Thanks for the feedback. Next string change, I'll definitely give a lighter set a try.
See the attached article that resides on Elixir's website.
Bo
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The Story Behind the Strings
Taylor Guitars worked with Elixir Strings to create a custom string set that brings bolder highs and fuller lows to the Grand Concert and Grand Auditorium guitars.
One sign of a great guitar is its ability to sound like the same instrument from the lowest note to the highest note. In Bob Taylor's view, Andy Powers has a natural instinct for how to create that in a guitar (see sidebar), as demonstrated by the uniformity of character in the notes of the Grand Orchestra. A guitar's type and gauge of strings can play an important role in helping to express this.
For the 800s, Andy began by switching from Elixir Acoustic 80/20 Bronze Strings with NANOWEB® Coating, which we've been using for years, to Elixir Acoustic Phosphor Bronze Strings with NANOWEB Coating.
"The phosphor bronze strings have a nice, rich shimmer on the high end, with a richer, broader warmth overall," he says.
Andy and the rest of the product development team liked them so much that they made the decision to install the Phosphor Bronze sets on all of Taylor's steel-string models for 2014.
More specifically, as Andy looked to optimize the tone for each body shape within the 800 Series, he explored alternative string gauge options, particularly for the Grand Concert and Grand Auditorium. Andy felt the overall articulation could be enhanced by creating the right tension profile at the bridge. Or, as Bob put it: "He wanted more guts out of the high end."
"One of my favorite tricks in the past was to make this custom, hybrid set," Andy explains. "I'd use medium-gauge for the top two strings, blended into a regular light set on the low end. It gave me the bold quality that I wanted on the treble notes without overloading the soundboard with a lot of extra tension. I ended up with a little louder guitar that was also warmer on the low end."
While Andy was able to get close to what he wanted with his hybrid set, he wanted to fine-tune the calibration even more. A phone call to our friends at Elixir Strings led to some productive collaboration, and ultimately, an ideal solution. The result is a unique set, named HD Light, that blends Elixir light- and medium-gauge strings with a custom .025 gauge third string (a standard light-gauge G string is a .024; the medium is a .026). The specific gauging is: .013, .017, .025, .032, .042, .053.
The custom gauging serves to complement the construction of the Grand Concert and Grand Auditorium and creates an ideal tone profile across the bridge, as Elixir Strings engineer Justin Fogleman explains.
"The increased tension of the treble strings improves their articulation, balancing their voice within the mix," he says. "The interaction of the tension profile with the soundboard also adds to the harmonic content of the bass strings, creating a warmer, fuller sound."
Andy says the new sets are perfect for these shapes.
"The hand feel is incredibly balanced," he shares. "And knowing that I was going to get to use this string set influenced the way I braced and voiced the guitars.
