sam bush strings

[mandolirius]

Just curious...what do folks here think of these? I put a set on about two weeks ago and have decided that they are loud, but also very bright. I don't think I like what they've done to the sound of my Randy Wood F-5. It sound thinner to me now on single-note playing. The chop is still there, though. I'll need to play these out and go back to what I was using before (EXP77's) before I can really form a firm opinion.

[Matt DeBlass]

I like them on my oval hole, they seem to give it a well-rounded sound, but they have a bit of an edge to them that could sound too metallic on a different instrument.

[Mike Snyder]

I've settled on them as my "go-to" strings, haven't used anything else for several years. I find them less bright, on my mandolin, than any phosphor-bronze set I've used, more powerful than any flat-wound set I've tried. I keep singles in .012 and .016 and I used to chuck the wires from the SB set and put on the heavier ones. Now I play them as they come until the plain wires go dead or show rust, then relace them with the heavier ones. I'm always trying to get a good dark sound, I tend to use a heavy pick. My mandolin is certainly a different creature from a Wood, I suppose. Never seen one, but they are legendary. I've felt good about using a Gibson string set on a Gibson F5, and Sam is an old favorite. With the "bright/dark" thing, we may have to refer to the semantics discussion going on in a concurrent thread.

Just remembered; I used to play these back in the 70s, before Sam was the designated hitter. Monels they called them. They were the only thing that sounded half-good on a plywood Ibanez I was using.

[Mike Bunting]

Just curious...what do folks here think of these? I put a set on about two weeks ago and have decided that they are loud, but also very bright. I don't think I like what they've done to the sound of my Randy Wood F-5. It sound thinner to me now on single-note playing. The chop is still there, though. I'll need to play these out and go back to what I was using before (EXP77's) before I can really form a firm opinion.

I really think these things are relative to the specific mandolin. I really like the monels on my Collings but on the Stanley I'm not sure yet and swing back and forth between the two types. I don't remember what was on the Stanley when you played it this summer so I couldn't say you could compare even if you could recall the sound from back then. I think it takes time to decide on strings.
P.S. What's your take on the A strings? I always swap them out for 15's.

[mandolirius]

The fourteens don't bother me but they're kind of zingy. I haven't experimented much with strings on the Wood yet. I may try some JS74's, another steel string but same guage as J74's.

[Malcolm G.]

I've tried just about every mandolin string, and I've had the least satisfying results with monels on both my A and F5.
These may be the best example of "love 'em or hate 'em" strings - possibly because of the difference in construction material.
My favorite strings on both my instruments (and my arch-top guitar) are Thomastic Infeld flat wound. Heck, I even use TI's on my banjo.
Like picks, string experimentation goes on forever.

[jimbob]

They are much less bright on my mandolin. I like them a lot. I continue to be amazed at how long they last ! I think I'll stay with them for now.

[i-vibe]

a few mos ago i aquired an '87 Flatiron A5JR and had it set up w a set of Gibson Monroe strings....since it was a new mando for me i had nothing to compare it to....next on was J75's...and now a set of SB are on it. i do like them and find that to my ears they sound maybe a little warmer. good "thunk" while still having great definition.

sadly the .014 A is unusable for me tho....i need an .016 and so have to replace 'em. this is something i do w all sets that have less than an .016.

i wonder if i can get an endorsement from some string mfr just for .016 A strings!

with my latest string order i got a cpl sets of Ernie Ball N776 Heavy PB strings and i'm looking fwd to trying those. at the very least they have the gauges to my liking .0115
.016. .026 .041

next up i'm gonna try a set of SB on my '77 EPI oval to see if it might warm it up a little.
it's a pretty bright sounding little bugger and w it's all too polite volume.....flatwounds aren't an option for it.

[Steve Ostrander]

I tried them and they didn't knock me out. Haven't tried them on my MT or my km900 yet.

[testore]

They made my mandolin woodier sounding. Loud still. I like them a lot. They last a good long time too.

[CTH Man]

I tried two sets of the SB Monel strings on my Flatiron A5-2 this summer.They were OK ...but I have gone back to J74's , tried a set of J75's also but like the 74's the best for me.
Note: with the 2 sets of SB Monel strings I had 3 E strings break at the loop end. I have never broken a mandolin string before in over 20 years , lots of different brands / gauges etc.....and I found the A course a bit light as well.

Kevin

[sgarrity]

I love 'em! They are the string for my Heiden A5. Really brings out that dry, woody tone we all know and love. As for the .14 A strings.....I've goten used to them. It makes it a lot easier to bend strings too which really adds a new dimension to my mandolin playing. I've also tried them on my Kimble oval hole and they sounded flat and dull. That mandolin likes J74's. You just gotta experiment a little to see what works and what you like.

[hank]

To my perception the monel wound strings have a faster response or pop with less sustain than bronze wound strings. I occasionally try other strings but so far keep returning to the monel wound on both my F5 and A4.

[chip]

I've had these Sam Bush strings laying around for a while and decided to try them on one of my F5's...It's exactly the sound I've been looking/hearing for quite some time. I like em!

[banjer23]

I love them on my BRW,,last a very long time,,seem to stay in tune fairly well,,its either them or the great J74s.