Ernie Ball Aluminum Bronze vs Martin 80/20 SP Acoustic Guitar String Comparison

This is a comparison video of Ernie Ball Aluminum Bronze and Martin 80/20 SP (Superior Performance) acoustic guitar strings. Both are 12 gauge light.
Guitar - Yamaha A3M
Mics - Slate Digital ML-1 and ML-2 (251 model)
Interface - Apogee Duet
DAW - Pro Tools Ultimate
Computer - Macbook Pro
Camera - Nikon D610
Lens - Nikon 50mm 1.8G
#acousticguitarstring
#comparisonvideo
#guitarstrings

[@pagit69]

Aluminum bronze sound great on my headphones more brighter and "chimey" and ballanced with the bottom end.

[@keithpriser]

Thanks for the input! The bottom end on them is awesome! Very clear strings without being too dry or dead sounding

[@pagit69]

Yamaha has great instruments. Pitty that they often get overlooked.@@keithpriser

[@kristopherk5454]

Would you agree that the AB have a rougher texture to the touch?

[@keithpriser]

Yes, actually! I love the sound but stopped using them. They feel pretty rough even compared to other alloys of non coated strings. Aluminum is pretty soft and they turn my fingers black. My fingers don’t normally react much to strings. They get kinda dull after about a week. I wish they made coated versions. On to find something else.

[@kristopherk5454]

True about the way they leave your fingers black. I’ve only put them on a cheap guitar and I was considering trying them again on a better acoustic, but maybe not…

[@keithpriser]

This pertains to my guitar with mahogany back and sides. I love the sound of the AB because 80/20 has a deep bass but can sound harsh with a pick and empty on finger style. Phosphor bronze has nice low mids but not the deep bass, good sustain but lacks sparkle and can sound boxy when strummed hard. The ABs sound good on everything but like you said, are rough. I did find an old set of Dean Markley vintage bronze. They have a similar sound to the AB with maybe less bright high end but are cheap and smooth to the touch. Sounds good on any style I’ve tried so far. They are an in between alloy at 85/15. There are other brands with similar alloys too. Maybe something worth looking into.

[@kristopherk5454]

Thanks, I’ve wanted to try vintage bronze for some time now. Will do!