Ben Richey Guitar - Brosphor Phonze Set:
1st: Optima GPS010 24K Gold Plated .010, Single String
2nd: Optima GPS013 24K Gold Plated .013, Single String
3rd: D'Addario PB020 Phosphor Bronze Acoustic String, .020 gauge, Single
4th: D'Addario PB025 Phosphor Bronze Acoustic String, .025 gauge, Single
5th: D'Addario PB035 Phosphor Bronze Acoustic String, .035 gauge, Single
6th: D'Addario PB045 Phosphor Bronze Acoustic String, .045 gauge, Single
Guitar they are they played on:
2009 Wechter Pathmaker Elite with D'Addario locking tuners and ebony bridge pins
Creator: Ben Richey : youtube.com/@benricheyguitar
Creator Description:
After working at SBM for 13+ years... I've tried a few strings. Tone will always be a major factor, but the gauges are as important. Here are the reasons why I chose this set...
Tone. I've always leaned toward the warmth of PB. In the past, I've tried regular coated, but didn't like them. For several years I played on black coated (all 6 strings) by DR and then for a longer stint Black Diamond. I settled on D'Addario wound because they offer the exact gauges with the right core combination that works well. Now onto the Optima 24K Gold e & b... these are amazing strings! They have a chime that plain steel can't produce and they bend like crazy without going out of tune. The feel of the 24K Gold plating is so smooth.
Gauge selection. I've gone lighter and lighter over the years and wish I locked into this set many years ago. This set is designed to play for a long time (my old exclusive house gig at a winery was 4 hours long no breaks) and designed to play fast. They allow for both!
If you have a heavy hand, you won't like this set because of buzzing. I play fairly light with very low action (75) along with a thick 1.5mm acrylic small pointed V-Pick (model V Lite Sm). The thick pointed pick brings back the beef and is very precise on single notes. For soloing on acoustic, this set is a dream and a lot of fun to rip on. Lastly, I also play in Eb tuning for even more flexibility in the strings (and 1/2 step lower vocals is always nice as one gets older).
Longevity. I change my strings for every gig and will most certainly change my strings after 4 hours of gig playing. If practicing, I'll let them go a little longer. These strings break in very fast... as in change, tune, bend, tune... done. Strings go dead and are not fun to hear or play after a while, so it's always best to avoid this and simply change strings. I can hear/feel the deterioration after about 3 hours.
If you would like your own custom set, please see the heading of each category for details.
