Pava-- Your string choice??

[LongBlackVeil]

OK-

I had the DR MD11's on for about 4 weeks. I like the tone, and I think the tone quality was consistent for the month-long period. Basically I like them, and would use them over the J74's.

BUT, over the last couple days I have been having pesky intonation issues. Now, I have to say that I am very picky/sensitive to this. It is probably the reason I dont generally get more than a month out of a set of strings. Other people listening to me play-- or others I am playing with-- don't seem to hear the problems that I do, until I point it out, and then they will (cautiously) agree that it isnt quite right.

SO-- I pulled off the DR MD11's and put on a set of GHS A270's.

Wow. The intensity of sound was surprising. That has settled over the last 2 days, into a nice bright, full tone. I also have to say that, at least at first blush, I REALLY like the thicker A strings. For some reason, regardless of string brand, and regardless of the specific mandolin I am playing, I find keeping the A string in really pleasant tune is difficult. I THINK that problem is reduced with these strings--perhaps because of the gauge.

It is a bit early in the 270's life for me to judge fairly, but at this point I would say that the 270's are my favorite, with the MD11's a close second.... If the 270's last more than a month without exhibiting squirrelly intonation, they will be the clear winners.

THANKS TO EVERYONE for a lot of info and a fun discussion.

actually ive had my md11s on for about a month now and i too am starting to have a bit of an intonation problem. For this reason im considering ordering some of the coated DR mandolin strings. Im hoping they are the same string but just with a coating, because for me, the DRs sound way better than GHS

[Rush Burkhardt]

I guess it's cause I'm old, and have been changing strings (sets and brands) for the better part of 60 years now, but this string preference discussion gives me a colossal headache! Not because I don't enjoy the topic and the opinions...and even the fireworks! I just realize that I am in a rut and too lazy to change. In the 60's, 70's, 80's - even early 90's - when I played "out", I changed strings as often as I changed underwear.

There weren't nearly so many choices. (When one went to a music store to buy strings, was hoping for them to have "Mandolin" strings, much less a choice...and the choice was, I believe Gibson or ________.

I could count on breaking a string at least once in a 4-set night, so I often bought singles, by gauge and rifled my case for anything that looked newish. (That's when I learned you could take a pair of wire cutters and, with great effort, remove the ball from ball end guitar strings, and use them. I also learned that, when the guitar player broke a string, I foraged for what was left and hoarded it. My mandolin sound OK with a Mape's guitar B in place of my A...scary cranking it up to pitch!)

Sometimes, by the end of a weekend, my mandolin had a real hodge-podge of strings. Not unusual to have 14's and 16's, 10's and 11's in the A and E courses. When you talk about distressed mandolins, mine was/is the poster child! (Imagine the changes in tension on the top and the bracing. No wonder I broke bridge saddles.)

At a point, I settled on GHS 270's, and, where possible, used them...or at least started each string change with them. They provided a consistent and desirable representation of the sound I wanted...loud enough to compete with the banjo player!

Somewhere in the dim past, D'Addario introduced their coated strings...the famous 74's. After much resistance to change (who'd want a mandolin string with goo on it?) I tried a set...maybe D'Addario sent them to me to try. Low-and-behold, they sounded pretty good to my ear, and, more than that, lasted longer without the previously noted fall-off!

They've been the only string I've used, till now! Noodling, as I do, I can nurse a set for a year, I'll bet. My mandolin still sounds pretty good...for noodling!

I don't enjoy changing strings...and why bother when sometimes all I do is sit and fondle my mandolin while my wife and I watch TV.

I am somewhat tempted by Roger's new "scared straights" (or whatever the real name is). Sounds as though the alternated tension might give my mandolin and bridge a break, in their old age.

In any event, I really enjoy hearing the string scramble and its nuances! Thanks for the entertainment!

And BTW, until I bought a BC KS40 a few years ago, I had used the same 2 TS picks since 1973. Getting kinda' small now!

[jshane]

In the 60's, 70's, 80's - even early 90's - when I played "out", I changed strings as often as I changed underwear.

I remember the 60's (more or less... sometimes a lot less). But, even still, whichever way I work this statement, it is a bit disturbing!

[Ivan Kelsall]

LBV - What intonation problems are you having ?. Honestly,i've never had ANY intonation problems with ANY brand of string, & i play way over the 12th fret at times.One thing that i do when tuning,is to always check that the octave note at the 12th fret is still spot on. If there's a change (hardly ever, unless my right hand has pushed the bridge forwards),i'll correct it. I tune up using a tuner & then check each pair of strings against the others across the f/board & tune the D's to the G's / the A's to the D's & the E's to the A's. There's normally less that a 'cent' in it,but the strings are then in tune with one another.This seems to work well for my mandolins,
Ivan

[jshane]

LBV - What intonation problems are you having ?. Honestly,i've never had ANY intonation problems with ANY brand of string, & i play way over the 12th fret at times.

I realize this wasnt directed to me, but I was the one that raised the intonation issue in this context.

I wasnt referring to octave-intonation. I was referring to the fact that as strings age it is increasingly difficult to get them to sound a true pitch when fretted. For example, a perfectly tuned A string (open) will not produce a good D when fretted on the 5th fret, but if tuned to the fretted D will not be good when played open. This effect is exacerbated when comparing 2 fretted notes on different strings.

I realize that it is impossible to perfectly tune any fretted instrument, and am not trying to revisit the various "tempered tuning" discussions (which are very interesting). BUT, for me at least, aging strings intonate increasingly poorly, and it bothers me. It is generally why I wind up changing strings. The aging string issue-- that I hear -- isnt "cured" by tuning. I THINK it is caused by metal fatigue and string deformation resulting from contact with the frets-- both of these interfering with "perfect" vibration-over-distance ..... ie, pitch. The only cure that I have found is a string-change.

[mandobassman]

I've never looked at builders recommendations on any mandolin I've ever owned. I would think that most any mandolin from a modern builder should be able to handle the tension of todays strings. If you're talking about a vintage bowlback or a mandolin with possible structural issues, that's different. If you wanted to try a heavy gauge set it might not hurt to ask the builder if there is a reason not to use them, but otherwise just use what sounds best to you.