Gear
Instruments
John Pearse 12-String Acoustic Guitar Strings
John Pearse Phosphor Bronze is our best-selling string. The tone is meaty, articulate, and lively, and in my experience (your mileage may vary, of course), they last longer than any other uncoated strings I've ever used. This is why I use these PBs on my own guitars more than any other string.
I am experienced in pairing sets of different strings with different acoustic guitar tonewoods. John Pearse Phosphor Bronze strings sound great in general but they are not universal. PB sets for large, warm, massive projecting rosewood/sitka instruments such as Gibson Songwriter Recording Artist add their woody mid-scooped tone to already mid-scooped tone of the wood resulting in boomy and crispy tone hard to tame in a mix.
On the other hand, same type strings are a perfect match when used on a smaller body all mahogany or maple/mahogany 12-string such as Taylor 352ce or 562ce. That combination produces tight, focused mid-rangey attack, which perfectly complements warmer scooped sounds of rosewood dreadnoughts for example for doubling and double-tracking in a dense mix.
All in all - great sounding but highly specialized strings to be used in different production circumstances.
The title says it all.
I have been using John Pearse phosphor bronze wound strings for awhile now on my mid-range Alvarez 6 string with fantastic results. I've not yet installed the 12 string set on the Guild that they were bought for, but I'm super confident they will enhance the sound tremendously.
Very simply, John Pearse strings have been the best strings for all my guitars for over 15 years. I've tried many other brands, some that came with new guitars or from the repair shop, but none have matched the tone and durability. In my pre-JP days, the high G on my 12-string would often break, despite checking every other possible cause. But since changing to JP, I've never broken a string. Even as the strings get old, the tone remains good. The only hint I get that it's time to change them is when harmonics start to get tough hit. Then when I put new strings on - POW - the renewed tone and volume always knocks me over like getting a new instrument. I couldn't be happier - and getting them at a great price from Shoreline Acoustic makes the choice a no-brainer.
I've become a recent convert from Elixir PB lights to John Pearse PB New Mediums. So I decided to try the 12-string version. I was not disappointed. There is so more "woody" acoustic sound with only a little bit of string noise. I love what John Pearse has done with their strings. While I MAY have to change them a tad more frequently, getting them for less than half Elixir's price makes that a very easy trade-off.