Silk and Steel 80/20 Bronze

To get back into my neglected hobby of guitar playing (never been more than a six or seven chord wonder, and absolutely CAN NOT play barre chords! I know my limits...) just before Chrimble I purchased a nice left handed Vangoa Semi Acoustic (see my review of that elsewhere for the low down on the lovely item). It arrived pre-strung with what felt like cheese wire designed to part me from my finger tips permanently. Now of course I understand that you have to, through regular practice, toughen up your finger ends - but I have an additional hurdle. Due to a genetic disaster, I have an auto immune problem that makes me prone to very soft skin and bouts of psoriasis. Toughening up the finger ends really is an uphill struggle. I looked into finger cap things (I believe they call them "cots") but apparently these are a CON and YOU SHOULD ABSOLUTELY NOT BUY THEM. So panicking that I would never get anywhere, I wondered if maybe we could do something about the strings perhaps? Yes, we certainly can. There's the nylon option if you have an actual acoustic, but (a) I had a semi acoustic, so that's no good me, and (b) I hate how nylon strings sound anyway. A few of the old hands were recommending something cryptic "Earthwood". Science fiction book, Pagan Holy Site, old BBC radio series, or what? Well, it turns out that Earthwood is a special set of strings manufactured by one of my fave string companies, Ernie Ball. Indeed, they are truly special. These wonders have a layer of silk inside the windings, making them softer and easier to play for we sensitives. Apparently, according to the cognoscenti, they don't last as long as other types of string, and one has to be careful with their cleaning, but strings are the guitar's "consumables" - you have to change them often *anyway*, and it's not like they cost the earth! So I purchased a string multi-tool (see the review for *this* elsewhere too!) and a couple of sets of Earthwoods. As soon as I had a day where I felt strong enough, I restrung my Vangoa, and the difference was instantly noticeable. The Earthwoods have a smoother and more delicate tone that (according to what I had read) is not to everyone's taste, but I fell in love immediately. It's more folky, jangly, and nowhere near as brash and tinny sounding as the previous generic jobs. Although I've only managed a half hour or so of playing on them, I've found them so very agreeable. My other option was to get one of my electrics out of storage and get started on "the toughening", but an acoustic is so much easier to simply "pick up and play" anytime, whilst you have to locate your cables, your portable amp, connect everything up and fiddle with settings before strumming chord one. So in sum, Earthwood strings from Ernie Ball are a splendid addition to your guitar bag - whether like me you're fighting against everything (even my own collapsing carcass!) to get back into playing after a long hiatus, or you simply fancy a slightly mellower, toned down sound from your acoustic. They are not the cheapest strings in the world - who on earth would want *them*? - but they are not really that expensive for a decent set that's easy on the fingers. As I said, I purchased two sets. We've all known the horror of an overtightened G-string that simply explodes in your hands to the shock and dismay of all around, and as you wipe up the blood you're faced with that terrifying thought: "Where do I even get a spare G-string at 2am on a Sunday morning? Why didn't I just buy two sets?" But I suffered no such ignominy - indeed it's rare with decent named-brands - so I have a spare set to go in my Geetar Stuff drawer. I'm very happy with my Earthwoods, and maybe if you give them a try, you will be too!

I did question putting 10 gauge strings on an acoustic. To me, this is more like a heavy-gauge set of electrics. Also whilst I've always used "Ernie's" for electric, I've inherently trusted D'Addario for acoustic. So this was a big change for me. However these are beautiful. - The "springiness" is positively joyful bringing a depth of happiness to major chords like nothing I've heard. - For picking not only does it make life easier but they still have the sustain you'd expect from heavier set strings. - Barre chords are a sinch so it means you get a good sound (no involuntary "twanginess") even after a quick change. - Oddly the G is wound; meaning you end up with 4 wound and 2 "naked" strings (as opposed to 3/3 like you'd expect by default). I presume this to compensate for the gauge's thinness? However it means that you get less of the "cheese wire" effect on fingers after a while of playing. So far - these have been on for a month of everyday playing and - whilst they're definitely losing their initial lustre a tad - they're not dead yet. They seem to have the longevity of a decent set of 11s. Can't fault them.

I gave these a try out of interest, and whilst they are perfectly fine I prefer my bluesier sounding Earthwood strings. I found these were easier to play, probably because of the silk content as well as being a 10 gauge instead of my usual 11. So, chords were easier to grip, and it was easier to slide through the frets when playing individual notes. Bending notes was also easier. However for my ear, I found the top two strings to be too bright, and on the loud side when striking a full chord. Also, maybe because of the silk content and light gauge, there was less base from the bottom strings. Still a good buy though for those that want a brighter relatively comfortable playing experience.

On the face of it.....these are the best sounding strings I've ever put on a guitar but, in fairness, at over £14 I would expect them to be. I'm not sure it's a level I'm really prepared to continue paying as I'm a 'working musician' so I see £14 as about a months wages, but I'm certainly tempted to switch from D’Addario after 40 odd years to the cheaper Ernie Ball strings. So onto the strings.... I got the regular, lights are great but I don't have a guitar that really likes lights if I have the action where I want it. However, these do seem to be lower tension than standard D’Addario mediums and by setting the neck perfectly straight and lowering the saddle by a couple of mm I got the action how I like it with no fret buzz. They certainly feel a lot nicer on the fingers, but I think that's more about tension than the coating. I play 3-6 hours 5 days a week, but I don't thrash the strings. With regular cleaning I'd hope to get 3 months out of them.....I'm not that worried about the tone becoming poorer as I teach singing groups, guitar is just to give people something to follow in the background for me. If they survive over that I'll get them again....and they might because I rotate a number of guitars, mandolins, bouzoukis, etc. These are on my Nova Go Sp1, and that's probably the kind of guitar you would want these one to make it sound a lot fuller as a strummed instrument. I don't think my solid wood acoustics would really benefit as dramatically as they seem to need higher tension strings. They would be easier to play, but it's not simple getting the action right on 1960's Ekos.....sometimes the suffering is necessary, but If I find a heavy gauge version of these I'd give them a go. I think these are really good, but a little pricey. Guitar strings are not usually a long term investment, but I'll update if these surprise me

Works

Ottime corde

Ok. I own a Taylor GS Mini. I am 63 and my fingers are not what they used to be. I was a little skeptical at first, but I decided to try a set. I was expecting a softer touch with the silk wrap, and less "string talk". I tried a set of 10-50s for starters. Stays in tune well. Sound is awesome with less finger squeak. The tone is bright but not too bright. My Taylor is all mahagony body and the strings compliment it rather well. Just reordered a set of 11-52s. These are now my acoustic go-to's.

Buenas cuerdas.

Bonnes cordes