Max Dread

Hi all

I'm going to be totally honest and admit that I'm being guided by aesthetics here..... I recently bought a secondhand Seagull S6 Folk, which I *think* has Elixir 80/20s. It needs new strings on it and I want to experiment with different brands, gauges and types. First in line i wanted to try Elixir PB. But they have turned up and are a horrible colour (orangey/pinkish)! I know it's pedantic, but I just can't do it to my lovely Seagull!

It would be really helpful if i could determine which other strings will be the same kind of colour. So if anyone can spare a moment, please list any strings that are orangey/pinkish rather than yellow/golden.

Many thanks

Max

Viban

wait this is confusing, your stings turned orangy pinkish and you don't like it, so you want to know more stings that do that? strings discolor, its the nature of the beast, they naturally corrode from oxygen exposure, sweaty hands, and other variables

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DylanHendrix

Let me get this straight, you bought a set of Elixir Phosphor-Bronze strings, however you don't like the color of the strings? Dude, no one is going to list all the slight variations of colors that strings may have. If they sound good then who cares if they are a bit orange, its perfectly normal.

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Captaincranky

80/20 strings are a bright brass color, (more golden), PB strings have a slight reddish cast to them. Use 80/20s! Who cares whether they sound good to you or not? Aesthetics are all that matter. Besides, you can always change the sound in post.

DylanHendrix

^^

Not sure if serious

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Captaincranky

That's for you to know, and for me to figure out.... Wait, that's not right either, is it?

But really, can't a person forget a and not be accused of being serious...

Viban

elixers really are overrated anyway, they arent worth the ten bucks it is for a pack by a longshot, the ones I had didn't feel right, their sound dulled quickly, and they just werent as good as my d'addarios that I've been using since then

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Captaincranky

You didn't read the OP thoroughly. The problem with the Elixirs is, "they're pink".

Viban

I"m just saying that they don't sound that good anyway, so getting an unpleasant experience for you guitar from them isn't worth it because that just means they have no perks going for them. not to say they sound bad, but there are better sounding strings out there

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dannyalcatraz

I'm confused, too.

However, here are strings in whatever color he wants:

http://stringsbyaurora.com/

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Sturgeon's 2nd Law, a.k.a. Sturgeon's Revelation: “Ninety percent of everything is crap.”

Why, yes, I am a lawyer- thanks for asking!

Captaincranky

Maybe I misinterpreted the post also, but I really thought he was bitching about the color of phosphor bronze strings, which always have a slight reddish cast to them, unlike 80/20 brass, which is a golden color. In fact, that's how I judge what strings the OEM has stiffed me with on a new guitar, by the color.

It didn't sound as if the PB Elixirs were worn out. He just stuffed them on, and didn't like the color

If that's the case, this is the frivolous lawsuit of threads, and he should do what I said. "Put pretty brass strings on, no matter how they sound, and clean up the garbage in post".

Now, unless the TS comes back and tells me he meant something different, that's my story, and I'm sticking to it.

Max Dread

Hi all

First up some clarification. These are new strings and are not even on the guitar yet...

Second (@DylanHendrix)..... I'm not asking so much for specific technicolour answers describing slight variations! I was wondering more whether there is a more general rule of thumb, mainly because I was getting a bit confused (see below).

Third - @Captaincranky... Perhaps you should change that to Captainsarcy? Listen, I'm happy to admit that it is rather shallow of me to be guided by the colour of the strings. At least I'm being honest about it though. I'm pretty sure if you had a long deep look at yourself you might see that not everything in your life is guided without at least a nod to aesthetics. OTOH, if you are a shaolin monk I apologise and take that right back. But your tone would suggest you are neither bic shaven nor orange robed.

Back to the topic... Seagull's come with Godin PB strings, yet they are yellow/golden:

http://www.seagullguitars.com/stringchart.html

Likewise, I tried a Yamaha LL6 recently which was strung with Yamaha FS50BT. I'm currently looking into whether they were PB or 80/20 and will report back with an answer. They were golden/yellow.

The fact is that there are tonnes of different strings out there to try. I'm new to steel string acoustics (been playing electric for over 20 years). I have to start somewhere! So why not start with some strings that will please my eye? For sure, if ALL PB strings were that colour then of course I'd be trying them and pushing their appearance to the side. But it seems they are not...

Cheers

Max

Captaincranky

Well, that effectively shoots down "Viban's" theory about the strings changing color because they're worn out

A now a special note from the desk of the unshaven, unrobed desk of, "Captainsarcy": (Although I really do believe that, "Captaincranky" sums me up pretty well. Perhaps in this in this instance, it's a question of of dialect, or vernacular).
I am not oblivious to aesthetic considerations in the least. Yet the most prevalent brand of PB strings (D'Addario, (EXP or plain)), display the slight color cast that would offend thine eyes. Although personally, I don't find a slight drift toward the red spectrum objectionable.

Every manufacturer has a slightly different alloy that would color the final product one way or another. That said, it's also a bit idiosyncratic, to seek out strings with an emphasis on the color Quite simply put , that's what a guitar's purpose is, to produce sound. If you want it to produce colors and trails if you move it, LSD oversode is the way to go.

Many makers ship with 80/20 because of the high end "sting", that "bell bronze" presents.

As often as not though, the color shift is as I've presented it. I have a "Crafter" MIK 12 string AE dreadnought. I couldn't abide the sound of the gold colored, "Korean 12 strings", on it. Having noticed that they were, a pretty gold color, I took a leap of faith,, figuring they were probably brass, and slapped a set of nasty pink colored D'Addario EXP-38's on it and "wah-lah", a completely different, better sounding guitar.

(I avoid the correct spelling of "voila", as this is a musical instrument forum, and I wouldn't want to confuse the meaning with the pregnant violin with the same spelling).

Well Max, you could persist with the Godin strings, since it seems that's what you're looking for.

Now let me ask you a question. First, I understand this is a place where question are to be answered. But, in hindsight, don't you think your original request was broad enough in scope, that it might be looked upon by many as "unrealistic", or possibly, "an imposition"?

What you say is very true, there is tons of string product out there, but most find a brand that sounds good to them, are available to them, and aren't on some magnificent "quest" to find the prettiest, best sounding strings, in the galaxy, ever.

Please note: I didn't say it wasn't a noble quest. What I'm implying is that I don't believe that anybody here is up for volunteering for the job of "Don Quixote's" squire.

In order, here are the priorities I use in judging a string set, sound, longevity, previous experiences, price, brand recognition. Notice that color isn't on the list. I've noticed the color issue, but until now, I didn't realize that I should be prioritizing it. Perhaps I am the one being shallow and superficial and shallow. Meh, but then again, maybe not.

But yeah, I do agree, generally 80/20 brass is a tad prettier than your average PB.