D'Addario Monel Strings !

[Ivan Kelsall]

From mandobart - "....on my submarine.... " What ??? - Explain yourself sir !.

I've looked to see if the D'Addario monels are available over here in the UK - the answer is as usual for us - NO !,
Ivan

[seankeegan]

I just tried a couple of sets on 2 of my instruments; Girouard and Ellis ovals. I didn't like them at all on the Girouard; instrument is quieter, less bass and kinda 'dull' sounding. On the Ellis they are amazing! Sounded broken in from the get go, really nice under the fingers, louder than the GHS a270s I normally use, much more bass, plus (most importantly) the wound strings don't seem to react to my body chemistry anywhere near as much. Phos bronze are usually marked up within about 10 minutes. The monels don't seem to be marking up at all, even after a long weekend of playing them. I'm really impressed. I can get about 2 weeks out of a set of GHS at home if I wipe them after playing; 1 or maybe 2 gigs/sessions if I'm sweating in a hot venue. I'd be very interested to see how long these last.

I wonder has anyone else noticed a difference in the life of the wound monel strings vs phos bronze, especially if you have 'toxic' sweat like me.

As Ivan said, really difficult to get them on this side of the pond. I got mine from thomann in Germany as part of a bigger order, thus free shipping. Otherwise it's €15p&p, which pushes up the cost of the strings quite a bit. Strings.ie in Ireland has the martin monels for €10, so I've ordered a couple of sets to see what they're like as well.

But yeah, very impressed. I've tried lots of sets on the Ellis since getting it - this is pretty much the only set I like as much, and in some ways more, than the GHS a270s.

Just my 2 cents

[Mandobart]

From mandobart - "....on my submarine.... " What ??? - Explain yourself sir !.

I've looked to see if the D'Addario monels are available over here in the UK - the answer is as usual for us - NO !,
Ivan

I misspent my youth as a reactor operator on a nuclear submarine in the USN. The reactor generates heat that boils water into steam. The steam turns turbines to propel the sub and generate electricity. The exhaust steam goes to a condenser to change state back to liquid. This is accomplished by pumping seawater through tubes in the condenser. Seawater can be highly corrosive to most steel alloys. Our seawater pipes were made of monel, which is more corrosion resistant than straight carbon or other steel alloys. Incidentally the seawater pipes must be able to withstand the high pressure of deep submergence as well.

That's how you make a long story even longer.

[Astro]

I misspent my youth as a reactor operator on a nuclear submarine in the USN. The reactor generates heat that boils water into steam. The steam turns turbines to propel the sub and generate electricity. The exhaust steam goes to a condenser to change state back to liquid. This is accomplished by pumping seawater through tubes in the condenser. Seawater can be highly corrosive to most steel alloys. Our seawater pipes were made of monel, which is more corrosion resistant than straight carbon or other steel alloys. Incidentally the seawater pipes must be able to withstand the high pressure of deep submergence as well.

That's how you make a long story even longer.

But what did the pipes sound like?

[pheffernan]

But what did the pipes sound like?

Woody

[Mandobart]

But what did the pipes sound like?

As quiet as possible. They are sized to deliver the required seawater flow (accounting for worst case temperature, dissolved gas content, etc.) with a minimum amount of flow noise. Every noise you make gives away your position. It would not be possible to exaggerate the importance of silent running.

[Paul Statman]

I've looked to see if the D'Addario monels are available over here in the UK - the answer is as usual for us - NO !,
Ivan

I remember how that was for me over there, and can't believe it's still this way.. I feel your pain, Ivan. I fixed the problem by moving to the US. I know..but it was worth it just for the strings!

[Paul Statman]

But what did the pipes sound like?

Priceless! Thanks for that chuckle, Astro!

[onassis]

I just tried a couple of sets on 2 of my instruments; Girouard and Ellis ovals. I didn't like them at all on the Girouard; instrument is quieter, less bass and kinda 'dull' sounding. On the Ellis they are amazing! Sounded broken in from the get go, really nice under the fingers, louder than the GHS a270s I normally use, much more bass, plus (most importantly) the wound strings don't seem to react to my body chemistry anywhere near as much. Phos bronze are usually marked up within about 10 minutes. The monels don't seem to be marking up at all, even after a long weekend of playing them. I'm really impressed. I can get about 2 weeks out of a set of GHS at home if I wipe them after playing; 1 or maybe 2 gigs/sessions if I'm sweating in a hot venue. I'd be very interested to see how long these last.

I wonder has anyone else noticed a difference in the life of the wound monel strings vs phos bronze, especially if you have 'toxic' sweat like me.

As Ivan said, really difficult to get them on this side of the pond. I got mine from thomann in Germany as part of a bigger order, thus free shipping. Otherwise it's €15p&p, which pushes up the cost of the strings quite a bit. Strings.ie in Ireland has the martin monels for €10, so I've ordered a couple of sets to see what they're like as well.

But yeah, very impressed. I've tried lots of sets on the Ellis since getting it - this is pretty much the only set I like as much, and in some ways more, than the GHS a270s.

Just my 2 cents

I too just switched from a set of GHS a270's to the D'Addario Monels. So far I'm impressed. I'm in the process of settling in with a new mando (a gorgeous Bryce A, which I'll post pics of when I can), so I've been experimenting with different strings. Tried D'Addario NB's and Mangan Monels, but this is my first go-round with the D'Addario Monels. I had enjoyed the GHS (my first expeience with those also), but these Monels are ready to go right out of the gate. Given my past experience with Mangan Monels, I think you'll be pleased with the lifespan of these. I've had a set of Martin Monels on my guitar for close to a year now, and they still look as good as when they went on. I can't comment on whether or not they still sound the same after a year (who can remember that far back?), but they still sound plenty good enough for me. Looking forward to playing these for the next little bit.

[Paul Statman]

I too just switched from a set of GHS a270's to the D'Addario Monels. So far I'm impressed. I'm in the process of settling in with a new mando (a gorgeous Bryce A, which I'll post pics of when I can), so I've been experimenting with different strings. Tried D'Addario NB's and Mangan Monels, but this is my first go-round with the D'Addario Monels. I had enjoyed the GHS (my first expeience with those also), but these Monels are ready to go right out of the gate. Given my past experience with Mangan Monels, I think you'll be pleased with the lifespan of these. I've had a set of Martin Monels on my guitar for close to a year now, and they still look as good as when they went on. I can't comment on whether or not they still sound the same after a year (who can remember that far back?), but they still sound plenty good enough for me. Looking forward to playing these for the next little bit.

These are not Mangan Monel, and neither are the Martin version. As far as the monel sets comparison goes, here are the results of my experience (2 cents-worth: Martin are okay, D'Addario are superior. Mangan is a cut above both of the others, in tone, longevity and (for want of a better word) 'springy-ness'. That said; I am currently using D'Addario monels on all my mandos..

[William Smith]

I've been wanting to try these from D'Addario since they came out so I got me a few sets and I only put them on my 24 Loar F-5 and WoW what great strings, they are so much better than the J-75's I had on my Loar! They have the it factor for strings, I gave my Dad a few sets to try on his F-5 build he did from a kit and he loves them also. I haven't tried them on my other vintage Gibson F-5's and such but I think they'll perform the same? I have had them on about 3 weeks and they still are very crisp, still sound about new-that I can hardly believe since I play quite a bit! They seem to bring out all the little things that add up in your mandolin to make it sound GREAT? For now they be my strings I will use from now on. I never used any other Monel's that were around but all I knew of were the Gibson Bush string sets? Are the Monels what was used back in the day, say in the 20's and 30's? Just history curious I guess!

[Andy B]

I have tried the Mangan monels as well as the Martin monels and the D’Addario monels 74s. I prefer the D’Addarios. To my ear they are a little louder and have slightly more old school tone than the Mangans, and I like both of them much better than the Martins. In my opinion, the Martins lacked volume and punch compared to the other two, especially in the plain strings. The D’Addarios also wear very well-my last set was on for over five months and still sounded good, although that was probably a little too long. I use them on both my f hole and oval hole mandolins.

[pops1]

? Are the Monels what was used back in the day, say in the 20's and 30's? Just history curious I guess!

According to Jon at GHS they decided to make the pure nickel instead of Monel because it was what was used back then. I like the nickel, they last and keep their sound for a long time. Phosphor bronze seems to go dead much too soon.

[Eclectic1]

I just put them on my Collings MT and I am absolutely stunned at thr difference this has made. I love them so far. (Just on for one day). I was struggling with the brightness. I like a dryer woody dark tone and the EJ 74s were screaming bright to me. So far I’m hearing way more mids and a very fundamental sound. The volume seems about the same. Overall it’s a far more pleasing tone and they also feel different but I can’t put my finger on (pun intended) what that different feel is. The true test will be at a rehearsal. I am the only one not plugged in, 2 guitars, a uke and bass. I had no issues cutting right through all of it. With a little less highs it may be different. I hope it still works. It was interesting that 2 friends who are not musicians noticed the difference right away. Also I am finding these strings work really nicely with my blue chip pick while with the J74 I preferred the wegen. I’m very happy to have found these strings.

[V70416]

thank you,daddario,for the monels. great strings imho.

my capital letter shifter is broke...

[seankeegan]

Ok, so I used monels for a month on my oval Ellis. I switched back to GHS a270s and really missed the added bass of the monels on the G string, so I think the move to monels will be permanent (or at the very least semi permanent!)

Tried the Martin monels; they were ok but not as good as the D'addario. Mangan strings are VERY expensive in Europe, so gave them a miss as I go through strings almost as quick as underwear...

These strings are pretty tricky to get hold off in Europe, but I contacted 2 suppliers, Thomann and Schneider in Germany who both stock D'addario but didn't have the monel strings - Thomann had them but only in the Same Bush gauges. Both companies replied to my enquiry within a day and provided links to the new inventory item.

https://schneidermusik.de/shop1/prod...ucts_id/195423

https://m.thomann.de/ie/daddario_ejm...rch=1551598878

Both companies are excellent to deal with, 1st rate customer service, but Schneider will do free postage in Europe on orders over €100; Thomann it's over €150. Hope this helps anyone else in Europe looking to try this excellent product. Judging by the posts, it seems they're especially worth trying if you play an oval hole mandolin.

[William Smith]

I've used Nickel and very bright well too bright for my mandolins, but I've had the D'Add..Monels on my Loar for about a month and yeah man love them.

[V70416]

my '04 gibson/derrington f5 and '93 gibson monroe model both like the daddario monels. the derrington's tone is quite loar-ish,generally-speaking
while the monroe is more flatiron/modern sounding. but i like these same strings on both of them. my apologies if i have posted this before.

installed the daddario monels on both of these mandos about 4 months ago. i play everyday for about an hour on one or both of them.
still like the tone and feel of these strings. will leave them on until,i guess,they break or get ugly. great longevity. will order more anyway.

there is something nice-er about the tactile,feel of the monels as well as the tone vs. phos. brnz. imho.

[Eric Hanson]

I too have tried them on my MT2V. I am in love. They seem to have a cetain “POP”, followed by a complex tone that I seem to like VERY much.
I will be trying them out on my Afanti soon when I take it in to have a cracked Bridge replaced. I look forward to seeing how they work on it also.

[Drew Egerton]

I've been pretty happy with the Martin Monels I have tried, but it sounds from this post that several folks like the D'Addario better. I am usually a big fan of D'Addario so I will have to try them out soon! I just put on a Nickel Bronze set last night and forgot how much I liked having the 16 and 11.5 high strings.

[onassis]

I just put on a set of the Martin Monels to try out. I'm liking them so far, hard to say if that's more or less than the D'Addarios (I've had a set of PB on in between, so it's difficult to directly A/B them). Got 2 more sets of the D'A Monels to try, though - medium (11,15, 26,40) and medium+ (11, 14, 25, 41). These are different groupings of gauges than I've seen before. I'm interested to see how they work out.

[CWRoyds]

I tried the D’addario monels on my Northfield Artist 5 bar and really liked them.
They had a sort of steely core to the sound and had a clearer fundamental tone than the PB j74s I had been using.
The Northfield 5bar has a deep complex tone that is sort of fluffy with harmonics.
The monels delivered a more simple tone that rocks for bluegrass.
Kinda sounded more old school, like a monroesque Loar.

Eventually I went to Straight Up Strings PB as I like the more lush even tone of them for versatility.
If I was going to a bluegrass festival to jam, I might throw the Monels back on.
Great biting tone, and they seem to last a lot longer than PB.

[mcgroup53]

Gee, Gibson dropping the ball. Man, THAT never happens ... LOL

[Mark Seale]

I just put on a set of the Martin Monels to try out. I'm liking them so far, hard to say if that's more or less than the D'Addarios (I've had a set of PB on in between, so it's difficult to directly A/B them). Got 2 more sets of the D'A Monels to try, though - medium (11,15, 26,40) and medium+ (11, 14, 25, 41). These are different groupings of gauges than I've seen before. I'm interested to see how they work out.

Does anyone know if the 11.5 E and 16 A will be available within these sets?

[onassis]

Does anyone know if the 11.5 E and 16 A will be available within these sets?

The medium and medium+ are the only DA Monel sets that I've seen