Strings to Take the Edge Off a Bright Guitar?

[coyoteblue]

I'd like to know what you've found to be the bassiest, least bright strings out there? Newtones work well, but is there anything better than them to take the edge off a bright guitar?

[John Benz]

A couple of questions. What gauge strings are you using now? Do use a pick and if so, thin, medium, heavy? And finally, what is the guitar in question? Not trying to be nosy, but I'd like to help if I can.

John

[coyoteblue]

Hi John,

I'm looking for medium strings for a Larrivee D05. I find it's a brighter guitar than I thought when I bought it. It's beautiful for fingerpicking but lacks the umph I thought it had. I use a medium Fender pick, the larger rounded ones. I tend to strum with a heavy hand. It's mahogany so it's going to be a bit brighter, but still....What d'ya think?

[John Benz]

Dreads are built as strummers, to accompany. Decent bottom end, bright on the top end, a bit weak in the middle so as not to get in the way of the lead instrument. By design your instrument is going to be a bit brighter than you may like. I've never run into a set of strings that will make the kind of difference you want. Typically a bit heavier string will give you more overall sound power and add to the bottom and mid to round out the balance. I use Martin Phosphor Bronz .12 to .53. A little heavier pick will also give you more low and mid punch to add balance to your sound. Also, the technique of using your index finger as the leading edge of your pick strum will help soften that initial too-bright tone. I guess what I'm saying, try to give your instrument more low and mid power to help balance the high end.

Hope this helps..

John

[Iralovesguitars]

I've worked on a couple Larries lately, and found that the best thing you can do to get a guitar to be less bright is use Elixir Polys. Thickest coating on them of all their strings, and they last literally months. I go about 2-3 months of 10-20 hr weeks playing guitar on one set of the elixir phos bronze (you don't want those....2 bright for you probably)

If you're at all trained in working on a guitar, or know someone who is, take your saddle out---perhaps a Tusq w/B compensation I think---and get a small detail file set from Home D or Lowes. Instead of having a "sharp" bevel on the saddle, take a small flat file and put a "rounding" from front to back on the top of the saddle, therefore having more string contact the saddle. I found it to "fill out" the tone. If you like the radius of the saddle, keep it! If you want to have better string separation but not necessarily more brightness and less crosstalk, cut 5 slots using a 5/32 rotating cutter in the bottom of the saddle in between each string's path about halfway into the height of the saddle. This will allow the string energy to be directed down into the bridgeplate better (or even UST if you have one), but it won't make the guitar brighter. Think of it as putting a microphone on each string, but not turning up the treble on each mic...

I recently did something to my Taylor 310ce and Big Baby(Sitka/Sapele & Sitka/Sapele laminate). I really don't like the look of white saddles on a ebony bridge, so i got a couple graphite saddles (nearly matching the bridge) and filed in B compensations on them, and the radius was nearly perfect. Graphite does respond differently than tusq, and even though i use the Elixir Phos Bronze, it seems to be less bright. I did everything to the saddle except for the slot cutting in the bottom to see how it would sound. the guitars are definitely smoother sounding, but i may do the slot cutting to make the string separation better. Look up a Fishman Cleartone saddle and you'll see what i'm talking about. Hope this helps. Good luck and God bless!http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l74/Iralovesguitars/PA030001.jpg

[coyoteblue]

Thanks for the advice. I may try rounding out the saddle..what you say about more contact makes good sense to me. I just put on some Martin SP's and they're the best so far. Also, the action is very low 4/64 on both sides! I know you'll think this is too low, but it actually plays very well. Before I bought the D05 a local guitar tech whiz, Michael Mascarin, set it up I wouldn't have believed it could be so playable so low. Still, I'm going to give the truss rod a slight turn to increase the bow. More amplitude=more volume, right? More amplitude, more vibration, more overtones, more depth, I figure.

[davess23]

In my experience, the best way to take the bothersome edge off a bright guitar is to trade or sell it and get a guitar whose tone you prefer. I'm not trying to be snide or discouraging: it's just that nothing else really seems to do the job.

I tried all sorts of tricks with a beautiful mid-90's mahogany Bourgeous OM (a lot of Dana's guitars built in those days were on the bright side) and all I accomplished was to muffle its volume and tone with dead-sounding strings and get hosed for a fossil saddle and nut (You'd think the vendor had hunted down and killed the mammoth himself, for what he charged me.) Trading that guitar towards a Collings whose tone appealed to me was the only fix that worked.

Usually a bright guitar is that way due to the inherent qualities of the top, and it's not particularly subject to change.

[coyoteblue]

I believe you're right Dave...I'm just annoyed I didn't hear clearly when I bought this guitar. It sounded darker and deeper at the guy's place where I bought it. I got it home, and half an hour later, I was struck by how bright it was. This, after comparing it initially to a rosewood dreadnought that was bassier. You figure you've acquired some sense over the years, and still you deceive yourself. I wanted this guitar to be right for me, maybe too much. C'est la vie!

[Old Tele man]

...which: too bright TREBLE, or BASS?

...if TREBLE is acceptable, but the BASS is too bright, try switching strings to D'Addario's "Flat Top" Phosphor Bronze strings...great for "mellowing" an overly 'bright' sounding acoustic (Ovation Legend/Balladeer in my case).

[kimock]

I'd like to know what you've found to be the bassiest, least bright strings out there? Newtones work well, but is there anything better than them to take the edge off a bright guitar?
Try the Pyramid bronze, expensive maybe, but I've never heard anything
better on my own guitars, pin bridge flat tops and arch tops. Plus they seem to last forever.

[riffmeister]

I'd like to know what you've found to be the bassiest, least bright strings out there? Newtones work well, but is there anything better than them to take the edge off a bright guitar?

To take the edge off the wound strings, I use Elixir polywebs.

[sinner]

Snake Oil Acoutic Formula Strings in Phosphor Bronze have 3 formulas available, and are made the old-fashioned way (that no one else is doing, according to the web site. You might give #101 a try and/or ask Dean for advise:
http://www.sobstrings.biz/strings_af.htm

Alloy 101: The REAL old-time Phosphor-Bronze - not the modern version that everyone else uses. This one is the richest in tone of the three.
Alloy 102: Dean's favorite for finger picking. In between the tone of 101 and 103.
Alloy 103: The brightest in tone of the three Alloys

[Brett Valentine]

I found DR RARES to be on the warmer side, John Pearse Phosphor Bronze also seemed to be a little warmer to my ears. Have you though about trying a heavier Silk and Steel set? That might do the job, but might also be TOO soft a sound.

Brett

[coyoteblue]

Thanks again for all the great advice...I've got to go to my local store and see what's in stock...some of the suggestions are pretty exotic...but there's always Ebay!