Strings Choice

This guitar is a bit of a small canon, regardless of strings. But when I strung it up with the D'Addario Nickel Bronze NB1252BT (Light 12-52) it seems to be even more so. The strings are very nuanced with excellent tone and clarity. Even on this small-bodied guitar, they can produce quite a bit of volume without exceeding the tops headroom. The strings maintain tuning very well even when capoed. They are comfortable to play and have a decent life span, not as long as EXP's but still very good in my experience.

The D'Addario XT phosphor bronze strings were installed by Ibanez from new. These strings perform well. The AW OPN series by Ibanez by nature (natural, i.e. no lacquer finish) tends to sound not as bright as other guitars. These strings deliver the bright highs and nice, full midrange without sacrificing the deep, mellow lows that I expect from this guitar. A good fit.

I select strings by feel, that is what is most important to me. Curt Mangan strings have a glassy smooth feel, but they also last pretty good, and hold tune/intonation well. I've tried other brands, but I didn't like the feel, so I always come back to Curt's strings every time.

Warmth and clear pick attack. Added volume, bright, enthusiastic reflection.

The price and quality is what I get with these strings. I tend to be a little hard on the strings and these guys last.

I like Savarez for the carbons trebles and the basses are OK. I actually prefer Hannabach high tensions for the whole set, but I ain't made of money so I don't get them as often as I'd like.

17" Arch-Top F-Hole acoustic guitar with ebony fingerboard and floating pickup attached to finger rest (Bill Lawrence, custom wound). Good sustain, with a warm sound --- warmer than the more traditional brass strings. My D'Aquisto has a more brilliant sound than most arch-tops. The warmer sound of the phosphor bronze set balances it out nicely. Actually, I formerly used the medium gauge set; however, my left-hand arthritis forced me to compromise on the string gauge. The D'Aquisto really has the best sound with the mediums.

A balanced, clean, warm, powerful set. Trebles were a nice surprise.

These strings make my trebles sound really warm and full, but also loud. They have a nice feel to them when playing. The basses are strong and powerful. I always loved Savarez Cantiga basses and these were just as good and the same in feel. My guitar is more forgiving in the bass, so I chose these strings more because of the trebles.

I like the RC Strings Recital series mostly because of their feel under my fingers, their powerful basses and warm and responsive trebles.