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Post by allthumbs56 on Jul 26, 2021 18:33:28 GMT
I struggle with my Taylor 414ce. The factory strings just seem to have so much "tension" on them. I believe they're an Elixer coated 12 - and Taylor recommends these for best performance.
Thing is, I have 12's on my Gibson J-185, and on my Yamaki and have never felt any struggle from them (yup - the 185 does have a shorter scale). I also have a Taylor GS Mini-e that apparently comes with 13's - and I find those a little tense too.
Any thoughts on going down a gauge, or changing the composition or coatings?
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Post by infant on Jul 26, 2021 19:10:55 GMT
I used to use Martin Extra light 10-47 on my old ovation guitar as the action was a bit high. I started using 12s on it recently but I might try Martin 11s ( light). I never noticed if it sounded thinner with the lighter gauge strings…hey it’s not the greatest sounding guitar to begin with since it’s half plastic.
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Post by Die Bullen on Jul 27, 2021 1:53:16 GMT
I struggle with my Taylor 414ce. The factory strings just seem to have so much "tension" on them. I believe they're an Elixer coated 12 - and Taylor recommends these for best performance. Thing is, I have 12's on my Gibson J-185, and on my Yamaki and have never felt any struggle from them (yup - the 185 does have a shorter scale). I also have a Taylor GS Mini-e that apparently comes with 13's - and I find those a little tense too. Any thoughts on going down a gauge, or changing the composition or coatings? Before changing gauge you might want to try a different brand or perhaps non-coated strings first. I was never a fan of Elixers in the first place... I use Martin 13's acoustic strings and I don't find them to have too much tension, but I do like heavier gauges. |
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Post by george on Jul 27, 2021 2:26:34 GMT
I use elixir 13s ph/br and elixir 80/20s on Martin dreds so long scale. They are all set up pretty good and in my opinion they play really easy and can do moderate bends and play up the neck etc.
I was also using Martin 13s and still have a few sets from the two dozen that I bought after those strings were disco’d awhile back.
I don’t notice any difference in tension between the Martin and Elixir 13s.
What I am noticing is that my fingers are soft because I haven’t played much acoustic in the last six week but I have been playing electric pretty much every day so it’s not like I stopped playing. Pretty sure that if I picked an acoustic for and hour my fingers would be sore. I had calluses like cement when I was only playing acoustic.
As for 12s I tried them once on a Martin and noticed a big drop in tone so took them off right away.
The action on my acoustics is not super low but it’s slick without buzzing and there’s no tone lost.
So what I’m wondering is if the set up on your Taylor could be improved.
Also, are you mainly an electric player and don’t play acoustic all that much so maybe calluses not hard enough. I’ve noticed a big difference in that from playing mainly electric these days.
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Post by johnreardon on Jul 27, 2021 8:38:29 GMT
I've never got on with Elixir strings. Always sound dull and lifeless to me whether on acoustic or electric. I've been trying using Ernie Ball electric 11:48 on my Taylor 812CE after seeing a video of Joe B's guitar tech who mentioned he uses them on all his guitars, electric or acoustic. They sound good to me so far Attachments:
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Post by allthumbs56 on Jul 27, 2021 13:53:53 GMT
I struggle with my Taylor 414ce. The factory strings just seem to have so much "tension" on them. I believe they're an Elixer coated 12 - and Taylor recommends these for best performance. Thing is, I have 12's on my Gibson J-185, and on my Yamaki and have never felt any struggle from them (yup - the 185 does have a shorter scale). I also have a Taylor GS Mini-e that apparently comes with 13's - and I find those a little tense too. Any thoughts on going down a gauge, or changing the composition or coatings? Before changing gauge you might want to try a different brand or perhaps non-coated strings first. I was never a fan of Elixers in the first place... I use Martin 13's acoustic strings and I don't find them to have too much tension, but I do like heavier gauges. 13's? Yikes. Remind me to never arm wrestle you!  |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 27, 2021 13:58:26 GMT
My 2 cents...
I had a D-28 that i played for a little over a year with light guage, then I changed to medium D~Addario, and then again to Martin mediums. There was maybe a little difference in tone and volume, but it wasn`t very noticeable..
But that was also a poor guitar in my opinion.
I think that my Martin guitars sound good, and play well with Elixer strings, the J-45TV not so much.
One thing I found surprising regarding strings, when I started playing again after 4 months, I had less pain in my finger tips playing an acoustic than an electric with a smaller guage string for the first few days.
At some point I`ll try some mediums on a D-18 I have to see if some acoustics are more prone to the affects of different strings. I`m picking this one because it showed the most noticeable difference when it got a set of 80/20`s in comparison to the the other acoustics I have.
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Post by Kerry Brown on Jul 27, 2021 15:47:48 GMT
I tried lighter strings on my GS-Mini but eventually went back to the factory strings. They are much louder with better projection. The short scale (23") also made the lighter strings too soft. They felt a bit floppy. I used the GS-Mini as my goto jam guitar before COVID. It always sounds great unplugged or plugged into what ever is available.
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Post by allthumbs56 on Jul 27, 2021 18:59:34 GMT
I tried lighter strings on my GS-Mini but eventually went back to the factory strings. They are much louder with better projection. The short scale (23") also made the lighter strings too soft. They felt a bit floppy. I used the GS-Mini as my goto jam guitar before COVID. It always sounds great unplugged or plugged into what ever is available. Factory strings on that one are mediums (13's) I believe. I may try 12's on that one just for fun. |
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Post by Die Bullen on Jul 27, 2021 20:33:29 GMT
I tried lighter strings on my GS-Mini but eventually went back to the factory strings. They are much louder with better projection. The short scale (23") also made the lighter strings too soft. They felt a bit floppy. I used the GS-Mini as my goto jam guitar before COVID. It always sounds great unplugged or plugged into what ever is available. Factory strings on that one are mediums (13's) I believe. I may try 12's on that one just for fun. Can't hurt- you will know pretty quickly if you like the feel of not.. |
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Post by zontar on Jul 28, 2021 6:53:52 GMT
I use lighter strings in my 12 string, as it has a crack in the top.
Still sounds good.
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Post by allthumbs56 on Jul 28, 2021 14:44:42 GMT
This weekend I'll switch the 414 to 11's and see how it goes.
Will report back.
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Post by allthumbs56 on Aug 3, 2021 14:02:20 GMT
Reporting back:
Put 11's on this past weekend. I like the guitar a whole lot more now. The strings do certainly feel a "little light" under my fingers and I'm not so used to that yet. I may try uncoated 12's next and see if it's just the coated strings I can't get along with.
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Post by Die Bullen on Aug 3, 2021 15:41:46 GMT
Reporting back: Put 11's on this past weekend. I like the guitar a whole lot more now. The strings do certainly feel a "little light" under my fingers and I'm not so used to that yet. I may try uncoated 12's next and see if it's just the coated strings I can't get along with. Do you find that the tone changed a lot or not so noticeable? |
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Post by allthumbs56 on Aug 3, 2021 16:40:28 GMT
Reporting back: Put 11's on this past weekend. I like the guitar a whole lot more now. The strings do certainly feel a "little light" under my fingers and I'm not so used to that yet. I may try uncoated 12's next and see if it's just the coated strings I can't get along with. Do you find that the tone changed a lot or not so noticeable? There's definitely a change. Currently that change is offset by it's increased playability. For my style of play it's working well at the moment. I had it out for about 3 hours yesterday jamming with a friend who was using my J-185. Time will tell. |
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Post by Die Bullen on Aug 4, 2021 5:34:22 GMT
Do you find that the tone changed a lot or not so noticeable? There's definitely a change. Currently that change is offset by it's increased playability. For my style of play it's working well at the moment. I had it out for about 3 hours yesterday jamming with a friend who was using my J-185. Time will tell. Certainly at the end of the day if it is more playable it is probably a good tradeoff. I doubt lowering the gauge by 1 would absolutely crater the sound. I'm curious how playability changes with the noncoated strings |
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Post by allthumbs56 on Aug 4, 2021 20:19:17 GMT
There's definitely a change. Currently that change is offset by it's increased playability. For my style of play it's working well at the moment. I had it out for about 3 hours yesterday jamming with a friend who was using my J-185. Time will tell. Certainly at the end of the day if it is more playable it is probably a good tradeoff. I doubt lowering the gauge by 1 would absolutely crater the sound. I'm curious how playability changes with the noncoated strings Perhaps at the end of the day I just don't jive with coated strings. The new 11's not only felt "lighter" but the also felt "familiar" - and maybe that's what I'm truly seeking. |
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Post by Die Bullen on Aug 4, 2021 20:44:56 GMT
Certainly at the end of the day if it is more playable it is probably a good tradeoff. I doubt lowering the gauge by 1 would absolutely crater the sound. I'm curious how playability changes with the noncoated strings Perhaps at the end of the day I just don't jive with coated strings. The new 11's not only felt "lighter" but the also felt "familiar" - and maybe that's what I'm truly seeking. I know many people love them. I hated Elixers as soon as I put them on my Tele and I never tried them again. Different strokes... |
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Post by george on Aug 4, 2021 23:27:22 GMT
Perhaps at the end of the day I just don't jive with coated strings. The new 11's not only felt "lighter" but the also felt "familiar" - and maybe that's what I'm truly seeking. The truth and knowledge that you seek can only be obtained through suffering; give these a try ..lol  |
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Post by george on Aug 4, 2021 23:44:40 GMT
I know many people love them. I hated Elixers as soon as I put them on my Tele and I never tried them again. Different strokes... I tried Elixirs once on an electric and I wouldn't use them again for that. I find that their Ph/Br 13s work very well on my D18 and their 80/20 13s work very well on my HD28V. The longevity isn't the issue, I don't mind changing strings, it's just that these are the best match that I've found when it comes to guitar and vocal. I have an HD35 Custom Shop that I haven't been able to match up with strings; it sounds like a grand piano with 80/20s on it but I sound like a gut-shot bear so not a good match with that guitar even though the guitar sounds great. |
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Post by Die Bullen on Aug 5, 2021 6:16:02 GMT
Perhaps at the end of the day I just don't jive with coated strings. The new 11's not only felt "lighter" but the also felt "familiar" - and maybe that's what I'm truly seeking. The truth and knowledge that you seek can only be obtained through suffering; give these a try ..lol New brunswick, NJ? I could drive down to the factory when I am back from Europe. I've never heard of these, are they really bad? |
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Post by allthumbs56 on Aug 5, 2021 13:27:35 GMT
Perhaps at the end of the day I just don't jive with coated strings. The new 11's not only felt "lighter" but the also felt "familiar" - and maybe that's what I'm truly seeking. The truth and knowledge that you seek can only be obtained through suffering; give these a try ..lol Black Diamond "Cheese" strings? |
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Post by george on Aug 5, 2021 13:32:29 GMT
New brunswick, NJ? I could drive down to the factory when I am back from Europe. I've never heard of these, are they really bad? They are legendary ... lol |
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Post by infant on Aug 5, 2021 17:38:54 GMT
I remember them from when I first started playing 50 yrs ago. Are they even still in business?
Edit: still in business but they’re in Santa Rosa, California
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Post by george on Aug 5, 2021 18:57:09 GMT
I see the old ones on Reverb for $40 a set and I also saw some used ones there as well .. lol
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Post by infant on Aug 5, 2021 20:04:01 GMT
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Post by Die Bullen on Aug 5, 2021 20:24:21 GMT
Wow, this guy is lucky he doesn't read the posts or his ears would still be burning.... |
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Post by markr on Aug 6, 2021 10:24:43 GMT
I've never got on with Elixir strings. Always sound dull and lifeless to me whether on acoustic or electric. I've been trying using Ernie Ball electric 11:48 on my Taylor 812CE after seeing a video of Joe B's guitar tech who mentioned he uses them on all his guitars, electric or acoustic. They sound good to me so far Bought a five pack of these thinking they were 9's for electrics, hated them on electrics. Maybe I will try one of the remaining 4 packs on one of my acoustics? |
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Post by Sgt Rock on Aug 8, 2021 18:10:22 GMT
Perhaps at the end of the day I just don't jive with coated strings. The new 11's not only felt "lighter" but the also felt "familiar" - and maybe that's what I'm truly seeking. The truth and knowledge that you seek can only be obtained through suffering; give these a try ..lol wow ! that's a blast from the past ! I haven't seen Black Diamond Strings for many years.
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Post by Die Bullen on Aug 8, 2021 18:27:20 GMT
The truth and knowledge that you seek can only be obtained through suffering; give these a try ..lol wow ! that's a blast from the past ! I haven't seen Black Diamond Strings for many years.
Jeez now I want to try a set just to see how bad they are! |
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