what are the best strings for a warm woody tone?

[john09121]

I'd like to try some new strings on my f-5g. I've only had it for a shirt while, and I've only added one new set of strings since I got it (nanowebs - hate them). What sort of strings would be best for my instrument? I'm looking for a warm, rich, maybe even mellow sort of tone. I'd really like to avoid any sort of twangy metallic sounds.

Right now I'm seriously considering picking up a pack of Thomastik 154 tin-plated steel flatwound medium gauge.

[Mike Bunting]

All you can do is keep trying different strings until you find what you like.

[Mike Snyder]

Truly! What Mike said. I've been through many with my F5G. J74, 75, Sam Bush, some GHS.....silk and steel, I think. Elixer mediums for a long time now are what MY ears want to hear from MY instrument, but nobody can really claim a "universal best" for warm/rich/mellow. I'm shooting for dark/woody and volume. People vary greatly in what they want to hear. Flats seem to be preferred some in the mellow catagory. Pick choice makes a big difference.



Along with talent.

[almeriastrings]

What they said.

I tend to prefer J74's on most, but have found some specific instruments respond best to J75's or the GHS "Silk & Bronze". Worth just working your way though some sets to see what suits. Picks also make a huge difference...

Those Thomastik sets are very, very light for an F5...even taking into account the flatwound properties. Depending on which version, they seem to range from a .009/.010/.011 top to around .030/.034 bottom... that is LIGHT for a carved top mandolin, apart from the 'heavy' set (which is still pretty light), I can't see those producing much volume. Not cheap too at $40 a set... to give you an idea, regular J74's run .011 to .040 and that provides a lot more "drive" to the top. The D'Addario flatwounds (FW74 set) have a bottom of .036, which would seem more suitable, to me, for your mandolin. Thomastik's are much liked by classical players... but frankly, I have never rated them much on F5's.

[Ivan Kelsall]

I'd do as Almeria above says,try some J74's.They are very good strings & 'possibly' the most widely used mandolin string out there.
I can only comment on the effect that Thomastik strings had on a friend's Heiden "A" style mandolin. Again ,as Almeria mentions,they are light,even for an "A" style & they seemed to lack any 'drive' on my friend's Heiden.The same mandolin strung with J74's was a far better sounding instrument when i played it a few weeks ago. As Mike Bunting says,you can do worse than to try a different make of string every now & again to see how they sound on your instrument,
Ivan

[trevor]

I agree with Almeria and Ivan on Thomastiks. I sometimes get customers bringing in fine mandolins with them and very low action and with one exception I thought they ruined and otherwise good mandolin. I know some like them them but for me they don't work for a an carved top/back mandolin.

I use J75 personally but re-string my stock with J74, they seem to be generally preferred.

[Bob Clark]

Hi John,

I like J74 but also like JazzMandos. I tend to switch back and forth between these two on my carved top mando. If you want a warm, mellow sound and want to try flatwounds, but don't want to spring for Thomastiks, I'd try the JazzMandos. JazzMandos are much less expensive and I like their sound and feel, but your tastes/style might be very different from mine. It won't cost much to find out though. I haven't tried Thomastiks on my mandos, but use them on my OM and like them for that.

My flat-top mando is a different story (quite a different instrument). I have SIT lights on that and really love it (strings and instrument).

Best wishes, Bob

[mandobassman]

John, I have always hated the metallic, twangy sound of bronze wound strings. It is for that reason that I have used flatwound strings for the better part of 15 years. While I certainly agree that the Thomastik strings, even the heavy gauge, are light in tension, how much volume you produce all depends on your playing style and your mandolin. I was able to produce plenty of volume from the mandolins I have used them on. However, I switched over to D'Addario FW 74 flatwounds last year and absolutely love them. They have significantly more volume then Thomastik and are much closer to the sound of J74's without having the twangy, metallic tone that bronze produces IMO. They also last forever. I have had one set on my Breedlove for the past 15 months and they still sound fantastic. Also much, much cheaper than Thomastik.

[Astro]

Are flat wounds easier on the fingers to play ?

I play on A style F hole with J74's and havent tried anything else yet but recently bought GHS s&s and GHS S&B to try.

I realize there is a trade off in string size and tone, so keeping with approximately the j74 size, what strings are the easiest on the fingers to play ?

I might want to just decrease the g string size a tad and was intrigued by the fw 74's mentioned above.

[Mandolin Mick]

A woody tone? I've found that the maple strings work well ...

[Bob Clark]

Are flat wounds easier on the fingers to play ?

Yes, I find them to be very easy on the fingers. I think this might be especially true if you are just starting out.

[Astro]

So any preferences between FWJ74's and the JazzMandos ? Or are they the same thing?

[shortymack]

Easier on the fingers? Cmon astro, I thought you were a guitar player!

[Astro]

I love to get back on guitar after playing my mando. My fingers just Fly.

The mando has definitely made me man up in regard to finger strength/calluses.

The neat thing, as I know you know, is how playing mando changes your guitar playing. I'm doing stuff on guitar now that I never would have thought to do before playing mando. And I barely know anything yet and its already had an impact.

There are a bunch of multi-instrument musicians here. I was always told by them that playing one makes you better on the other at least in some ways. Now I'm getting just a wee glimpse of that.

[Bob Clark]

So any preferences between FWJ74's and the JazzMandos ? Or are they the same thing?

I have not yet tried FW 74's, but maybe Larry (Mandobassman) has tried JazzMandos. Hey Larry, have you done the comparison? If not, I'll try them next time I change strings, so I'll have some thoughts on that.

Bob

[Cheryl Watson]

GHS silk and bronze in medium gauge has less tension than the medium gauge D'Addario J74s but they give a warmer, woodier tone. They do not give the aggressive tone that is needed for fired up bluegrass but for most everything else, they sound real purdy.

[Clement Barrera-Ng]

I have not yet tried FW 74's, but maybe Larry (Mandobassman) has tried JazzMandos. Hey Larry, have you done the comparison? If not, I'll try them next time I change strings, so I'll have some thoughts on that.

Bob

I have tried both, but over a year ago. To my ears, the FW74 gives a bit more volume, and is drier in tone, than the JM11. FW74 also has a slighter heavier G string that I like.

[Glassweb]

GHS silk and bronze in medium gauge has less tension than the medium gauge D'Addario J74s but they give a warmer, woodier tone. They do not give the aggressive tone that is needed for fired up bluegrass but for most everything else, they sound real purdy.

what Cheryl says... well made, warm-sounding strings... these are probably gonna suit your string desires just perfectly.

[Michael Eck]

You might try the Gibson Sam Bush monels. They're a little darker than J74s.

[mandobassman]

I have not yet tried FW 74's, but maybe Larry (Mandobassman) has tried JazzMandos. Hey Larry, have you done the comparison? If not, I'll try them next time I change strings, so I'll have some thoughts on that.

Bob

Yes. I have Bob. I guess it all depends on what style you are playing. I didn't care for the Jazz Mando strings mainly because they didn't have the volume or punch needed for Bluegrass, what is primarily what I play. The FW74's are much better for that. However, I recall you saying to me that you didn't play much Bluegrass and for other styles, they are fine strings. Very easy on the fingers and have a silky smooth tone. The FW74's have tons more volume, IMO and they work great for me playing Bluegrass. If you play more old-timey, Celtic, or Jazz they're probably perfect for that.

[John L]

You might try the Gibson Sam Bush monels. They're a little darker than J74s.

Another vote for monels. Darker, woodier, not as brash as a bronze string. That said, if I played more bluegrass I might use a phosphor bronze string.

[Stephen Cagle]

GHS Silk & Steel

[Jeff Oxley]

I have tried both, but over a year ago. To my ears, the FW74 gives a bit more volume, and is drier in tone, than the JM11. FW74 also has a slighter heavier G string that I like.

Funny, my experience is the opposite. Started with J74's on my Stiver, was happy with them but figured I'd try the FW74's, just for kicks, and couldn't wait to get them off. Gave them a good couple of months' test drive, but they never grew on me, I thought the volume was actally diminished with the FW's. I'm back on my J74's, and very happy. Just my experience.

And the FW74 G's are actually a bit narrower (.36) than the J's (.40).

[mandobassman]

Funny, my experience is the opposite. Started with J74's on my Stiver, was happy with them but figured I'd try the FW74's, just for kicks, and couldn't wait to get them off. Gave them a good couple of months' test drive, but they never grew on me, I thought the volume was actally diminished with the FW's. I'm back on my J74's, and very happy. Just my experience.

And the FW74 G's are actually a bit narrower (.36) than the J's (.40).

Read a little closer. He's saying that the FW74's have more volume and are a little drier in tone than the Jazz Mando JM11's, NOT j74's.

[Bob Clark]

Yes. I have Bob. I guess it all depends on what style you are playing. I didn't care for the Jazz Mando strings mainly because they didn't have the volume or punch needed for Bluegrass, what is primarily what I play. The FW74's are much better for that. However, I recall you saying to me that you didn't play much Bluegrass and for other styles, they are fine strings. Very easy on the fingers and have a silky smooth tone. The FW74's have tons more volume, IMO and they work great for me playing Bluegrass. If you play more old-timey, Celtic, or Jazz they're probably perfect for that.

Hi Larry,

You are, of course, quite right. It does depend on the style of music being played. Since I don't play BG, JM11s work great for me. I completely agree that if I were playing BG, they would not be my choice. They really don't have a BG sound.

After I read your post, I remembered that you had FW74s on your Breedlove the day I tried it out. They really did play and sound great. I had Thomastiks on my OM that day, but they were not yet broken in and I think that makes a big difference with Thomastiks.

So, John (OP),

You have some fun ahead of you. As you see from these replies, there are many different opinions on strings. That's a great thing about the mandolin. You can try out lots of different strings with lots of different picks to find what suits you and your style of music. Different strings make a big difference, as do different picks on those different strings. The potential combinations are mind-boggling. So for not much $, you can make all sorts of changes to your mandolin.

Have fun, Bob