Monel strings

[Mike Bunting]

I like the Gibson Monels except that the .14 A strings are a little light for my taste. How do nickel wound strings compare in tonal qualities? Thanks.

[mandroid]

There is Nickel in the Monel alloy, proportions differ a bit.

Given its an interaction between the strings and the stringed instrument they are used on ,
..there can be a different sound coming from a different instrument with the same strings in common.
get some and try them, and pick up an alternative plain pair to use rather than the .014" A's if you prefer , some .015" or .016".

[the Poster who had his mandolin split when he changed the brand of strings , I'd note as a rare fluke]

"Writing about Music , is like Dancing about Architecture"

[Mike Bunting]

I do buy a pair of .015's now, I was just wondering if nickels or stainless steel may do the trick and save a couple bucks.

[Paul Hostetter]

Monel is mostly nickel, alloyed with copper. It's a proprietary name for a specific product that's used as the raw ingredient. Other nickel-wound strings are probably pretty similar in sound, but they don't use the Monel product. Stainless is a cheaper substance, and sounds a bit different than any Monel or nickel wrapped string.

But a plain string is a plain string, so dropping some .015's into another set you know you like is a simple and inexpensive experiment. Once you find the gauged set you like, you can buy the singles by the dozen and come out ahead.

[Sheryl McDonald]

I do buy a pair of .015's now, I was just wondering if nickels or stainless steel may do the trick and save a couple bucks.

Hi Mike Bunting--

Where are you getting your .015 A strings? I use the Sam Bush Monels [love the sound] and would like to try a heavier A string.

[Alex Fields]

You can order single strings of almost any gauge from Elderly.

[Mike Bunting]

The local store where I teach and I'd bet most music stores carry single strings.

[Artist3]

Where online can I find Monel 015 single A-strings for mandolin? I checked Elderly and couldn't find any. Could someone kindly point me to a source. I've tried to google everywhere and can't find any.

[Ryk Loske]

Juststrings.com carries single strings for the mandolin.

(I was surprised to see that a board supporter didn't.)

Ryk

[Artist3]

Where at juststrings.com? I looked again and couldnt find any Monel .015 gauge loop end single strings.

[Ryk Loske]

ALL plain steel strings are the same. Monel is used only on the wrapped strings. As Paul said in his post ... a plain string is a plain string is a ........

Ryk

[mandroid]

One difference the Monel nickel-cupric alloy is non magnetic , like bronze,
so for magnetic coil pickup use the alloy of nickle used in electric strings the winding wire is also magnetic with a bit of iron or 'al nic co' ..

but unwound , music wire is music wire , carbon steel.

[Pete Martin]

Like others have said, just order single strings for the unwound strings (E and A).

For the D and A strings, I've tried many different nickle and/or steel brands and don't like them at all compared to Monels. There seems to be something in that monel alloy that transfers into a different and more pleasing sound to my ears.

[45ACP-GDLF5]

Where at juststrings.com? I looked again and couldnt find any Monel .015 gauge loop end single strings.

I don't believe you'll find a Monel string in .015 The Gibson "Bush" set is the only monels out there.

Just use a stainless .015 to replace the .014

[mandroid]

are there any variety of gages available in the wound ones, other than .025" & .041" perhaps Monel wound Guitar strings to take balls out of ..
like to try lighter 22, 36 for example. ...

[Mike Bunting]

Like others have said, just order single strings for the unwound strings (E and A).

For the D and A strings, I've tried many different nickle and/or steel brands and don't like them at all compared to Monels. There seems to be something in that monel alloy that transfers into a different and more pleasing sound to my ears.

That's what I've found too.

[foldedpath]

Well, to nitpick slightly... "plain" strings aren't always just plain steel. D'Addario says their plain steel strings in the EXP line are "compound plated," and Elixer claims an "Anti Rust Plating" on their plain strings. I'm not 100% sure, but I think I read somewhere that Thomastik-Infeld plain strings on their flatwound mando sets are tin-plated.

Plain strings will usually go out of intonation from playing wear long before they'll corrode enough to affect the tone. So I think plated "plain" strings is mostly a marketing gimmick... but maybe it's helpful for those with toxic hand syndrome. I use a mix of packaged sets and custom gauges where I usually buy the plains in bulk, just basic steel wire. I haven't noticed any significant difference in tone or string life between these and the fancy plated plain strings from packaged sets, but I change strings fairly frequently, so YMMV.

Back on the main topic... I tried the Gibson/Bush monels for a while. Very interesting strings. Most other strings have a sound that's part of a general family of similar string sets from various manufacturers, but these have a sound that's unlike anything else I've tried. To me ears (and on my mandolin) they're a tiny bit less bright on the wound strings than PB strings, with a nice "dry" tone. There's also a hint of a brittle, metallic edge to the sound of the wound strings. It seems weird to call metal strings "metallic" sounding, but that's the only way I can describe it. I can see why they're popular with some bluegrass players, but it wasn't quite the sound I was looking for. Also the low-tension .014 A's were annoying, but I just replaced them with .015 plain steel.

Anyway, the monel strings didn't stick with me for long. I ended up with GHS Silk and Bronze as the current favorite, but who knows how long that will last...

[hank]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Pete Martin
"Like others have said, just order single strings for the unwound strings (E and A).

For the D and A(G) strings, I've tried many different nickle and/or steel brands and don't like them at all compared to Monels. There seems to be something in that monel alloy that transfers into a different and more pleasing sound to my ears."

Same here not only great tone but explosive response and rapid decay. It's like night and day to the long ringing sustaining strings though it doesn't work for all styles of music.