Martin Retro Acoustic MLJ13 Medium/Light-Gauge Guitar Strings, LJ’s Choice, Monel Nickel

Years ago, I tried a set of monel strings for a guitar (they weren't Martin) and didn't like the tone at all. The Martin Co. gave me a set of Retros when I bought a sapele bodied Martin. I had run out of bronze wound strings and decided, what the heck, I didn't pay for them, might as well give them a try. Wow, these are great strings. The Retros are light gauge strings, which is fine as my guitar is 000 sized. I was really pleased with the tone and volume. I liked the sound of the guitar before but even more so with these strings. I don't know if anyone else will get these results but for me, there is no other set of strings I want on the guitar.

Yes... a must try (to at the very least see if you hear why they are a thing). I was super scheptical, I am the "my strings are retro enough after a week" kinda guy.BUT!What most people don't consider, is that during the world wars, there was a shortage of bronze, because it was used to make shell casings. So Nickle being close in properties, was the next best thing, and was used for guitar strings for many years. All of your favorite old recordings... that's right, a Martin with Nickle strings on it.Give them a try and see for yourself...The voicing of these strings is massive! They will sing with you.

As a bluegrass guitarist I can honestly say these strings bring out a new life in my acoustic. Before these I primarily used phosphor bronze as that was the cheapest and most common string you can get. Those always had a very warm and overall good tone (as most Martin strings do). However these bring in a whole new sound, and allow my acoustic to have the punchiness I need from it in order to be heard in a bluegrass band. These strings are very thick, and are like playing steel ropes on your guitar, but after you get used to them they are wonderful.

Bought these to try on my Martin D35 which sounded way too bright with the strings that came with the guitar. I wanted a warmer more mellow sound. These strings are exactly the tone I was looking for. The tone they bring especially when they have played a bit are is perfect, the combination of these and the D35 is the perfect one. I liked these so much I put them on my Martin 00028EC too and they work perfectly on that guitar too, a different sound to the D35, but I feel the bring out the sound on the 00028 really well. I don't think I will use anything else on these guitars from now on.

I usually use Elixer nano webs 12-53 on my guitars. When I got my new HD -28 Martin It had Martin SP Authentic strings on it. They sounded good but It was missing something. So I changed them out and put on my trusty Elixers. It still didn’t sound like I thought it should. Don’t get me wrong even cheap strings on an HD-28 will sound amazing. But it wasn’t the sound I had in my head. So I started to look at the Martin Retros and read the reviews especially the negative ones and thought I’d give them a try......Wow! They are awesome. Just what my HD needed ,made it come to life. Just the sound I was looking for. Warm and full just the right amount of bass but also has enough midrange to cut through without being thin and tinny. They have a little more string squeak then Elixers but not enough to change my mind. I literally just put these stings on 10 min ago and had to write a review. No break in time needed. I’ll bet they sound better after a week or so though. I’m not a fan of 80/20 but love phosphor bronze. But on my Martin HD I’ll be using Martin Retros from now on. These are the Tony Rice 13-56 Retros.

As a general rule, I love martin strings. On my guitar though, these retros just didn't quite have the sound I thought they would. They did get better over time (used them for nearly 3 months to really give them a chance) but still they just didn't quite do it for me. Seemed a bit dull and lifeless no matter what I played on them. Like most things, it's preference - and I understand these probably sound great on older guitars. I really couldn't say these sound any better than other Martin strings I've tried - would recommend trying once.

I'm happy again, I tried Martin SP and Elixir nano web , they all sound too ,how can I put it , too metallic . This one made the guitar sound more sweet and mellow , a little less bass but with incredible note separation and balance. feel good on the fingers and they hold tune very well.I think this is is it for me. I just wish it had a little more Bass.The High and the middle are well balanced and bass is on the small side , but small price to pay for overall balance and clarity.Let's see how long they will last.

I really liked this strings on my 25.5" scale Taylor as they toned down the overly bright characteristics of most Taylors to allow some more woody tones to show, however the string tension is much lower than PB or 80/20 strings so beware with 24.9" scale length guitars since the shorter scale length AND the lower tension strings create a situation that is hostile to spirited finger style as you will get a lot of fret buzz unless you have rather high action. That being said, going from 11s to 12s or 12s to 13s on short scale guitar might cancel out this effect.Regardless, they last a long time (close to coated strings) given the windings are solid monel (nickel-like metal) and not simply nickel coated. Just keep your unwound strings clean and you won't be changing strings very frequently.

I like these strings for all of the above reasons.I like every guitarist i have met HATE changing strings which has to be done regularly because sweaty fingers are acidic and cause corrosion which along with dirt increases mass and kills tone.The pure nickel winding on a tinned steel core do not electrically react with each other.The first set i used i changed after six weeks,only to find the new set sounded the same-i had changed them too soon.I do not like the fact that extra care must be taken when putting them on because the round steel core means the outer winding can loose tension if they are trimmed before a good amount of tension is applied to the string.The outer winding can slip and kill tone.Why martin do this i do not know,all of their other strings are wound on a hexagonal core.A good string that lasts ages and at a good price,what's not to like?

These are the most startling strings. They made my guitar sound warm and 'woody', with lovely soft bass, mids and trebles. They didn't have the jangly brightness that new strings tend to have, and four months later, they're still sounding great. Buy a set, and give yourself and your guitar a treat.

I've tried a lot of different strings on my hummingbird. Didarios (all types) are always clattery and metallic. John Pearce nickels are too wooly.These are just right; a nice bit of twang and sparkly, with plenty of bass and depth. I've put them of 3 different guitars (Gibson, Taylor, Cort) and they are just by far the be best sounding strings on all of them.I almost feel obliged to buy a Martin guitar, given how good their strings are ;)

You don't buy these strings for long lasting brightness and durability - go to Elixir if you want invincible strings. You buy these for the tone. And these are the best sounding strings I've played. At first they're nice and bright and rich, then they age like fine wine! The more you play them, the better they sound. They get to a nice woody, vintage tone after about a month of playing. Definitely the best strings I've used, and after trying Gibson's, D'Addarios, Elixirs, I think I'll only ever use these from here on out.The only drawback was a string snapping when tuning down after about a month and a half of playing them, but I can easily look past it for the tone these bring.

Low tension, mellow sounding sweet strings. Loved them on my son’s 00017 Martin and they have transformed my Gibson J200 into a gentler pure sounding instrument. You can really feel the wood in the sound.Less zingy than Ddaddario EJ16 that were always my fave.Tunefull when strummed and lovely musical sustain. Lovely light action. Brought my big sounding guitar down a notch to a very sweet accompaniment to sing withVery very pleased