String revelation - GHS Silk and Bronze LSB250 content

[Eric Platt]

A couple of days ago, decided to swap the strings on my Breedlove Cascade. When I picked it up a week ago, it had D'Addario J67 nickel strings on it. Sounded really nice. Being one who always has to try things, decided to put on a set of J74. Uh, bright. Yeah, like wowzer. That hurts my ears bright.

So, it became time to decide - keep them on for a few weeks and figure they'll mellow out, or change to something else from my string pile? Decided before doing that, would poke around the Cafe and see what folks recommend. Ended up finding a thread on the GHS silk & bronze strings. Hmm. Sound interesting. And, gee, happen to have one set of those in my pile. Why not?

Ahh - that's it! Bronze sound without the harshness of new. Definitely do bring out a different tonal range on this instrument as opposed to nickel. And they do seem easier to play.

Will these be my last experiment? Hard to say. Tempted to eventually try some TI flatwounds. But no rush. These will be on for a good long while before any decisions have to be made.

[JeffD]

To complicate matters, I find that new string have a brighter sound until they get played in a bit. I play just about every day, and the strings seem to come into their own in about a week.

Be sure you are comparing apples with apples.

[pops1]

I have used the GHS silk and bronze for years off and on. I am now using their pure nickel. Both are a good choice, different, but both a nice string.

[MontanaMatt]

Try D'Addario Flat Tops, they are their own breed; comfortable, rich and mellow.
I've yet to try sil n bronze, have tried the silk n steel, too thunky on my mandos. Fine for private pickin, but disappeared in the mix with my band.

[CWRoyds]

I never like strings when I first put them on.
I learned to let them settle in before I pass judgement on them.
Certainly most strings are way too bright and brash when you first string them up.
I love the EXP74s.

Then again, a Breedlove is its own thing tonewise, so I certainly can't speak to the strings that suit it best.

[foldedpath]

You have to try everything, but for what it's worth, I did that and settled on those GHS Silk and Bronze strings a couple of years ago.

They have a break-in period like all strings, but to my ears they start out sounding closer to the optimum sound than J74's, which start out WAY BRIGHT and then settle down. With these S&B's, I can change strings and spend just an hour or two playing to break them in, then play a gig or a session the next day without them sounding too bright. They're a little warmer-sounding than the J74's after breaking them in too, without being as damped in the highs as flatwounds.

Another thing I like is the .016 A strings instead of 0.15 in a J74 set, which is a feature in all GHS strings. The slightly higher tension is more balanced with the other strings, and being a little heavier may help slightly reduce the stubborn tuning issues most of us experience with the A course.

Anyway, to the OP -- don't settle on these strings if you haven't tried everything else out there yet, but keep them in the top of the pile to consider long-term. They're good strings.

[Willie Poole]

I used GHS Silk and Bronze for quite some time but found that there isn`t a whole lot of difference between them and the GHS A-270`s which is what I now use on all of my mandolins...A few bucks cheaper also...But you should try as many different brands as you can and there will be one that you prefer over all of the others...If a mandolin sounds "tinny" is may not be the strings, it may be the mandolin its self or the pick that you are using...

Willie

[almeriastrings]

They're good strings. Suit certain mandolins very well. Well worth cycling though various brand/gauges until you find what you really get on with best. Much cheaper than cycling though endless expensive mandolins!

[Kalasinar]

I tried Silk and Bronze after reading a thread on here too. Really pleased with them, so much so I bought more when it's time for a restring!

[dan in va]

This is the string Chris Stanley prefers on his mandolin, and it has sounded good on mine from the beginning and was by far the best regular set when the mando was new. But now that it's broken in it also likes the A270 and Monel strings (adding 16 ga to the A strings). i agree that both the GHS silk/bronze is similar to the A270, but is a little warmer. i also have found the 16 ga A's to have a warmer and more balanced tone and volume than thinner A strings.

i'm hoping the GHS Pure Nickel strings will be similar to Monel.

Glad you like the silk/bronze strings. It's wonderful to stumble into a good set.

[Ivan Kelsall]

Almeria has it - try a different brand/gauge every now & again. Not one brand/gauge will suit all mandoilins,but i believe that there are gauges in a brand that will suit specific mandolins more than other strings. Also,try out a variety of picks of different shapes/thicknesses & materials. They too have a great effect on 'mandolin tone'.

Tom Ellis prefers GHS A270's on his mandolins,but he told me that he's tried most of the well known brands/gauges & they seemed fine to him.The A270's seemed to suit 'his' mandolins maybe a bit more. Due to the fact that A270's seem to be difficult to buy here in the UK,i'm going to try a set of EJ74's on my Ellis "A" style at my next string change. They should sound fine,but will they sound quite as 'sweet' as the A270's ??. I'll see (hear !),
Ivan

[Eric Platt]

Thanks for the ideas and suggestions so far. It may be the mandolin itself is fairly bright sounding. Don't have other Breedloves I can hear in person to compare. As to new strings sounding harsh - that usually hasn't been my experience. Definitely not on guitar, and didn't seem that way when I put strings on my A Jr or even the LM-220. Not as good as when broken in, but not as metallic sounding and almost painful. Next time I may wait and see if they settle down. And I still have a decent string pile to try out.

As to the pick - am to the point where I try find a pick or two that work and then mostly stop experimenting. The Manouche Picks work for me without sounding harsh on any of my other instruments. Won't say I have more picks here than the travelling sampler, but it's close.