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So I finished this new one. It is a small guitar 13 3/4" lower bout. I tried Elixir lights on it and they give good bass and good upper s but seem a little harsh. Tried Silk and Steels and they soften the sound but kinda weaken the bass.

Any ideas?

Thanks
Neil

can't help with string advice, but that sure is a pretty guitar.

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"All of us contain Music & Truth, but most of us can't get it out."
- Mark Twain

How long have you had it strung up??

I don't know about you, but I find that during the first month of the guitar under tension with strings on it, the tone changes an awful lot. (Always improves). I'd stay with the strings you've got and play it for at least a couple of weeks. See what happens then. For me, the differences between brands of strings is a very small one compared to how the guitar matures during the first month or two.

Nice guitar!

Bronze instead of phosphor bronze gives a mellower sound to my ear, may suit, you didn't mention which you used..
But as above, give it time to settle a bit, at least one set of any set of strings played regular for a month first.
Nice Guit by the way, I like the shape, what is it? your own? Also the 3-piece back and the inset on the soundboard next to the end graft - any more pics of that end to see how that all fits together?

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The name catgut is confusing. There are two explanations for the mix up.

Catgut is an abbreviation of the word cattle gut. Gut strings are made from sheep or goat intestines, in the past even from horse, mule or donkey intestines.

Otherwise it could be from the word kitgut or kitstring. Kit meant fiddle, not kitten.

If the harshness doesn't mellow out in a couple of weeks, I highly recommend Thomastik - Infeld "Spectrums". I prefer the .011" .052". For a bit more punch, the .012 - .054 guage work great.
Excellent strings with amazing longevity. Pricey, though.
No... I don't work for Thomastik.

Thanks for the input. I have only had this one strung up for a couple weeks, so it might mellow.

But I have found the Elixirs just a bit "edgy" on this size of guitar, and just wondered if anyone has a string preference for a smaller size guitar.

Here's another picture showing the end graft and the little top diamond thingy.

Neil

X 2 for the Thomastik's (I got a "free" set for an Acoustic mag subscription). I was well impressed, but can't say for smaller guitars, those were fitted to an OM.
They are a little bit cheaper than the Elixir Nanoweb's here.

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The name catgut is confusing. There are two explanations for the mix up.

Catgut is an abbreviation of the word cattle gut. Gut strings are made from sheep or goat intestines, in the past even from horse, mule or donkey intestines.

Otherwise it could be from the word kitgut or kitstring. Kit meant fiddle, not kitten.