Gauges: 13-17-24-32-42-56
Martin’s proprietary Nickel/Copper alloy blend wrap wire provides for a reduced pick attack and allows the guitar’s tonewoods to be heard, not overshadowed. It offers a uniquely mellow, yet crisp, sound. Martin’s wrap is a solid Nickel/Copper blend, not nickel-plated, meaning there is no chance for defects to allow for corrosion. Martin's proprietary wrap is naturally strong and corrosion-resistant, so much so that it has been used in the propeller of dreadnought battleships and various machinery and tooling applications.
Discover the most responsive vintage tone from Martin. Order today.
Displaying reviews 1-3
Back to top
So you are thinking about trying Martin Retro (Monel) strings. Here's a few things you should know. They do not sound or feel like your basic bronze wound string (either 80/20 or phosphor). My best description of how they sound is: like your guitar. The strings tend to have a very fundamental tone to the sound without very much overtone. So if your sitka and rosewood acoustic is sounding a little muddy or blurry with too much overtone, these will help considerably. They are not overly bassy or trebly, but also not as midrange heavy as phosphor bronze strings. They have a very balanced sound (string to string). They do not sound like plain electric steel strings (jangly, without much tone) even though they look similar. And amazingly, they do not lose much tone over time. Even though they are not coated, they still sound good a month or two (even over 3 months) after you put them on! They may not be as loud as bronze strings (I have read this but my experience is that they are just as loud).I have not put these strings on a laminated wood guitar (only all solid wood instruments). I cannot say whether they would sound good on a laminated instrument (especially one with a laminated top). These strings will only sound as good as your guitar, where as 80/20 bronze can bring out bass and treble that the guitar might not have.
They also feel different than your standard 80/20 or phosphor bronze strings. They feel slightly easier to press down and bend. I use the medium gauge (.013 to .056) strings and they feel closer to regular or light gauge (.012 to .053) of the 80/20 variety. So they are easier to play at a heavier gauge.
To sum up:
full, clear fundamental tone
easy to play, even at heavier gauges
balanced volume from string to string
sounds like your guitar
Martin MM13 Laurence Juber Signature Medium Light Acoustic Guitar Strings
.Monel strings are not for everybody but i like it for my style of playing. This particular set is just light enough for me to get away with on my 12 fret 000 RK OS-10. They give a nice clean sound with plenty of punch.
Martin MM13 Laurence Juber Signature Medium Light Acoustic Guitar Strings
.Trying these on my Martin D16GT. Easy to play, fingers move with ease across the fretboard. Nice sound.
Martin MM13 Laurence Juber Signature Medium Light Acoustic Guitar Strings
.