Strings for Eastman 504

[Mike Scott]

I am sorry if this has been covered before; I searched and came up empty.

I just purchased a new to me Eastman 504 (yet to arrive) in the Classifieds as my first venture into the world of oval hole mandolins. I have only f hole mandos at present. Curious as to what strings others with 504's use. Or for that matter any preference for oval hole strings vs. f hole strings. I believe it has J 74s on it now. :confused:

Thanks,

[lenf12]

I've tried all sorts of strings on my 1916 F-4; J-74's, TI mittels, Suarez Argentines, GHS Silk & Bronze (iirc), etc. I keep coming back to D'Addario FT-74's. I like the smoother feel, transition to the wound A string, less zing when sliding and their longevity. They work well for me on all my mandolins!!

Len B.
Clearwater, FL

[mandroid]

I Put P bronze wound .036/.024/.015/.010 on my Gibby A0, as the Eastman's x04 are of that ilk , ;)
may be a place to start .. a Med-not too heavy gage combination.

If heavier is your preference ?
you may want to try GHS, LSB 250 silk n bronze wound. 40/26/16/11, they call same w/o 'silk' layer A270.
In the latter case you have many brands that offer bronze wound strings in those gage combinations,
[ +/- 0.001" ].

:popcorn:


YMMV, obviously
I only got a couple days out of the FT-74 , with wound A string, before the very thin core wire broke, myself..

[Tavy]

I use TI starks on my 504 and love them to bits!

John.

[JEStanek]

I used the Jazzmando JM11s (http://jazzmando.com/jazzmando_jm11_flatwound_strings.shtml)on my Eastman 814. I loved the feel and sound of them. They are shipped with J74s on them from Eastman.

Jamie

[Manfred Hacker]

Hello Mike,
I have had an Eastman 804 for 2 1/2 years and have tried several different sets of strings.
I liked the Elixir Nanowebs, light and medium, but now I swear by the D'Addario FT-74's.
They sound great for what I (try to) play: some Irish, fiddle tunes, easy classical, etc.
They ring up the neck and sustain is great, too.
Manfred

[JEStanek]

I'll add as clarification that the Jazzmando JM11 strings are flatwound like the Thomastiks but made by LaBella and cost a lot less. They are a bit lighter (like TI Mittels) and last 3X longer than J74s in my experience.

Also, NFI for me.

Jamie

[Ravenwood]

I've been using EXP74s on my 504 and like them fairly well. I have also used Elixer Nanowebs which I liked and GHS which I didn't like. I should mention that I use Elixirs on my 814 and GHS on my Trinity College. Different instruments, different tones, different strings.

I've been considering trying the JM11s next time I change strings.

That said, there really isn't anything wrong with the J74s. I think you will find there are many people here who love them. You may want to play them for a while yourself before changing. Then experiment and see what you like best for your style of playing.

The 504 is an interesting instrument in that once it opens up it has an amazingly good tone for an instrument in that price category. Enjoy!

[Mojo]

The 504 is an interesting instrument in that once it opens up it has an amazingly good tone for an instrument in that price category.

I know I am straying a bit off-topic here, but how much playing time do you figure it took your 504 to really open up?

Back OT, I typically use Elixers on my 504, but that is primarily because my fingers corrode regular strings extremely quickly.

[Ravenwood]

I bought my 504 about a year ago. It started opening up about two months ago and seemed to have peaked about two weeks ago. I should also say it has been played an average of an hour every day over that time period.

There is probably a lot of variation depending on playing style and possibly climate.

[man dough nollij]

I know I am straying a bit off-topic here, but how much playing time do you figure it took your 504 to really open up?




I've had mine for about four years. It sounded amazing right out of the gate, and I haven't noticed it changing at all. I have used J74s and the equivalent GHS strings on it.

[Ravenwood]

Lee: Mine also sounded good from the start, but has definitely improved. Do you have yours with you now, or is it in storage?

[man dough nollij]

Mine's in a closet in Colorado. I left it with a friend in Montana last season, and when I got back it had a fine crack all the way around the top seam and back seam. It still sounds good, but I didn't want to get it down here and have the back pop off or something. I got a new 505 from the mandolin store six months ago. It sounds completely different from the 504, but awesome in a different way. More of a BG sound. :mandosmiley::mandosmiley:

Edit to add: I keep two Oasis humidifiers in the case at all times, and close the case when playing. The RH is a pretty steady 1% in the dorms, but I've had zero humidity issues so far.

[Ravenwood]

Too bad about your 504. I was new to the cafe at the time, but I remember you being pretty upset about it.

I wonder if the reason yours didn't open up was because it wasn't played consistently over the time you've had it. I haven't been playing mandolin all that long, but I've been playing guitar for 40 years and fiddle for 12. Over time, all of my acoustic guitars have improved in tone, but it was in stages. One in particular kept opening and closing again because I would play it for a couple of years, it would open up, but then I would go overseas and it wouldn't be touched for a while. I had something similar happen with a fiddle I had bought new. It opened up, but then I bought a vinatge instrument and didn't play the newer one for a while. When I picked it up again for playing sessions, it sounded pinched at first. It took about six months for it to open up again.

Even though yours doesn't seem to have opened up yet the 504s in general have an amazing tone for the price. Obviously, they aren't a Gibson or a Dude, but they are a great instrument to start with, and great to take when you really don't want to hazard an expensive instrument.

I never tried the 505 as I was looking for an oval hole at the time. Perhaps I should take a second look if there is that much difference.

What strings are you using on the 505? Different than the 504?

[man dough nollij]

What strings are you using on the 505? Different than the 504?

I've got some Elixers on there now. I'm not sure if I like them, but I don't hate them. I can't really feel the coating. I brought some random strings with me and I'm not sure what I have. I'm guessing J-75s would be better, as the E is a little quiet the way it is now. Best tone per dollar of any mandolin I've ever seen. (But then again I haven't seen Allen's $25 Strad-O-Lin...)

[Rob Gerety]

I have an 805 - so its not the same sound. But, I like Curt Mangan strings for the uncoated PB wound string sound. I like the tone a lot better than the other uncoated strings I have used and that nice tone seems to last quite a bit longer with the CMs v. other similar strings.

I don't like coated strings - not sure why. But they are expensive and I never felt I could get the life out of them that you need to get to justify the extra expense. Plus, to me anyway, they don't have the kind of tone I like.

I have not yet tried the flat wound type of strings but I plan on in when my current supply of strings gets low. This tread has reminded me to order some JazzMando strings. They seem like they might be the ticket - especially for the oval hole sound. I'm thinking maybe they will make my f hole sound a little bit like an oval hole - might be a good thing.