Re: Would you sacrifice tone for playability?
If the answer is framed generally about instruments, I’d say yes. Playability features such as neck profile, nut width, and fretboard radius are difficult/expensive to modify and a challenge for me to accommodate. I miss the strident Collings MT that played like a dream more than the toneful Pava which didn’t suit my left hand. But with strings, I’d say no. First, I’ve run everything from EJ62’s to EJ75’s, including flatwounds, and never really experienced a change in playability provided that the instrument was otherwise set up properly. Second, if I did find a difference, it’s one that I would think that I could overcome through repetition and practice. I’d be tempted to install EJ75’s for a while, like training with ankle weights, to see if I’d have a similar experience when dropping back down to EJ74’s.
1924 Gibson A Snakehead
2005 National RM-1
2007 Hester A5
2009 Passernig A5
2015 Black A2-z
2010 Black GBOM
2017 Poe Scout
2014 Smart F-Style Mandola
2018 Vessel TM5
2019 Hogan F5
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