Gold-colored mandolin strings?

[wmw]

Does anybody know of gold-colored mandolin strings? I am trying to match my gold Evo frets... I'm looking for a set with normal gold (or bronze) colored wound strings but ALSO gold-colored unwound strings. I have found a set like this for acoustic guitar but not for mandolin! Thanks in advance!

[ccravens]

Good news is: yes!

Bad news: I can't remember the brand!! D'Addario Flat Tops?

Someone will chime in to help you out.

[Tobin]

D'Addario EXP74s have brass coated A/E strings with phosphor bronze G/D strings.

[Don Grieser]

When D'Addario EXP strings first came out, the uncoated strings were a gold color.

[mandroid]

'bright bronze' is brass that starts out more gold colored than phosphor bronze ..

[almeriastrings]

The now discontinued Martin 'SP' strings had gold colored plain strings and a 'warm bronze' wound pair. They were actually very good - but ceased production about 2 years ago.

[UsuallyPickin]

almeriastrings pegged it. Martin SP I have a mandolin that preferred those strings. I was sad to see them discontinued. Ah well change is ubiquitous ...... R/

[Ivan Kelsall]

I'd expect 'Brass' (Bright Bronze) strings to corrode very quickly - ''unless'' there is some tin in the mix. Pure Brass is Copper & Zinc. Bronze is usually Copper + around 12% Tin & maybe some Antimony. It's the Tin which gives Bronze it better anti-corrosion properties,
Ivan

[wmw]

On the D'Addario website, the EXP74 set lists 'plain steel' A and E strings... Anybody got any other ideas for a gold-colored A & E string?

[almeriastrings]

The only ones I have ever seen were the now-defunct MARTIN SP's. I have tried many strings over the years and they were, as far as I know, unique. I bought 12 sets in a blowout just after they ceased making them.... used the last set a few months ago. They sounded great on my Ellis.

[wmw]

I was able to find two websites still selling the Martin SP's for mandolin and bought a few sets. Excited!

[Phil Goodson]

A friend just showed me his gold colored plain DR strings on his mandolin. FYI.
I don't know the specific model of the strings.

[varmonter]

A friend just showed me his gold colored plain DR strings on his mandolin. FYI.
I don't know the specific model of the strings.

DR Dragonskins have this gold color to the unwound strings..but it is much more important that they sound good on your mandolin than it is to make a fasion statement...

[Phil Goodson]

DR Dragonskins have this gold color to the unwound strings..but it is much more important that they sound good on your mandolin than it is to make a fasion statement...

True. But that wasn't the OP's question.

[sblock]

I must say, it strikes me as pretty strange that someone would be looking to buy strings simply because their color happened to match EVO frets. From my own perspective, I select my strings because I prefer the sound they make on my instrument, and not because of their looks, which are secondary to me. Also, if you think about it, there is no special reason why the strings ought to match the fret color, so far as I can see, any more so than matching the plating color on all the other metal hardware (typically, this is either nickel or gold on the tuners and tailpiece, and not the "brassy" color of EVO frets). Still, it's possible that a happy accident might happen whereby a set of strings is with a color similar to the color of EVO frets might exist, and might sound the best on your mandolin.

That said, there is another problem: sets of strings typically have more than one "color" to them, because the unwound strings tend to look silvery (or slightly golden, like on the Martin guitar strings; these more closely resemble EVO), whereas all the wound strings look different, and carry windings that are usually made of nickel or some type of bronze or phosphor bronze. And none of those is the color of the EVO frets, so this seems like a fruitless quest, right from the start.

So I guess, for all these reasons, that I'm also solidly in the camp that feels that it's more important for my strings to sound good than to look good! And besides, my frets and strings will never match my tuners or tailpiece. Still, different strokes for different folks...

[almeriastrings]

I tend to agree. Color would be the least factor in string choice for me. The Martin SP's were a very nice set of strings, however. I have only tried one set of the DR's and did not rate them at all. I normally use J74's or GHS.

[AlanN]

Your mandolin is crummy, but the strings?