Tweaking electronics for string age, either way

[John Flynn]

Let me caveat up front I have no problem buying or installing new strings. This question is as much curious as practical. I am not a sound reinforcement expert and I am not much into fiddling around with electronics. FWIW, I play at church nearly every week switching off between a Rigel A+ Deluxe and a Mendel OM with a K&K Twin installed. I use EXP 74's on the Rigel and EJ 80's on the Mendel. I run those through a Red-Eye Twin and then into the board. Sometimes I change up and run both instruments into the two channels on a Fishman 100 Loudbox.

Here's my question: Is it possible, and if so what is the best way, to adjust tone/EQ and volume to compensate for string age?

Case 1: Brand new strings, not quite broken in that are louder and brighter than normal.

Case 2: Older strings, perhaps overdue for replacement that are duller than normal.

[pops1]

I don't worry about the age of my strings, but I do tweak the tone control on the Red-Eye every time I play to get the sound I want.

[mandroid]

Oxidation of the metals is what happens.

[keith.rogers]

Change of pick material or thickness (or shape, if you’re amenable to that) can do what you want. Cheaper too, for a relatively temporary situation.

[John Flynn]

Change of pick material or thickness (or shape, if you’re amenable to that) can do what you want. Cheaper too, for a relatively temporary situation.

Interesting idea. Can you be more specific?

[gspiess]

For brighter strings it is usually a matter of taking a bit off of the EQ to compensate. I did have one mandolin where I was able to put a piece of 3M tape just inside the lower F-hole to dampen some of the resonance, which worked well.

The issue with dull strings is usually lack of sustain in addition to tone. I suppose you could experiment with a compressor similar to electric guitar players to smooth things out, but who knows what kind of other characteristics that might impact.

It should be no revelation, but new strings also affect playability, which impacts tone. As I'm gigging more lately, usually amplified, I've increased string change frequency. I just have to do it at least a day in advance so they settle in and hold their pitch. FWIW, I lately I've been using a digital delay to add some body, and very sparingly I have a chorus pedal for the octave that adds an ethereal feel to certain songs, especially more contemporary worship.

[keith.rogers]

Interesting idea. Can you be more specific?

well, not much. Choosing a pick for tone, especially in the instance of new strings was something I read about in the Apollo picks site, John Reischman has a preference for one material when the strings are new. Here is a snippet of the quote there.

“I really like the PEI material for the mandolin. ….
I prefer the PEEK material for mandolin when I have new strings. It smooths out the bright, new string tone, and also is less prone to getting a scratchy surface from the new strings. …..”

I’ve noticed tonal differences in picks of the same thickness but different material, or the same pick in a different thickness (e.g., thicker being darker). You’d really have to experiment.

You might reduce variability some by choosing treated strings, like XS ones, which, for me, stay very consistent for a long time.