J 75s too heavy for my MT?

[FrDNicholas]

I just took my Collings MT into the shop for some work. The repairman, who I trust saw that I was putting on J 75s on the mandolin. He mentioned they might be putting stress on the instrument. Have any of you who use these strings or ones of the same gauge had any experience over time of the heavier strings causing problems? I will try to email Collings as well, but I respect the expertise of the folks here as well.

[JeffD]

My first guess is that an MT in new or very good condition should be able to support J75s. But in this particular case the repairman might be aware of a condition or a weakness in the instrument.

(I would be happier with J74s only because I think they would sound better.)

[Mark Wilson]

Collings responds pretty quick. I would also ask if the nut slots would accommodate the 75's.

The slots on my MT seemed snug with mediums

[Ivan Kelsall]

What was the reason for putting the heavier strings on in the first place ?. If we knew that,then maybe an 'alternative' solution to heavy strings could be suggested. I know what Collings MT mandolins are like & personally,i'd think heavy strings wouldn't be the best idea.
If it's more volume that you're looking for,try a set of DR MD11's - same gauges as J74's but far punchier OR,treat yourself to a 3-pack of Dunlop Primetone picks & try them out with say J74's, or indeed GHS A270's,which are a beautifully toned string & bring out the best tones in my Ellis "A" style,
Ivan

[FrDNicholas]

The MT is about 5 years old. I had been using J74s for the first 4 years, then went to the 75s for a little more volume. I have been using the Primetone picks and really like them. This last string change I put on the DR mediums which are the same gauge is the J75s. I really like them. The only reason I'm asking the question is just to check out what my repairman said about the heavier strings stressing the instrument. I emailed Colllings directly, but they're out of the shop till after the new year. I will return to the 74s if the heavier strings are not good for the instrument.

[Tobin]

Of course they put stress on the instrument. All strings put stress on the instrument. If he meant they are over-stressing it, my first question would be why does he think that. Just an opinion, or is he seeing an issue?

If you take the tension ratings of EJ74s, they total to 182 pounds of tension. EJ75s total to 191.2 pounds. That's a 5% increase in tension. My gut tells me that a 5% increase shouldn't be a problem, but I ain't no luthier. I'm a lowly engineer that is used to putting safety factors on my designs. But lots of folks have used EJ75s on their MTs with no issues, and a Collings mandolin should be able to handle them just fine.

Now, it does make sense that going to heavier strings should require some adjustment of the action. Perhaps a truss rod adjustment to counteract the additional pulling on the neck, and adjusting the bridge height. Plus, of course, making sure the strings sit well in the slots. Swapping over to heavier strings is going to put more stress on the instrument that should require a re-tweak for best playing. But I really doubt there is any strength issue here that should make you worry.

[MikeEdgerton]

I just don't think that Collings would build a delicate little instrument that couldn't handle big boy strings.

[Londy]

What was the reason for putting the heavier strings on in the first place ?. If we knew that,then maybe an 'alternative' solution to heavy strings could be suggested. I know what Collings MT mandolins are like & personally,i'd think heavy strings wouldn't be the best idea.
If it's more volume that you're looking for,try a set of DR MD11's - same gauges as J74's but far punchier OR,treat yourself to a 3-pack of Dunlop Primetone picks & try them out with say J74's, or indeed GHS A270's,which are a beautifully toned string & bring out the best tones in my Ellis "A" style,
Ivan

Ditto on the primetone picks and j74s. My Collings came with the J74s (coated) and I like them. I have been trying out these picks and its an amazing difference with my Collings MTO. I suggest trying this combo out. My oval mando produces a deep and very rich loud sound compared to no other. With the 74s and these picks...I have found my sound!

[oldwave]

I have been using j75's on my MT2 with no adverse effects.

[CelticDude]

I asked Collings about J75's on an MT, and they said no problem. So I finally did try them. No problems with the instrument, but I didn't like the sound. What I do now is an "enhanced" J74 set, using J7502's for the A course, and J74's on the rest of the courses.

[DougC]

Why doubt your repairman?
All instruments have a 'sweet spot' where it comes to string tension.

I have a Collings MT. I also have a custom MT2. Heck, I even have a Collings mandola. Experiment with light strings, heavy strings, round wound strings and flat wound strings. Then you'll know.

PM me. I'll send some strings I don't want.

[9lbShellhamer]

To those who are saying to adjust nut slot depth, truss rod tension, etc.

Would that go with switching EXP74's to EXP74CM also, with the heavier A and E strings? I switched with no problems and it seems a lot of people switch to heavy with no problems.

I'm not being rhetorical, just honestly inquisitive.

[Tobin]

To those who are saying to adjust nut slot depth, truss rod tension, etc.

Would that go with switching EXP74's to EXP74CM also, with the heavier A and E strings? I switched with no problems and it seems a lot of people switch to heavy with no problems.

I'm not being rhetorical, just honestly inquisitive.

It really depends on the instrument. A minor change in strings may require a minor action tweak, or just deal with the slightly different feel, if any. Nut slots and saddle slots may need to be opened up if they were slotted for a narrower gauge. If there's a sizzling sound or buzziness, that could be it. But it will really depend on what the slots were like before the change, if they could accommodate the bigger strings. It's hard to say as a general rule whether it will need anything or not.

[Mark Wilson]

I had a little binding on just the A courses when I tried medium strings. Sounded fine - played fine just annoying to tune when it binds and pings on the way up. No truss rod or slot height adjustment needed. Just needed slight relief in slot.

[mandroid]

E is thicker 0.110 to 0.115 the A is what a 16 instead of a 15?

[FrDNicholas]

Thank you to everyone's help. I heard back from Collings and they agreed with many of the posts here. The MT can handle the J 75s without any difficulty. THey did say that the truss rod may need to be tightened, which is exactly what my friend did today. All is well.!

[Ivan Kelsall]

I put heavier strings (MD12's) on my Lebeda, which is a larger than 'standard' F5 style mandolin,for extra volume. However,i needed to pick harder on the heavier strings - so,i took them off,put lighter (MD11's) back on,picked as hard as i did on the MD12's & i got more volume. I think sometimes our 'reasoning' is a bit off. When you think of it,putting more compression on the top by using heavier strings is counter productive, as after a certain point,it could prevent the top vibrating as it needs to.The opposite effect would be in using strings which are too light to get the top moving as it should. A friend & fellow Cafe member has a beautiful Heiden "A" style on which he used to use Thomastik strings.Whichever gauge they were,they were far too light for the mandolin. A change up to J74's worked wonders for it.So 'enough's' ok,but too much ain't !,
Ivan

[Caleb]

Just an observation on my part, but it's hard to imagine anyone needing a volume boost with an MT. Mine is almost too loud sometimes, and I use medium strings. I can't imagine any benefit to moving up to heavies.

[Tobin]

Yeah, Collings mandolins are among the loudest, brightest, and most crisp-toned mandolins out there. Too brash for some folks. I'd say that pick choice would be the easiest way to increase volume, but the OP is already using a Primetone pick which is very loud too. I can't imagine that volume is an issue unless maybe this is for duets with a bagpipe.

[Caleb]

I've been using a Wegen lately to tone down and darken up my MT a bit. I like the feel of thinner picks most times, but they do get clangy.

[FrDNicholas]

I will definitely go back to the J 74s on my next string purchase and see if I like them. Trying the J 75s and the DR was part of the string experiment journey.

[Ivan Kelsall]

Daniel - I'd advise you to try a set of GHS A270's as well ( same gauges as J74's but with a .016" "A" string). Using a Primetone pick,they sound superb on my Ellis "A" style & i currently have them on my Weber as well. They have a wonderfully sweet tone & with the PT pick,certainly don't lack any 'punch'. Trying strings & picks out to hear what they can do,is as you say,part of the journey & one that doesn't cost to much for an improvement either. The DR / GHS strings & then the Primetone picks have given my mandolins a real boost,
Ivan

[SGraham]

Daniel,
You may want to give the Siminoff "Straight Up" mediums a try if you still want to try a medium gauge set of strings. I had used the J75s on my Flatiron Festival for years. When I tried the Siminoffs I noticed a distinct improvement in tone. Very different, much better. I later tried a set of 75s again just to compare and really disliked their sound.

Personally, I get the wanting to try medium strings. I tried to get used to the J74s but just couldn't. I play with too heavy a hand--even when I'm playing softly.

[CES]

My fingers like J-74s and Elixir Lights, but my Silverangel and my old Kentucky 675-S really sound better with J75s. I've since replaced the 675 with an Eastman 315 (that's a whole 'nother level of MAS, when you're seeking out clearance deals to upgrade your beater , and it does great with J-74s. Then, of course, I have to use J-62 gauged strings on my Flatiron 1N (per manufacturer's recs). They really make that mando sing, but feel ridiculously light to play...

You were right to check out whether the mandolin was OK with 75s. I couldn't imagine it not being fine (as confirmed by Collings), but my Taylor 714 was designed for light gauge strings. It can handle heavier strings structurally, but the lights really make that top go...