Ernie Ball Aluminum Bronze Medium Light Acoustic Guitar Strings

Most Liked Negative Review

Nice try...but are a gimmick.

I bought a set of these strings recently hoping that the claims of increased brightness and bass projection would win me over. Yes, they are quite bright and project well. Initially I was impressed by the new sound they brought out. But after a couple of days, the overall sound of these strings seems to also have a bit of an artificial quality to them...somewhat like the sound of an electric guitar. Sort of like an EQ that has been overly boosted in the mid and high ranges. Kinda flashy and exaggerated. In my opinion, this compromises the natural timbre that is so characteristic of a good sounding acoustic guitar. In addition, after four or five days of using these strings, I had decided to replace the bridge saddle on this same guitar (something I had been putting off doing to this guitar for a while). As a guitar instructor, I routinely setup guitars and replace bridge saddles and the like. Once I got the new saddle on and started to re-tighten the strings (which were as I mentioned earlier, only a few days old) the G string abruptly broke. Perhaps this is because it is an aluminum type of string? Aluminum is known to be a rather brittle metal and often breaks rather than bends when stressed. In any case, that really soured me on these strings. Bottom line here is...take a pass on these strings. Yes, they sound cool and very different than most other strings out there. But I think they are a 'here today - gone tomorrow' gimmick, and one that looses it's initial sound fascination rapidly. They also don't seem to hold up very well unlike many other strings available today. It's back to the Martin Lifespans for me! Mike M.