Best Martin Guitars M400 Mandoline Light Alternatives

Based on 3 reviews

Actually I'm just a part-time, rhythm-mandolin player. Actually I only wanted to try these because, to me, bronze or silver feels and sounds too abrasive and brash. Besides, I'm familiar with flats on jazz guitar, bass, etc. With these strings I get a mellow, even tone between the wound and plain strings and they are smooth to the touch. I would argue that these strings are an upgrade for any mandolin or mandolin player. They even really reawakened my interest in the instrument and in becoming a better player. But that's just me - actually not a full-time mandolin player. The only negative thing is that the tension seems high for the gauge. I had to do some adjustments to the bridge position and height. But now, even the intonation seems to be better. In the end, it's probably a...

Based on 15 reviews

So my mando luthier put these on my Weber Gallatin after setting it up and they do sound great. They've been on there for several months now. I use GHS fast fret before and after playing, which I believe has also contributed to their logevity. They still play smooth, though the tone is of course completely dead. If I were to gig with the strings or record I would change them more often. If and when that becomes the case I will likely look for a cheaper alternative. But for casual (what's casual? I play 1-2 hours a day) home use and with a little care they remain playable for quite a long time, surprisingly. Now if only Harley Benton would start producing a cheaper coated alternative.....

Based on 9 reviews

Got this set for the 'Harley Benton HBMA-50' mandolin because the ones it came with were too rough and coarse. This D'Addario set was fair enough and the strings were definitely softer and felt much better under my fingers. The sound was surely brighter and louder than the ones I had by design on the mandolin. But for some reason, at this price, I was expecting something much better. In brief, I was not blown away by this set of strings, but I didn't dislike them either. However, I definitely expected something more special for this price. I will be still looking at more string sets to finally offer me that vintage, deep, and bluegrass tone. Unfortunately, this set, although practically good, does not do that in terms of tone at all.

Based on 43 reviews

A few months back I bought a Harley Benton Mandolin and I have found these strings to work well for it. Pros: They are cheap and cheerful and sound pretty good for the price. They stay in tune after restringing. Cons: They oxidise rather quickly, but at the price it’s cheap enough to change them out. In conclusion: I may eventually get more expensive Bronze 80/20 strings to see if they sound better. But, at this point, I don’t really see a need to do so. These are great value for money!