best strings for 5 string electric?

**garrett402** · Sep-08-2005, 10:19pm

hey everyone. i'm a new member here and i'm looking for some feedback about 5 string electric mando strings. i've had a custom rono 5 string for about a year and it's been incredible...but i'm curious as to what type of strings best complement a 5 string electric. what are my options? any responses would be much appreciated. thanks.

**Ken Sager** · Sep-08-2005, 10:39pm

Welcome, Garret.

Ted E (mandohack) sells 5-string sets. No nicer guy on the cafe than Ted.
http://www.jazzmando.com

I found a local guitar shop that sells bulk strings, so I put together my own custom sets of nickel round-wound strings. If you don't buy from Ted, find a similar shop where you can get cheap strings and try different guages. JustStrings.com will sell individual guages, too. In my experience electric strings is electric strings. Find a brand and guages you like and stick with em.

Best,
Ken

**mandroid** · Sep-09-2005, 12:20am

.052 for the C ,is a good start 50/48, the usual mando guages for the others. 38,24,[15/16], and [11/10/09]..
I got a nice cgda on 14" scale, using 'mandola strings'
and then retuned down to aebf# without getting too floppy

15" P5 is really happy with those guages and bends nicely .

**garrett402** · Sep-09-2005, 12:20am

Thanks alot Ken. what guages do you use?

**Ted Eschliman** · Sep-09-2005, 6:13am

Thanks for the compliment, Ken, but the Mandobird sets are 4-string, and I don't know if I will continue selling them, as my own M'bird has recently flown the coop. However, Martin Stillon, the world's foremost authority on emandology sells them on his www.emando.com site... (I think we're assuming the Rono uses ball end strings, too.)

.052 is a bit stout for the C string for my personal taste; a set of JS-110 Thomastik Electric Guitar Flatwound strings is my answer:
.010
.014
.018w (throw away...)
.023
.033
.044
Nice warm tone, dig the smooth flatwound feel. Good harmonic fundamental in the low side. Sound great on my Mann Electric 5-string, but I tend to favor flatwounds on all my mandos, including the acoustics.

**Ken Sager** · Sep-09-2005, 8:24am

The compliment stands, but sorry, Ted - I thought you were selling 5-string sets, too. It must have been your mention of the flatwound guitar sets I remember. I trust the Mandobird was sold, not liberated unknowingly...

Anyhoo, Garrett, I've settled on nickel round-wound .011 .015 .026 .040 .050. That's the guage of JS74's (my acoustic string of choice and easiest to remember...) with a fat C string. I've tried a range from .042 to .056 for a C string and settled on the .050 for a little more crisp feel.

The sets Martin sells at www.emando.com come in varying guages, and for the price you could try them all.

Hope this helps,
Ken

**garrett402** · Sep-09-2005, 10:01am

thanks so much ya'll. it's a pitty i didnt stumble upon this site sooner! i'm also trying to sell a beautiful tacoma m3 and this looks like the place to do it.

**bjc** · Sep-09-2005, 2:00pm

Garrett,

I asked this question when I first got my Mann. Seems like most people take a six string electic set and trash the unwound g. I use GHS lights.