Martin MSP4200 SP Phosphor Bronze Acoustic Guitar Strings, Medium

These are great strings, but are special in a few ways. If you are just starting, you should probably buy lighter strings. If you prefer a warmer, fuller sound, to a brighter tinnier sound, then you should buy... non-phospher-bronze strings? In more detail, the big strings are definitely harder to wrangle than the ones that came on my guitar, but I certainly don't find them uncomfortable. I've been playing for about two years, and not very heavily, and that was enough to build up sufficient calluses. People without calluses will hate these strings at first, though. I can no longer show friends how to fret a guitar chord when these strings are in, because they start saying "ow" within 10 seconds or so. The sound is also a little different than what I was used to. I was hoping to get something brighter that will cut through a crowd of banjos and out onto a busy loud dance floor. They do that just fine! They have a high overtone in them that is very bright and almost tinny. It's not a sound for everyone, and I wouldn't go for it myself if I just wanted to quietly strum in an empty parlor. For hillbilly hoedowns, though, it's just fine, even though it took some getting used to. The low E string is exceptionally big. I didn't know a star off, because this is probably the fault of my guitar's setup, but I find it harder to get a good ring out of the low E string now. It's so fat that it has a tendency to hit the frets and lose its energy very quickly.

What else can I say but they sound great on my Martin HD35, and they take a beating when I play'em. Just make sure you wind them properly like any other string. I've tried 4 kinds of Martins so far, the FX are to weak for my fingers, but they have a great ring to them (sustains well and sound great). Going to try SP Lifespans now. But I think I'll stick with the regular ones for the loudest sound. They all sound good, just your taste. If your new or your fingers are weak or you have arthritis, etc...the Martin FXs are great for you. These have a good sound, very balanced from lows to highs, and I beat them good. Make sure you wipe them down after each use, and your instrument too, to get your oils from your fingers off it, it'll last longer, and clean your hands before you play after you eat. Don't play after you clean your hands, they're too soft and you may cut your fingers (like a small paper cut, and it hurts). I play Jethro Tull's Acoustic & Rock, ELP, Moody Blues, Beatles, James Taylor finger picking, Alan Parsons, Steely Dan, Chicago, Jose Feliciano, light Jazz, etc...and these strings are the best for me for all of that. It's personal, and how strong your hands and fingers are, and make sure you try different picks as well (wash your hands), Amazon has Dr Ducks Axe Wax as well, great for the fingerboard and bridge twice a year or 3&1 oil. Humidify, Humidify and Humidify your instrument. Happy Axing!

Worked amazingly well. My son's Norwegian and German friends wanted to play a guitar and sing at his wedding here in CA, but didn't want to bring a guitar all the way from Oslo and Hamburg. They asked me to see if I could rustle one up. I asked the guitar teacher at the school where I teach and he said yeah, you can borrow one, but the guitar is a student guitar (not high quality) and the strings both are old and suck. So I bought these, and you know what? The music sounded wonderful. Of course, it might have been the rose-colored ears I was wearing at my son's wedding, but it sounded fantastic to me. Anyway, they got a two thumbs up from the Norwegian and German guys--both my son and new DiL cried (okay, yeah, so did I), so I put that firmly in the win category for these strings.

Very good product. Worked good with guitar. Good fit.

I only use Martin strings for my acoustic guitars. They have never let me down, are great quality for a good price, and sound so rich and bright. I love this company and these strings!

Our son has been taking lessons for a couple years and his teacher suggested replacing the strings on his Yamaha acoustic guitar to get a warmer, bluesy sound to match the songs that our son currently really likes to play. The teacher recommended Martin strings for this guitar, and we purchased this set without a hitch. Even though our son's fingers have toughened nicely, his teacher said that these would still take a bit of getting used... and that advice was right on the mark. The sound these string produce is amazing; you can clearly hear his playing from anywhere in the house, and that is really nice. They look outstanding on his guitar too, as they have a nice, warm copper'ish look to them. We would purchase these again as long as he's looking for this type of rich sound. The price was outstanding and delivery super fast. If you have a similar desire and are looking for strings in this price range, we recommend the Martin MSP4200 strings. Remember - these will be a bit harder on the fingers than the typical nylon strings, so be patient with yourself and practice, practice, practice to build up your tolerance if you find them a bit uncomfortable at the start. Recommended.

I've been playing with these strings for several years now, and I absolutely love them to death. First heard of using medium-gauge phosphor-bronze strings after looking up that Elliott Smith used them on an old, cheap Yamaha guitar. I couldn't believe it. His strings had such an incredibly bassy, warm tone to them that I assumed it had more to do with mic quality or placement, but no, amazingly, it really is just the strings. Besides the tone, the heavier gauge also allows for a few perks while playing. For one, they're so thick that you sort of have to try to knock them out of tune, and they endure the general wear-and-tear of constant playing far better than lighter-gauge strings. Secondly, as with any heavier gauge, they resonate more, and that translates into sheer volume. If you slammed your pick down on strings like these in an apartment, there is absolutely no doubt that all of your neighbors would hear you loudly and clearly. Of course, this also means that you can fingerpick without using your nails and still get a very pleasant, subdued, medium-volume tone. Honestly, light-gauge steel strings sound almost tinny to me by comparison. The biggest and perhaps only problem with these, as others have pointed out, is that, yes, they hurt. If you're new to guitar, I would really not recommend them until you at least have very solid callouses on every finger. I play guitar every day for at least an hour, and my hand still has a tendency to go slightly numb from using these. In fact, even switching guitars and playing lighter, steel strings and coming back to these makes me feel like a complete beginner, when even fretting a chord would sting until it burned. And, just like with when I was new at guitar, you get used to it, and stop noticing as much, but still: a word of caution. Overall, these are my absolute favorite strings for their warm, rich, incredibly loud tone, and their amazing longevity. If those are more important to you than anything else, string-wise, I would definitely recommend giving these a try.

Great Strings for the Price!!! I bought 2 other more expensive packs and when tuning the light guage "E" string had a failure well below the threshold of tuning it to the right key with a $200 tuner that has never failed before in the past. The more expensive strings also had the little bearing metal piece snap off the string and I could not tune or hold the string in the peg hole since the metal string stopper bearing fell off string. These strings for a lower price tuned perfectly and did not snap while tuning and also the metal bearings on the string were much stronger and professionally machined at the factory.

I purchase this one to replace my old "extra light" strings. This one sounds better and very soft in my ears. Love it

da es sich um 13-er Saiten handelt, ist es klar daß man hier schon ordentlich Hornhaut braucht. Aber es lohnt sich . Der Klang ist sehr ausgewogen und ein einzelner Ton hat für sich schon eine beachtliche Intesnität. Die Saiten scheinen auch wirklich langlebig zu sein.

Very good quality strings at this price.

I bought these strings for my brother as a Christmas present and he was delighted with them. my brother plays Irish music and said that they are the best guitar strings that you can buy. So I was very pleased with this purchase

Avec Martin, jamais de mauvaise surprise...