String Comparison: Monel vs Nickel Bronze on an Acoustic Archtop

[omphalopsychos]

I should be asleep...

But instead I wanted to make this quick comparison. I think the Nickel Bronze have more depth than the Monel. I also think that a well-broken in set of 80/20 exceeds the warmth of either of these. Headphones recommended!

Note: The Retros and the Nickel Bronze both got about 3 hours of playing before recording. The 80 20 Bronze had about a week of playing. Perhaps I should follow up in a week comparing how the Nickel Bronze sound then to how the 80 20 Bronze sounded today.

[Klatu]

So well done. Thanks.

Of the two, I think I preferred the Nickel Bronze.

The playing was very good, and I was impressed by the sound quality. What did you use to capture the sound?

[omphalopsychos]

So well done. Thanks.

Of the two, I think I preferred the Nickel Bronze.

The playing was very good, and I was impressed by the sound quality. What did you use to capture the sound?

Thanks for the compliments. The microphone is a Neumann TLM 102 and the interface is a Steinberg UR44 (onboard preamp is Yamaha D--not that I know anything about preamps). The sound you hear is the raw recorded audio from the microphone; no eq, no compression, no reverb. I kept the mic placed in the same location with respect to the guitar for all recordings: about 10 inches directly in front of the 12th fret, pointing about midway between the last fret and the bridge. That's not necessarily the way I mic all archtops, but that's the way this one seems to like being mic'ed.

[kkfan]

A fantastic comparison. I love the way you edited to switch between strings fairly rapidly. That helps a lot! Thanks very much for taking the time to do this.

The sound is beautifully captured. I'm glad there's no processing involved.

What gauge are you using for each set?

[omphalopsychos]

A fantastic comparison. I love the way you edited to switch between strings fairly rapidly. That helps a lot! Thanks very much for taking the time to do this.

The sound is beautifully captured. I'm glad there's no processing involved.

What gauge are you using for each set?

Glad it was helpful. They are all .013 -.055/.056.

[kkfan]

Glad it was helpful. They are all .013 -.055/.056.

Perfect!

[rlrhett]

Lovely acoustic voice on that guitar. What is it?

[omphalopsychos]

Lovely acoustic voice on that guitar. What is it?

I'm glad you asked. That's an Eastman AR910 non-cutaway (unfortunately no longer in production). I was originally planning to sell it when I got a 1936 Gibson L7, but I'm very happy that I kept it.

[neatomic]

bravo!..thats the way to video edit a string comparison!!...

i do think that the difference in how long they were on the guitar does contribute to the 80/20 warmness....the nickel content of both the nickel bronze and the monels will give them a bit more initial brightness...that will lessen with play

also the monels and nickel bronze come in handy if you are using a magnetic pickup...80/20 bronze and bronze phosphor don't work (that) well

good job, but i want a rematch!!

haha

i liked the monels (anyway)

cheers

[omphalopsychos]

bravo!..thats the way to video edit a string comparison!!...

i do think that the difference in how long they were on the guitar does contribute to the 80/20 warmness....the nickel content of both the nickel bronze and the monels will give them a bit more initial brightness...that will lessen with play

also the monels and nickel bronze come in handy if you are using a magnetic pickup...80/20 bronze and bronze phosphor don't work (that) well

good job, but i want a rematch!!

haha

i liked the monels (anyway)

cheers

Fair enough . The challenge of giving them more time to age is that it increases the chance of measurement error (it is not unlikely that my mic placement, preamp settings, playing, would be slightly different from experiment to experiment). I suppose I could play each for a week and keep the old sets and then spend a day doing a similar experiment to this one with properly worn-in strings (but I chucked the Monels). However, from my own experience, after trying out monels and nickel bronze for a couple of weeks each, the comparative attributes of the Nickel Bronze and the Monel hold true throughout the life of the string. The monel continue to sound brighter, perhaps more "focused", but they lack the depth, bass, and volume of the Nickel Bronze. If you think about it, as they age, the treble on the Monel strings will become smoother, but it's not like aging it will increase the bass response. The Nickel Bronze will always come out ahead in my book because they have the woody character of the Monels but a superior bass response. Unless I have a boomy guitar that requires taming of the bass frequencies, I couldn't think of a reason to prefer the Monel to the Nickel Bronze.

[va3ux]

Excellent job with the recording and video editing. It makes for a truly useful comparison video. Excellent playing too.

[cmajor9]

Thanks for that detailed, nicely organized comparison! I've tried out the Monels and DAD Nickel Bronze in several different guitars. One of the main points of interest for me was to see if it would be a good solution for guitars I play both acoustically and amplified. For that use, I found the Monels more suitable; the Nickel Bronze didn't work as well electrically. Purely for acoustic sound, I'd say the Nickel Bronze have more of the brilliance of Phoshor Bronze strings, while the Monels are a bit more midrangey and 'mellow'.

[omphalopsychos]

One of the main points of interest for me was to see if it would be a good solution for guitars I play both acoustically and amplified. For that use, I found the Monels more suitable; the Nickel Bronze didn't work as well electrically.

Thank you for sharing that. I've never tried the Nickel Bronze with a magnetic pickup, but I would have suspected this to be the case, since they are merely nickel plated.

[m_d]

Fantastic video. Coincidentally, I had been wondering about the difference between those two sets, and spent a couple hours researching that the day before this came up! So yours turns out to be the best comparison so far. I preferred the NBs in your video and have ordered a set.

[nopedals]

I have been auditioning strings, too, for an L7 that only gets played acoustically. I currently have the Tony Rice monels on it. A little bit stiff, and, being used to flat wounds, the string noise bugs me.

The TI spectrums are acoustic strings with flatwound ADG strings (wound E), but only come in 11s (there are other spectrum gauges, but not with three flat wound strings). Also, the winding on the bass E string goes over the nut slot. Very nice playing and sounding strings, but I would definitely like a larger gauge. Toying with the idea of shifting them down a string, so that the B is flatwound, and adding a heavy gauge bass E string (back in olden days some folks played guitars with wound B strings).

Tried La Bella white nylon 14s. A real pain to get through the tailpiece, and they will totally unwind if you are not careful. A little dull sounding. A+ for feel.

La Bella black tape wound 12s. Too floppy.

TI swing 12s. A pretty good compromise, but not really intended for acoustic guitars.

In the old days, players looked for loudness, but nobody plays acoustic guitar in a band situation unmiked anymore. Looking for a combination of low end and clarity, but perhaps feel trumps all; eventually I think I will go back to the La Bella 14s.

[neatomic]

d'angelico had bronze flats..so they combine the loudness and full bodied acoustic tone of bronze with a flats smoothness

galli strings is the only current maker of a such a string..80/20 bronze with hex core and tapewound outer



cheers

[cmajor9]

The TI spectrums are acoustic strings with flatwound ADG strings (wound E), but only come in 11s (there are other spectrum gauges, but not with three flat wound strings). Also, the winding on the bass E string goes over the nut slot. Very nice playing and sounding strings, but I would definitely like a larger gauge. Toying with the idea of shifting them down a string, so that the B is flatwound, and adding a heavy gauge bass E string (back in olden days some folks played guitars with wound B strings).

Nopedals, I think you mean Thomastik Plectrums here, not Spectrums, that have flatwound A,D & G. These are somewhat lower-tension, mellower-sounding strings. Spectrums are all roundwound, and more brilliant-sounding. Both good choices, depending on the guitar.

[omphalopsychos]

If anyone knows where to get Galli flatwound bronze in the US, I'd love to hear. I had looked for these unsuccessfully in the past.

@nopedals, up in your post where you mentioned "TI Spectrums", I'm quite certain you meant "TI Plectrums". Both are great strings, but the Plectrums are the ones with flatwounds in the lighter gauge strings. As far as 80/20 Bronze goes, TI Plectrums may be my favorite (even though I use the 0.013 set which is all roundwound).

[omphalopsychos]

Nopedals, I think you mean Thomastik Plectrums here, not Spectrums, that have flatwound A,D & G. These are somewhat lower-tension, mellower-sounding strings. Spectrums are all roundwound, and more brilliant-sounding. Both good choices, depending on the guitar.

Looks like we hit reply at about the same time.

[omphalopsychos]

d'angelico had bronze flats..so they combine the loudness and full bodied acoustic tone of bronze with a flats smoothness

galli strings is the only current maker of a such a string..80/20 bronze with hex core and tapewound outer



cheers

Don't forget about D'Addario "Flat Tops". They're Phosphor Bronze flat-wounds (technically, they're round-wounds that are ground flat). Personally, I think they sound terrible. When new, they have a horrible metallic, sibilant "hiss"; after breaking in they sound nice for a short period (dry, short sustain characteristic of flat wounds); and then after that short period they just sound dead.

The above is just my two cents. I went crazy trying out almost every string I read about at one point last year. This wouldn't make me an expert; it just means I found the strings that I like on my guitars. They may not be the same strings that sound great on yours.

[nopedals]

Thanks for the corrections; I did mean plectrums.

I could buy a single string here: Acoustic Guitar Single Strings.

That would make it 14 to 57. Also, the E string shifted to the A post would eliminate the issue with the winding going over the nut. By my calculations, you would be adding just 9 lbs to a pretty low tension set.

[mjsb1]

also the monels and nickel bronze come in handy if you are using a magnetic pickup...80/20 bronze and bronze phosphor don't work (that) well
cheers

Curious if you found a better balance (of the wound/plain strings) between the Monels and NB when using a magnetic pickup? Or was there no discernible difference?