Strings

[RNF]

A while ago I saw this post for Santa Cruz low tension parabolic strings. Thanks. Tried em on my CJ. They are almost too good. Very even, well balanced tonal range. And, they last longer imo. I will bounce for the next change, have some JP's in my inventory, mediums and "new" mediums. I'll be back for more SC parabolics, but do I like changing, trying different strings. Anyone have any other recommendations?

[buckweston]

Tonequester, although i don't use the SC strings, I've tried a number of approaches. The first thing is that you might get away with medium strings if you lower the action. If you try both light strings and lower action you may get buzzing, particularly if you play with a heavy attack. My go-to strings these days since i can't seem to get Pyramid or Newtone 80/20 in N America....are Curt Mangan round core. The round core strings have less tension than the hex core. Another thing ....some of the manufacturers offer in-between sets..... either 12.5-55 or alternatively sets that are commonly called "new medium or true medium".... 13-17-24-32-42-56...those can be easier on the hands as well.

Thanks Greg. Point well taken about lights and lower action. After several measurements and playing each guitar, I located the primary issue - B string is higher at the first couple of frets on the D1T relative to the others and it’s the F & F# barre chords I’m especially having to apply more pressure to play cleanly, so I may likely just need a nut slot tweak and very slight overall action reduction to make this guitar as comfortable as my others, which were all set up with slightly lower action vs Collings specs.

My question remains though - curious if anyone here has tried the low tension SC strings on their Collings dreads, as that may be a possibility.

I had a preference for low tension SC strings on my D2HTA due to past finger and wrist issues when trying medium string options from DAddario. Then I finally gave it a go and have now been using medium SCs for almost a year. I switched back to lights once, after about a month and lasted about two days before I went back to the mediums.

The volume and tonal difference was very noticeable for me. Additionally, unlike other medium string options that I had tried in the past, there wasn't as much of an increase in effort, at least not to the degree that other offerings resulted in.

As far as setup goes: in my opinion, the Collings dreads are setup for medium strings, so there should be very little adjustment required beyond your personal preference.

All things considered, I tried SC mediums on a Martin D-18 and didn't find the sonic benefits to be as present as I did with the Collings D2HTA. It could simply be that the SC mediums pair well with rosewood. Whatever the variable is, I know that, for me personally, it's the SC mediums all day, without question.

*I should also note that I changed out my bridge pins (ivoriod) for ebony pins and it added a substantial layer of warmth that was missing on the new D2HTA. This change out, paired with the SC mediums has made the guitar really shine.