Fiddle Edge lower e String loudness

[carreau]

Hello
Has anyone experience in increasing a bit loudness of the lowest string ?
I play Standard Tuning and the e string could be a bit more present
I currently have MM nickel Strings 015.

How about lighter Strings but keep the lowest e String from the 015 Set.

Thanks
Thomas

[Michael Messer]

Hello Thomas

Generally in resonator guitars, and in this case a Dobro-style instrument, you don't get strings varying in volume because of the way they are built with all strings on a bridge saddle sitting on an aluminium spider. My advice if you play standard tuning is to fit a set of phosphor bronze 13-56 and see how that feels and sounds. Also for standard tuning the 15 is not quite balanced correctly, it's a little too heavy.

I don't think nickel strings have the fatness and fullness of phosphor bronze, but many people like them because of their "old" sound.

If I fitted those strings, are they monel, rather than nickel?

If you can get MM strings, try the red packet phosphor bronze 13-56, or f you can't, try D'Addario EJ17 13-56

Let me/us know how you get on

Shine On
Michael

[carreau]

Thank you Michael, highly appreciated

will give it a try with the D'addario strings. Would prefer the MM strings, but the last shipment from Newtone resulted in such a ridiculous high custom uplift, that I need to refrain from ordering in UK, which is really a pity.

regards

thomas

[snakehips]

Hi there !

I use D’Addario phosphor-bronze 13-56 strings on all my reso guitars - and never heard a string imbalance on any guitar - including my MM Fiddle-Edge guitar.

On the very rare instances I tried 15-56 strings, I never heard the 15 sound too loud, or the 56 sound weak, compared to the 15.
I did find the 15 too hard to finger bend and generally play in standard tuning as the tension was just too high. It wasn’t a pleasant experience. Even in Open tunings, I still need to fret strings. The only time 15-56 months might be useful is for playing lapstyle (although not a subject I’m knowledgable about, so I may be wrong) - where there is no need to fret strings.

If the 6th string sounds dull, then maybe the string slot in the nut or saddle may not be cut as perfect as it needs to be- or maybe the slot is not cut wide enough for the larger string gauge you want to use ?

[bonzo]

Just a thought, did you remember to wind the strings to tension before trimming them? It's essential on MM Newtone wound strings as they can unravel if cut before installation

[Michael Messer]

Richard, we are all different and I have used 15-56 strings on all my guitars for thirty five years.

Your comment ... "The only time 15-56 might be useful is for playing lapstyle (although not a subject I’m knowledgable about, so I may be wrong) - where there is no need to fret strings"...is not a fact, it is an opinion.

I recommend them, especially with the round core Newtone MMs, in fact with any type of strings because the tension across all strings is balanced in open slack tunings DGDGBD and DADF#AD. There was a time in Don Young's time as owner of NRP when the company used to order 300 sets of 15-56 MMs every year. It was Don that allowed me to use the National brand name on the strings, which I did until he died. Don considered 15-56 phosphor bronze MM Newtone strings to be the finest strings for National guitars that he had ever used. Don did not use those words lightly, as he once told me.

I first became aware of using these gauges when Bob Brozman came over here in the 1980s and that was how he strung his guitars. In fact Bob was mostly using 16-59s on all his road guitars, as was Steve James when he first came over in the early 90s. Bob and Steve were using those gauges in open and standard tunings with and without a slide.

As with all these things, once you get used to them it is hard to use anything else. I have never had a problem fretting those gauges, as I say it's what you get used to.

Luckily we are all different.

Shine On
Michael

[snakehips]

Well, OK, I could fret those larger gauges - it’s just doing string bends were tough. I like play A7th, with the 1string on the 3rd fret - then bend the 1st string so the note goes up towards A. With a 15 or 16, I could never do that bend easily.
I also did find that gauge seemed to choke sustain.
In fact, 13-56 strings felt too much on a NRP Radiotone I used to own. Never figured out why. It seemed to prefer 12-54 strings !

[Michael Messer]

Lots of players I know prefer 12-54s, and there's no reason why not.

We are all individuals!



Shine On
Michael