when I purchased my 700 from the mandolin store, it was strung with D'addario J74s and had a spare in the case, so that's what I've been using so far. I've been curious about elixirs since I sometimes find the string noise a bit much and because I'm a big fan of CT who uses those strings. I ordered a set of those and a set of D'addario's EXP coated (or whatever you call them) strings to try out. What do the rest of you Loar players use on your mandolins? I've heard several people comment on how certain strings may sound good on a certain mandolin and not on others, so I'm interested to know what everybody is playing on.
saw a video of chris thile recently, touting elixir strings. he rubbed his fingers across the strings without producing this "wisk" type noise you mention - said he liked them for that. i've gone back to J-74's for my loar - when i can get them. they don't cost the earth and sound ok to me.
you have never tried flatwound fw74 Strings or Strings Flat Tops ft74?
not me
I've never tried flatwounds...I hate one set of Elixirs and one set of D'addario coated strings I'm going to try...then, maybe I'll experiment with others. On my guitars I always just tended to buy what was available and affordable which amounted to Ernie Ball slinkies on my electrics and Dean Markleys on my acoustic most of the time.
Hey guys! I finally joined up! I use D'Addario EXP74's on my 700. They sound basically the same at the regular J74's. I use them because my hands tend to kill strings (especially A and E) and these really do tend to last longer. I typically change them whenever the "gold" finish is gone. It's a good wear indicator.
I bought a set of the elixir nanoweb in the 11-40 medium last week and put them on my 400 to replace a well played set of J74s. I played them at one practice with my group and everyone asked why my Mandolin sounded so dull, the guitar player said it must be time to change the strings and that's exactly what I did last night. I put another set of J74s back on and now all is well. I to was influenced by the Thile video posted here on the Cafe but we must remember that Chris is getting paid well for his endorsements and I'm sure that for the right price he would do a video for Chinese aluminum strings, I know I would...
Sam Bush all the way. I love them. I haven't tried the J74's yet, even though that is what everyone recommends. I put 30+ hours in this last weekend at a fiddler's convention in Harrison, AR with new strings and they already need a changing, already dull.. So maybe I will go with the J74's. The Sam Bush ones are hard to find.
I just tried putting some Elixir mediums on my Michael Kelly Dragonfly today and--contrary to what I've heard from others--they sounded very nice and perfect for my style of playing. It might just be a good match for that particular mandolin, but I think I'm going to put a set on my Loar 700 once I take it in to have it fitted with a Cumberland bridge.
I live in Thailand, which is hot and humid, and a destroyer of regular, uncoated strings. I recently went to Elixir Nanoweb, light gauge (.010 through .034), and I have been delighted with them. Great sound, none of the near-instant degradation of regular D'Addarios or Martin phosphor bronze strings - and amazing longevity. I play a couple of hours a day, every day, and after four months of daily use, they still sound great and feel almost like new. All I do by way of maintenance is give them an occasional wipe down and a nightly coating of Fast Fret. I should point out that this is not on a The Loar mandolin, but on a refurbished 1970s no-name F5 that is currently my main instrument (while I await delivery of an LM400). ron
I had been using the j74s but I've recently gone to the Gibson Sam Bush strings and I just love the way they sound on my 600. I'm using D'Addario flatwounds presently on the 400, which I'm mostly using as a practice instrument since I've commited to using the 600 for all gigs in all the different situations I play (at least those that don't call for a resonator mandolin, which is an Rm-1)
I tried Elixir mediums and they sounded duller and not as strong. Went back to the J-75's and they sound so much better to my ears. Jeff
Elixirs Rule! Take it from me, they're great.
I switch whimsically between J74s, EXPJ74s, Elixirs, and Sam Bush Monels. I like all of them on my handmade F-5, and they perform equally well on my LM500. I generally prefer either the coated strings or the monels because of the longer interval between changes. Right now the Loar is wearing EXPs.
i've since changed my preference from j-74's to "calace" strings from dogal - carbon steel, round wound, handmade, RW92 medium. warm, full, even tone throughout without the brash, metalic sound of the j-74's. costly (€15.00) but they last a long time. they'd worked very well in the past for a lute-like, medieval-ish-type sound on my mid-missouri mandolins and what they do for my LM-600 is accentuate its warmer, woodier tones.
New lm700 owner here... The stock set of j74s lasted about 3 days before both Aa strings blew at the saddle. Rubbed some graphite and a wound string through it and I've restring with Dunlops. Lighter gauges and much easier on the fingertips. New bridge is on the list for next year.
And there goes an e string...
I started with j62's on my cheapo, went to 74's and then got a bunch of the ft74's. the ft's are brighter than I expected and no string squeek. seems to last too. I'll be putting a set on the 600 when I do the floridectomy soon.
After a brief encounter (~1 week) with the daddario j74s, I switched to the j75s. For punching through in the presence of multiple 5 string banjos, fiddles, and the occasional dobro, one can't go wrong with the medium gauge 75s. On the downside once the strings start to go they can be quite difficult to play. I am playing an LM600
Been using J74's on my LM520VS since I bought it in 2011, satisfied with them so far, time for another string change though.
D'Addario ej73 easy to play all day and great tone.
My recently aquired LM700 had J74s on it but after a week or two I decided a full Floridaectomy was in order. I thought about throwing a Cumberland bridge on at the same time but opted just to have him replace the strings with J75s for the time being so I can get a feel for the changes individually. I chose the LM700 over the 600 for the tone (plus Elderly's sold it for less than the 600 due to a ever so slight blemish) & hope I can get the best of both worlds by increasing the gauge for more bark. I'll let you know when she comes home from the shop.
EJ74's. Makes the sound I like. Not going to mess with a good thing. There are enough other things broke about my playing to worry about strings.
Ok, got my mando back from the Luthier today and the bark is noticeably louder with the j75's on it. I was worried that the heavier gauge would require additional pressure to ring true but actually it doesn't due to the fact that I was able to lower the action. I know that's not logical but it's fact. Bill's been working on stringed instruments for over 40 years & he told me as a rule you can get away with a lower action when using heavier gauge. He also said that I shouldn't waste my money on a new bridge, said the factory bridge is pretty good although it wasn't seated properly. I'll get some pictures up from the "Floridaectomy" shortly, looks like it was originally made that way!
Ok, for anyone contemplating removal of fingerboard extension I've posted some pictures in the group photos
I'm not questioning you Luthier Mark. I have no basis to do so and considering his experience would take his word myself. However, I can tell you this about my Loar factory bridge that was correctly setup when I purchased the instrument. I noticed a couple of day ago that my saddle had tilted forward. I've read this happens when changing strings. Maybe so, I don't know. Personally I believe it should be strong enough to withstand a string change without this kind of deviation. I do know I have been unable to return the saddle to the correct position and keep it there. Consequently, my new Cumberland Acoustic bridge arrived yesterday. I'm interested to see if there is a difference in the sound.
Well to be completely honest Buckshot, I haven't entirely ruled out a Cumberland bridge in my future & was a little disappointed that he talked me out of it! But, I was curious about the difference in tone/volume of the heavier gauge strings & thought it best to do the comparison between the two with the same bridge. I recorded video before & after, wish I'd have kept those videos but once I was satisfied I didn't see a point in using up space on my tablet. I'll most likely do the same video comparison if I do decide to change the bridge. If you choose to do the same, I'd be very interested in your conclusion.
For my LM 700, J74's do the job.
Hello, I am a newbie to mandolin. I just put a new set of strings on. I just put on what ever the guy behind the counter hands me in a medium string. LOL .. I just put on some standard M400 80/20 bronze Martin strings. Sounds like a mandolin to me. I have looked at the flat wound type strings. From what I understand. They are really good for studio recording type of conditions. for the not hearing fingers sliding on the strings. But.. other than that. I really don't hear a big enough difference in strings to even care about the makers and models. Just Like I don't really hear that big of difference in mandolin hard woods in the making of a mandolin. Yes some difference is there. But .. Not enough for me to care. There is a difference big enough to care about with mandolins made of plywood. But. Strings? The weight of the strings mean more to me than anything else. I have a cheap LM-310F I am just happy as can be with it. Have a great day everyone.
