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Thread: String Composition?

  1. #1

    Default String Composition?

    What do folks prefer by way of string composition, and what sound are you going for? I've got 80/20 bronze strings on my tenor at the moment, but I'm contemplating some experimenting with PB, or maybe flatwound, just to see what tone I like best. Curious what others use.

  2. #2
    Registered User
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    Chicago - most lately but - home is in Northern Arkansas.
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    Default Re: String Composition?

    Personally - flatwounds are a nice idea but don't seem to project very well and a regular PB mix seems to die too fast in my high humidity environment (Chicago / Arkansas etc.). With those observations and reservations, I've pretty well moved over to Elixirs either in the light Mandolin packaging (for Tenor Guitar) or custom sets for my Mandolas or Octave Mandolins. While, when fresh and new, they're not quite as bright as a PB set ... they stay clean and tuneable for an astronomically long time.

    Economically, the longevity makes them about the cheapest strings I could find, as long as you keep the plain, unwound strings regularly wiped down and occasionally treated with the Dunlop string conditioner (#65). At least this is what works for me ...
    Mandola fever is permanent.

  3. #3
    Registered User MdJ's Avatar
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    Default Re: String Composition?

    I generally prefer 80/20 's - love the brighter tone for TG- tho I have been recently seduced by the d'addario flat tops which only come in PB as near as I can tell, Great tone (warmer) and their playability is very nice....

  4. #4

    Default Re: String Composition?

    All right, here's a follow-up question: for those of you who use 80/20 strings (which is what I've settled on for the time being), what do you prefer in terms of picks? I'm still experimenting, but am curious what directions others have taken, since I'm finding that with certain thicknessnes/materials those bronze strings can go from bright to brass really fast.

  5. #5
    Mandolin Botherer Shelagh Moore's Avatar
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    Dec 2008
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    Leicestershire, UK
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    Default Re: String Composition?

    I use flatwounds on my two main mandolins and silver coated copper wound on the vintage third one as that's what works best for those particular mandolins, the sound I'm after and the styles of music I play.

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