Pyramid Monel Classics MO1148 - Gold Foil Pickups

[DanielleOM]

Just received the Godin 5th Ave TL (thinline) with Gold Foil Pickups. It came with the D'addario EXL-115 string set.

Do you give much thought to the guitar - pickup - string combination? Different strings for different pickups?

I am very happy using the Thomastik Infeld JS111 flat wound set with the P90 5th Ave TL guitar, but decided it might be better to experiment a little with this guitar. I did consider ordering the BB111 set for use with the Gold Foil pickups. However I have not been totally pleased with the TI brass color plain strings. The price for the BB111 set seems high especially when I only like the 3 wound strings in the set. After kicking this around with Chat GPT decided to order the Pyramid Monel strings.

It seemed to suggest the Pyramid Monel strings may be a good choice to use with Gold Foil pickups.
It also reinforced TI JS111 flatwound to be good with the P90s.


From Chat GPT: (For use with Gold Foils)

String Set	Pros	Cons	Overall Character
BB111	Excellent chord separation; Smooth attack; Controlled hollowbody bloom; Great for chord melody; Low metallic zing; Refined feel	Expensive; Brass-colored plain strings may age oddly	Best balance of air, clarity, and control
MO1148	Smoother attack than EXL115; More acoustic wood/air character; Organic feel; Less metallic attack noise	Slightly less chord precision than BB111; More physical string motion	More open, organic, vintage hollowbody voice
JS111	Very smooth surface; Extremely controlled attack; Excellent noise reduction; Stable low-action feel	Reduced shimmer and air; Can feel too damped on Gold Foils	Traditional flatwound jazz voice
EXL115	Clear attack; Strong articulation; Affordable and familiar; Tight low end	More metallic attack zing; Less hollowbody bloom; Slightly rigid feel	Conventional electric-guitar response

From Chat GPT: (For use with P90s)

String Set	Pros	Cons	Overall Character
BB111	Excellent clarity; Keeps P90 mids controlled; Elastic feel; Predictable response	Expensive; More harmonic activity than JS111	Balanced modern hollowbody P90 tone
MO1148	Vintage personality; Strong acoustic interaction; Smooth attack; Expressive feel	Less controlled than BB111; Can feel loose in dense chords	Vintage-electric P90 character
JS111	Excellent focus and separation; Reduces mid congestion; Smooth attack; Very controlled for chord melody	Less shimmer/open air; More traditional jazz voice	Most controlled and focused P90 setup
EXL115	Good note definition; Punchy attack; Stable tuning feel	Can emphasize pick/string noise; More edge than BB111	Focused modern electric P90 response

[Cunamara]

Given the AI propensity for slop, I never ask anything. Asking here from people who probably tried this is a great idea.

The short answer for me is yes, I use different strings on different guitars/pick ups. For my archtop with a floating PAF, I have found that the John Pearse Jazz 12s are really good. I've just put them on my ES-175 yesterday, which previously had 11s, and so far I am liking that. Slightly heavier string and a little bit higher tension result in a stronger fundamental and a little less overtones. That seems suitable to archtop guitar music, to my ears.

My Telecaster and my Ibanez GB10 have D'Addario Chromes, which I have never much liked previously but like them on these two.

My semihollow Tele-shaped object (Wilde L90s) has Stringjoy Signatures on it, those are pretty good but I think I liked the SIT 11's better. The SITs are also on my Strat.

I also tend to use a different pick with different guitars.