JC Dobro - Posted - 06/03/2023:  17:27:27

Not sure how long this has been in place…but just noticed the NB1656 nickel-bronze strings are reduced to $8.99 on Amazon, Sweetwater, Juststrings, and probably other on-line sellers. Must be a promo?? - this is a $3 cost savings per set.

Same set Rob Ickes, Josh Swift and others have touted. I think these are really good strings; they sound great (to me) and last way longer than EJ42s. YMMV.

Anyhow, good time to save a few bucks, if this is your thing.

Just passing info along.

BrianMac - Posted - 06/04/2023:  07:29:36

Thanks for tip, Jamie! Best price I’ve seen on these. Way more life than EJ42s, yes.

yetilumber - Posted - 06/04/2023:  12:19:40

Glad to see this, thanks Jamie!

Been using $10 set GHS Cryogenic Reso strings from the SGF 17 19 28 36 46 56

Will be interesting to try/compare the D'Addarios 16 18 28 35 45 56

NB1656 are slightly lighter on four strings, the same on two.

J

JC Dobro - Posted - 06/04/2023:  17:21:34

Sure thing guys!

FWIW, Sweetwater tagged the promo price as good through 7/16. Not sure how accurate that is, but there ya go…

WGale - Posted - 06/05/2023:  06:03:17

Nice price. Just bought 5 sets from Amazon to restock my supply.

JC Dobro - Posted - 06/06/2023:  09:42:36

quote:

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Originally posted by yetilumber

Glad to see this, thanks Jamie!



Been using $10 set GHS Cryogenic Reso strings from the SGF 17 19 28 36 46 56



Will be interesting to try/compare the D'Addarios 16 18 28 35 45 56



NB1656 are slightly lighter on four strings, the same on two.



J

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GHS Cryos were my main "go to" strings for years.  I have to say, I now enjoy having either a .016 (D'Addario) or .0165 (Straight up Strings) first string.  I get more zip and zing vs. the .017.  It was counter-intuitive to me at first, but my ears are the judge.

That said, since I also play Open D via the Hipshot DoubleShot, the .019 second string (as in the GHS Cryos or Straight Up Strings) is helpful to prevent that "plunky" sound when tuned in D.

The unusual .0265 third in the Straight Up Strings set lends itself to a more open-sounding, and pleasing "honk" when doing certain slide licks on that string...and it doesn't wear out any faster in my experience.

String longevity seems better to me on the D'Addario NB1656 and Straight up Strings, as compared to the GHS Cryos.  But only a slight advantage.  All of the above FAR superior to the EJ42s...which literally last me just a few hours.

So the net of this ramble, is I find myself using both the NB1656s and Straight up Strings, depending on what I'm feeling at the time of string change-over.

YMMV.  Would be interesting to hear others' comparison notes.

In any event, I've restocked on the NB1656s at the discounted price...lol.

Edited by - JC Dobro on 06/06/2023 09:45:06

yetilumber - Posted - 06/06/2023:  10:37:38

Good info Jamie.

I ordered two sets of the D'Addario Sunday as well as GHS Cryo's.
Looking forward to hearing/comparing them.

My 28 gauge GHS string broke a couple weeks ago and all I had on hand was a John Pearse
Weissenborn 27 gauge to replace it with. Sounds and plays good enough. I am not super picky,
haha.

Thanks again for the tip on the sale price!

JMan

Oboe Cadobro - Posted - 06/08/2023:  09:31:08

Wow, nice discount!

I just looked, and I've still got 5 NB1656 and a handful of EJ42 in the drawer...what to do, what to do...

MarkinSonoma - Posted - 06/08/2023:  17:00:46

I have a decent sized box of a variety of string packs that were gifted to me by a dobro friend awhile back because he decided he's strictly a D'Addario EJ42 man, so I have plenty of strings on hand.

But with this sale price I decided to go for three packs of the Nickel Bronze to see what all the fuss is about. And on top of that my daughter has an Amazon Prime account, so they are coming with no charge for shipping. Just Strings would have charged I believe $6.95 for shipping  three packs. 

Edited by - MarkinSonoma on 06/08/2023 17:01:22

JC Dobro - Posted - 06/09/2023:  02:40:24

Yeah $8.99 shipped is a heckuva deal.

Since D’Addario used corrosion-proof packaging, there should be no issues with stockpiling a few extra sets.

Personally I don’t find anything “holy grail”-ish about these strings when first playing a fresh set. They do sound really good IMO. The combination of tone and longevity is what sets them apart in my view.

As I’ve opined before, a fresh set of EJ42s is amazing, but after about 3 hours, the thrill is gone.

Not so (again, IMO) with the NB1656s, which keep delivering on tone many days in…

YMMV.

resotom - Posted - 06/09/2023:  07:16:26

I have been using NB1656 for three years on all five of my resos..
Very highly recommended..

WGale - Posted - 06/09/2023:  07:49:36

I use the NB1656's on my open body/sound post design guitars and the EJ42's on the traditional sound well guitars. Works the best for me.

doug662 - Posted - 06/09/2023:  22:11:11

ok JC, I ordered a couple of sets of NB1656's. It is on you lol

JC Dobro - Posted - 06/10/2023:  04:23:09

Haha…my “YMMV” disclaimers protect me…lol

little ray - Posted - 06/10/2023:  21:15:23

Ordered the 25 bulk set from just strings of the Daddario phosphorus bronze 13 to 56. They were 129.00.

Oboe Cadobro - Posted - 06/12/2023:  15:07:48

quote:

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Originally posted by little ray

Ordered the 25 bulk set from just strings of the Daddario phosphorus bronze 13 to 56. They were 129.00.

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That's very interesting Ray, but what do Phosphor Bronze strings have to do with this thread? (the subject of which is Nickel Bronze).

mesmithut - Posted - 06/12/2023:  16:37:28

I had to order some given all of the praise. I am not disappointed. My go to strings have been the Dunlop phosphor bronze, mostly because they sound good and last ok and you could get them for less than $5 a set. Now that I can't find them for less than about $7, I don't feel they're quite as good a deal. I got six sets of the nickel bronze so hopefully I'm set for a few months.

Terry Harris - Posted - 06/12/2023:  18:26:41

Dane, Lighten up man. I'm sure he's just comparing strings pricing. I personally prefer the phosphor bronze and I have tried the nickel bronze but they're not for me.

badger - Posted - 06/13/2023:  05:45:05

OK, I took the bait, and abandoned my "phosphor bronze only" rule to try a set. They'll be here tomorrow. Going forward, I expect to sound exactly like Rob.

little ray - Posted - 06/13/2023:  05:59:15

I ordered 25 sets from just strings for $129.00. They are the phosphorus bronze strings 56.

little ray - Posted - 06/13/2023:  06:01:13

quote:

---

Originally posted by Oboe Cadobro

quote:

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Originally posted by little ray

Ordered the 25 bulk set from just strings of the Daddario phosphorus bronze 13 to 56. They were 129.00.

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That's very interesting Ray, but what do Phosphor Bronze strings have to do with this thread? (the subject of which is Nickel Bronze).

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They are Daddario sets. Just adding to the thread. I prefer phosphorus bronze strings. I've loved them for many years. 

Edited by - little ray on 06/13/2023 06:05:14

bob81 - Posted - 06/13/2023:  07:07:35

For your information, I have been in touch w/D'addario and the sale on strings is only good for June.

Oboe Cadobro - Posted - 06/13/2023:  08:30:04

quote:

---

Originally posted by Terry Harris

Dane, Lighten up man. I'm sure he's just comparing strings pricing. I personally prefer the phosphor bronze and I have tried the nickel bronze but they're not for me.

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Thanks Terry. Did you know that I bought some great new oboe reed cane last week? 

badger - Posted - 06/16/2023:  07:02:11

I put them on yesterday. 'Underwhelmed' is about as diplomatic as I can be. I'll leave them on for a bit, but really looking forward to a new set of phosphor bronze.

Oboe Cadobro - Posted - 06/19/2023:  09:41:45

quote:

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Originally posted by badger

I put them on yesterday. 'Underwhelmed' is about as diplomatic as I can be. I'll leave them on for a bit, but really looking forward to a new set of phosphor bronze.

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Phil, which guitar did you put the NB's on? When I was at your place, you had a walnut guitar that sounded darker than the Ace of Spades. If that's the guitar you put the strings on, I'm not surprised you didn't like them.

badger - Posted - 06/19/2023:  10:06:52

I put them on the jumbo cherry, which is a pretty balanced guitar. Played them yesterday in a jam. They're coming off today. YMMV...

gzerninplatz - Posted - 06/19/2023:  19:56:05

I use these on my combo dobro (Fishman pickup)/lap steel (Lollar string-through pickup). They are the best balance of just right for a magnetic pickup (nickel) and some acoustic tone (bronze). In the PA they sound great on both pickups.

I tried them on my acoustic instruments and took them off right away...they just don't have the zing and range of phosphor bronze. I use the long-life GHS (cryogenic) or D'Addario strings on those...not quite the zing of the EJ42s, but after a very short time, they surpass the EJ42s, which go dead in a flash...

CooderNator

 

Iceman6937 - Posted - 06/20/2023:  03:11:14

I love them on my electric lap steel...on acoustic reso not so much; kinda dull. GHS cryogenics on those.

JC Dobro - Posted - 06/20/2023:  09:09:43

There may be a usage model difference for those who tout the NB1656s, vs. those who cannot stand them.



I’ll say point blank that IMO nothing beats a fresh set of Phosphor Bronze strings. So if a player is after a superior acoustic tone, and plays (say) a few hours a week, I would be hard pressed to see any reason to favor the NB1656s.



That said, I (and evidently many others) see a very rapid drop-off in performance of PB strings like EJ42s after a few hours of hard playing.



It is nice to get a sustained performance out of a set over the course of multiple playing sessions, which is where I see the advantages of the NB1656s.



Over the course of 2 weeks, I played 3 multi-hour gigs, and numerous practice sessions/rehearsals, with one set of NB1656s. I would have burned through 4 sets of PBs over that stretch. It is a nice benefit to avoid the extra hassle and cost of all those string changes. Plus, the process of hearing the PBs degrade over a few hours annoys me.



Tone off-the-shelf is NOT the key selling point on the NB1656s…but rather the combination of longevity and tone. I suspect this is why Rob and Josh and others play them…and it’s also where I see the key benefit. I’ll also add, when playing amplified through an Aura rig, the NB1656 tone holds up well.



Clearly, YMMV.

Edited by - JC Dobro on 06/20/2023 09:12:56

MarkinSonoma - Posted - 06/20/2023:  13:13:07

I have yet to put them on, I just finished a 7 week blues fingerpicking course with my longtime occasional guitar teacher and the reso hasn't been out of the case for the entire time because I wanted to be reasonably competent after working on the weekly assignments prior to the next lesson. I didn't want to be distracted by the dobro, especially since the lessons aren't free. 

For the folks here who have commented on what they're hearing from these nickel bronze, the general vibe of this small sample is for those who plug in, they're all about them because of the lasting power.

When you are plugged in some of natural sound of  strings might be somewhat disguised, regardless of the brand or particular set. So if you can find strings on sale and they last longer before spiraling downward, it can be a good way to go. Rob was mentioned, and if he plugs in with Trey if not 100% of the time, it's close to it. 

As far as Jerry Douglas, this is from the gear page on his site, it's kind of confusing: 

"D’Addario Nickel and Bronze J42’s for Resoguuitar"

And there's Josh Swift who rarely plugs in but he apparently likes the nickel bronze. 

So who knows? Different strokes for different folks, and your mileage  may truly vary. 

FrederickPatterson - Posted - 06/21/2023:  11:10:58

I might need to try these since I seldom change strings. Probably not 25 sets though... 

Edited by - FrederickPatterson on 06/21/2023 11:11:50

MarkinSonoma - Posted - 06/21/2023:  12:12:43

quote:

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Originally posted by FrederickPatterson

I might need to try these since I seldom change strings. Probably not 25 sets though... 

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A favorite quote from an interview with  Mike Auldridge, who along with being a dobrolic genius had quite the wit:

Interviewer: Mike, how often do you change strings?

Mike: When someone is paying  me to play. 

doug662 - Posted - 07/13/2023:  06:36:51

I liked these so much, I ordered 2 more sets. Thanks for the tip

FrederickPatterson - Posted - 07/27/2023:  11:08:21

I missed the sale but had enough player points to get 3 free sets!