Gibson J-160e Round Wound String Testing
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- čas přidán 8. 09. 2024
- Lots to be said and I will try to sum it all up....
When The Beatles bought their J-160e's, they came with either Gibson Sonomatic E-340's OR E-229's.
Both are a Swedish steel round core. But the E-340's are pure nickel wrap in 12 gauge, whereas the E-229's are Monel wrapped in a strange sized 14 gauge.
I'm hoping to have a video going over the Sonomatics in-depth.
Strings being tested:
1. Ernie Ball Classics .011
2. Pyramid Monel .011
3. Gibson Vintage Reissues .011
4. Daddario XL Nickel Wound .012
5. Martin Retro .013
6. Curt Mangan Monel .012
***The Curt Mangan I’m using is a custom size set with a .056 for the Low E & a .028 for the G.
At the end of the day, string gauge plays just as big, if not bigger role in sound than any other factor.
Bad intonation with 11 gauge strings as you can hear!
I tuned each guitar numerous times after each little part I played. I wanted everyone to hear the horrible intonation issues with the .011's.
I always recomend 12’s on the J-160’s & EJ-160’s
For the amp, I am using my 1999 Korg AC30 with blue's.
In person, the Daddrio & Curt Mangan are tied for my favorite.
My least favorite is Ernie Ball in person, but besides the intonation issues, sound great recorded.
If you can't be the best, you imitate them! That's why I stole this whole video right from @sampopkin
Which strings were your favorite?
The Ernie Balls for me ! I think the XLs are slightly louder which makes them seem a bit more full bodied, but i think the Ernie's or the Gibsons sound closer to the original.
The XLs and the Martin's were pretty great in different ways
The Martin Retro Monel Strings. I have those on my Epiphone Texan.
Now that's dedication, kudos for doing such a thorough test! My favourite overall would be the Daddario, especially for the plugged in sound
I’m tied still! The daddario might be my overall favorite, but the Curt’s sound so good too!
The Gibson and Pyramids sound good, Ernie balls too. I think pure nickel rounds are the way to go. The Martin and daddario are too bright
I ended up with 12-52 Ernie Ball pure nickel on mine✌🏻
Thanks for the awesome vid man
Thanks Sam!!!
Daddarios all the way! That wound 3rd makes a huge difference.
Amazing comparison mate, for me I reckon the Gibson strings completely nailed the sound of the Beatles, but I personally preferred the Daddario unplugged and plugged.
Thanks Luke! It’s funny how much differnt they all sound recorded. I absolutely hated all the 11 gauge strings, and I especially hated the Ernie Balls. But recorded, the Ernie’s sound damn good, and others I thought sounded amazing in person, not so much recorded. Tough to find that perfect blend!
I like the Daddario & martin’s plugged
Cost performance winner is probably D'Addario. But I really like the Martin Retro and Mangan strings, too.
Tone notwithstanding, how did those three compare feel-wise?
The Ernie’s are soooo loose feeling I hated them, and in person they sounded horrible to me. The Curt’s felt the best, followed by Daddario!
Even though that would completely destroy your budget, I would have loved to see the string comparison on a solid top, non adjustable bridge x-braced J-160E too.
Also I wanted to ask the community how their solid top J-160E´s sound like? Do they carry the full potential of a dreadnought? Whats your setup?
I have a J-160E with:
Tusq Nut & Saddle
Unslotted Bone Pins
Martin Luxe Kover Strings
and I think for a J-160E it has a decent acoustic sound, but the intonation, dynamic flexibility (you can not dig in) and the overall volume/boom are definetely lacking what you would expect of a solid top, high class dreadnought.
How are you guys doing?
Mangans were the clear winner to me. Pyramid was second.
Can you do a flatwound string comparison test?
Ok! I’ll work on one. I still have the pyramid flats and la Bella flats from my video! Any specific string brand you want me to demo?
@@guitargearconnection, Ernie Ball, Curt Mangan, D’Addario, and Thomastik-Infeld.
Hi, but Lennon didn't use fat pyramids?
Nope! No pyramid on their 6 string guitars.
retro
I can't hear much of a difference
The Xls 99 percent of the time