D'Addario J74's vs Sam Bush Monels.

[Ivan Kelsall]

It's getting towards 'string re-ordering time' again. I'm down to my last couple of sets of J74's,my current string of choice. I know that there are quite a few players on here that speak highly of the Sam Bush Monels. I was wondering how many changed from J74's to the Monels & what differences they found. I know that 'tenorbanjoguy' Kenneth Almstead, has a Weber Fern similar to mine & he likes the Monels,but who else prefers the Monels & why ?. I'd especially appreciate comments from other Weber users. I do however bear in mind that 'tone' etc. is a very personal thing. I have a couple of great Mandolins,& if i can get the best out of them by using a different string,i'll go for it. One point,i somehow think that my 'Beartooth' Mandolin with the thicker top,wouldn't benefit so much - comments /advice will be much appreciated,
Saska :mandosmiley:

[Mike Crater]

I've used them, but didn't hear much difference in tone. The notes, IMO, did not sustain as long as with the D'addarios. I use EXP 75's these days.

[Rob Powell]

I think I agree with Mike about the sustain. Monels don't have as much. I find they stay more consistent tone-wise over time than EXP74's and for me, they last longer. I've got a set of Monels on my Yellowstone that have been on there for over 3 weeks and they're just now starting to fade.

That may not seem like a lot of time but there are a few factors involved:

1) I have ALWAYS been able to deaden a set of strings in what seems like hours. When I was gigging (guitar) I had to change strings weekly which translates to roughly 20-25 hours of playing. My bandmates always said the strings were dead after the second gig ;)
2) I sometimes play my mandolin very hard.
3) My ears are sensitive to minor pitch variations. I don't have perfect pitch but I do have relative pitch. It kills me to listen to ANYTHING out of tune. It was really hard when my oldest daughter was in the school band and I had to go to their concerts. I probably should never have picked up the mandolin :grin:

All that said, I like the EXP74's, there's a set of EXP75's next in the batter's box but I have enjoyed the Monels a lot. The regular J74's didn't make it a week for me. The EXP74's generally last about 2 weeks. The Monels have lasted the longest and cost less than the EXP's.

So far, the only strings I have NOT liked are the Elixers but I had a light gauge so I'm going to try out a set of Med-Hvy. That's the only good thing about wearing out strings quickly....lots of opportunities to experiment!

[craig.collas]

can't remember who said it but the quote was - what sort of strings do you use? new
Grace & Peace
Craig

[Ivan Kelsall]

Thanks guys,it's looking good for the J74's at the moment,
Saska

[Jim Gallaher]

I bounced back and forth between the Sam Bush Monels (.011/.014/.025/.041 - $8.20 incl extra .011 & .014) and the D'Addario JS74's (.011/.015/.026/.040 - $5.36) for a few years.

Notice the JS74's are the stainless wound string set - hence the "S".

The Bush Monels are lighter on the "D" and "A" strings and just don't hold up as long as the JS74's under my use. I'll be sticking with the JS74's now.

[lenf12]

I have been using D'Addario FT-74s (and FT-75s when available) on all of my mandolins since they were introduced several years ago. I love the wound A string's transitional tones when picking from the lower to the higher strings. I also love the greatly reduced string "zing" when sliding up/down the neck.

I recently had Randy Wood regraduate and replace the tone bars on my '56 Gibson F-12. In conversation with him, he recommended that I try the Sam Bush Monel strings to get a darker tone from the mandolin. Because his work yields an essentially brand new top which requires "breaking in", the mando had a rather bright, almost shrill sound with the FT-74's. It was definitely much louder but I wasn't fond of the tone so I took Randy's advice and tried the Monels. They did darken the tone significantly and while they don't sustain for as long as the FT-74s, they improved the overall sound and made this mando a serious BG "Hoss". I'll try another set of FT-74s someday when the top is well broken in but until then, I'm sticking with the Sam Bush Monel strings. Great strings and they last a long time!!

Len B.
Clearwater, FL

[lenf12]

PS I wasn't aware of the D'Addario JS-74 stainless steel strings. In addition to the heavier D and A strings, how do they compare to the Sam Bush Monels? I'll have to hunt down a set and give them a try. - Len B.

[CharlieKnuth]

I used the Sam Bush Monels on my Sam Bush and really didn't like the change in sound on my mandolin. I have gone back to the J74's. But that is my opinion based on what I heard with my ears.

[jimbob]

I get to listen to an awesome RW from the 70's every week at my lesson. This mandolin is extremely woody and dry with very clear tones. My mandolin seemed to much brighter and almost have a "zing" to the tone with the J-74's, so I switched to the Sam Bush strings. I think they sound great....much dryer, darker and woody sounding. I didn't know there was a stainless version of the J-74's....I may give them a try, but I really think ss is better for me over the bronze.

[Mike Bunting]

After years of trying different strings, I seem to have settled on the Sam Bush strings with the A's swapped for a heavier gauge for my MF5. I tried the Js74's and D'Addario nickel but they didn't sound like the monels.

[Steve G]

I've been using monels on both my custom F5 and my Gibson A5L for more than a year now. The A5really came to life with the monels right off. I used the D'Addario JS74's and for a couple of years before. The JS74's were brighter as I recall and did sustain more. I tried the Gibson monels since it was revealed to me on this board that JS74's are not the same kind of alloy as monel steel so I gave them a try and decided I like the tone much better. The tone was quite a difference for me. The monels are mysterious, I like them a lot.

[Ivan Kelsall]

When i first began playing Mandolin,3 years back,i used FT-74's,because Chris Thile mentioned on his tuition DVD that the wound 2nd string gave a more 'balanced' sound. However, having tried a set of J-74's,i found that i prefered those & have used them ever since. I was unaware of the stainless version of J-74's,the JS-74's, but in my next order from Janet Davis or FQMS,i'll get a couple of sets of those just to see how they perform. From most of the comments posted,the J-74's come out ok. Some folks prefer other strings,but not one bad word really against the J-74's,
Thanks for the comments & the enlightenment re.the JS-74's,
Saska :mandosmiley:

[Dagger Gordon]

I tried about 3 sets of Sam Bush. They were fine, but I don't think they suited me any better than J74s. In fact I think I read somewhere that they are designed to have less sustain, which isn't what I want.

I've ordered some GHS A260s, just to try something different, but I do seem to come back to good old J74s.

FWIW, I don't like J75s much.

[Ivan Kelsall]

I must admit,that personally,i do like a nice bit of sustain,especially on the 'G' side of things.There are a couple of tunes that i play where i let the 'G' strings 'ring'. My Fern has a lovely woody bass & it's nice to use it to effect. I will get a couple of sets of the JS-74's though. Maybe the Stainless Steel winding will help stop me corroding the 3rd & 4th string so much - thankyou Jim Gallaher,
Saska;)

[Ivan Kelsall]

Well,i've just sent my order for strings in to Janet Davis Music & i ordered 2 sets of JS74's as well as my usual J74 sets. I'm so used to the sound/tone of the J74's i should be able to pick up on any tonal/volume/sustain differences. By the time the strings get here,i'll be ready to change the strings on my Fern,so i'll report back - i'm looking forward to any 'differences', as long as they're good ones of course,
Saska :mandosmiley:

[Ken Olmstead]

Saska - I just threw a set of J74s on my Fern this last go round and for the very first time ever I broke a string while playing! Very strange as I abuse strings for quite awhile and I have never had one break while playing, J74s included. However, I was happy it did break because I could not wait to get the monels back on! When you find a good vanilla.....

I will add that soundwise, I really did not notice a big difference. Chop is a little more bluegrass sounding with the Bush strings but the rest is similar. Sustain is really about the same on my Fern and volume is about the same as well. I would have thought that the "14" A string would have been a little light but the Fern does not seem to mind at all. I think the feel of them and the way that they react to my mandolin and playing is why I prefer them and oh, they last 3 times as long for me and I HATE changing strings!!! Some of my videos are with J74s and some with monels. I think "Last Days" was the Bush set and "Smokey Mountain" was 74's. I don't percieve much difference at least on the recordings. I tried the JS sets and they sounded find but I still did not get the life that I do on the Bush set.

[earthsave]

Bush. Just swapped from J74s back to Monel on the last string change. These strings are my favorites. They dont change color like the Phosphor Bronzes and make your fingers black. They maintain a consistent sound for a long time. Sent my nephew all of my non-Monel strings.

As mentioned earlier, only thing I'd change would be the D and A strings. Maybe make them a bit thicker/heavier. Maybe Gibson could put out a set with heavier D and A strings?

[Kevin K]

It would be fantastic if they would make the D a 26 and the A a 16 and just have it a completely different set.
Gibson if your listening.........

[Mike Bunting]

It would be fantastic if they would make the D a 26 and the A a 16 and just have it a completely different set.
Gibson if you're listening........._

I'd like the heavier strings too, particularly the A's, my music stores just swaps me another set of A strings.

I don't think Gibson listens. I waited forever for my local music store to receive their order of them. If they were ordering Les Paul it would have been a lot sooner.

[Ken Olmstead]

Even convincing Sammy to allow 15 A string in the set would be a plus but as I said earlier, the 14 still works fine for me.

[Chris Willingham]

another vote for Sam. Similar to just about everyone else, I like J74's, but just prefer the feel and chop from the SB's. Tried some elixir nano's two months ago after thile said he used them. Did not like those. Broke both D's within two weeks.

[Steve Ostrander]

I tried Sammys but I like the warmer tone of the bronze J74s. The SS does lasts la lot onger.

[Keith Erickson]

Personally I prefer the J-74's. It's just me :mandosmiley:

[Philphool]

I've had Sam's monels on for a week or so. The tone reminds me most of the silk & bronze that I often use. Less jangly than the J74s, on my mando anyway.

I like them.

[Ivan Kelsall]

The only strings i've used other than J74's were FT74's,but the cost of those in the UK ($29 US) was so prohibitive,that i began using the J74's at half the price & found that i preferred them to the J74's. Possibly,the little extra bronze on the wound strings of the J74's helped produce a 'punchier' sound. I'm hoping that the Js's will give me the same tones,but hopefully with an little extra 'brightness' on the 3rd & 4th strings,which i've found on most Mandolins can be a bit 'thuddy'.
I'll report back as i said when i've fitted a set of JS74's on my Fern,which gets the most playing.The strings are on their way, & should be here in about 10 days time,
Saska :mandosmiley:

[Philippe Bony]

...that i began using the J74's at half the price & found that i preferred them to the J74's.

??? :cool:

[mandroid]

ML 161, minus Sam's name attached to it is the same gage string set, have been produced for a long time.
not sure when Gibson adopted Monel wire for windings on their strings ,
old packs have 'Mona steel' printed on them, .. Sam And I , and many on this list
were probably in Diapers [nappies] at the time, if not ... as it's said
not even a 'gleam in their Father's Eye'..
:popcorn:

[Ivan Kelsall]

Well spotted Philippe - i should have put FT74's as per the top line - silly me !,
Saska :redface:

[Andy Miller]

I just took a set of either J74's or GHS strings (can't remember for sure) off my Colllings MT2 and put on a set of Sam Bush sigs. They're definitely a different thing. The monels are noticeably less bright than any phosphor bronze string, but brightness is not an area where this mandolin requires reinforcement - the monels sound nice on it. The set is (and feels) a little lighter, which is friendly to my hands. I think they sound a little more in-tune in the upper registers. Slightly less volume? Maybe. Again, not something to be concerned about with this mandolin, it still speaks up when I dig in. What struck me most about the Gibson strings is this: as soon as any slack in the post winding and loop ends was gone, they seemed to stay in tune better than any brand-new set of strings I've tried thus far. I like that. So far, nothing to complain about with the Sam Bush strings. Looking forward to my next band practice to hear what they sound like in the context of a bass, guitar, fiddle, or whatever they're paired up with.

ACM

[Ivan Kelsall]

I'm interested to find out if there's going to be a different type of 'difference' between my 2 Mandolins than the difference now ( does that make sense?) when i use the JS74's.I wonder how the 'A' style Beartooth will differ from the 'F' style Fern,in a similar manner, or will there be a 'difference' (LOL !!),
Saska :confused:

[Ivan Kelsall]

Well,my JS74's arrived safe & well yesterday evening so i've not had chance to string up yet. I opened a pack & had a look at the Stainless Steel windings,boy was i surprised !. I use D'Addario
extra-light stainless wound strings on my elec.Guitar & expected,bright,shiny Mandolin strings. Cosmetically,they look as dull as can be,certainly not as 'pretty' as the bronze ones.Anyway,i'm hoping to get chance to put them on my Fern in the next couple of days,so i'll report back on whatever 'differences' there seem to be. I know the sound of the J74's well enough to pick up on anything,so it'll be an interesting excercise,
Saska

[Ivan Kelsall]

Well,for what it's worth here goes. I put a set of JS74's on my Weber Fern yesterday evening,tuned up & let them settle in overnight. This morning,i re-tuned my Mandolin & played through a few tunes that i know well & noted any differences between the JS74's & J74's that i normally use. First off,the wound D & G strings feel rougher under my fingers than the J74's.The J74's feel silky smooth by comparison. Tonally,the D & G strings certainly seem to have an added brightness to them compared to the J74's,more 'lively',but still with a good sustain & being honest,i like the sound more than that of the J74's. Maybe that's down to my age. As we get older,our hearing deteriorates especially in the higher frequencies,so any added 'brightness' i'm hearing,maybe compensating for that. The thing i don't like (at the moment) is the rough feel,but as it's early days,i'll possibly get used to that. I don't think that the differences i've noticed on my Fern,will make me change from the J74's,they still sound & feel great to play on,but i've yet to try a set of the JS's on my A style Beartooth,& with a bit of additional brightness in the bass,they could be a revelation,
Saska :mandosmiley:

[susiakasinead]

I've used Sam Bush Monel's for a while and was really happy with them. But I got some issue with my mandolin, I think it was that it didn't stay in tune or something like that, then I changed back to J74 and it was perfect. I don't know if it really was the strings or something else, but I haven't used the Sam B strings since then. Right now I'm using Dunlop phosphor bronze and they're lovely. I'll probably stick with those or J74, mostly because they're easier to find.