Change from .011 to .0115 for e

[first string]

Do you think there will be any noticeable difference between .011 and .0115 for the E course? It seems like a pretty minimal increase in gauge, but I’m thinking about giving it a try. I use FT74s and I love the extra pop from the wound A, but it makes the E sound weaker in comparison (even though it’s not really). Do you think that tiny bit of extra beef will make a difference? I’ll probably just give it a try, but I tend to order in bulk and I don’t want to end up with a lot of useless E strings.

Oh…and I did ask this at the end of another related thread, but I don’t think many people saw it, so I’m reposting in hopes that someone else has tried this.

[fredfrank]

I kinda like a heavier e-string course, but when I put J-75's on my Gibson it sorta chokes down the volume a bit. I think this mandolin responds better with J74's even though the 'e' and 'a' strings seem a bit too light.

[bluegrassdan]

How about a set with J75 guages on the e and a and J74 guages on the g and d. To me that would be great if you didnt have to do that with a bunch of singles. Ghs has a set that you would only have to change the e to the heavier guage.

[DryBones]

The D is the same on J74s and J75s.You could try a set of J75's but use the G's from the J74's. end result .0115,.016,.026,.040

[Fretbear]

I use them and like them; I tried them on my brother's mandolin to try and get him some more presence and they just felt tight. It will depend on your mandolins neck angle, bridge height, etc. I would definitely try them out before you wind up with a stack of them that you might not use. It would be a pretty easy plain string to find, even if you have to break the balls (!) out of some guitar strings.

[mythicfish]

I'll let y'all know from the front ... this is a flame .. or a rave ... or whatever such things are called on line. A few years ago it would have been called "straight talk"
There seems to be a lack of initiative ... Strings are cheap. Try them for self and make a decision. Why would anyone take someone else's word on this -and so many other subjects: What kind of pick should I use? Should I install a decent bridge?\
And of course, my "favorite": Where does Mike Compton buy his overalls?
Message boards can provide a source of information that might otherwise be difficult to find; so why not use it wisely?
Let's stop the spoon feeding! Brains function better when they're used. Apologies for the mixed metaphor but not the sentiment.

Curt

[bgjunkie]

I was just struggling with my F9 being a little heavy on the bottom end when using J74s, so I bought a set of J75s and just changed the E and A strings (since the D is the same on both sets). It seems to have help get a more even tone across all strings. I can't say that the E being .0115 helped a lot, but the A being .016 has made a noticeable difference.

In the future I will probably buy the J75s and replace the G course.

[bgjunkie]

John Pearse sell singles and has .012 and .016 if you want to beef up the Es and the As.

http://www.jpstrings.com/brstring.htm#Singles

[cooper4205]

you can also buy singles of .12 banjo strings and use them if you can find single heavy guage mandolin strings

[SternART]

I use mixed sets on a coupla mine.

[bluegrassdan]

Is a 12 on the e string too heavy for mandolin or should I just go for 115?


Eastman 515

[Fretbear]

.012" is too heavy....

[mikeo2]

yeah, i also agree .012 is too heavy. My ideal set for sometime has been D'addario Flattops .039, .026, .016 wrapped with .0115 e's.