Martin Retro Acoustic Guitar Strings - .011-.052 Custom Light (MM11)

My go-to strings for finger style blues. These are simple strings with a classic sound, heavy on the fundamental and light on overtones. If you play on a small-body guitar, or play a style like ragtime or blues that really emphasizes punch/clarity over sustain, these are a must. String noise is low, packaging is simple (each string in its own labeled envelope, I can’t stand the 2-per envelope thing sone companies do). The strings are a dull silver and will eventually show some corrosion, but they sound better than coated ones imho and they last quite a while. Price is good, tone is great! I think they really shine on a mahogany or cedar topped guitar.

I love these strings. After testing many strings (including standard phosphor bronze which were a little bright, and silk and steel which were a little too mellow), I’ve settled on these for the time being, as the best sounding for my Eastman e8om. My Eastman is rosewood and Sitka, and while it sounds great, it can be naturally a little bright/tinny on the high e and b, which I don’t like as much. These retro Martin Monel strings are nickel and work wonderfully at cutting some of the brightness/harshness, to sound a little warmer and more martinesque. Sound great finger picking and strummed. And in a custom light gauge, are very easy to play imo. 5/5.

i know this won’t be taken well by lots a people, but i think martin sucks. so, when i got these strings, for free by the way, i knew i’d never put em on….until one day when i needed some and didn’t want to wait. so, i cursed and moaned whole time i was changing out the d’darios. i get her tuned up and i take a listen and i tell a friend, yea i don’t like em…but i was lying…i actually kind of did. so i let get a stretch, tune em up again and now i’m saying they’re not actually too bad all the while thinking damn these sound really nice. so, after playing on em for about 20 minutes i looked up at her and said: “These are the most incredible strings i’ve ever heard and i’m not too happy about it”. anyway, so i normally change mine out once every week or 2…thats about 15 to 25 hours of play for me. i’m not changing em yet cause they don’t need to be changed and they have at least 40 hours of play on em. they sound bright, clear, and distinct…and no, not like your playing a maple jumbo inside of a beer can. so i’m playing em on a solid redwood top and i thought better not put em on my spruce top or they will probably be too bright, but i was wrong again. all i’m hopin for now is martin keeps makin them. im telling ya, unless you’re one of those persons who likes that dead “piano” sound, (thats usually code for too lazy to change em or too broke to buy em), i can almost guarantee you’ll be blown away by how these things sound, and the longevity is still hard for me to believe. i’ll never buy phosphor bronze again, ever. so, its kinda hard for me to be a martin fan since every one ive owned (3) spent more time at the shop than under my fingers, but these particular strings are truly remarkable..thanks martin

I’ve been looking for strings that are warm and mellow, without all of the overtones. These are it! I am also a singer, so it works well with my voice without competing with it. They also stay in tuned better than any other string that I’ve used. I play longer gig sets, and my fingers hold up well because of the lower tension. I highly recommend, and will not be going back on my Martin 00017!

Those who love the warm focused sound of their Mahogany guitars will find these strings a great compliment to your instruments. Anyone looking to maybe tame a little “scoop” and add some warmth and focus to a Rosewood guitar should give these a try as I’ve found they do just that. I had been going back and forth between Martin SP Phospher/Bronze and D’Addario Custom Light gauge Phospher/Bronze strings for years on my acoustics and I like both, but now I’ve switched to these Nickel alloy strings and love their warm and focused sound and feel. A couple things I should mention... The spring gauges on the CL and L Retro’s differs from those on the SP CL’s and L’s in that the B, D and A strings are .001 thinner in the Retro’s and the overall tension is about 4 pounds lighter than the SP’s making the Retro’s slightly easier to play. In addition to the Retro’s, I am also using the D’Addario NB CL’s. I think the NB’s are a little warmer, fuller, more complex sounding and actually improve with a week or two of time on the guitar. Their wrap material is Nickel/Bronze vs Nickel/Copper for the Retro’s. The B and E strings for both are plain steel but the carbon steel in the D’Addario’s I think is fuller and more even sounding. The gauges and tension are the same as their PB counterparts and they are the lightest in tension between the two brands. They are $12 vs $9 for the Martin’s. Love both brands though and the Retro’s are great strings.

Tried a whole bunch of other types of strings, and some sounded good, others didn't. These Martin Monel Retros, really make the LG-2 sing, they have fuller bass and more chimey highs than nickel bronze . Tried them on a Yairi all Mahogany guitar, and normal phosphor bronze sound better on that. Also tried them on a Martin cutaway dreadnaught and they sounded amazing on that too, but Bronze coated 80/20s sounded slightly better to my ears, I'd use either on that.

Im almost a professional musician (just started taking my practices and personal rehearsals as seriously as i take my writing and performing) but before that i was really caught up in G.A.S. (gear aquisition syndrome). I bought a bunch of strings from different brands to see what I liked, i noted the dates of when i restrung my guitar, what it sounded and felt like, when a string would snap or start to rust etc etc. I personally hate the brightness of phosphor bronze strings so if youre one of those guitarists this isnt for you, but be curious and try em out anyway, worst case youll be sure you dont like this best case youll discover something new. I found i loved the feel, sound and playability of nylon strings on a classical guitar, old/worn in strings, silk and steel strings and electric guitar strings. Thats what these strings give me. A warm, balanced, worn in, soft feeling. There is brightness dont get me wrong but its not twangy, its light if that makes sense. Also being from Mumbai (coastal area) rusting is a forever issue. These dont deteriorate as fast as Elixrs. I should also state that i also take good care for my instrument, i get it serviced once or twice a year (before or after the monsoons to takle any fungus or other issues caused due to excessive humidity), from a luthier (not a music store guitar serviceman, sure not all guitar service men suck but I cant afford a mistake, being a musician is an expensive affair), I keep my guitar in its case 85% of the time when it isnt being used (im not a perfect human), I restring my guitar (when i can afford it) and these things add to the durability and longevity of the strings. I also know these guys are expensive so i have a pair of Daddario silk and steel's OR gypsy jazz guitar strings on standby if anything snaps and so far i havent had to use them. I might have to buy a second pair of Daddario's becuase its been more than 2 years that theyve been my backup pair of strings which is proof of the fact that Ive been a loyal consumer of these monel strings for more than 2 years.

These strings wicked for a noticeable tone You will definitely notice a difference

Good stings

I love the tone of these strings. They last a lot longer than they should too. I lovely feel when playing too. Definitely my favourite.

Super rendu acoustique... montés sur Guild, Martin et Gibson... style rockabilly rock'n'roll