322 12 Fret strings

[Guitargeak99]

Hi all,
I thought I would share about my on-going string journey for my 322 12 Fret. It’s fun to experiment.
In the last  few years I have tried darn near every string under the sun - D’Addario, Martin, Elixer, J Pearse, Straight Up,......to name a few. I haven’t tried DR or Santa Cruz strings.
She seems to like extra light (or custom light) gauge. Plays easy and still drives the top easily, and the tone seems more balanced. When I run a larger gauge it seems to muddy up when I strum it. The bass that comes out of this small guitar is surprising.

So, this guitar has always seemed to want a brighter string - that our other 14 fret guitars do not like. A warmer Phosphor Bronze string on this guitar makes it sound like an “all Hog” guitar. Which it is not. IMO a brighter string really lets the Blackwood back & sides sound like it supposed to. When I originally decided on this guitar, I was first playing the 522 12 Fret all Hog. It was a really nice guitar, but as soon as I reached over and grabbed the 322 (a cheaper model) I was hooked. They say Blackwood sonically is in between Rosewood and Mahogany- I don’t know, but the Blackwood has a chime that I love.
Anyway, so far the best strings have been the Ernie Ball Alum/Bronze in extra light gauge. After a week they look 10 years old, but they sound great and last a long time for me. Funny, these strings on my other guitars sound terrible - bright and brittle.
Well my latest strings are GHS Signatures - extra light. It’s a toss-up at this point. I always thought GHS were just electric guitar strings. I like on their site how it shows a bar graph to list the tone of their various strings (My daughter loves their “Vintage” strings on her Martin D35).
Regardless, this little guitar just keeps getting better.

Regards, Steve

[jpmist]

"Anyway, so far the best strings have been the Ernie Ball Alum/Bronze in extra light gauge."

Yeah, I've been on the same journey as you with my 322 and the EB's Al/Bronze are the ones I settled on. I'm better with Custom lights. I've bought and sold three all hog guitars before figuring out they're all too "mellow" sounding for my damaged eardrums. The Al/Bronze adds just enough treble to offer a nice crispness to the 322 tone. I get a lot of life out of mine, maybe 4-5 months before I can actually tell they're dead. Haven't tried the GHS on this guitar, but likely not to as I'm very happy with the EB's.

[actaylor]

Have you tried Martin Retros?  I have them on a Rainsong 12-fret and really like them.

[Guitargeak99]

Have you tried Martin Retros?  I have them on a Rainsong 12-fret and really like them.

Yes I have. Tried Retros and the D’Addario Nickle Bronze - didn’t like either.
I like changing strings about every 2 months (just because), and for now I will be switching in between the Ernie Balls and the GHS.

[southbeck]

I actually just registered to this forum to see what strings people are using on their 322´s.

I´m really happy with my 322e 12 fret but the only thing I´ve been missing is a bit more shimmer in the top end. So I changed to elixir 80/20´s and they really seem to do the job. Since it´s set up for elixirs the intonation is still there and the basic sound of the elixirs. But the 80/20 have more top end that I think the guitar needs. Recommended!

[Guitargeak99]

I actually just registered to this forum to see what strings people are using on their 322´s.

I´m really happy with my 322e 12 fret but the only thing I´ve been missing is a bit more shimmer in the top end. So I changed to elixir 80/20´s and they really seem to do the job. Since it´s set up for elixirs the intonation is still there and the basic sound of the elixirs. But the 80/20 have more top end that I think the guitar needs. Recommended!

Welcome Southbeck!
I know what you mean, about the shimmer from this guitar. It’s the very reason I bought mine.
It has to be the Blackwood b/s.
I doubt if I ever abandon the Ernie Ball AB’s.
I have tried out a ton of strings, but I never have tried the Elixer 80/20.
But, I will now.

Regards

[southbeck]

Guess I´ll have to try the Ernie balls. But I can´t seem to find them in 12-53s that the guitar is setup and intonated for.

[Guitargeak99]

Guess I´ll have to try the Ernie balls. But I can´t seem to find them in 12-53s that the guitar is setup and intonated for.

Believe it or not, I run the 11’s. The ease of play and intonation is great.
I now never run the 12-52 gauge anymore. That’s one of things about this guitar that I like so much. With lighter strings it’s still loud, and more articulate with regards to note separation.

[Jersey tuning]

If you can get DR Sunbeams, they would be worth a try.  Buy regular light gauge, as these strings are round core and have lower string tension already.

[southbeck]

Anyone care to make a clip of the 322 with ernie ball al/bronze? Nothing fancy needed. Just some chords recorded with iPhone or something would be great!

[jpmist]

Here goes my take on the Game of Thrones theme with a fresh set of Ernie Ball AL Bronze on my 322 12 fret, capo on F#.

https://soundcloud.com/jpmist/got-030420

I like these strings a lot on the 322 because they brighten up the melody notes in this piece. This will sound better with headphones than laptop speakers. I'm no sound engineer, so I kinda like a full in your face recording. Two mikes, about 14" away. No eq so it's maybe a little muddy. . .