Elixir Custom Light PB on GC3?

[Jannie]

I just got a custom Ivory saddle from Bob Colosi and it sounds sweet where I was bothered with my weird hearing regarding a chime From the B and high E, boy it cleaned that up sweetly. In the on and off of fine tweaking ( my first time ) I snapped a string so will pick up another set in the morning.

So I got to thinking how it might be just a little more comfortable if I installed Elixir Custom Light PBs instead of Lights while I'm getting used to the setup, everything is real close and I'd probably have just done a minor truss rod adjustment with the lights but wondered if this is a good time to experiment by trying out a set of custom lights. 4 strings are one gauge lighter, A and D stay the same. Will their be a large difference, I don't want to go all the way to Extra Lights.

I play finger style with no nails if that affects anything!

[michaelw]

hi Jannie,
i believe that trying a set of custom light strings would be worthwhile,
especially with the short scale GC & the playing style you've described -
imho, more of the difference will be felt in the G, B & e, & it may  need
a minor truss rod tweak, as it is likely that the strings will have a greater
arc of travel (vibration) if you are playing with the same level of 'attack',
but i would suggest changing the strings first & letting  them settle in
a bit to see how the guitar responds before making other adjustments

what others have experienced may vary considerably, but for me, when i've put
extra light .010 - .047s on Taylors i've had in the past, all i heard were the strings &
it made little, if any, difference what tonewoods were on the guitar, which were
pre-Standard II braced grand auditorium models, ranging from a 314ce to a 914c

what you hear & feel will most likely be different, so i would
suggest trying the custom lights to see if you like them better -
the nice thing about is the strings is they're one of the easiest things
to change on a guitar ... unless it has a Floyd Rose & locking nut

[Jannie]

Michael thank you so much; my store doesn't carry Custom Light Elixirs so I picked up a set of Martin SP Custom Light Phosphor Bronze as they are the same diameter as the Elixir Custom Lights.

Really nice, yes probably lower volume but sweet all through the scale, with the new Bob Colosi E. Ivory Saddle it to me sounds more like what I wanted from a steel string guitar. Now to get used to everything, let the strings and neck settle, do fine adjustments etc. At first I did take the neck so that the action was up about 1/64th and played awhile and then took it down a little. I have a tiny bit of lowering to do on the Bass side of the saddle or maybe not, I'll wait as it's really nice to play the way it's set up.

Whew, I'll probably want to order some of the Elixir Custom Light PB - sometime, just to know, or not.

[DennisG]

Whew, I'll probably want to order some of the Elixir Custom Light PB - sometime, just to know, or not.

Jannie,

Be aware that the Elixer PBs need a couple hours of break-in time before they'll sound sweet.

[Gary0319]

I use Elixir 80/20 Custom Lights on both my Taylor GC's, and have used them on many more GC's of all brands as well.

They are my standard gauge.

If I'm using PB's I prefer the D'Addario Custom Lights.

Gary

[Jannie]

I installed some EXP Custom Light PB's today and wow are they sweet and perfect with Bob Colosi's Ivory Saddle. Compared to the Martin SP Custom Light PBs, the EXP's really opened up the sound, semed to increase the volume fingerpicking as well. I got a set of Elixir Nano PB Custom Lights in the order as well and when the EXPs wear out, I'll give them a try. The guitar seems much sweeter/smoother to play by going to the Custom Lights.

[michaelw]

hi Jannie,
i'm glad that you are liking the custom light EXPs -
i believe that as more playing time is put on the strings, that you
may  find that they will being to mellow & warm up a bit more

in comparison, i've found that the Elixir Nano PBs have more of a 'played-in' tone from
the beginning & that in terms of them getting 'darker' over time, that the difference is
more subtle than with the EXPs, but more of an overall change than with Nano 80/20s

have fun

[dkoloff]

With the short scale I like going the opposite direction to the light mediums....call me crazy.