner music shop (some things never change). But I wouldn't think Gibsons, which are pretty robustly built, would not do too badly with mediums. I'd worry more about the top than the neck. For the Lyon & Healy, I think I'd be more comfortable with something lighter and actually prefer that tone on them. I personally like TIs on L & H carved tops.

[dave17120]

Partly it depends on the scale length, partly on the instrument and its construction, and partly on what the climate is like where you live.
Shorter the scale length, lighter the strings.... generally.
The older the instrument, and the lighter the construction (old C19 bowlbacks for example), the lighter the strings.
If you live in an environemnt where humidity changes a lot, your less likely to have problems with lighter strings.
I have found putting heavy strings on some instruments tends to 'kill' their ability to vibrate....... less carry and sustain!!
Hope that helps a bit. Dave

[MikeB]

I learned some valuable lessons from our friend, Paul Hostetter, and a few others here at the Cafe, when I was trying to decide what strings to put on my newly restored Vega cylinder back. I was concerned about my Vega's structural suitability for my favorite strings, GHS Silk & Bronze. They are the same gauges as D'Addario J-74s, but the tension (which is really what I was worrying about) is much lighter with the S & Bs. I have 'em on the Vega now and couldn't be happier, structurally and acoustically. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

[Paul Hostetter]

Gibsons and L&H's came from the factory with the equivalent of J-74s on them. Back then there were no real choices in gauges, that's what strings were available, and your only choices were steel wrap or bronze wrap. The Gibsons and L&H's (13-7/8" and 13" scales respectively) were engineered for those gauges. I see no point to using lighter strings on them just because it's 80 years later.

[Skanderbeg]

Great information. Thanks to all for the input.

[Paul Hostetter]

As Bob DeVellis points out, lighter strings might offer a tone you prefer, but these instruments have survived decades with beefier strings. If they were going to be hurt, it would have happened by now. I'm actually having fun trying D'Addario's J-73s on things, and it's often a very good fit.

http://www.daddariostrings.com/Resources/JDCDAD/Images/Products/J73.gif

[MartinD_GibsonA]

someone told me that they will harm the vintage instruments by putting too much pressure on the instrument and possibly caving in the top. Is this correct?
I don't know ... but I do know that my luthier told me that if I want to use phosphor bronze on my '24 Gibson A-Jr, I shouldn't use anything heavier than 38 on the bass strings. #I don't have the nerve to put his advice to the test.

Don Smith

[Gail Hester]

All of the old Gibson's that I work on go out the door with a set of DR MD-10 strings (10-14-24-36), very robust strings considering the lighter gauge. I think J73s or any other similar gauge is appropriate and safe for the old instruments.

It's not always necessarily a structural issue but rather these eighty year old tops tend to be so lively and light that they don't need heavier strings and in fact I've noticed that heavier strings will tend to overload the top and actually decrease the volume. I don't use flat wounds on the old one's since the tension is greater on a flat wound string and I don't care for the tone. Just my opinion and YMMV.

[girldingo]

I recently put J73's on my Lyon & Healy and I'm really liking the sound; I can't really describe it but it's definitely a good fit. I previously had Dogal/Calace medios on it and those sounded really good but the D'Addarios sound better in my opinion.

Ilene

[Dave Cohen]

Regarding string gauges for vintage instruments, I don't think that one size fits all. I am doing some repair and setup on a 1917 F4 which has had J74 strings on it for at least as long as the current owner has had it - at least a decade. The neck is straight and the top doesn't appear to be sinking. On the other hand, another local customer has an A3 from the same period (no truss rod), and has regularly put J74 strings on it. The neck on the A3 is curved beyond what I would consider an acceptable amount of relief, though the top plate seems to be OK. I recommended lighter strings to the A3 owner. He doesn't like 'em, and is considering going back to the J74s. It will be interesting to see what happens to the A3 neck over the course of the next year or so.

[Martin Jonas]

As Bob DeVellis points out, lighter strings might offer a tone you prefer, but these instruments have survived decades with beefier strings. If they were going to be hurt, it would have happened by now. I'm actually having fun trying D'Addario's J-73s on things, and it's often a very good fit.
I'm using J73s on my Ajr, and I like them a lot -- I think d'Addario have really filled a gap in their range when they introduced them.

Martin

[Jim Garber]

I have EXP-74s both on my 23 snakehead A2 and my L&H A with no problems that I can see and with lovely tone. The only reason I would go to lighter strings on those would be for a different tone and ease of playing.

Jim

[danb]

I have had j74s on just about every vintage Gibson I've had. Only exception was a very early orville label A-model that had had a top repair. The original gauges are known, though they used some unusual materials and I'm not sure how to calculate the tensions to compare with modern materials. Drawn copper, it appears, for the unwound top strings!

[Dave Cohen]

The F4 and the A3 I mentioned above both had thick, deep V mahogany necks with ebony in the center. The F4 neck has the stiffness and stability to withstand the tension of J74 strings for decades, while the A3 neck doesn't. They are just different samples of wood, with slightly different physical properties. I have seen a number of Gibson oval hole mandolins with sinking top plates, but I have seen a lot more with top plates that are/were fine. My point was simply that every piece of wood is different, and even teens and '20s Gibson mandolins were not immune to those differences.