Hi All!
I received a mandolin for Christmas and have finally broken my first string. I’ve played violin for years and know what I like when it comes to violin strings, but I need some direction when looking for new strings for my mandolin.
Does anyone have any suggestions? I just play by myself, and I don’t play any particular style of music. I just plink around with it, at least right now.
Any help would be much appreciated!
I’d be sure not to go too heavy…no bigger than .011 for the E string, maybe .010 if you want an easy go of it. D’Addario make a good mandolin string, so maybe look for their J73 set, .010 - .038 in phosphor bronze. Cheers,
Rob
Coated strings (Elixirs) last a little longer and some people* love them. Otherwise, strings is strings, and the proof is how they sound on your axe. Some strings will suit some mandolins better than others, so when you find a sound you like remember what kind they were.
They’re cheaper than violin strings. Change them one at a time to keep the bridge in the right place but change the whole set.
- Especially people with more acid sweat. Less corrosive sweaters may find less advantage.
Yup to all that. J-74 or J-75 are the general fallback position when you’re not sure what you like. Elixir coated strings last a lot longer and reduce maintenance for those who just plink around and don’t want to change strings too often. Mandolin strings are dirt cheap compared to violin strings, so try a bunch.
Thanks for the advice! I ordered a set of J-73, J-74, and J-75 to try out some different gauges since they’re so darn cheap. Once I get a better idea what I like, I’ll probably go for some Elixirs. And no kidding are they cheaper than violin strings. I get 3 sets of mandolin strings for $13 less than I can get my violin strings when they’re on sale!
I guess we’re assuming you have an American style or Celtic style archtop mando, not a bowl-back taterbug or Army-Navy/Flatiron style, which may take a lighter gauge set.
Unlike fiddle, where it’s common to just replace individual strings if they break, on mando you’ll probably want to replace the entire set. They’re cheap enough. And if you’ve been playing pretty regularly for 3+ months, it may be time. But you can get loop-end singles for mando, too.
It you’re not sure what set is on there now, you can use a caliper or micrometer to check the gauges and replace it with something similar. Otherwise, a standard D’Addario set is probably fine.
If you replace the single, it’s best to replace both courses unless you’re sure of the gauge. Otherwise it will feel weird.
Coated strings … I had a bad experience with Elixirs a few years ago. The coating flaked off and they felt terrible. Maybe they’re different now. OTOH I really like the D’Addario EXP coated strings. They look and sound and feel just like uncoated strings, and they really last. I have a set of EXP74s on my A5, and I like 'em.
You don’t say which string broke, or where it broke. But maybe check your nut and bridge slots for any sharp edges that might have caused the string to break. Or if the old string already had a lot of fret wear. Mando strings shouldn’t normally break unless you’re bending a lot or really pounding on them. Or maybe the mando just came with a cheap set of strings. 
It’s an American style mando purchased from a local mom and pop music store. I’ve been playing it pretty regularly for about 3 months now, and it broke at the tuning head while I was tuning it. It was one of the E strings and had gone a little flat. I had noticed it starting to slip more in the past few days and was thinking I might want to try new strings. I’m thinking the strings on it were rather cheap, but I’m not totally sure.
Would you say it would be worth it to take it to a luthier to have the setup checked out? I haven’t noticed anything particularly wrong with it, but I know that it’s always been worth it to have a luthier check over my violin and viola every so often (mine would check it out for free).
Thanks for all of the suggestions!
I’ll agree with the earlier suggestions. D’Addario strings are good, cheap and easily available. I use them a lot. I’m not much of a fan of coated strings, but lots of folks like them.
Just as food for thought: If you ever want to try something different, and particularly if you’re wanting a smoother, mellower tone from your mandolin, you might try flatwound strings. I’ve taken a real shine to the ‘JazzMando’ strings available here: http://jazzmando.com/jazzmando_jm11_flatwound_strings.shtml
They’re not quite as loud as roundwound strings, but if your mando is a loud one to start with, you might like the sound and feel of these.
Good luck!
Sure, if it’s a freebie, why not? Especially if it wasn’t set up in the first place.
If the string broke at the head between the peg and nut, it was probably a weak string.
One trick: If you can’t find loop-ends, plain .010 or .011 strings can be replaced with ball-end guitar string singles if you pop the ball out of the loop (and you’re careful not to nick the loop in the process). And guitar singles should be readily available in most music stores.
If the mando is an archtop, Gibson-style, with a solid wood top then I’d always recommend D’Addario J74 as a default starting place. I’ve never played an archtop mandolin that they didn’t suit.
J75s may be a bit heavy for a flat top, or for some archtops. My old Fullerton F mando went dead with J75s, but sprung back to life as soon as I put J74s back on it.
If the mando has a laminate top then J75s often work really well.
If it’s a solid flat top then I would try slightly lighter than J74s, although J74s should also be ok.
I am another with a preference for plain PB strings. I don’t get on with coated strings. Some brands suffer from peeling, which annoys the heck out of me.
Well, I discovered just how long it takes to put new strings on a mandolin for the first time. Seriously, I could re-string my violin, my viola, and my electric violin in the time it took me to string up my mandolin 
Anywho, I put a set of D’Addario J74 on it and I am definitely seeing an improvement. The strings are heavier than the set that was on it, but not by much. It’s to late for me to really go to town on it (the joys of dorm life), but these strings seem to be a definite improvement. I’m happy enough with these that I will not be trying the J73 or J75 on it anytime soon.
Thanks for all of the advice!!!
I’ll chime in too on the coated string business. I tried Elixirs once. Didn’t like them. I only play a 12 string acoustic guitar and I like XL string and use DAdarrio PB string. Maybe it was the extra thickness of the coated strings that did me in.
About that changing string business. The guy who sold me the 12 string said, “You really want to be paying attention when you’re changing those strings.” I think I could change the strings of three 6 string guitars with a blindfold on myself in the same time I could change the strings of a 12 strings. I can imagine the small size of a mandolin would make that process even worse.