D'Addario Silk & Steel Acoustic Strings EJ40, 6-String, 11-47

Many years ago, I had played a Yamaha acoustic daily. My poor left hand fingers were completely numb on the tips, and blistered each time I played on the strings I was using. Typing was very painful in class. I later was in a music store & spotted strings, and so looked them over. Saw (martin) Folk Silk & Steel strings. Reading, says were 'easy on fingers', mellow sounding. The first part is what got my attention. I bought them and strung them up. Oh wow. Yes! Easy on fingers! My fingers healed up and got feeling back over the coming days, even while still playing 2-4 hours per day. Got married and stopped playing except very occasionally over the next 39 years. Fast forward to this last July, I bought a new guitar and much better guitar. Oh no. The strings! Meat grinders again. But. I knew what was needed, and I played on them for a few minutes daily, building may left hand back up. Strength wise and callouses. Except these strings also left bruising and did cut my fingers. Looking on Amazon, I knew I wanted Silk & Steel strings again. Or at least I thought. Oh my gosh..... cannot believe how many brands of strings now! 1970's, there weren't many brands or kinds NOR gauges. Crud. What to get? Spent more than 2 weeks looking and reading... Finally decided on these D'addario Silk & Steel. The 1st strings, high E, is 11, whereas Martin is 11.5. D'addarion would be slightly easier on that high string on my pinkie finger. It's the one that is bruised the most. The other strings are the same as the Martin's. Love these strings! Mellow and soft and the notes just flowwww..... strings & guitar just resonate... the sound lasting... not falling off as quick as the original strings. Yes! Got my wonderful sound back and love listening while playing again. I do finger picking... kind of banjo style. Notes on these strings ring true without brassy sounds..... bass is solid & rings, and not thunking as the strong (hard) strings were producing. (the guitar came with 13's! Not good on fingers that the last time playing at all had been 15 years earlier, and on Silk & Steel at that. Did NOT like the sound of 13's either. Very HARD notes, no flowing & then tapering off sound.) Am very happy with these D'addarios Silk & Steel. I do not miss the extra .5 on the Martin high E string. I sat and played for 4 hours on these strings. My back gave out sitting with my dreadnought. My left hand fingers were still okay and could have played a lot longer. But, my back said no, put the guitar away and play again tomorrow. Love these strings. ^_^

I'm in love, I wish I'd found these style/type of strings so many years ago. I was always annoyed by how bright and boomy my dreadnaught acoustic guitar was, so I really didn't gravitate to it. I was looking for ways to "calm" the guitar down. I tried putting clothes, foam, a sound hole cover in. But non of that really did it for me. Well looking into it on the internet, these popped up and Idecided to give it a go. Everything I was always looking for. Nice, mellow strings with good tone. Like what you might hear on a lot of records. Much better price than what my firend pays for his brand. I have a set that still sounds good after numerous hours of playing, guitar on a stand, verying temperatures, and the sound has held up. Very easy on the fingers, too. So much easier to play than stand strings. Perfect for writing. Will and have bought again, am going to try the 12-string set next.

I put in a Google search for "strings for Cordoba Acero guitar for an older guitarist with arthritis" and these were the top recommendation from AI. I restrung my guitar an hour ago and am starting out in DADGAD tuning. How beautiful they sound, perfect for the Celtic music I play. Warm, mellow, easy on my fingertips, and rich in character, plus they are staying in tune. I am delighted!

Loving them. Feels so good and does not sacrifice sound quality. 10/10

What really made the difference was being able to take the artificial tension out the neck by losening the truss rod. This was only possible due to the much lower string tension. Theres a tiny bit more relief now, but the truss rod is fully loose and the guitar can finally breath. The bark in the g string is almost completely gone and the instrument sounds so relaxed and open now.

I originally wrote an unfavorable review but only because delivery was late (not a good reason) and these strings most definitely deserve a five star review. I have several guitars and tried many different types of strings. I usually like the Elixir PB, but these EJ40 strings are simply fantastic on my Koa GS mini. They play amazing and sound so mellow and nice especially good with an alternate tuning such as dadgad or an open. I know Taylor says get med gauge but these to me are so much better. Just give them a try, a bargin price, may not last as long as PB but silk and steel is amazing.

A childhood friend of mine plays in a touring band and is a luthier when not touring. He has been playing guitar since he was 10 (we are 50 now) and recommended these strings to me. He loves them and I respect his opinion so on his recommendation I tried them. Love these strings on my Yamaha FG800. I've upgraded this guitar with a bone nut and saddle. With these strings the tone is bright, but warm. I'd say it is more "bluegrass and country" than it would be "rock and blues". Although, if you are a bit more aggressive with the pick you do get a great "classic blues" tone. These are a little more expensive than some other brands but I feel like the quality of these stings is a bit better. I also think they last longer than other brands too so, a couple dollars difference is a wash. I personally find these strings to be easier on your fingers than bronze or phosphor bronze (your results may vary). I feel like you do have to make a compromise with these strings. In my opinion there is a bit of a trade off; while I love the overall tone and playability I must admit the projection on the high end is not as good as I would like. Even digging in with the pick on those higher notes, it doesn't have the OOMPH, I'd like compared the the phosphor bronze strings I typically use. I do keep a set of silk & steel and phosphor bronze on hand and will change them out depending on the songs I am learning or the mood I am in. It would probably be easier to get another acoustic guitar!

Wonderful sound. I buy these for my son who plays all kinds of music. Soft, soulful, iconic, and screaming vocal. Dont know what the last is actually called but these strings work well.

These are absolutely top notch strings. They provide a mellow sound on my Alverez slimline guitar

Excellente corde elle ont une meilleure sonorité ma bc rich acoustique sonne beaucoup plus que avant branché dans l ampli avec du phazer et delai c fou c est désormais mes cordes de prédilection je n' acheterai plus que ce model

Para quem quer qualidade e durabilidade sem ser um produto destinado a músicos profissionais, sendo assim, um custo acessível.

Ich verwendete viele Jahre lang Phosphor-Bronze-Saiten des gleichen Herstellers für meine Stahlsaiten-Gitarre und war mit deren Klang (ziemlich hochtonlastig) nie so ganz zufrieden. Zum Schrubben taugte es. Ein Blick auf die Website des Herstellers genügte, damit ich wusste warum. Während meine alten Saiten auf der Bright-Mellow-Skala maximal Bright (hell, knackig) zugeordnet sind, liegen die hier Rezensierten Saiten maximal bei Mellow (mild, warm). Der Unterschied ist deutlich hörbar und ich habe nun endlich die Stahlsaiten-Gitarre, welche ich schon immer haben wollte - ein Traum! Hinsichtlich Stimmbarkeit und Tonstabilität fällt mir bislang keine Unterschied auf. Bei meiner Gitarre ist beides sehr gut, weil die Seiten gerade über den Sattel geführt werden und weil ich nur wenige Wicklungen auf den Wirbeln zulasse. Die vorhandene Brillanz (natürlich geringer als bei den knackigen Phosphor-Bronze-Saiten) scheint weniger schnell nachzulassen, was für mich den Eindruck einer höheren Klangstabilität erweckt. Ich bin noch nie ein Freund des häufigen Saitenwechsels gewesen.

Bought these for accoustic guitar. They have lovely tone but were not really loud enough without amplification. I believe they are really meant for a nylon string guitar. They do have a lovely tone though.