BLACK DIAMOND’S NEW BLACK COATED  ACOUSTIC GUITAR STRINGS

The name Black Diamond has been around a long time; in fact, I bought Black Diamond’s as my “new” strings when I was just learning guitar, as a teenager.  We didn’t have the Internet then, and stores that carried guitar strings didn’t give you a lot of choices.  But Black Diamond was always there, I was glad to find them still going strong.

Things have changed a lot since then, and so has Black Diamond.  Case in point, their N600 series Black Coated Phosphor Bronze Acoustic Guitar Strings. I recently gave them a try on a black Ovation 1778T Elite acoustic electric.  I chose this guitar for the evaluation because it has a broad dynamic range which can bring out the extreme highs and lows quite clearly and accurately, without imposing its own tonal limitations on the overall evaluation. I also found the black strings on a black guitar them had a novel attraction, and just plane looks cool.

I started with the N600LB 12-53 set first, and found them to be rather bright and somewhat tinny sounding.  They got a little more mellow on the second day, but after a week I was ready to go for the heavier N600MB 13-56 set.  The 13-56 medium gauge set was more to my liking, with a stronger and richer bass and fuller sounding trebles, not too bright or tinny at all.  All six strings in the set are black coated, including the two bare (non-wound) strings. The coating seems to be evenly applied and gives the strings a slick feeling which is very apparent when your installing them. They tuned up right away and stayed in tune.  They turned out to be an excellent set for acoustic electric applications, especially when you add delay and other effects.

Low Finger Noise: The coating helps hold down the low finger noise, which helps me when playing plugged in.

Tone: Because the coating tends to give them a slightly brighter tone, the bass strings are very clear, and never muddy sounding. This comes out very nicely when playing plugged in, especially with a delay effect added. The straight acoustic tone is full and rich, also.

Fun to Play: I found them to be very good for general strumming and cross picking.  I love them for tunes with complex chord changes, because these strings bring out the subtle changes so well and clearly, even after two months of hard playing. I played that 13-56 set hard and they continued to hold up. The black coating seems to keep them fresh sounding a very long time, and the only place I saw it wearing off was at the fret contact areas and right over the sound hole, where my pick hits the strings. But the wear was hardly noticeable unless you know where to look, and it didn’t affect the sound at all.  The fret wear is only evident when you take the strings off the guitar, and you can see the under side of the strings. Otherwise, it’s no consequence.

Conclusion: I’ve never been a big fan of coated strings, but these black coated strings are different.  Their cool looks, their feel, and their clear sound sets them apart for the clear coated strings I’ve played in the past. There’s also the idea that these are authentic Black Diamond strings, the brand I first bought when I was a teenager, several decades ago; and the brand that many old timers swear by.  Would I put on another set?  You bet I would.

Where to get them: Just click on the links below.

N600LB:  12-53 Light Gauge, Acoustic

N600MB :  13-56 Medium Gauge, Acoustic

Black Diamond also has black coated electric guitar strings, but I haven’t tried them yet. I’ll get to them soon, and will let you know what I think. Other Black diamond strings can be found at the link below:

Black Diamond Guitar Strings at Guitar String Depot

Rancher 110

Going Back to a Bare G String

An earlier post talked about selecting the wound G (third) string in a string set that offers a choice of wound or non-wound (bare) G strings.  I just switched to the bare, non-wound G string in the Dean Markley 2505 Nickel Steel electric guitar strings on a Les Paul, after giving the wound string a try. I liked the way wound G string played, for a while; but now I’m glad I switched back to the regular bare G string.  

 I had to reverse the guitar set up adjustments I made for the wound string. The intonation had to be adjusted to suit the wound strings, which meant the third string saddle had to be moved forward a bit, instead of being nearly all the way aft.  Also, the pole piece screw for the third string (G string) had been raised to better detect the wound string, and match it’s volume to that of the other strings. After putting on the bare string, I made both adjustments with a flat tipped screwdriver, in just a few minutes. The bare string has a stronger magnetic signature than the wound string, so I had to turn the neck pickup’s pole piece screw in one and a half turn, to reduce the bare string’s volume relative to the other strings.  As for intonation, obviously the bridge saddle had to be set back (moved aft) to bring the 12th fret first harmonic and fretted pitches together.  Both adjustments were no trouble, and the new bare string now plays in harmony with the other five.

Overall, the choice of using the bare or wound G string depends on how you want to play and sound, and to some extent on the type of guitar.  The wound string is okay for chords and strumming, but it sounds a little weak for leads.  The bare string seems to have no deficiencies.  It works for chords and leads, and is excellent for bends.  The guitar body type also matters.  I think solid body guitars deserve the bare string, since solid bodies tend to reflect individual notes and tones back to the strings they came from.  So you can bend a single note and hold it a long time on a solid body. It’s not quite the same with a hollow body guitar, which mix the string vibrations up.  They sound great for what they do, but if you want to hear those single notes clearly, you need a solid body.  The wound string is fine on hollow body and semi-hollow guitars, where you can get the acoustic response of the guitar top to add some woody overtones and warmth.

 Conclusion:  When given a choice of a wound or bare third (G) string, I’d choose the wound string for a hollow body guitar and the bare string for a solid body or a semi-hollow.  These string choices seem to be consistent with the character and sound that comes naturally out of these types of guitars.

That’s my opinion.  Let me know what you think.

Rancher 110

To see Dean Markley and other brands of electric guitar strings, click on Electric Guitar Strings at www.guitarstringdepot.com.

La Bella’s 427 Pacesetter Elite Classical and Flamenco Guitar Strings

I had put off trying a set of La Bella 427′s far too long, though I had known about them for some time.  Well, I just put a set on my guitar, and I must say “they blow my socks off”.  Man, I was really surprised and pleased at their creamy sound.  They are a well balanced set, that makes strong, full bodied chords and have excellent clarity for single notes.  They have ample volume and projection if you want to be heard, or can also sound sweet when played softly, with feeling.  My first impression of these strings is…they are great, and very versatile.  I could play just about anything with them.  Not expensive, either.  A lot more string than their price suggests.

One of the pleasant surprises with 427′s is how easy they are to install.  La Bella didn’t economize on string length, here.  You get plenty of string length for easy ties at each end of a standard 650 mm scale length guitar, with ample string to trim off at each end.  Some makers cut them a little short, making it a challenge to finally get a reasonable looking traditional tie done; but not La Bella.

More to follow, soon.  I like these strings, and I want to go play them some more.  I’ll be back with more impressions after a few days of purposeful playing and evaluation.  I wish I had tried them sooner.

Where I got them: Classical Guitar Strings at www.guitarstrngdepot.com

Link to these strings:  La Bella 427 Pacesetter Elite classical/flamenco guitar strings at www.guitarstringdepot.com

Catch you later,

Rancher 110

SOLID STRINGS YOU CAN DEPEND ON

At last…it’s good to get back to some solid sounding strings,  that sound like they’ve got some meat on their bones.  I just put these on my Les Paul after testing a set of Famous 351′s, and it’s like coming home to mashed potatoes and gravy.  What a difference, and how good they sound and play.  They don’t look fance, but they surely sound good. They are just good old nickel plated steel round wound strings and tinned plain (non-wound) strings; but made the right way.

Set Description: Dean Markley 2505 NickelSteel Electric guitar strings, which are round wound and have both a wound and bare G string in the set.  The windings are nickel plated steel, or NPS, even though Dean Markley makes one word out of “NickelSteel”. They are designated as “mediums”, with string diameters:   0.011  .013  .018(bare)/0.020(wound)  0.030  0.042  0.052 inches.   I put the wound G string on first, to see how it would sound and play, and will swap it out for the bare string later.   Each strings in the set is individually packaged in a straight forward paper envelope, with the string data on the front; with the exception of the two G strings being in the same envelope.  All of the strings had a consistent appearance and finish, with no spots or visually detectable concerns.  The ball ends were snug and neatly twisted and wrapped.

About The Design: Dean Markley didn’t cut any corners on design, but wanted to make these strings something special.  NickelSteel’s are designed to produce a magnetic signature that electro-magnetic guitar picks will listen to, and hear them loud and clear.  They are precision made with 8% pure nickel plated steel wrap, over a tinned inner core wire. This results in an easy playing string with high output and great durability.  The bare strings are also tinned, and have a smooth finish to them that makes them look like the quality strings they truly are.  Even before installing them, you can tell just by looking at a lot of care and pride went into these strings.

Installation: They were a snap to put on my guitar; easy to handle.  I found they all tuned up immediately with little or no followup adjustments required, which means there’s essentially no extra stretch to work out.  The best surprise was their sound, which was can best be described as powerful.  They seem to have very good magnetic properties, and I even lowered my neck pickup to smooth out the sound.

Harmonics? You bet!  Plenty of them, and they sustain a long time.  This is due to string consistency and uniformity over their entire string lengths, which means there are no variations, defects, or changes in string characteristics over their entire playing lengths.  If you can hear a lot of harmonics, it means vibrations travel with consistent velocities in any given string, and don’t get scattered or distorted by changes in string diameter, stiffness, strength, density, or winding tightness. I think this is a credit to Dean Markley’s techniques and quality control.

Intonation: One minor adjustment was needed, but only for the wound G string.   Since my guitar was set up for a set with a bare G string, I had to adjust the bridge saddle for correct intonation with the wound G string.  Checking intonation at the 12th fret found the G string to be a little flat when fretted, compared to the 12th fret open string harmonic. I simply moved the G string’s bridge saddle toward the neck in small increments, until the wound string gave me “proper” intonation at the 12th fret.  I actually ran out of travel on the adjusting screw, since the Tune-O-Matic bridge on my Les Paul was probably designed for a bare G string.  This isn’t a problem, because I got it “close enough”.

Playing Them:  It’s  been a joy.  Their strong sound means I can ease up a little and still get full tone and volume. I found I could pretty much level out my amp EQ settings, with mid positions for bass, middle, and treble ranges; and didn’t have to compensate for any variaitons.  My Fender Blues Junior seems to like even settings.  Chords sound very smooth and balanced, especially when played with my fingers or thumb.  I don’t use a pick so much these days, as I’m learning to get good sound without one, and I love the effect of playing the bass line with my thumb, while plucking or stumming the chords with my fingers on alternate beats.  I think the wound G string works fine for chords and finger style.  I can definitely tell it a wound string when I use a pick, though, because it sounds a lot softer.

Next, I think I’ll put the bare G string on and see how it sounds.  I’ll also have to re-do the intonation for the bare string, but that’s not trouble.

Finger Noise:  Yes, I noticed this set is not what you’d call a “low noise” string set.  Though they are not overly loud, when it come to finger noise from the fretting hand, I noticed they were louder than most.  I don’t think this is a problem, because I quickly got used to it and adjusted my fretting hand movements to get rid of the problem.  It’s just a small adjustment in my playing style I make when I pick up this guitar, after playing flat wounds, nylon, or some other strings.   This is definitely not a detriment to the quality and sound of these strings, but one things that makes them different and probably a little better than most nickel plated steel strings.  

Conclusion: I’m going to keep playing them until they wear out, and may put on another set after them.  I really like these strings.  I’d recommend DM2505′s with a wound G string for hard tail electic guitars, such as Les Pauls.  They make the body vibrate, and that’s a good thing.

Where to get Dean Markley guitar strings:

• Dean Markley NickelSteel Electric, includes DM2505 11-52′s as discussed here, many gauge choices on this page.
• Dean Markley Electric Guitar Strings, these and other’s by DM
• Guitar String Depot Home Page
• Guitar String Depot Electric Guitar Strings, for Dean Markley’s and many other brands

That’s all for now.  I’ll follow up when I try them with the bare G string in the mix, in about a week.

Rancher 110

A DIFFERENT KIND OF ELECTRIC GUITAR STRING

I just tried a set of Fender Stainless Steel Flatwound strings on my Epiphone Joe Pass archtop.  I liked them right away, and wonder why I had been so hesitant to try them.   I’m trying a set of  F50XL’s 11-50 “extra light”,  though they don’t feel all that light to me.  I like heavier strings, for the fullness of their tone and they way they feel under my fingers, and this set feels just fine.  Very responsive.   It’s also comforting to know they are made in the USA, so it just feels a little more patriotic to try them.

TONE   The tone is a little different in that the wound strings are a lot quieter and softer than nickel plated steel wound strings, while the two bare strings are just as loud and strong as ever.  Yes, the G-string is wound, and you have to look closely to tell…that’s how smooth they are.   The bass strings sound well balanced, and don’t get boomy when played aggressively.   I also increased the bass and mid-range knob settings on my amp, just to balance out the tone.  Previously, I had throttled back on the bass and mid EQ settings when playing nickel plated steel wound strings, which can get boomy and overpowering.  No treble EQ changes were needed for the bare strings, which is probably the common link to ordinary strings.  I also found I was running the master volume a little higher, while cutting back on the preamp volume.  This seems to sound okay to my ears, though I usually ran more pramp with NPS (nickel plated steel) strings.   I don’t know for sure, but it just seems to sound a little mellower this way.

This set sound great for chord melodies, especially when played with fingers and thumb.   Chord changes and even alternating chord voicings works well with these strings, since they sound so balanced between up the neck and down the neck chord positions, with no finger noise in between.  However, I still haven’t learned to like them with a pick.  They seem to require more energy input form a pick to get sound out of them, which makes me have to play them harder.   This may just be my preference, but I like them just fine playing with just fingers and thumb.

I also noticed that these strings sound pretty good even when playing unplugged on my archtop.  They produce plenty of raw acoustic volume; much more than NPS strings, and they sound sweeter and fuller.   These strings might even be okay on an acoustic electric guitar.   Maybe I’ll try that later.

FEEL   The feel of these strings is so easy and natural to my fingers that I don’t even think about it much, and there’s essentially no finger noise at all.   This means I can concentrate more on what I’m playing and really get into it without having to hold back and focus on keeping finger noise down.    I was surprised at how easily I can play finger-style with these strings, which is all I seem to do these days.

CONCERNS   One thing I’m going to watch for is fret wear, since the stainless steel wrap is said to be harder on the frets than ordinary nickel plated steel strings.  When I catch myself doing a bend on the G-string, I have to back off and tell myself not to do that….because it’s probably wearing down my frets.

CURRENT ASSESSMENT   So far, after a full two days with these strings, I’m quite pleased with them and would recommend them to anyone wanting a refreshing change from round wound strings.  They feel good, they sound good, and they look pretty good too.   Yep, I think I like these smooth strings.  They come in three gauge sets:  11-50 Extra Light (XL), 12-52 Light (L), and 13-54 Medium (M), and I may try a heavier set when these finally wear out.

WHERE TO GET THEM    Try Guitar String Depot, at the following link for Fender F50′s.  You can also click on the image above.

That’s all for now,

Rancher 110.

I just put on a set of La Bella 10PH Professional High Tension strings, and I must say I am very impressed with them.  To start with, they tuned up so quickly and easily that it could be possible to put on a set just before a performance, and play with confidence that they won’t go far enough out of tune to ruin the gig.  They seem to have very little stretch to them, and feel good also.  They stay in tune a long time, which is probably one of La Bella’s goals in creating the Professional Series.

Description:  La Bella 10PH strings consist of silver plated alloy wound bases, on nylon multi-filament cores; while the trebles (first 3 strings) are all clear, high density,  mono-filament nylon.   They are made for long scale (655 to 664 mm) classical guitars, which have to carry a little more string tension, due to the longer vibrating length.  But they work perfectly on my 650 mm Cordoba.  They were a snap to install and tie, at both ends of the guitar.  No problems or hassles.  Plenty of extra length, so I didn’t have to feel like I needed to stretch anything just to get them tied.

Impressions:  Their tone is full, rich and clear, and sound powerful with plenty of volume and projection.  The treble notes are pure and clean, and sustain a long time.  The bass notes are robust and well balanced with the trebles.  They feel very responsive, due to slightly higher tension.  Strumming 6 string chords or picking finger style, 10PH’s are a joy to play.  I love they way octave notes (played in unison) sound.  I play a lot of Jazz, and they make me sound better than I thought I was.  Sometimes, it is the strings that make the difference.

I have had them on for 3 days, now…and I didn’t have to re-tune when I picked up the guitar for the first time today.  I think the silver plating will soon burnish off, where the strings touch the frets; but that’s to be expected and won’t affect the tone at all.  I don’t think the presence or absence of the plating makes any detectable difference in the sound or tone of the strings, since it’s contribution to string mass is insignificant, and it’s primary reason for being there is for string longevity.  The way I play, though, I wear out a set of nylon strings about every two to three weeks, and put on another set anyway.

A Note on String Life:  Oh, by the way…it seems to me that nylon string life is more a function of the number hours of playing on them, and not so much the total time they have been installed on the guitar.   If I play two to three hours per day for a couple of weeks, that puts me in the 30 hour cumulative playing time range, which is where I start to notice the evenness of the string tones starting to drift apart.  It seems that I have to de-tune the G and B strings slightly to get them to blend  in.  That’s when I start thinking about the next set of strings.  So, I think the generalization that a set of strings should last for 30 hours of playing time is about right.  Beyond 30 hours, you have to make tuning compromises to keep them sounding alright, but only up to the point where you know it’s time to change strings.

Get La Bella 10PH Professional Series High Tension Strings online: Guitar String Depot

Well, that’s all I’ve to say for now.  I love these strings and will continue to evaluate them over the next week or two.  I may update this blog post, if my impressions change or if they exceed expectation.  It’s time to pick up my guitar and play something….like “How High the Moon”, or “Rainy Night in Georgia”; or even a some old Jim Reeves tunes.

See ya’

Rancher 110

I’ve always been amazed and impressed at the sound of Willie Nelson’s guitar, “Ol’ Trigger”, and the fact that he gets his sound with nylon strings.  It took a while, but I finally determined he’s using Dean Markley 2804 ball end nylon strings to get that amazing sound.  That got me interested in finding out more about not just Willie’s strings, but ball end strings in general.

Ball end strings differ from conventional nylon classical guitar strings by having metal either brass furrels or plastic beads already attached to one end, when you take them out of the package.  This greatly simplifies the task of installing the strings and successfully securing them to the bridge tie block, since the ball on the end will simply anchor the string and keep it form passing all the way through the tie block hole.  Personally, I don’t mind doing the traditional tucked under tie-off at the tie block, but it was knowing that Willie Nelson plays ball end strings that drew my interest.

I decided to try a set of Dean Markley 2804 ball end nylon strings, just to see how they would play and  sound.  They were a snap to install, and quite easy to secure at the tuner spools.  The three bass strings are gold colored and wound with a very fine wrap wire, which feel smoother than most other wound nylon strings.  In playing them, I found they were fairly quiet and generated very little finger noise.  The bass strings have regular brass furrels at their ends, just like steel strings.  The first three strings are all black mono-filament nylon, with plastic balls slipped over them.  Plain stopper knots are tied in the ends of the strings to keep the balls from sliding off.  After installing, I snipped off the extra tenth of an inch of string protruding through the balls, just for neatness.

On tuning up for the first time, I found these strings have an awful lot of stretching to do before they come into tune.  The wound bass strings finally came into tune and didn’t go flat very fast; but the treble strings seemed to take forever.  The black strings wouldn’t stay in tune for more than a minute.  I finally just gave up and let them stand overnight.  The nest day, they were completely flat but tuned up quickly and seemed to stay in tune now.  Two to three days later, they needed only an initial tuning when I first pick up the guitar, but they tended to stay in tune for quite a while, once the initial stretch is worked out of them.

As for tone, the set as a whole has a different voice.  The basses are strong and full, but the black trebles sounded a little thin when played up the  neck.  The black trebles sound great when played long, or up near the nut; but they persisted in having a tinny sound when played short.  I suppose this is fine for some genre of music, such as what Willie plays.  I found I could easily sound like Willie playing Star Dust, and the notes and chords just seem to invent themselves and lead me along…naturally.   It doesn’t matter if I play hard or softly; these strings respond appropriately, and don’t sound over-driven.  Maybe that’s one of the reasons Willie plays them.   Or could it be there’s something magic about those black strings…so different from other strings that they empower you just let it all hang out, and go for it.  Maybe it’s that “black sheep” image the black strings suggest; but whether a chord melody or a penetrating solo, these strings have a special character that fulfills the emotion of the melody, with raw honesty and boldness that can hold its own, even in a Texas beer joint.

You can find Dean Markley 2804s online at Guitar String Depot, as well as some other ball end nylon strings, including:

• Dean Markley 2802 ball end classical nylon strings, with silver basses and clear trebles
• Dean Markley 2904 ball end classical nylon strings, with gold basses and black trebles…as described above
• La Bella 830 ball end nylon strings, with black trebles and metal balls (furrels) on all strings
• Martin M160 high tension, ball end classical nylon strings with clear trebles and silver plated basses

I had fun with these strings and I’d advise anyone who whats to sound like Willie Nelson without knocking a hole in his guitar to get a set, and try them out.  They are a bit different, but so is Willie.

Best of luck,

Rancher 110

I must say that I learned to love these strings, and to appreciate them more and more every time I picked up my guitar.   They are a bit different form “ordinary” nylon strings and have excellent physical qualities that make them a great guitar string.  It’s the natural physical and mechanical properties of the carbon composite materials used in making these strings that really sets them apart.   Being able to carry higher string tensions, standing up to hard playing, and holding on to their acoustic and harmonic qualities is what they are all about.

I put the first set on my Cordoba C7, with a cedar top and Indian rosewood body.  The guitar itself has a tendency to sound a little deep and dark, but I really came to life when these strings finally settled in.    At first, I wasn’t all that impressed, but kept an open mind.  They sounded a little bright at first, and wouldn’t stay in tune very long, since they tended to have a lot of initial stretching in them.  However, somewhere around the third day they settled in and began to hold their tuning.   From that point on, I began to appreciate their special characteristics and the wonderful voice that gave my Cordoba.  Their brightness had lost it’s crisp edges and the trebles began to produce sweeter tones.  The basses were always full and rich sounding from day one, but now all six strings were working together.

These strings carry a bit more tension than “normal tension” strings, and conduct every vibration to the soundboard with excellent fidelity.  The trebles have smaller diameters than most classical strings, so their spacing and feel under my fingers is very comfortable and it gives me a feeling of confidence that the string is there and ready.   They respond immediately and I found I could out-run them with fast picking.  The feel a little like steel strings because of their smaller diameter and higher tension, yet they produce beautifully clear tones and excellent harmonics.

Volume:    These strings have a ample volume, and it’s evenly distributed across all strings.  They can be played softly or vigorously, to alter the projection; and always sound great at any volume.  You won’t have any problem being heard with these strings, and some people may think your are playing through an amp.

Intonation:   Very good.  I don’t know why some people have complained about intonation inaccuracies with these strings, unless it’s due excessively high string action.  I personally like a fairly low action, even with nylon strings.  I find the higher tension strings have very little excess movement when they vibrate, and don’t tend to rattle against the frets at low action heights.  But getting back to intonation, it’s the low action height that minimizes intonation problems.   That’s because low action means you don’t have to stretch the strings so much when you fret them, thus minimizing the increase in tension due entirely to fretting action.  I have no complaints about intonation on my Cordoba, and feel that such minor problems can be moderated out through proper set-up.  I also increased the truss rod tension to compensate for the extra load on the neck created by the higher tension these strings carry.  I left a very small amount of relief in the fretboard and have had no problems with buzz.

Materials of Construction:  Savarez Corums use a carbon composite filament material for the cores of the bass strings and the bodies of the treble strings.  The material itself looks very much like regular nylon, except it’s a little darker in color and not completely clear.  The bass strings use multi-filament cores wrapped with silver plated copper windings.  They are rather smooth and don’t produce much finger noise.  They have a firm feel that’s reassuring, and a warm bass tone.   The trebles are mono-filament strings of the same carbon composite material, and feel and sound great.  These strings have a fair amount of elasticity when they are fresh out of the package; but it seems to disappear quickly as the set is played and re-tuned.  Eventually, they reach a point at which the initial elasticity has left and you are down to the pure and stable string condition, in which very little stretching or “creep” will occur.    As they aged a couple of months, they seed to start feeling harder and held their tune a very long time without having to make any tuning adjustments.  I played them for two to four hours every day for three months, then decided to take them off and give another type of string a chance.  I like to test and evaluate strings, so it was time to try something else; even though I wasn’t done with these.  (Can’t wait to get back to these after finishing the next evaluation.)

Why I like them:  I like they sound in Jazz and especially chord melodies, with lead line finger picking interspersed.  They are a natural form my style and are well suited to my Cordoba C7.   I’d recommend them to anyone who has played steel strings for a while and is “crossing over” to nylon, because they make the transition much easier.  Yes, they cost a little more than ordinary strings, but they are really worth it.   Anyway, don’t we consider an investment in quality strings money well spent?   I do.

Where to get them:  Savarez 500AJ at Guitar String Depot.

You might also want to check out the other classical guitar strings offered there, including more offerings from Savarez.

I hope this was helpful.  I will be evaluating other strings from time to time, and posting my conclusion and impressions; so keep an eye open for new postings.  (Coming soon:  my impressions of Augustine Red Label classical guitar strings)

Rancher 110

P. S.   Hey, even Willie Nelson plays nylon strings.

Elixir guitar strings have always been something I would “treat myself to”, once in a while.  That’s because they have always been a little on the expensive side, but I never regretted putting out the few extra bucks for their wonderful sound.  Plus, they always seemed to last such a long time that I didn’t have to change them like “ordinary” strings.   Well, now Guitar String Depot (my website) has finally started carrying them, and we don’t charge an arm and leg, or a percentage from your next gig.

What’s so great about Elixir strings? Well, let me begin by telling you their coating really work, they sound great, and they last long enough to pay back the extra investment and then some.  They come with either of two amazing, proprietary coatings that give them super endurance, a great feel to the touch, and rich tones.   I’ve never been a fan of “coated strings”, but Elixirs are the exception.  Their POLYWEB and NANOWEB coatings actually enhance the tone of the strings.

POLYWEB is the thicker of the two coatings, and it actually makes 80/20 bronze  wound strings sound warm.  This means a set of POLYWEB 80/20 strings sounds as warm as uncoated, high quality phosphor bronze strings, with equal volume and responsiveness but lasting a heck of lot longer.  No you can’t see the coating, unless us use 10-power or stronger magnification, but it’s there.  It gives the strings a sheen that makes them feel smoother, and cuts down on finger noise.  POLYWEB strings are only available in 80/20 bronze, which I think is a good thing.  I’ve used them rosewood and mahogany body guitars, and they brought out the warmer tones of the instruments.

NANOWEB is a slightly thinner coating that lets the brightness of the strings come through, and feels the same as uncoated strings without damping the strings natural elasticity and willingness to vibrate.   It gives the same long life to the underlying strings as POLYWEB, and comes on 28/20 bronze and phosphor bronze strings.

Anti-Rust Plated Plain Steel Strings: Elixir didn’t forget about the bare strings.  All bare strings in POLYWEB and NANOWEB sets are treated with Elixir’s Anti-Rust plating, which protects the plain strings for attach the elements and keeps them fresh sounding almost forever.  You can’t see or feel the plating, but it really works.  It lets the bare strings have the playing endurance of the wound strings, so you don’t have one or two strings going bad while the others still sound great.

Elixir acoustic guitar strings are available at the following links:

• Elixir Strings as a category
• Elixir 11000 POLYWEB 10-47 Extra Lt. Acoustic
• Elixir 11050 POLYWEB 12-53 Light Acoustic
• Elixir 11100 POLYWEB 13-56 Medium Acoustic
• Elixir 11027 NANOWEB 11-52 Custom Lt. Acoustic
• Elixir 11077 NANOWEB 12-56 Lt. Medium Acoustic
• Elixir 11102 NANOWEB 13-56 Medium Acoustic

I didn’t make this up, or just copy some advertising hype; I really believe in these strings.  They are well the money in terms of my satisfaction with their tone, their feel, the way they make my guitars sound, and their long playing life.   They actually save me money in the long run, by eliminating the need to buy new strings prematurely.  I strongly recommend taking a look at them, and even trying some out if you haven’t already.

Sincerely,

Rancher 110

I think this is perhaps the most delay pedal for the buck that I’ve ever seen.  Honestly, when you check the prices of pedals with similar features and performance, you’ll agree the D-8 is a real deal.  At less than $25.oo each, you may want to grab one or two extras.  Plus, the sound quality   It’s extremely clean and has no audible “noise”, and the tone of the repeated signal is just as clean and bright as the original played notes.  Some purists and audio professionals would probably find some minor faults with it, but it’s certainly good enough for most of us non-professionals.  I’ve been playing with it for over a month, and I can’t find anything to complain about; and I’m having a ball with it.

What does it do?

The D-8, as well as essentially all delay pedals, lets you add repeat “echoes” of every note you play, and control them in term of the number of repeats, the time interval between them, and the depth of the repeat signals.  It’s a lot like an echo, but more exciting.  It’s what gives Rockabilly that classic highway sound, or it can create that dreamy, watery echo sound you hear in deep, soul searching melodies such as Brian Setzer’s “Sleep Walk“.  The delay effect adds that extra dimension to the sound of your electric guitar, that not only multiplies the sound, but multiplies its emotional effect and impact for the player and the listener.  It’s not limited to Rockabilly, but also sounds pretty good in Country and Surf.   I’ve even tried it with my acoustic electric, and found I could simulate some of the sounds I’ve heard in Peter White’s cool Jazz solos.

Description and Features:

The Danelectro D-8 shares the basic body housing as most of the FAB series pedals, with the distinguishing factor being its champaign metallic color.   The battery is accessible through the bottom cover, which comes off easily by undoing the captive screw.  The screw head is actually a rubber knob with ribs, so you can grip and turn it easily with just your fingers.  There’s also a straight screwdriver slot, in case somebody puts it on to tightly.

Nothing happens until you press the footswitch, to switch on the electronics.  The bright blue LED come on to let you know you are engaged and the effects are active.  All controls are at their minimum values with the knobs in the fully counter-clockwise, starting position.  Their effects increase as they are turned in the clockwise direction.   The pedal is in the play through, or bypass mode when the LED is off, and you have pure and clean transfer of your guitar input signal straight through, with no effects added or sound degradation.

Three Kobs:  REPEAT, TIME, and DELAY.  These three black knobs have a solid and precise feel, and a small red index mark on the end to let you see where each is set.

REPEAT – This lets you set of repeats you want, from one to about six or eight.  They fade out in amplitude with each successive repeat.

TIME - This knob adjust the time interval between repeats.  It starts at 80 milliseconds (ms) and goes up to 600 ms.   Now 600 ms is quite a long time; long enough that you’ll find yourself waiting for the repeat as you get ready to play your next note.  But, it has its uses as a powerful reinforcement to your original line.

DELAY – This sets the level, or strength of the repeats.  In the fully counter-clockwise position, the level is essentially zero; but turn the knob the other way and you get a strong repeat.  The trick is to find the sweet spot in between. 

9V DC Power – It can run on an internal 9 volt battery or external power form a 9-volt power supply with a center negative polarity.  I’ve been running it on a battery, and it seems to be no strain on battery life….unless you leave it plugged in when not in use.  That’s something you have to remember: The battery is discharging when there’s a cable plugged in to the INPUT jack.  It closed the circuit and will drain the battery, even if the footswitch is OFF.   I just unplug the guitar cables from it when I’m not using it, and the battery goes for weeks.

INPUT Jack – This is where you connect a standard 1/4-inch cable form your guitar to the pedal.

OUTPUT Jack – This is where you connect a standard 1/4-inch cable from the pedal to your amp, or next pedal in your chain of effects pedals.

Footswitch – Press the switch to turn the effects on; tap it again to turn them off.  The blue LED lights up when the footswitch is in the ON position.

Overall Impression:

WOW! This pedal is really great for expanding you sound, and adding additional depth and dimension for extra enjoyment. The sound quality is there, and the range and impact of the controls is more than enough for most of us.  I usually play with relatively shallow delay, and limit the number of repeats and time interval so my next notes sound out clearly.  The repeats then fall in behind and under the original signal. What gets me is the low price. You can buy four to six D-8′s for the price of a single 600 ms delay pedal by the other big name manufacturers.   You could get one for a gift for someone else.

If you want a GOOD 600 ms delay pedal that’s also INEXPENSIVE , this is it.

Where to Find It:

You can find the D-8 for just $22.95 at the following link: FAB 600 ms Delay Pedal.   That’s Guitar String Depot.

Images:

Yes, these are all my shots.  They were taken with a Pentax K20 digital SLR, using a second hand Pentax 50 mm, manual focus lens.  All were shot in mid-afternoon direct sunlight, on my front porch, in the Texas Hill Country.   Very little editing was done on these images, other than resizing and cropping to fit my blog pages.  I find it’s easier to create my own images than to search for and never find what I really want on the Internet.  Besides, it’s personally satisfying to do it this way.

Life is good.

Rancher 110

P. S.  The baby deer I wrote about a few months ago is alive and well.  She’s now about two-thirds the size of her mama, and still has some of her spots.   I see them about once a week, out on my place.