What kind of strings do you use with DADGAD tuning?
My problem is that some of the strings do not have enough tension. Especially the higher a-string (i.e b-string in standard tuning) is hard to keep in tune and sounds slightly different than the other strings.
I play a martin 000-28 (scale lenght 24.9") and at the moment I have a Martin Medium (M-150) strings(.013 .017 .026 .035 .045 .056 181.1). What kind of set would be good? Are there any specific DADGAD-sets available or should I just build my own set?
Ideally I would like to use medium gauge on strings 1,2 & 6 for the dropped tunings and Light gauge for strings 3,4 & 5. I think there are some makes of string that do something like this and available only in the USA but I prefer to use Elixir strings and they don't do this.
Alternatively buy strings in bulk singly and make up your own custom set. This is expensive unless you are buying a lot of strings ,so get together with other DADGAD guitarists that live close-by. These strings usually don't come wrapped in plastic but are sold in tubes eg 20 of one string type/gauge in one tube.
cheers
Good ole D'Addario medium gauge seems to work fine on my end. They're not particularly expensive, which is certainly a prime consideration for me; but I also like how the bass (4,5 and 6) strings retain a good, solid sound for a nice stretch of time before I have to replace them. As a DADGADer, I find that quite important.
Thank you for all the answers. I was browsing the Pierre Bensusan www-site(www.pierrebensusan.com) and noticed that they are selling Elixir strings and have a specific bensusan/dadgad sets available. Any experience on these? The price 23e seems a bit high.
Elixer strings for acoustic guitar kinda suck, IMHO. You don't need special gauges for DADGAD; just use your favorite gauge of strings and retune. Mediums work well for me. It's probably more critical to have a stable instrument with high-quality tuners.
I've not found Elixirs to be very much fun at all.
I agree that special gauges are not necessary. I understand that some players like to customize sets, and that's fine, but for someone just starting in DADGAD it's probably better to use fewer variables than more variables in the process.
Yes I am an Elixir freak.
From a sound point of view they seem as good as most other strings I have tried on my guitar. But I do realise that they may not suit all guitars and to some ears the sound may not be as pleasing, which comes down to a mater of opinion.
However when you get used to the slippiness of the strings there is less tendency to noise created by friction of sliding up along the string. When it comes to longevity the Elixir really comes into its own. If I am playing a lot in summer (hot Perth) with the inevitable sweat from my hands a set of D'Addario will last all of 3-5 days before they start to sound dead to my ears. In similar conditions I will get 3-5 weeks from a set of Elixirs. Also the 'wearing out curve' is less dramatic. Even when you start to see some of the 'nanoweb' coating coming away (string looks fluffy) they still don't sound too bad, but that is certainly a warning sign that the end is nigh.
As for the string gauge issue, I have noticed that lights with 12 on top give my guitar a much brighter sound. Medium (13 on top) gives a bigger more mellow sound.
Whatever you fancy.
PS I thought all Elixirs were coated either Nano or Poly - web.
I get my elixirs from Just Strings in the USA
by internet order and if I order enough strings and the Aussie dollar isn't on too much of a Downer the sets cost me only A$23 including the postage. But this means ordering at least 8 sets at a time because of the very hefty postal charge.
I bought an Ovation Legend many many moons ago when acoustics with built-in pickups weren't that common (well, not here at least in a less-than-Eric-Clapton price bracket). It's served me well in my nearly-always-amplified playing but it isn't the ultimate guitar. My next guitar will be something quite different. Strings start to sound dead on it very quickly. D'Addarios are OK for about a week, whereas the Elixirs' sound quality (good, bad or otherwise) stays pretty much the same as when the strings are new. At first they did feel like someone had rubbed soap all over the fingerboard,as you say. And then there's the issue of getting the patronising idiot in the guitar store (who's barely heard of them so of course assumes the customer is stupid) to distinguish between "light" and "custom light" when placing your order. Harrumph.
I'm interested in what others think of them as I was quite pleased with the first set I bought and have been quite underwhelmed by subsequent sets.
My experiences with Elixirs (I always have to think about the spelling... ) have been in the recording studio, and usually with wooden acoustic guitars in small, acoustic ensembles or solo acts. This seems to be when the longevity value sort of backfires... Often we'll mic up the guitar and the player will listen to the playback and say something like 'That's not really the sound of my guitar...' So I mess with the mic placement, change the preamp, all the usual, basic studio stuff, and then, eventually, we start trying different strings. Several times the players have changed from the Elixirs to something else, and that alternative, as I recall, varied widely.
When I have come across these strings on new guitars, I have felt that they didn't really allow the sound of the guitar to come out truly. Now, that may be a prejudice of mine, it's really, really a subjective thing.
For my playing personally, don't like the feel of them, I never got past that 'soapy' thing. I get the smoothness and lower finger noise from the Flat-Tops (see my earlier post), and longevity isn't an issue for me; my hands don't seem to eat strings much, so I get pretty long life from sets.
Also, when some of the Elixirs start to wear (I confess to not knowing a whole lot about the various "-web" variations), there are little fuzzies that come up from the plastic at the frets and that changes the sounds, and the feel, of the guitars a bit.
I can understand how they would work well on a/e guitars like Tish's Ovation, and people who play acoustic guitars plugged in all the time have mentioned to me that these are good strings for them.
I wouldn't ever say, 'Oh, don't try those' to anyone about Elixirs, but they don't do it for -me-. "Your mileage may vary..."
It's a great world, tho. There's something for everybody to like.
Thanks stv - that is interesting. I don't get to rub shoulders with many other guitarists and the ones I do don't use acosutics as their main axe, so it's always good to hear about others' experiences.
I've only used this guitar for recording once, and that was in a cathedral chancel with a recording engineer who put a stereo mike ten feet up in the air in the centre ... end result, Tish staring up the microphone's nostrils, singers eight feet away, oboist thirty feet away! The "that doesn't sound like my guitar" kinda went out the window at that point. Had I known (I made the rash assumption that, knowing there would be several instruments, the engineer would mike each instrument separately) I'd have taken a different guitar altogether.
I tried the polywebs once (the heavier coating, strings are supposed to have the "broken in" sound rather than the "brand new" sound) and I took them off after a day. They'd probably work really well on a bright guitar but on mine they were awful. The whole thing sounded like it had been soaked in cooking oil!
I like Elixir strings just fine. I've settled on Nanoweb (definitely not Polyweb) and their med bottom/ light top gauge (0.056-0.012). I play a Martin 00 and I get compliments on the tone all the time.
I also recommend D'Addario coated strings gauge EXP-19 (also 0.056-0.12) that are less slippery than Elixrs with more fret noise.
Tish
Honest I would never soak my guitar in cooling oil but maybe it is just that my guitar tends to sound if anything too bright and the Elixirs (Light) were still too bright so I am now trying the Medium gauge ones. This has made the sound probably a bit too mellow but some of that is just me trying to get used to it. I also have a Maton that I use infrequently and on that the Elixirs sound great for about 6 months.
DADGAD - guitar strings
DADGAD - guitar strings
What kind of strings do you use with DADGAD tuning?
My problem is that some of the strings do not have enough tension. Especially the higher a-string (i.e b-string in standard tuning) is hard to keep in tune and sounds slightly different than the other strings.
I play a martin 000-28 (scale lenght 24.9") and at the moment I have a Martin Medium (M-150) strings(.013 .017 .026 .035 .045 .056 181.1). What kind of set would be good? Are there any specific DADGAD-sets available or should I just build my own set?
Thanks,
Ville
# Posted on August 25th 2004 by VilleK
Re: DADGAD - guitar strings
Ideally I would like to use medium gauge on strings 1,2 & 6 for the dropped tunings and Light gauge for strings 3,4 & 5. I think there are some makes of string that do something like this and available only in the USA but I prefer to use Elixir strings and they don't do this.
Alternatively buy strings in bulk singly and make up your own custom set. This is expensive unless you are buying a lot of strings ,so get together with other DADGAD guitarists that live close-by. These strings usually don't come wrapped in plastic but are sold in tubes eg 20 of one string type/gauge in one tube.
cheers
# Posted on August 25th 2004 by Donough
Re: DADGAD - guitar strings
Good ole D'Addario medium gauge seems to work fine on my end. They're not particularly expensive, which is certainly a prime consideration for me; but I also like how the bass (4,5 and 6) strings retain a good, solid sound for a nice stretch of time before I have to replace them. As a DADGADer, I find that quite important.
# Posted on August 25th 2004 by sts
Re: DADGAD - guitar strings
D'Addario Flat-Tops, light gauge, EFT-16 set, Gauges .053, .042, .032, .024, .016, .012.
I use these on a Santa Cruz OM PW, a Lowden 032 and a '78 John Greven custom jumbo.
I really like the "Flat-Top" feature. It feels good and cuts down on finger noise.
stv
# Posted on August 26th 2004 by stv culchie
Re: DADGAD - guitar strings
Thank you for all the answers. I was browsing the Pierre Bensusan www-site(www.pierrebensusan.com) and noticed that they are selling Elixir strings and have a specific bensusan/dadgad sets available. Any experience on these? The price 23e seems a bit high.
Ville
# Posted on August 26th 2004 by VilleK
Re: DADGAD - guitar strings
Elixer strings for acoustic guitar kinda suck, IMHO. You don't need special gauges for DADGAD; just use your favorite gauge of strings and retune. Mediums work well for me. It's probably more critical to have a stable instrument with high-quality tuners.
# Posted on August 26th 2004 by Audeamus
Re: DADGAD - guitar strings
I've not found Elixirs to be very much fun at all.
I agree that special gauges are not necessary. I understand that some players like to customize sets, and that's fine, but for someone just starting in DADGAD it's probably better to use fewer variables than more variables in the process.
stv
# Posted on August 27th 2004 by stv culchie
Re: DADGAD - guitar strings
My attitude to Elixirs is mixed, too. Stevie & stv, can you elaborate on your experiences with them?
# Posted on August 27th 2004 by Tish
Re: Elixir of life
Yes I am an Elixir freak.
From a sound point of view they seem as good as most other strings I have tried on my guitar. But I do realise that they may not suit all guitars and to some ears the sound may not be as pleasing, which comes down to a mater of opinion.
However when you get used to the slippiness of the strings there is less tendency to noise created by friction of sliding up along the string. When it comes to longevity the Elixir really comes into its own. If I am playing a lot in summer (hot Perth) with the inevitable sweat from my hands a set of D'Addario will last all of 3-5 days before they start to sound dead to my ears. In similar conditions I will get 3-5 weeks from a set of Elixirs. Also the 'wearing out curve' is less dramatic. Even when you start to see some of the 'nanoweb' coating coming away (string looks fluffy) they still don't sound too bad, but that is certainly a warning sign that the end is nigh.
As for the string gauge issue, I have noticed that lights with 12 on top give my guitar a much brighter sound. Medium (13 on top) gives a bigger more mellow sound.
Whatever you fancy.
# Posted on August 27th 2004 by Donough
PS I thought all Elixirs were coated either Nano or Poly - web.
I get my elixirs from Just Strings in the USA
by internet order and if I order enough strings and the Aussie dollar isn't on too much of a Downer the sets cost me only A$23 including the postage. But this means ordering at least 8 sets at a time because of the very hefty postal charge.
# Posted on August 27th 2004 by Donough
Re: DADGAD - guitar strings
Odono, longevity is the reason I tried them.
I bought an Ovation Legend many many moons ago when acoustics with built-in pickups weren't that common (well, not here at least in a less-than-Eric-Clapton price bracket). It's served me well in my nearly-always-amplified playing but it isn't the ultimate guitar. My next guitar will be something quite different. Strings start to sound dead on it very quickly. D'Addarios are OK for about a week, whereas the Elixirs' sound quality (good, bad or otherwise) stays pretty much the same as when the strings are new. At first they did feel like someone had rubbed soap all over the fingerboard,as you say. And then there's the issue of getting the patronising idiot in the guitar store (who's barely heard of them so of course assumes the customer is stupid) to distinguish between "light" and "custom light" when placing your order. Harrumph.
I'm interested in what others think of them as I was quite pleased with the first set I bought and have been quite underwhelmed by subsequent sets.
# Posted on August 27th 2004 by Tish
Re: DADGAD - guitar strings
My experiences with Elixirs (I always have to think about the spelling... ) have been in the recording studio, and usually with wooden acoustic guitars in small, acoustic ensembles or solo acts. This seems to be when the longevity value sort of backfires... Often we'll mic up the guitar and the player will listen to the playback and say something like 'That's not really the sound of my guitar...' So I mess with the mic placement, change the preamp, all the usual, basic studio stuff, and then, eventually, we start trying different strings. Several times the players have changed from the Elixirs to something else, and that alternative, as I recall, varied widely.
When I have come across these strings on new guitars, I have felt that they didn't really allow the sound of the guitar to come out truly. Now, that may be a prejudice of mine, it's really, really a subjective thing.
For my playing personally, don't like the feel of them, I never got past that 'soapy' thing. I get the smoothness and lower finger noise from the Flat-Tops (see my earlier post), and longevity isn't an issue for me; my hands don't seem to eat strings much, so I get pretty long life from sets.
Also, when some of the Elixirs start to wear (I confess to not knowing a whole lot about the various "-web" variations), there are little fuzzies that come up from the plastic at the frets and that changes the sounds, and the feel, of the guitars a bit.
I can understand how they would work well on a/e guitars like Tish's Ovation, and people who play acoustic guitars plugged in all the time have mentioned to me that these are good strings for them.
I wouldn't ever say, 'Oh, don't try those' to anyone about Elixirs, but they don't do it for -me-. "Your mileage may vary..."
It's a great world, tho. There's something for everybody to like.
stv
# Posted on August 27th 2004 by stv culchie
Re: DADGAD - guitar strings
Thanks stv - that is interesting. I don't get to rub shoulders with many other guitarists and the ones I do don't use acosutics as their main axe, so it's always good to hear about others' experiences.
I've only used this guitar for recording once, and that was in a cathedral chancel with a recording engineer who put a stereo mike ten feet up in the air in the centre ... end result, Tish staring up the microphone's nostrils, singers eight feet away, oboist thirty feet away! The "that doesn't sound like my guitar" kinda went out the window at that point. Had I known (I made the rash assumption that, knowing there would be several instruments, the engineer would mike each instrument separately) I'd have taken a different guitar altogether.
I tried the polywebs once (the heavier coating, strings are supposed to have the "broken in" sound rather than the "brand new" sound) and I took them off after a day. They'd probably work really well on a bright guitar but on mine they were awful. The whole thing sounded like it had been soaked in cooking oil!
# Posted on August 29th 2004 by Tish
Re: DADGAD - guitar strings
I meant acoustics, of course.
# Posted on August 29th 2004 by Tish
Re: DADGAD - guitar strings
I like Elixir strings just fine. I've settled on Nanoweb (definitely not Polyweb) and their med bottom/ light top gauge (0.056-0.012). I play a Martin 00 and I get compliments on the tone all the time.
I also recommend D'Addario coated strings gauge EXP-19 (also 0.056-0.12) that are less slippery than Elixrs with more fret noise.
# Posted on August 30th 2004 by SteveM
Re: DADGAD - guitar strings
Tish
Honest I would never soak my guitar in cooling oil but maybe it is just that my guitar tends to sound if anything too bright and the Elixirs (Light) were still too bright so I am now trying the Medium gauge ones. This has made the sound probably a bit too mellow but some of that is just me trying to get used to it. I also have a Maton that I use infrequently and on that the Elixirs sound great for about 6 months.
# Posted on August 30th 2004 by Donough