AMAZING playing mate.....everyone talking about the strings...I'm talking about the playing, the natural quality in the recording and the great editing so everyone can hear the difference easily. Thanks for your effort mate and keep up the top work. Cheers
Usually watching a demo like this I’d just skim through it but your playing was so great I watched all the way through. Almost forgot I was listening to a string comparison vid and was just jamming out!
Thank you for the welcomed review. I am a mahogany guy with dreadnoughts & the nickel seem to compliment the drier tone of that wood. The diminished overtones of the retro strings clarify the sound of the guitar being played for me. Less string steel - more wood.
I recently switched to D'Addario nickel bronze (was an Elxir Phos/Bronze user for many many years). I have found these to be a little clearer & brighter - without comprising the bottom/bass end - especially for recording. And they feel nice on the fingers. My $0.02
Th question is how long will they sound "crisper"? New Phospher Bronze strings are usually very bight out of the package and mellow quickly. New Monels tend to sound "broken in" out of the package and stay that way for a long time. I think that in time on the guitar, most strings begin to sound similar. These tests may be less useful when the strings are so new.
I tried these on my d-18 and it sounded like the guitar was cardboard. I will have to try these on my hd-28. I hate to say i liked the nickel better in your vid
@@Glicksman1 Exactly! What most people who refoew, rest and use guitar strinhs don't take into account is no matter how wonderful or different or ground breaking they sound out of the package, in a short amount of times they all go into break in period and sound virtualy same after that ! These nickel, monel, aluminum bronze all die pretty quickly and their unique qualities are nullified. I now just stick with elixir phosphor bronze
My first set of Retro's on my HD28V (mediums) and 000-18 (lights) lasted so long I really didn't need to change them after six months or more of playing almost every day but I did. Something about them made both guitars and me say "yup, these are the ones". Before Retro's, I was a 80/20 PB guy for many years but at age 75 (I'm slow) I finally found the right strings.
First of all, you're an incredible player ! I'm a long time phosphor bronze strings aficionado, but in the last couple of months, I've been using Martin nickel "Retro" - on my Martin D-16GT. Even though I love those strings, this video makes me reconsider my choice and maybe go back to phosphor bronze. Nickel strings make the guitar sound crispier, as if every note is separated from another. The phosphor bronze strings provide a warmer sound, giving a more melancholic sound to my ears. They also sound a little bit more "orchestral" to me. I think the phosphor bronze strings are a great fit with the Indian rosewood found on your HD-28. I subscribed to your channel.
I'm a big fan of the Retros. I have used them extensively since they were re-released. That being said, I still find that Phos Bronze are sometimes better suited to certain situations. I use both. It comes down to the guitar and what I want to hear from it. Thanks for the comparison demo!
I was quite surprised by how different they sound. If this were a blind test I would have assumed you changed mics or guitars. I actually dug the nickel. I might have to give it a shot.
First off - the take on "'Round Midnight" at 5:46 was utterly lovely. Second - I may yet try some Monels on my Gibson J-45, but I switched over to John Pearse Pure Nickels about nine years ago now and have been very pleased on a daily basis with them. I played phosphor bronze for decades, switching around between Pearse, D'Addario, Guild, Gibson Masterbuilt and DRs depending on availability before settling on the Pearse PBs. As my playing evolved into a plectrum-free "bareknuckle" style, my ears changed and I gravitated to strings that (to my ear) reveal more of the guitar's sound and less of the string, if that makes any sense. The less-hyped low end works well on the short scale J-45, very slightly tightening up the bass, while giving a touch of clarity to the midrange (but NOT losing the Gibson chordal-blending quality!) and producing a lovely rounded sweetness to the trebles.
I string my Custom D with Monels. The Phosphors have a little more brightness on the attack, but I find they need changing more often and can be harsh. The Monels remain mellow and voice clearly for longer. I have ebony bridge pins also, the tone I get with the monels is deep and bloomy, and the dynamic range is more precise for fingerstyle. Strumming has just enough in the treble to sit underneath vocals; the pb's can mask the vocal frequencies. These are my live considerations, I play weekly. Thanks for the video! I subd!
Excellent comparison video - well-produced and edited, making the differences apparent without leading the listener. Flawless A/B sound and playing. You're a masterful and versatile player, which means more players viewing will have something to gain. The differences were most obvious when using picks, but the nickel is the winner. There were a couple moments when I thought the PB seemed more pleasing, then I'd hear the nickel and was amazed at the articulation and clarity. The nickel strings probably really shine in a mix as well as close instrumentation with other stringed instruments (duh! Tony Rice!). Good job!
On this guitar with this player, the Phospher Bronz strings make the guitar sound bright, new, and a bit tight. The Monel Nickel strings make this guitar sound broken in and mellower, more harmonically even, and less "new guitar bright".
Thank you! You just saved me a bunch of money i would have wasted trying monel and other nickel strings. Easily the best string comparison video I've ever seen!
This is a really great demo. Proves that the answer is always “it depends.” I don’t like nickel on cowboy strums. Too harsh. But it’s so great for single note flatpick and the percussive funk. Pops out more but also can be too much. Depends on if you want warm or bright or more attack or more compression
Isn't it crazy how people prefer a specific sound? It's what makes being a guitarist great honestly. I was stunned at how much difference there was between the two. To me, the monels were the far superior string with a noticeably brighter and crisper tone. The phosphor bronze almost sounded like heavily coated string in comparison to the Tony Rice's. Great demo, thanks for sharing.
I go back and forth on my D18 between elixir pb & the Martin monels…… the elixirs are faster playing to my hands …… the monels sounds better after a couple hours of playing …… in your examples the monels are considerably brighter…… Your round midnight arrangement is delightful …… I have worked on Barry Galbraits (spelling)? arrangement of that tune ……truly your playing is lovely …
I've been using the retros on my main studio acoustic for a long time now! The way the age is more musical to me than the coated Elixirs, especially for that warm woody sound everybody wants rn. Just ordered the 12 string set to try!
Less pick attack? The video sounded exactly the opposite… The warmth seemed to be focused on the tail end of the note. The bloom sounds more deep and interesting. I just let my guitar tech put monels on my dreadnought, really looking forward to playing them. Thanks for the comparison!
Never thought this would be a factor but use of pick seems to really influence the sound. The Nickels sounded amazing when you were using the Dunlop Jazztone!
Thank you for this video. So much detail and fantastic playing. After watching it i finally decided to give the Retros a try. They are very sweet sounding, but noticeably quieter, which in a video is hard to detect. For some guitars like mine for example (all mahogany) it could be an issue.
I like the phospher bronze best. Especially with the blue chip. The phospher bronze rings out more to my ears. My go to string on my hd28 is the ej17. Yours looks and sounds great. I have tried all kinds on my hd28 and keep going back but pb mediums sound best to me. Nice job on Lagrima. That was smooth..
Interesting reactions. I got a Martin Dreadnought junior like 5 weeks ago which came standard with the 012 Retro strings. I liked the sound from the start. But as I progressed playing the guitar and maybe the strings got more played in I was getting the feeling they sound a bit more dry and flat, a bit more dull in a way. I switched to Martin 011's orange label, those flexible phosphor bronze, uncoated as well. To me my guitar became more alive and acoustic and fits fingerstyle more. Takes less effort to make the notes ring with more openness and sparkle. New strings thing maybe? Perhaps it depends also the instrument and the player.
I really enjoyed your tremendous playing ability and the string comparison was very informative. I recently bought a Martin Junior Dreadnaught that came with the Nickel Retro strings and they are the light gauge. I have historically had the bronze strings on my Martin D35 and they were always a medium gauge. I enjoy the sound from both of these strings and can’t honestly choose a favourite. I agree that the nickel are brighter and enhance the mid range, whereas the bronze are warmer and enhance the base.
Many years ago Gibson introduced the MONEL strings, way before Martin. Before CFM IV when they had a real customer service dept.... I called and suggested my 00 was dead,.. one guy, now retired, said get some Gibson Monel strings, that will do it. I did and it did. Thanks Buzz.
MM11s retros going on my Martin 000-15m today! I had MA130 martin silk and steel on for a few months soft warm but finally need to change strings so the retros will be interesting to compare to the MA130 silk/steel martins.. great finger style playing Alex !
very beautiful playing! Your playing style is really focused on bringing out the best sounds out of the guitar on every note. And the strings, well yeah, they sound a little different indeed ;-)
I've been using the Martin MLJ13 LJ's Choice strings for a few years.., Love them for their warmth... listening here, the MTR13's sound as though they have that warmth as well..., have to try them out myself.. Nice demo! Nice playing!
Thanks for this vid, very very well done. I can tell you pay attention to details in the editing of the vid like you do your playing, precise and smooth.... you listed all equipment BUT dont see any mention of your Martin??! Am i missing something? D-28? And if so what year? Thanks again.
The PB's are the sound i expect to hear in that guitar. They catch the harmonics in a certain way.. The Nickel strings seem slightly more controlled though just little bright....(were they both brand new.... With zero break in?) It's strange the PB sound slightly more metallic but not quite as bright as the same time.... Yet with slightly more harmonics... The Nickel sound like might sit a little better in some mixes and possibly with better with voices. They both sound really good on your guitar. Rosewood right?
I have a Martin DC Aura which for years I've use both Martins Clapton's Choice( Phosphor B. ) & their FX strings . I like them & will stick with them though i'm not abject to giving these strings a try at some point. Both sound great though to my ears they nickel strings sound a bit brighter than i would prefer but in the end we all should try new things & hey if they don't sound like you want you can just change back to the strings you use . Most folks i know prefer Light gauge strings though i learned on mediums ..056 - .013s . Same for my electrics i prefer .011s over 8s or 9s but that's just my preference . I find it's a never ending thing to keep trying new things when you have been playing a long time but hey there's no harm in that at all. Interesting clip & i may just give these a try as you really need to play them on your guitar more than hearing them on someone else's though it 's a good reference for making that choice . Each to his own which is why playing is fun . These are only my opinions & for myself & the acoustic side of what i play . More of an Electric Rock & Blues player but i love my Martins & all good acoustic music. Don't have any acoustic posts but i do have a few audio tracks that are electric . ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-RHj04fFTrZI.html
Maybe I missed it, but I didn't hear what PB strings he is using. There can be a considerable difference in sound between different brands of PB strings. Having said that, I have used the Martin Retro strings many times and like them on some guitars, but not so much on others. The string tension is a little lower than most PB strings and they seem to last longer.
Both sound good to me! The bronze seem a little more wild and have more low mids, interestingly. On some of the examples, they actually sounded warmer than the nickel to my ear. Either way, lovely playing as always!
Glad to see someone likes the nickel strings and Jazztone 205! I frequently use Daddario ej22 nickel plated steel on my acoustic, medium gauge electric strings with a wound 3rd string
wow great playing very jazz influenced ...What year is your HD28? It sounds great but would sound even better with medium strings. The P.B. sound fuller/warmer , more balanced with more bottom end. They are more percussive, more resonant and louder. The Nickels sound thinner but more clear, with less depth, less fullness and less richness and are a little brighter.
First off great playing and comparison video. Its interesting to me to hear others describe the differences they hear. Certainly there are lots of differences and I think they can be quite nuamced depending on what your playing and the style. Generally speaking I think I prefered the monels as being a more earthy, mellow and sweet sounding string. The Phosphor Bronze is well rounded no doubt, but overall a bit brighter which can be preferred sometimes in a mix or on a large dread. I think the monels will be even more advantageous on smaller and naturally brighter sounding guitars. Im going to try these on the sc13e. Ultimately, I think the best depends on the guitar and playing style as usual.
Nickel. They are better. Thrilled to find out Martin makes a Retro Nickel 12 string set too. I'm not sure if anyone else a 12 string nickel set. Beautiful playing! And brilliant song selection! Gives a true broad spectrum experience.
Also, the Monels naturally attenuate some lows which virtually always done when recording as a mater of course. The Monels sound clearer in way that will fit into a mix with little EQ.
Honestly, listening through earphones, the difference between the two was SO slight, I would use either, up 'till now Iv'e always used ph/ bronze, great video 😊😊😊
So.. those nickel strings - would they work well with a magnetic pickup, like an electric guitar pickup? I think I’ve heard bronze doesn’t work well because they aren’t as magnetic as the steel top strings, so you get an unbalanced sound.
The nickel lack the acoustic tone but I would be curious to hear what they sound like with a D'Armond 260 pickup! This pickup being both wire wound + piezo. The best way to give your acoustic powerful dynamic ballsy, yet still acoustic sound is with this pickup. matches great with Fender silver face Princeton or Ampeg G110 Tremolo Reverb amp.
Thanks for doing this, Just saw another vid that mentioned these nickel strings on a Gretch Jim Dandy, which I have. Been trying to find better sounding string.... I may have! Thanks again.
My #1 is an Alvarez MD70EBG and the Tony Rice's, for my tonal pleasure, really make the spruce/rosewood bluegrasser sing. Ive tried so many different strings on her and this is when I stopped looking for "the one."
My only acoustic is a Yamaha FG-75 from the 70's that is well traveled with a lot of stories to tell. A friend helped me repair it back to playable condition and he strung it up with some of his D'addario nickel-wound steel strings. I had no experience with playing prior to that so I didn't know bronze was even a thing. So I started out on those and grew to love the clean tone of them vs the bronze strings once I tried out a guitar for the first time in Guitar Center. The tone of the bronze put me off right away and I felt it did not fit my style at all. Now I've put D'addario NYXL on her and I'm loving it. Also they are easier to play at a low volume, which I do very often, using my guitar to help my wife get to sleep.
@@aaroncurry279 Haha yeah I thought that at first, accused her of being bored a few times too, but it's just relaxing melodic improvisation. The only person complaining of boredom is myself, due to the fact that I don't play other people's stuff or study it, I come up with new tunes slowly via exploration of the fretboard. The only complaint that I've ever received is that there are no lyrics to my music LOL... to which I responded. "You're welcome."
ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-CCcGno_ExYo.html&ab_channel=BryanBellatorum I'm certainly no pro. Never posted anything to share but why not. This is with the strings I mentioned, only caveat is that it's recorded with a cheap cellphone so not amazing sound quality, but not bad really.@@aaroncurry279
@@bryanjump3204 I have a difficult time learning because I don’t want the lyrics of “popular” riffs and songs on my mind. Mostly, I just make my own stuff up and entertain myself.
Hola Alex,buen vídeo y buen trabajo¡¡¡ :) ....en cuanto a tacto dicen que las Retro se sienten más suaves y cómodas...cuál es tú opinión ?..Teniendo en cuenta que las PhBr ya son algo menos flexibles que las Br 80/20..crees que las Monel son más cómodas que las otras dos? Saludos¡¡
Considering that the PhBrs are already somewhat less flexible than the Br 80/20.. you think the Monel are more comfortable than the others ...thanks, greetings ;)
I discovered nickel acoustic strings maybe a couple years ago, trying to get that plunky "Nick Drake" acoustic tone. Haven't looked back. I love love love some extra light Martin Monel strings. Much easier on the fingers, too.
I just recently started using Martin Retro Tony Rice strings on my Taylor 214ce instead of Elixir's, and they sound clearer and richer. They go good because I'm Retro too haha!
Preferer the Phosphor/bronze it brings out the wood resonances better. I do not play with a pick as I do not like the sound. Thumb for warm or nail for bright.
It is of course a matter of taste. For me, I like the nickel strings. I have increasingly been drawn to old-timey blues, and the crispness and brightness of the nickel strings is more suited to that than the phosphor bronze, which have more overtones, which give a fuller, warmer sound. For most purposes, I would opt for the phosphor bronze, but for vintage blues, I like the nickel. I should also state that it very much depends upon the guitar being used. My comments reflect my use of an all-mahogany Ibanez, which will tame some of that brightness. If I were playing on some spruce top guitars, it might become overly bright, particularly in smaller body sizes that don't develop the bass as well. On a square-shouldered dreadnought, as is used in this video, the nickels sound great.
Alex, I’ve had a set of monel strings on my D-28 and wasn’t too impressed compared to PB. However-monel strings on a D-18 sounded a bit better to me. 🎧 thanks for your experience and observations.
I was looking at these for my Old 70's Epiphone acoustic, but then I wondered how they would sound on my Ibanez Artcore? Anybody know if monel nickel will get pickup up by the pickups?
Varies by guitar. On my dreadnought the phosphor/bronze are better for the low strings (EAD) - the nickel are too thin sounding, not enough bass. On my GA guitar it’s the other way around - the nickel give a great round bass sound, whilst the phosphor/bronze sound too tinny. The GBE strings sound good on both guitars in nickel version. Again a bit less tinny/bright than the phosphor/bronze strings. Martin retro nickel 12-54 and D’addario phosphor/bronze EJ16 12-53
Let's begin with the player....WOW! The PB definitely has the better tone to my ears (on this guitar). I didn't find them to be muddy at all. I'd say warmer, and more musical by far. The nickels are a bit thin (on this guitar) but definitely still have nice tone. Probably best suited for a well-worn cedar top. I have them on a 50 year old Cortez with a "d28" body. I cant tell what the top is made of because of the ambered clearcoat, but it still sounds big and warm, even with the nickel strings. I dare say it sounds better than my Taylor 214ce with 80/20. So to me, it depends on the guitar, the acoustics of the room, and the sound you need at that moment. Say you're playing an outdoor live Bluegrass set without using any microphones. You would need the brighter strings to cut past the banjo. But if you're singing a solo, the nickel would be less desireable outdoors. Here at home with carpet, the nickels sound plenty warm. But at my parents house with hardwood floors, the guitar opens up and becomes the best tone I've ever heard. Comparable to a Collins or Bourgeois.
I would say the monels have very clear, piano like lows and higher highs than the PBs. But i think that is because the have less mid-highs. It is also the reason they have less pick attack, sound more mellow and are perceived less loud. Our ears are tuned to hear mid-high frequencies (800Hz-3 kHz) best. I do think individual notes sound somewhat better w monels but overall i prefer PBs and round core. I did play some old guitars w monels a few days ago (a 1960s Martin D28 and Gibson J50). When i played them i missed some attack but they had more clarity. When my friend played them i was sitting somewhat in front of him and they sounded pretty loud. I would add that the monels might have more dynamic range. The clarity and lack of mid-highs do seem to saturate the sound less than PBs.
What a great player...You must be tall and must have long fingers as you can stretch from the 2nd fret to the 6th.. I can't even begin to do that. It would have been a better comparison if you had used the Retro MM13 instead of the MTR13 as the MTR13 has lighter 2nd (.016") 4th (.034") and 5th (.044") and 6 lbs less string tension than the MM13. Using the MM13 would be the exact same gauge as the MA550 P.B. strings used. My experience has been that the MTR13 sound brighter and thinner with less bottom end / bass than the MM13. In your demo, I could hear some slight string buzzing with the MTR13 not present with the MA550 which is due to less string tension from the MTR13 and consequent change in neck relief (reduced) and decrease in string height. Your HD28 string height/relief set up must have been done using conventional Martin medium P.B. strings (string tension 190 lbs) and the MTR string tension is 184 lbs. My ear from this great demo prefers the P.B. as they have a more pleasing Martin sound EQ with warmth, great bottom end / bass presence. The Retro sound more fundamental with less overtones but are less warm and have a brighter presence lacking some bottom end/bass that a good Martin is known for.
@@AlexPriceMusician Have you tried the MM13? They sound quite different from the MTR13. I also find a difference in tone between MA550 and MA550T. The treated ones sound warmer as installed and mellow even more after a couple hours..They do last 2-3 times longer than MA550.
I am going to try the mm11 on my 000-16 Streetmaster VTS treatment Adirondack Spruce top with Indian Rosewood back and sides. I have been using phosphor bronze. Thanks
