Ernie BallErnie Ball Earthwood Silk and Steel Extra-Soft Acoustic Guitar Strings, 10-50 Gauge (P02047)

These may be my favorite strings ever, edging out the Rickenbacker flats I have loved for forever.The lower 3 are on my new Cigar Box and they opened up a whole new and different world of sound possibilities.

I have no idea yet how long these strings will last - I'm given to using elixir coated strings normally, and those have quite a lifespan. But I used Earthwoods quite a lot when I was younger and they tended to last me 3 or 4 weeks, so perhaps I'll get as much out of these. They're about 2/3rds of the price, at any rate.But I bought these to get me back up and running after a carpal tunnel release surgery on my fretting hand - those medium Elixirs were pretty harsh. And these extra-soft strings are so much gentler. They're the first silk-wound strings I've used, and they have a very elastic, snappy feel and sound. They pluck with a strong attack and a gentle warm tone. The strings are lower tension than any I've used, but they don't buzz where other light-gauge strings I've used have.They've got a very dynamic, expressive quality to them. I play a small Alvarez parlor guitar and they feel pretty perfectly suited to the guitar. The treble strings play really crisp, clear notes, great for melodies, and the bass strings are warm and snappy. These strings are much more comfortable to strum and pick fingerstyle too, which is nice. They feel more yielding.Anyway, I'll probably be using silk and steel strings going forward, even after my hand is all healed, just because they're pleasant to use.

Just so you understand what kind of player I am, I used to play extensively when I was younger. I had even considered a career in music. Got older, got a job, a family, and the guitar went under the bed, never to be seen again. (actually, I ended up giving it away),When I retired, my wife bought me a Used Martin Custom Shop. Unfortunately, due to mild arthritis and tendonitis, I can only play for about 30 min at a time. I tried the Earthwood Ultralight stings. They were easier to play, but they didn’t have the deep warm tone you expect from a Martin. I stumbled across these while looking at other guitar stuff and figured I’d give them a try.Stringing - Unlike a lot of other folks, I did not break any strings while I was restringing the guitar. I was very careful tightening the strings and I kept an eye on My Fender Clip-on Tuner. I did notice, however, that it seems to be very easy to nick/flatten the wound strings if you’re not careful.Playing – WOW!!! I can full bar an F chord again!!! Remember how hard it was to master that damn F Bar chord when you first started playing? Well, I was feeling that pain all over again. These strings solved that. And the tone is EXCELLENT. My guitar now has that deep warm sound you expect from a Martin. The volume is a bit lower, but not noticeably. But I figure that’s not a big deal since the players these strings cater to, probably aren’t playing to auditoriums full of people anyway.In summary, Great strings for beginners and anyone who challenges playing Eathwood”s Line of Light Strings

These sound fine and are reasonably soft, but if you want something even lighter and with less squeaking, I find both the D'Addario EJ23 9-42 and the Ernie Ball Cobalt Flats 9-42 (which are fine on acoustic) are quite a bit softer/lighter and less squeaky than these.

While I've been using Ernie Ball Earthwood strings for a while now, I have to say this is the first time I've tried the 12 string version. The Ernie Ball brand is certainly no stranger to those of us who've been playing guitar for a while and like their infamous "Slinky's", the Earthwood strings certainly deliver the goods. Having used the Earthwood's almost exclusively on my 6 string acoustics (when I can find them locally at least), I was curious as to how these would sound on my Ovation Standard Balladeer (which until recently has been getting Martins).I'm not gonna bs anyone into believing that these will make your 12 string play like a 6 string...those familiar with 12 string guitars know better. That said, I did notice a distinct difference in "feel" between these and the Martins I've used in the past...these are nicer to play and they do seem to be more gentle on the fingers. I was concerned with how this "silk wrap" was gonna affect the over-all sound of the strings, as well as whether it would cause any tuning issues...I don't typically go in for gimmicks, however I must say that I'm quite pleased with the tone these are producing on my Ovation. Very nice quality to the sound to say the least and so far (once they stretched in of course) they've stayed right on the money as far as the tuning goes.As my Ovation is an acoustic/electric, I would also take a moment and say that these do sound just as lovely through an amp as they do unplugged. While I don't actually use an amp that's specifically for acoustic guitars, through my Lab L5 the Ovation with these Earthwood's produces a wonderfully natural acoustic sound very similar to running the guitar directly through the PA.As this is the first time I've used these, the longevity issue remains to be seen, however having used the 6 string version of Earthwoods for several years now, I'm not too concerned...I suspect they'll hold up well (although only time will tell).Finally, as the stars suggest, I give these a very solid 5 out of 5...great sound, great feel and very reasonably priced (I was paying around $18 a set for the Martin's, so at just $12 a set, these are a bargain). I would highly recommend these to anyone with a 12 string acoustic!