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Author Topic: Choosing Strings for Older Guitars  (Read 5333 times)

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Offline Parlor Picker

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Re: Choosing Strings for Older Guitars
« Reply #15 on: August 25, 2005, 08:36:51 AM »
I have used Newtone strings and found them to be very good.  Being made here in the UK, they are easier to obtain - have even bought 4 sets of light gauge on eBay at a reasonable price.  The man behind Newtone, Malcolm Newton, makes a couple of claims that could be of interest.  One is that they reach pitch under less tension than conventional strings - important with vintage guitars.  Also, unlike the current trend, the cores are not hexagonal, octagonal or whatever, but round.  The argument is that whilst the shaped cores help the winding to "bite" and grip well, they do leave a small cavity which eventually gets full of dirt, sweat, etc.  The Newtones do not suffer from this and therefore stay bright longer, without resorting to coatings like Elixirs, for example.

I would recommend them, as I have found them to be excellent - and of course they are British, when most quality guitar produccts seem to come from North America.
"I ain't good looking, teeth don't shine like pearls,
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Offline kid reno

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Re: Choosing Strings for Older Guitars
« Reply #16 on: November 30, 2005, 07:37:56 PM »
On my  guitars I use DR acoustic and gauge them according to the guitar and it's bracing........... J

Orb Mellon

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Re: Choosing Strings for Older Guitars
« Reply #17 on: January 11, 2006, 07:06:13 AM »
On my ladder braced 1935 Gibson made Cromwell (looks like an  L-00) I use 12-53 gauge 80/20 bronze strings, either D'Addario or Pearse. I can't decide which brand I prefer. 80/20s just sound better to me, more woody and less metallic I guess. They also feel better.

FWIW, Neil Harpe, the "Stella expert" mentioned on a forum some time ago that in the 20's and 30's, all steel guitar string sets were essentially mediums. While I cannot personally confirm that fact, it does appear that lights cause my guitar no harm at all. I don't think I would ever use mediums however.

Orb Mellon

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Re: Choosing Strings for Older Guitars
« Reply #18 on: January 11, 2006, 07:09:17 AM »
Also FWIW, my Cromwell lives most of the time tuned to open G or D

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