bborzell
Well-known member
Been running Living Water strings on both my Pono ATDC and my MP mango with cedar top. Wonderful balance and warm tone from both instruments. The Pono seems a bit warmer while the MP is a bit more articulate.
Then I read about the new Southcoast ML-SW sets. I had used a set of Southcoast ML-RW strings and liked them but the Living Waters seemed to maybe be a little more balanced from string to string (might have also been my imagination).
So, I ordered a set of the new ML-SWs and put them on the MP last night. Immediately, the cedar top moved to a new level. It seemed like the new strings had energized the soundboard in a way that was different from any string I had tried up to this point.
Still warm and balanced (maybe even more so than the ML-RWs), but the main difference is how the tonal quality that attracted me to a cedar top in the first place has been enhanced. The sound is both full and articulate. Barre chords sound and feel more distinct. The overall effect is that the MP sounds like it has a preamp added to a passive pickup (even though it has no pickup, in the first place). These strings seem to really like cedar tops.
But, here's the hard part. I don't necessarily prefer these strings over the Living Waters in much the same way that I don't prefer the Living Waters over the Southcoast ML-SWs. They sound different, but not "better" than the other. I very much like both sounds. The Southcoasts also seem to have a bit more tension which adds to my fingerpicking style. But, even that distinction is slight.
For now, the hot setup seems to be LWs on the Pono all acacia tenor and Southcoasts on the cedar top/mango back and sides MP. I would like to think that I can now stop swapping out strings (until further notice).
Then I read about the new Southcoast ML-SW sets. I had used a set of Southcoast ML-RW strings and liked them but the Living Waters seemed to maybe be a little more balanced from string to string (might have also been my imagination).
So, I ordered a set of the new ML-SWs and put them on the MP last night. Immediately, the cedar top moved to a new level. It seemed like the new strings had energized the soundboard in a way that was different from any string I had tried up to this point.
Still warm and balanced (maybe even more so than the ML-RWs), but the main difference is how the tonal quality that attracted me to a cedar top in the first place has been enhanced. The sound is both full and articulate. Barre chords sound and feel more distinct. The overall effect is that the MP sounds like it has a preamp added to a passive pickup (even though it has no pickup, in the first place). These strings seem to really like cedar tops.
But, here's the hard part. I don't necessarily prefer these strings over the Living Waters in much the same way that I don't prefer the Living Waters over the Southcoast ML-SWs. They sound different, but not "better" than the other. I very much like both sounds. The Southcoasts also seem to have a bit more tension which adds to my fingerpicking style. But, even that distinction is slight.
For now, the hot setup seems to be LWs on the Pono all acacia tenor and Southcoasts on the cedar top/mango back and sides MP. I would like to think that I can now stop swapping out strings (until further notice).