Forum - Banjo Ben Clark

Martin Tony Rice monel strings

I was thinking of putting some medium TRs on my OM18v (which gets too much belly for my comfort with PB mediums). Since the TRs felt noticeably looser than other mediums, I figured it might work out right. I called Martin today as I couldn’t find the tension on the TRs. PB mediums are at 186.2 lbs, TR (mediums) are at 184.9 lbs and PB lights are at 164.8. I was shocked. I guess there is a difference between stiffness in feel and absolute string tension. I guess I’ll get some of the retros in light gauge to try on the OM18V. I still think that warmth will sound good on that box.

Hey Mike or anyone else interested,

I thought I’d seen a set awhile back that was built specifically for lighter braced guitars and vintage guitars that you might be afraid to put mediums on. So I did some checking and found Newtone makes a phospor bronze set called the Newtone Heritage series in .013 - .055 with low tension. They’re somewhat pricey at $13.30 a set from “Just Strings” but may be worth a try. I looked on Newtone’s website (newtonestrings.com) and this specific set’s tension is only 155# with each string being the same tension. I’m not sure how they do that, but that’s what it states.

Check 'em out if you don’t already know of them. With that low of tension, I’m not sure what kind of volume or tone you’d get, but it may solve your bellying problem and make it feel like a shorter scale guitar while still getting the benefit of phosphor bronze. I may try a set myself and order a set of the TR Monels as well.

J.W.

Thanks Jeff,
I might ought to give them a shot. That may even be too light of a tension. My OM’s action is set pretty low and I wonder if it might get a little buzzy. They are certainly worth a shot though.

As a side note, the OM18V is made with 1/4" scalloped bracing, so that is about as lightly braced as they come from Martin. You nailed why it gets too much belly for my taste (it’s also probably why it’s such a lively little guitar).
Thanks again!

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I guess there is a difference between stiffness in feel and absolute string tension.

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I guess so, because my impression was that the TR’s (especially the wound strings) were much looser.

Well, my TRs are finally toast. That guitar has been my “stay out” guitar for at least half the time over the last two months including the last two or three weeks straight. The tone held up remarkably well. I did the little demo for Jesse’s song earlier this week and to my ear they still recorded well. I did notice that about that time frame (a week ago), they seemed to not be holding tuning as well. (btw, they stay in tune incredibly well early in their life). I decided to leave them on until the tone became noticeably funky and that day has finally arrived. Two months is the longest life for non-coated strings I have seen with that kind of playing, and frankly the coated strings may not last longer under similar playing conditions. For longevity, I’d give the TRs four out of four stars.
I think I’ll try some 80/20’s next on the GE (I haven’t had them on there since I changed from a FI saddle to bone). I’ll order some of the lights to try on the OM, and I’ll pick some more of the TR mediums.

I’m on my second set and am about ready to change them out. I thought the first set held it’s tone really well until I got around to changing them and noticed how much they had died. They’re sneaky that way. I think with PB’s it’s pretty easy to tell when they lose their brightness; not so with the TR’s.

I thought I’d visit this thread one last time. I went through 5 sets of monels and just switched back to Lifespans this week. My final verdict is that while I like the balance of the monels when I’m sitting around the house by myself, I want the extra volume I can get with PB’s in an ensemble situation. It was an interesting experiment, but for now I think I’ll stick to Lifespan 7200’s or D’Addario EJ17’s.

I have similar opinions. I was surprised at how they recorded. It’s a nice option and a good change of pace, but I don’t think it will be the default string for the D18. I am still looking forward to trying the lights on the OM. My gut tells me that might be a winner.

I finally took off a set of 2 month old EJ17’s and a put a set of Monels on yesterday (Rosewood D28). First impression… the old EJ17’s had more volume. :slight_smile: I like the mellowness of the Monels right out of the box though. I’m leaning more to that sound these days. I like hearing more guitar and less string.

Description after day one: Warm and mellow. These are not loud strings. I’m not hearing a lot of overtones. I think the trebles may be thicker/more full sounding than phosphor bronze.

I found the monels to have a very different sound out of the box form any strings I’ve put on before. After a few days of breaking in they seemed to settle in to a very good tone on my D28. Other players i’ve talked to seem to agree that they have a break=in period before they sound right.

Going to try a set of autosound Jumbo Kings from Great Britain next.

When I was a teen playing bass in a rock band (last century) I was a rotosound fanatic. They had a tone I really liked, but the set I liked was ridiculously expensive. We’d typically have to work two gigs for my share to be enough to get a new set of strings. I even used to boil them in water mixed with vinegar to squeeze an extra week(s) out of them (it does work). Thankfully, the rotosound guitar strings aren’t that expensive. If you don’t mind, let us know what you think of them. I am curious to see how they do. If they are decent I’d give them a spin as well.

:question:

Is that a “what prompted my post on rotosound” icon? :smiley: You mentioned you were going to get some Jumbo Kings (by rotosound)… thus my post on rotosound strings.

I finally installed my Monels on my Collings after purchasing them at Ederly back in April. I asked the salesman how they sound and his expression was all I needed not to purchase them, but I did anyway. Most of the reviews and things I hear about them were negative so I wasn’t in a hurry.

So after getting tuned up, I started playing and at first I thought they were just weird. Not good, nor bad, just weird. It only took a few minutes and I either got used to the sound or they just started sounding really good. I’ve had them on for a couple weeks now and I really like the sound. Deeper bass and thicker highs but still bright enough. I believe I’ll buy a couple more sets and see how they sound on the Gibson and Taylor. They do seem noisy on slides though, that would be my only complaint so far. I normally use EJ 17’s which are still one of my favorites.

I checked on the Roto-Sound strings. Never tried them, but they seem to be limited to only Phosphor Bronze in mediums, which is probably what most of us would use anyway. They’re only $4 something on Amazon with free shipping. I may order a set.

J.W.

Ha, I should have worn my glasses when reading the package. didn’t think they were rotosound…hm they are.

:smiley:
I hope they work well for you.

Elderly has a sale on strings going through tomorrow (9/2/2014). The sale is 15% off from their normally low prices on D’Addario, GHS and Martin strings. If you order about $50 your shipping is free. The coupon code is 91155. All told I ordered 10 sets of monels for about the price it is for me to special order 4 sets at my local GC (I haven’t found the monels stocked anywhere locally).
I ordered some light monels for my OM and I am anxious to try that. My guess is that it will be a great combo (I think I have said that before).

I installed some light monels (set MM12) on my OM18. Initially, they seem really good. They have a brightness I don’t recall with the TR set on the D18, but I suspect that will wear down over the first few hours. They do have the expected nice warm low-mid overtones and it fits well with the OM18 (which has more of a strong fundamental tone sound). For strumming, they are surprisingly loud (real loud). For flatpicking or fingerpicking individual notes, they seem to have less punch than the PBs did. There might be a little more rattle (buzz) with these strings… I’m not sure if it’s because of slightly lower action from less tension or maybe the string vibrates a bit wider. That’s just nitpicking… overall, I really like the way these are starting off. I won’t know until I have lived with them for a bit, but I think they might become my go-tos for this guitar. I might use it this week plugged in to see how it does.

If Doc reads this post, I think it would be a good bet to try them on your 00015M (in whatever gauge you prefer). I am guessing, but I think it might be a great match.

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Welder, I bet the Monels would sound good with your guitar! I could be wrong, but I would think it’s a good match.

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I just put a set on the Martin last night and they sparkle when strumming , a friend from church stopped by and he had his harmonica and played “Living by faith” and the strings just sparkled I don’t know any other word to describe it. It sounded like it was meant for my guitar,you were right, and it remains to see how long they last cause they are 13 bucks now . Not real bad and could afford a few sets every other month . My playing has decreased because of my health so they should last long enough. The health thing is temporary so I will be back in the old groove soon .

I think I like the TR"s for strumming more than picking

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I think I like the TR"s for strumming more than picking

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I think I hear what you are hearing as well… the monels don’t seem to have quite as much punch, but that sound really lush when strummed.