Martin SP strings

[LiveMusic]

Anyone tried these? Martin SP bronze 80/20. Even the little e and b strings are bronze. (bronzed steel)

 

They make a coated one of these but this one is not coated. What do you think of them?

[SpaceCowboy409]

I've used them since they came out, 10-years probably. They sounded great on my Guild and my Martin.

 

When they came out with the coated ones (SP+) I switched to them. I like them a little better, in that they're slightly less bright out of the box and last a couple weeks longer. I don't think they're worth the extra dough, though, but I'm a lazy bastard who'd rather play then change strings.

[LiveMusic]

How much do you pay? I paid almost $10 including 9% tax.

 

I like bright strings. I put these on and I think I like them. What is odd is how they seem to play EASIER on fast super strumming songs. It's a different feel.

[Freeman Keller]

I tried the SP Fingerstyles and did not care for them. They had an incredible amount of string squeek on every slide. Remember, tho, that I mostly use Nanos.

 

They lasted a couple of weeks, long enough for the bright PB sound to mellow, but I couldn't get around the noise.

[DonK]

They sound good, but don't last very long. Great string if you can afford to change them every couple days.

[LiveMusic]

 

Originally posted by DonK They sound good, but don't last very long. Great string if you can afford to change them every couple days.

 

 

Uh, every couple days? I don't think so. Maybe once every six weeks.

 

These are not fingerstyle model BTW.

[babablowfish]

Wash your hands before playing and use ghs fastfret after playing and your strings will last much longer. Use a soft cotton cloth to wipe the fastfret off and you will see that the cloth turns black from the corrosion it removes. It definitely works for me.

 

PS - I only use Martin SP Phosphor Bronze Mediums tuned down a full note - Luv 'em!

[Hudman]

I never used the 80/20's.

 

I'm a big fan of the SP PB's.

[d03nut]

I actually find the Martin bronze to be less bright than the PB's so they help "tame" a particularly bright guitar.........FWIW+

[t60 fan]

I've got SP pb's on the 314 right now, and they do make it more "martin-like". Now don't throw things at me, it just is a little 'heartier', and allows firmer strumming than the nano PB's did.

[LiveMusic]

 

Originally posted by Hudman I never used the 80/20's. I'm a big fan of the SP PB's.

 

 

I wonder which one would be brightest.

 

What do you like about SP PB's?

 

Now, I am really liking these SP 80-20's. I hope they don't go dead real quick.

 

I think I have used Martin PB and I liked them but they were not SP model. I might like them even better?

[Cldplytkmn]

i use SP PBs very close to 100% of the time on all my guitars... I stopped trying to find a string that was better TME a while ago, and the only one that i've tried in a while was newtones. I loved the newtones, but the price and non-availability are deal breakers for me.

[Hudman]

 

Originally posted by LiveMusic I wonder which one would be brightest. What do you like about SP PB's? Now, I am really liking these SP 80-20's. I hope they don't go dead real quick. I think I have used Martin PB and I liked them but they were not SP model. I might like them even better?

 

 

They start off a bit bright, but they settle down pretty quick. After they break in they sound good for quite a long time (for non coated strings). I have a set with about 8 weeks on them. They are just starting to sound a bit dull. They still stay in tune well.

 

I plan to change them tomorrow.

[knockwood]

 

Originally posted by LiveMusic I wonder which one would be brightest. What do you like about SP PB's? Now, I am really liking these SP 80-20's. I hope they don't go dead real quick. I think I have used Martin PB and I liked them but they were not SP model. I might like them even better?

 

 

80/20 is about as bright as it gets. The "20" is the percentage of phosphor-tin in the bronze mix. Tin is more brittle/less supple than copper (the other 80%), so the more of it in the mix, the brighter the tone. I agree with DonK about the very short life of these strings. An offshoot of the extra tin in the bronze windings is that they tend to fray off the steel core faster than P/B windings, which I think are generally somewhere around 95/5. I like P/Bs because I think they sound consistent longer, although when new they are not as bright as 80/20's or 85/15's.

 

I used SP P/Bs for a while and really like them. I'm back to D'Addarios now, but I think the two are very similar. I'm just usually able to get D'Addarios cheaper. If you want to try some non-coated strings that last longer than usual, you may want to give DR a shot. I don't know why, but they seem to survive longer than any of the other non-coated strings I've tried out.

[guitarist21]

I wanted to post something because I use the SPs but, uh, it looks like everyone's said most of what I'd have said. Suffice it to say that I use them and they work.

 

Ellen

[Yhz]

I tried them and there pretty good allthough i have a hard time picking between martin strings and D'addario...they have good stuff too both are good...

[kwakatak]

 

Originally posted by LiveMusic Anyone tried these? Martin SP bronze 80/20. Even the little e and b strings are bronze. (bronzed steel) They make a coated one of these but this one is not coated. What do you think of them?

 

 

I used to used them and liked them, though I'll concur that I could only get about 10 days out of them before they became completely dull and tarnished. Like others have said, they do start off bright but after a couple of days they seem to settle down and lose some of that harshness, giving me about a week of acceptible tone. That squeak doesn't usually go away until the strings start to tarnish.

 

I switched to PBs and liked them better because the drop-off on the 3rd day wasn't so noticable, but still they have that squeak factor and only last about a week and a half.

[VengefulTikiGod]

Originally posted by babablowfish Wash your hands before playing and use ghs fastfret after playing and your strings will last much longer. Use a soft cotton cloth to wipe the fastfret off and you will see that the cloth turns black from the corrosion it removes. It definitely works for me.

Words of wisdom. Use string cleaners, people. As for the strings (I've played the PB's), they're brighter than D'Addarios, but a bit less bendable/slinky in terms of feel. Detune them or play a guage lighter than you usually do and they should be pretty nice. They seem to last pretty long, but the bronze on the E and B comes off in a couple of days...