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Yes they last a long time...
But also -
I've been testing out a few bridges, and making adjustments to my mandolin.
It's required the complete slacking off and retightening of all strings no less than 12 times in the past month.
Not a single string breakage! Every time (particularly as the times got more and more) I'd be wincing tightening those E strings back to pitch. Fine every time.
I am astonished! :disbelief:
That's excellent news. Always been a big frustration. Probably have close to a dozen spare E strings (and some A) just for that reason.
What bridges are you trying out? Curious about bone bridges.Quote:
Originally Posted by Bazz Jass
Agreed. I think they're on to something. I played a set from April until July. Several outdoor festivals. Held tune no breaks. For my A5 I will stick with these strings. If they come out with singles I will make a set for the bouzouki.
I have found them to be long lasting through some mighty hot and humid SC gigs. They are starting to show some wear after many months but still are staying in tune pretty well. They are past their prime but I haven't changed them yet. They are brighter than other strings I've used.
Well, my F4 when I got it had an old rosewood bridge that was majorly sagging in the centre. So I bought the most basic Stew Mac ebony bridge to try out - my first attempt at fitting a bridge to a top, which went okay and I got a guitar tech friend to slot the saddle for me.Quote:
Originally Posted by Parmejohn
I heard rave reviews about Cumberland bridges, so order one. Being an F4 I got one called a "low boy." I did a much better job of fitting this one to the top. It looks and sounds fantastic, but I've discovered the low boy has a much shorter saddle (to get the lowness), and as such developed a marked sag in the centre after only a week. It didn't need to be than short, as I had it cranked up on the wheels a few mm.
In hindsight, I should have gone for the standard height and adjusted a little if I needed it slightly shorter. Live and learn. I'm not spending another $90 that's for sure!
Currently I have the Cumberland base with the (taller) Stew Mac saddle, which my OCD finds hard to cope with, but works just fine. The Cumberland saddle had clearer tone and more sustain I must say. Probably too much on the low G if I'm honest.
I'm going to try making a bone saddle next - I bought 2 blanks so I get a test run at it! Took me all day to find blanks of a suitable size, but these out to work just:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/25460659637...m=254606596373
$10 shipped, so a fairly cheap exercise. If I can knock out a saddle I'll probably look at staining it. Will keep you posted.
Just checking in - I've had these XS strings on my F4 for 15 months and they still look and sound great.
I play at home only, around 20 mins a day. No audible dulling. No intonation issues.
Unlike Elixirs, no fraying around the picking area. Seriously impressed. I have 2 backup sets for whenever I might need them. :)
For those of you who have weighed in here with positive comments on the XS strings: have you also tried the XTs and if so, how do they compare (and what is the basic difference)?
I play anywhere from 2-4 hours every day, and generally I get a little over a month out of mine. Very impressed with them.
The technical difference has likely been covered somewhere here before. I’d be guessing to say which is which. I get more useful life from the XS set. (The XT set I had before were the 11.5s so not an apples-apples tone comparison. But even there I can’t find a fault with the XSs, though I’d like to see a real sale on them once in a while!)Quote:
Originally Posted by mikerofone
Wishing they would come out with these (or even XT) strings in light.
Me too. I use XT mediums on my F style, and I'd like to put a set on my Flatiron too, which does best with light strings.Quote:
Originally Posted by Eric Platt
Just got a set of XS today for the F-5. Had a set put on at Grey Fox and loved them.
I put on a set of XS on my Fern. I was worried they wouldn't be as good as the EXP-CM strings I used to use. To my surprise, I like them even better. Great strings. Wish they made them for mandola as well
I tried both and found the XS to be almost as good on my mando as monels. Seems this one just likes monels and heavier strings more than coated. I did not find the XT to be any better or worse than standard 74s (for me).
As far as detuning, I am in one band that plays a half-step down. This means most weeks I have to play in two different tunings. I have never broken a string on this mando (and I tried most of the recommended strings from this forum). Maybe it's just built right or maybe I'm just lucky. I can say it makes the strings age out faster. Makes total sense that constant raising and lowering the tension on the string is almost the equivalent of bending. Physics is a bear, sometimes.
I just have my first set of XS and really like them. I play them on a Northfield Artist 5 Bar, my ears say that the full and round sound of this mandolin is nicely accompanied by the brightness and clearness of the XS. They stay in tune ... better than XT, flatwounds or uncoated. Let's see if the high price is compensated by longer durability ...