Anything out there better than Dr Zebra Strings for acoustic/electric work?

[feet]

my favorite shop (strings and beyond) is out of zebras in the 13-56 gauge, so i thought i'd ask around. what are we using for our acoustic/electric/floater pup guitars that are tolerable acoustically, sound great through the pickup/amp and are big as hell? 60ish gauge preferred, as i tune down and love tension.

[Hammertone]

- Pure nickel wrap roundwound or rollerwound strings - many choices, but most makers top out at .013-.056 sets.

- Roundwound Monel wrap strings - Martin Retro (.013-.056), Curt Mangan (.013-.056), SIT American Roots (.012-.053) , Pyramid (only lighter gauges).

-"White Bronze" - GHS (.013-.056)

[sgosnell]

I like the Martin Retro. Some people, including Bruce Forman, use D'Addario Nickel Bronze. I've tried them, and they're brighter than I like. I've also tried various 'pure nickel' strings, and I've come to prefer the Martins Retro strings. Sound good, more than adequate magnetic properties, and last a long time.

[Spook410]

Kind of sort of hate zebra strings. For me, not very good at acoustic or electric. So I'm hoping you're going to be pleasantly surprised with something new.

Others have mentioned good solutions. You may also be happy with the acoustic tone of Tomastic-Infeld round wound (Jazz BeBop) strings. Though they are marketed as an electric set and are one of the best available solutions for jazz electric. However, the acoustic tone is also pretty good. And they are already lower tension than most string sets by design.

[feet]

while i research and investigate, should say that i am prioritizing electric sound over acoustic sound here. but that doesn't mean i'm ignoring it totally. i don't want to go full electric unless that will sound unusually awesome through amps and modelers and such. so maybe like a 60/40, 65/35%, electric/acoustic thing.

and i'm big on tension. at least, i think i am. i always go as fat and tense as possible to drive the top and compensate for the low ass tunings and my ham fisted magic.

lastly, i don't know if this matters, but i never change strings. so i figure things will eventually mellow out over time, right? not sure if i need to factor that in. i love a bright clear sound, but it can get a little metallic though the pickup, which isn't my preference. working with a usa kent armstrong floater with no pole pieces.

[sgosnell]

From that description, I think the Martin Retros, or D'Addario pure nickel, should work for you. They tame the brightness a little, but still provide good acoustic volume. And they come in heavy gauges if you want that. It's hard to find anything under .013 sets. I wanted to try a .012 set of the Retros on my archtop, and it took well over a month for them to be available online, and then only at one site. The .013 sets are readily available anywhere.

[Stringswinger]

Strings are like underwear. You need to find what is comfortable, wears well and is affordable for you. Add a pleasing tone to the requirement list and the search gets even harder.

There are companies that will make you a custom set to your specs. if you need a .60 low E, that may be your only choice. My experience is that all roundwound strings go dead as the windings wear against the frets. With flats, this is less noticeable as flats are somewhat dead right out of the package.

The Martin retros in 13 is probably a good place for the OP to start. They wear well, are decent both acoustically and amplified and sound pretty good.

[Woody Sound]

-"White Bronze" - GHS (.013-.056)

I have had a set of these (but 12) on my acoustic electric flattop since covid now, and they still sound great. And the tension is tight, if that's what you are looking for. I prefer a bit softer myself. I just wanted something that would last longer than the usual brass/bronze thingies.

[Longways to Go]

I've been slipping from 13's to 12's to 11's. I really like a 12 for the upper string, but who knows what the future holds?

[Woody Sound]

I've been slipping from 13's to 12's to 11's. I really like a 12 for the upper string, but who knows what the future holds?

I have been experimenting with 11's lately. As a HS/college student I also studied clarinet and sax with a famous reed pedagogue who turned his students over to great careers with, Maynard, Buddy, etc.

In the reed sax world there's a macho thing about using heavy reeds and having to blow as hard as you can for that sound. (Much like jazz guitarists and heavy strings.) He always said to me, "There's nothing wrong with lighter reeds, but you have to work on more lip control to get the same tone. The thing is, if you can do that, you'll have more control over your tone for dynamics, treble/bass, etc."

Just google "john sedola" and you'll see some of the now legendary greats who studied with him.

My point is, as a combo sax/clarinetist/guitarist, I always equated his wisdom about reeds and control to guitar strings and picks.

"john sedola" - Google Search

[Spook410]

...

My point is, as a combo sax/clarinetist/guitarist, I always equated his wisdom about reeds and control to guitar strings and picks.

I didn't know you were a woodwind player Woody. My main instrument used to be saxophone. The only crossover I see is that they are both expensive and take an awful lot of practice.

[Woody Sound]

I didn't know you were a woodwind player Woody. My main instrument used to be saxophone. The only crossover I see is that they are both expensive and take an awful lot of practice.

*Former* woodwind player. I sold my saxes years ago after college to focus on guitar, but kept my nice wood clarinet just because it was my very first nice instrument when I was just in grade school. Several years ago my wife had it overhauled as a surprise gift. All new pads, needle springs, etc. I could barely get a note out, my embouchure was completely gone. Nothing but squeaks and hisses.

But about prices, yeah:

https://www.playmusic123.com/product...ne-brass-bwo10

Even worse, a friend of mine who is an awesome concert bassoonist, a Heckel player, recently blew the bank and bought a contra.

Heckel Contrabassoon #449 | Aria Double Reeds

[lumena]

-
-"White Bronze" - GHS (.013-.056)

This.