The Collings Forum

Has anyone ever used Martin Lifespan 2.0 98/2 phosphorus bronze on D series

I have used the regular MA550's (non-coated) on my D1ATS. I really like them and they can be had for less than $5 a set if you locate remaining stock of the 3 packs (2+1 free). I think I actually prefer them to my standard j17's. I definitely prefer them on my Martins

Thanks! It’s my first Collings

Another string brand worthy of consideration is John Pearse phosphor bronze for your D series Collings. John Pearse 700M has been my go to string for my Collings D series and CJ series and Martin D series guitars for years.

Best wishes on your new Collings. I've tried many diff sets... can highly recommend the new D''Ad XS strings. I'm on my 2nd set of XS 13-56 on my CJmhA, best ever for me. bert

Santa Cruz low tension parabolic strings. Far and away the best strings I have ever used. Have them on all my guitars now.

pjkesq wrote: ↑Sat Jan 08, 2022 1:12 am Santa Cruz low tension parabolic strings. Far and away the best strings I have ever used. Have them on all my guitars now.

Getting ready to take my OM in for a few adjustments and bought a set of these to try out. Looking forward to finding out how they sound and feel. I also want to try Straight Up Strings (similar to SCGC) to compare on a future run.

Just tried a set of the Martin treated Lifespan 2.0. Couldn't get them off the guitar soon enough. To my taste, they drained the sound from the guitar.

Back in e days of the old Collings forum, whilst Collings use D'addario (I donlt think the "ercommend" them, most collings users seemed to like John Pearse.

I did some comparisons of medium gauge PB strings on my Collings dreads and my impression was :

JP - warmer
D'Addario neutral
Martin (old SP) slightly brighter.

To my logic as some feel that Collings guitars are "bright" then a warmer string might be favoured.
Most Martins are bass biased - so a brighter string might fit the bill.

My issues were that JPs often arrived looking corroded and were very short lived.
Martin choices were so varied that they confused me. (When they revised their range I saw many on the UMGF mourning the passing of SPs so I bought as many as I could.
Mostly I stayed with D'addario EJ17 ten packs until they cheapened the packaging and I got packs that were squashed and split. (I discussed this with D'addario and they effectively told me to go but another brand....which I did. I use mostly Martin MA550 "authentics" now but also trying out the "T" versions (so fr so good).
However I've got a lot of EJ17s to use up!

However as I don't have acid body chemistry I'm not sure about the value in paying twice as much.

For my new D2H A, I've tried Martin phosphor bronze, D'Ad 80/20, and Elixir Nanoweb 80/20, each in both light and medium. My guitar is only 5 months old, and it sounds a tad brassy with Martin or D'Ad strings. So far, I'm happiest with the so-called "Bluegrass" mix of medium bottoms and light tops, which D'Ad sells in packs. The problem is, I prefer the sound, feel, and durability of the Elixirs, and apparently they don't offer a "Bluegrass" set. At the moment, I'm using strings from two Elixir sets to get the right mix of gauges. This setup sounds and plays great, but it'll be expensive and wasteful long-term. I see that John Pearse sells a "Bluegrass" set (P650), but I haven't tried them. Does anybody on the forum use them on a D2H?

BTW, I'm new to the forum. Let the hazing begin.