88persuader wrote:
I've no doubt this has been asked before however the old database is gone so time to rebuild it!
I know SE does research and sells the best Strings available for their instruments. That being said ... has anyone used strings other then official NS Stick strings on their NS? If so what were they and what were your results?
Also ... are the Strings supplies by SE for the NS the same strings supplied on the SB8?
Hi Ray,
I haven not tested this on an NS, but tapping is tapping. The thing about strings is that they might sound and behave great for conventional techniques, but not work well for tapping.
So it goes beyond gauge, to construction and other more esoteric factors. Emmett's strings are not "off-the-shelf." And he play-tests batches of strings to make sure that they sound good.
So even knowing the right gauge won't really help you.
I save all my old strings. I have boxes of them. Even old worn-out SE strings sound better to my ear than anything else I've ever tried or heard on an instrument made by another supplier.
Sometimes I have a student who bought a set of strings from another source and asks me to help them change them. They never sound as good to me, they just don't "ring true."
But you should feel free to experiment if you want, of course.
As far as SB8 compatibility goes, I believe the strings for 36" scale Sticks will not work on the NS because of the taper of the windings at the nut end, but I could be wrong about that