Flat Tops Phosphor Bronze Strings EFT16, 12-53

Fabulous strings. I spent three years trying others in an attempt to find a better choice. Failed. Have returned to my first loves...

Nice crisp sound from these and helps reduce string noise. Just love playing these a nice feel to them and makes my guitar resonate. Check out your left hand technique because if you are getting a lot of string noise you may be able to make some adjustments accordingly.

Firstly, you should only be buying these stings if you need to cut down squeaking when moving around the fretboard. They do this very well and can be a absolute requirement for clean recording. They are not fully flat wound and I would NOT drop down a size from your standard gauge. They just have the top of the round taken off. When new, expect them to sound just like the cheaper D'Addario strings of the same gauge but just a little less bright on the low end. You are paying a lot to reduce string squeak nothing more. Do not expect them to sound like archtop flat wounds, you will be disappointed. The other comprises is they will clog up and go dull faster than your standard string. Wiping down your strings regularly become more important with these strings if you want them to last. All that said, these strings are fantastic at what they aim to do. If you are playing cowboy chords or using a capo and staying within one area of the fretboard don't waste your money, but if you play the length of the fretboard and need clean performance/recording you will be very, very happy with these. Just don't drop down a size. again, flat tops not flat wounds. I also see a number of people have had quality issues with the windings, I have not and have used many sets, both myself and in the studio, so while I don't doubt this happened, I don't think it's any more likely than any other quality string.

I'm just learning guitar and I find these strings to be easier on my fingers.

Quite pricey but my boyfriend loves them and they do sound really good. Although he has had several breaks fairly shortly after fitting them but he’s not delicate and he plays for a living so it’s expected. Would recommend trying.

I am a beginner so was not use to holding strings. It used to give me finger sore. But this one is perfect; easy to hold and does not give as much finger sore. So, I am satisfied with it.

Wow! These make chord changes so much quieter than regular strings. Make me sound much more proficient !

Good strings

Ff

Gekauft für Takamine, angenehm zu spielen. Guter Klang

Si no te molesta el .12 estas cuerdas tienen el balance de medios y graves calidos. Conservaron si brillo por 3 meses con uso moderado en una Ej 200 para mi gusto si lo valen para ser las cuerdas que casi nadie quiere tocar.

Bought this set for my Yamaha LL16. I had put brass bridge pins on the guitar because I didn't care for the look of the stock pins and thought it would match the tuners better. I wasn't sure but I thought the swap ended up making the guitar sound a bit brighter. It wasn't too bad so I left it. During research into something else guitar related I went down the rabbit hole of roundwound vs flatwound and decided to give these a try. I put these on January 20th and so far.. I really like them. The wound strings sound a little deeper/warmer than roundwounds and it seems to have counteracted the brightness effect of the brass pins. The guitar is now boomy again but not too boomy. Nice and full. There's a pleasing clarity and string squeaking (finger noise) isn't nearly as noticeable, although not completely eliminated. No issues with tuning stability. The time to stretch out the strings were the same as my usual set. One thing that really jumped out at me is that as I was changing the strings, these new strings seemed to grip the cloth that I had my guitar laying on. Can't really feel it with my fingers but there's definitely some noticeable friction if you really dig into the strings with a pick and rub them with the flat side. I angle the pick and strike the strings with more of the edge than the flat side so it's not an issue for me. For others it might be something. Longevity is my main concern now and I'll update this review when it's time to restring. If I don't burn through this set as fast as I do with my usual strings, I'll probably make these my new go-to strings. I hope it works out because I REALLY like the sound of my guitar now, but not the price.

I previously used Phosphor Bronze strings (usually D'Addario) or Silk & Steel (D'Addario, Martin, LaBella). I wanted something that was brighter than Silk & Steel but could still reduce string squeak while recording. So far, these strings have fit the bill. I play mostly fingerstyle (with finger tips, rarely with nails) on a 000-sized Martin guitar. And I usually record it with an LDC. These flat tops have reduced the amount of slide noises to a more hospitable level. I've gone through several sets of these strings and I've yet to encounter any quality control issues. No string breaks or unraveling. If you want to close mic an acoustic guitar without all the extra finger squeaks, then give these a try.