GHS Doyle Dykes Signature Phosphor Bronze Acoustic DDS325 11.5-54

I had been looking for a set of 11. 5 strings for a while. I had tried a D'Addario set (of 11. 5's) but since they were coated/treated strings, they not proved to have the same tone limitations as similar strings and they were expensive. When I first discovered GHS's Doyle Dykes set, I thought that perhaps the gauges he chose for 3rd and 4th strings might be a bit light, but these strings are well-balanced, feel, play and sound great. They really fill in that niche between Custom Light strings (. 011 at the 1st string) and standard light gauges (. 012 at the first). Their sound is similar to the standard light, but with a bit more flexibility. Really well done, GHS and Doyle!

I was happy with the standard light gauge strings until I started learning Doyle Dykes b-bender lick. Thought I would try these and I’m glad I did. Same great tone but a little easier to play that behind the nut bend!

Loving his playing as I do, I had been wanting to try the GHS Phosphor Doyle Dykes Signiture string set. I put a set on one of my favorite guitars and am now convinced that all of my acoustic guitars are getting a fresh set this summer. They sound great, play easy and stay in tune exceptionally well. Now, I was a long time fan of Elixers and thought nothing would change that. I was wrong. Theses are great!

The Doyle Dykes set is unique in gauging. It bridges the gap between lights and extra lights with a unique .0115 first string while retaining the larger bass strings of a light set. As a fingerstylist, I find the treble strings offer much less resistance to my right hand, feeling more along the lines of a classical tension. Also, when playing "lead," the trebles are much easier to bend. The basses are the same as on a regular light set which means that you sacrifice none of the the meatiness in the bass. These strings are a great match for my playing style. They tend to hold their tone very long as well.

Here is a comparison of gauges between extra light set, the Doyle Dykes set and a light set:

: Ex. Lt | DD | Lt
1 .011 | .0115 | .012
2 .014 | .015 | .016
3 .022 | .022 | .024
4 .030 | .030 | .032
5 .038 | .042 | .042
6 .050 | .054 | .054