Mandolin Strings for Bluegrass???

[dkinyon31]

I'm sure this question has been asked many times, but I am new to the mandolin. I recently purchased a Kentucky KM-505 to start this journey. I would really appreciate your suggestions concerning strings on this mandolin for bluegrass. I have medium strings on my HD-28 and would like to stay with mediums if this is possible with the mandolin. Thanks for your help!
Dave

[MikeEdgerton]

Look at D'Addario J-74's. If you really want to get funky go to the J-75's. I like the way the J-75's sound better but my fingers seem to enjoy the J-74's.

[Barb Friedland]

Hi Dave and welcome to the Cafe. This is a great place to connect about just the sort of question you have asked. Although the search function doesn't always give terrific results, try doing a search on the message board with the key word 'strings '. You should get access to some good threads that way.

I'd say that for BG, medium gauge strings are probably the standard choice. Some players though, like me, may tend to using lighter strings. There is a huge amount of personal preference here based on your particular mando, the music you like to play, your style of playing and what sounds good to your ear. Strings and picks are a relatively inexpensive way to experiment and I encourage you to try different strings over time. You may find the ones that work best for you that way.

This is a great community. Welcome again!

[mandroid]

if picking hard for volume, is your style, then you will gravitate towards heavier gage strings.
... .011", .016", .026", .040" are then considered medium.

[oldtimestrings]

You'll hear plenty of variety from people who've experimented with all kinds of strings and found their favorites. For a beginner to the instrument, I'd say any decent quality bronze string in a medium gauge should be fine for BG. Once you get more comfortable with style and technique you can experiment and see what seems to suit you. D'Addario J74s are a good place to start, and mighty popular a round here. I like GHS A270s, which are pretty similar (with slightly heavier A strings). Martin SP mediums are good, too, though they don't seem to get much mention on this forum.

You'll also want to make sure you're using a fairly heavy pick, maybe heavier than you're used to on guitar. I'd suggest at least 1.0 mm gauge, heavier if you can. Many players prefer a rounder tip on their mandolin picks, which changes the tone somewhat and makes tremolo and other techniques a bit easier. Picks are cheap (until you get the boutique offerings from Wegen, Red Bear, and Blue Chip), so grab a bunch from someplace like Elderly Music and have fun trying them out.

[dkinyon31]

Thanks to all for your suggestions concerning strings for playing Bluegrass mandolin. It has been very helpful.
Dave

[Paul Statman]

if picking hard for volume, is your style, then you will gravitate towards heavier gage strings.
... .011", .016", .026", .040" are then considered medium.

O'course, you may want to upgrade to a .012" for the top..

[Hubert Angaiak]

Yes, its one of those questions that has always come up and the general answer seems to be use what you like best in terms of feel and playability. When I first started out, I asked what I should get since there are a lot of labels out there. Oval hole versus F hole, F Style versus A Style and bowlback, Bluegrass ; Jazz ; Classical ; Irish (other ethnicities use the mandolin as well). I was told to listen alot and try as many mandolins as possible. Choose what you are most happy with. I have tried several brands, but use J74's since they work for me. A friend uses GHS bronze and nothing else. I used the flats and loved them, but I kept breaking the strings. I would like to try the monel Sam Bush signature and ony because I have not tried them. Its a wonderful journey and although I've played for a while you still find gems along the way. I find it interesting to read the new players perspectives and reminds me of myself and sometimes a new angle in looking at the mandolin. Good luck.

[Denny Gies]

Another endorsement for the J-74's. I've been using them for years and have never been disappointed.

[Greg H.]

There is a variety of good strings you could use, and I'd try out each of them until you decided what YOU like best. From Gibson there's both Sam Bush Monel strings and perhaps the Bill Monroes, then from D'Addario there both J-74 and J-75s (I've been a J-75 fan for a long time), plus bringing in the GHS strings . . .and within those it's probably also worth trying out the Silk and Steels. Then there are a number of different brands that are more frequently used for classical or jazz (but could also work very well within BG).

I would recommend buying a set or two of each (yes this could take months of trying different ones, but it's part of the fun). Similarly I'd look into picks the same way. I'd get one Red Bear and one of the blue picks (warning. . .those two picks together would run up to $50-$60) and then also try the Golden Gate picks, the DAWG picks, Wegen, and then going down to the Fender Heavy/Extra Heavy.

Then, once you've gotten through all the strings and all the picks, so you know just what you want with that mandolin, it will be time to start looking for a better mandolin (and once you've find the next one you'll start all over again. . . .different strings might sound better in a different mandolin)

[mando-tech]

O'course, you may want to upgrade to a .012" for the top..

E string dia. ?...I don't know of a .012 dia. ?,,,however, you can get an .0115 . That is what I would suggest, .012 would be too large and too much of as strain on instrument.

[mandroid]

Yes, between 0.011" and 0.012" is 0.0115"

[bingoccc]

E string dia. ?...I don't know of a .012 dia. ?,,,however, you can get an .0115 . That is what I would suggest, .012 would be too large and too much of as strain on instrument.

John Pearse has a couple of sets that have .012 E's. http://www.jpstrings.com/brstring.htm

[John Adrihan]

John Pearse has a couple of sets that have .012 E's. http://www.jpstrings.com/brstring.htm

And Also My favorite: DR MD 12's