Members Messer1766 Posted February 19, 2004 Members Share Posted February 19, 2004 Okay, I am not sure what to put on these. I would like two opinions. 1-What strings, only coated strings, would you put on the martin? 2- What strings, coated or uncoated, would you put on the martin? I really like practicing with coated strings, they are easy on the fingers. However, I noticed a huge difference on the martin when I changed the strings to the coated elixers. I mean a huge difference. I do not like sacrificing that much sound on a guitar that plays as well as it does. I will hate to lose the great feel of the coated, if I switch. But I cannot get over the difference in the sound. On my Baby taylor it seemed to liven it up more, but on the martin it seemed not too. Not, that it sounds terrible, but I can tell the difference. I am clueless on what strings to try next.I appreciate the help. TJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members skillingsworth Posted February 19, 2004 Members Share Posted February 19, 2004 Strings, like everything else are subjective and opionion driven. I would try different brands, types, and guages and keep notes about what you like and don't like about them. Some of my favorite strings are: GHS Bright Bronze - Very bright, but don't last longJohn Pearse Phosphor Bronze, balanced tone, last longer than bright bronzeElizirs and Martin Extended Life are OK too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members SpoonyJank Posted February 19, 2004 Members Share Posted February 19, 2004 just strings I'D prefer Elixer nano's for coated Martin SP phosphor bronze Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members valleyguy Posted February 19, 2004 Members Share Posted February 19, 2004 Yeah, what skillingsworth said on trying them all, let YOUR ears decide. The nano's are a little brighter than the poly's. SOund lasts a long time on them, though. If you like a less bright sound, I just tried D'Addario's and they sounded like the MArtin PH after they had been on the guitar for awhile. No waiting around for the "too bright" sound to go away. NOt sure I'd try them again, though. BTW, How do you like the D 16rgt? Did you play it next to a D28? How do they compare? I'm looking to buy a rosewood Dread, as I have a mahogany now (GUild). Would like to buy the D28, but can't afford it. Is the D16rgt a close alternative? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members dgpratt Posted February 20, 2004 Members Share Posted February 20, 2004 Valleyguy - the bracing on the D-16RGT is the same as the HD-28 (scolloped bracing) but with a different neck joint. The D-28s aren't scalloped. I have a D-16RGT and couldn't be happier. All the Martin sound and quality at a fraction of the price. String choices really depend on the style you want to play too. Right now I have Martin SP Phosphor Bronze extra lights on it because I have been doing a lot of fingerpicking (my OM is away for servicing). When I was playing a lot of bluegrass I had some mediums on it, but I forgot what they were. Fstpicker will probably chime in here - he recommended some good bluegrass strings, real boomers. -Dave. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Fstpicker Posted February 20, 2004 Members Share Posted February 20, 2004 I heard my name being called! I have had my D-16RGT for about 2 years now. In all seriousness, this guitar's tone just keeps improving and improving! I have tried many strings on this guitar (all mediums): Elixir Nanowebs...sucked the life out of its sound...dead and never got better. Original Martin SP+....nice tone but don't last very long! GHS "True Mediums"....Very clear tones...good trebles...a good cross between meds. and lights...good very deep bass. Slight loss in volume perhaps but not too bad. Very balanced tone. Dean Markley Bronze Alchemy...Very nice tone...about the best sounding trebles of all...very harmonious. Bass not as deep tho. D'Addario EXP's....nice tone but not as lively as the non-coated and don't last any longer than the D'Addario EJ-17's for me. D'Addario PB EJ-17's...Absolutely the best strings of all that I've tried. Keep coming back to these over and over again after "experimenting" with other kinds. Simply makes my Martin sing and gives it the distinctive "Martin" growl and rich tone that lasts and lasts. Get usually a good 3-4 weeks of regular playing before I have to replace them. Still maintain balanced tone but the bass is nice and deep and the mids and trebles are round sounding and clear and rich...oh so rich. My guitar seems to have opened up even more in the last week or two perhaps. Played it this past Sunday for over 4 hours at a local Old Time jam session and it cut through like a knife and was loud...really loud. The mid-G and D strings seem to have taken on a tonal quality all their own and have obtained what I would call a "finessed" tone that is so rich and articulate...hard to explain how nice it sounds really! Hope this helps you decide. I bought this RGT from Buffalo Bros. with the intention that if I didn't like it I could upgrade to a D-28 or HD-28 someday and get my full purchase price credited towards a more expensive model. Well, guess what? I haven't even felt the need to "upgrade" as this guitar has all the tone I was/am looking for and MORE than I expected. It rivals my friend's HD-28 (I feel it does...he might not think so!) and actually is alittle clearer and brighter and cuts better than I feel his does. I could be alittle biased though! Enough of this...you get the idea! Jeff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members valleyguy Posted February 20, 2004 Members Share Posted February 20, 2004 So I went to Guitar Center last night to see what they had. They had a D16gt, which I played and sounded ok, but had that distinctive mahogany sound I'm not looking for. Played the HD 28 ($2k), very nice, even nicer than the d28. Then I saw a DC16rgt with a blended mic/p/u for $1500. Sounded great, as you say even better than the d28, even though it was a cutaway. I'm hooked! But $1500 is more than I want or can spend. Stayed around playing some more gits. Someone later bought the DC16rgt. She also fell in love with it, after playing everything in the store. So, what should I expect to pay for a d16rgt? I'd love to find a used one. I have never bought a guitar without playing it first, so I'm real hesitant to buy mail order. When I got home I immediately played my Guild D4 with D'Addario Pb lights. SOunded real good. Everytime I get unhappy with my Guild I go guitar playing at different shops and always come back and find my Guild holds up to the best of them. So, thumbs up on the D'addarios, which is what the orignal thread started on! Worth a try. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Messer1766 Posted February 21, 2004 Author Members Share Posted February 21, 2004 I bought mine from music123. Paid 882.00 for it, what a great price. They also have a 45 day return if you are not satisfied with the guitar for any reason. The reason I bought it, was the 2 things. One, the price at 882.00, had them price match a sale at a local store. Two, they had 12 months no interest, same as cash. As long as I pay it off by the 12 months, I will pay no interest. I played a few in local stores and I dont believe they are as good as the one I received. I had a really great experince with them. Messer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Fstpicker Posted February 22, 2004 Members Share Posted February 22, 2004 I bought mine from Buffalo Bros. 2 years ago for $880 shipped from California to Florida! It has been the best guitar I've ever owned. They have a great "up-grade" policy also, as well as being able to return it if you don't like it. Jeff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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