Ernie Ball Earthwood Silk and Steel Guitar Strings, P02047

Just so you understand what kind of player I am, I used to play extensively when I was younger. I had even considered a career in music. Got older, got a job, a family, and the guitar went under the bed, never to be seen again. (actually, I ended up giving it away),

When I retired, my wife bought me a Used Martin Custom Shop. Unfortunately, due to mild arthritis and tendonitis, I can only play for about 30 min at a time. I tried the Earthwood Ultralight stings. They were easier to play, but they didn’t have the deep warm tone you expect from a Martin. I stumbled across these while looking at other guitar stuff and figured I’d give them a try.

Stringing – Unlike a lot of other folks, I did not break any strings while I was restringing the guitar. I was very careful tightening the strings and I kept an eye on My Fender Clip-on Tuner. I did notice, however, that it seems to be very easy to nick/flatten the wound strings if you’re not careful.

Playing – WOW!!! I can full bar an F chord again!!! Remember how hard it was to master that damn F Bar chord when you first started playing? Well, I was feeling that pain all over again. These strings solved that. And the tone is EXCELLENT. My guitar now has that deep warm sound you expect from a Martin. The volume is a bit lower, but not noticeably. But I figure that’s not a big deal since the players these strings cater to, probably aren’t playing to auditoriums full of people anyway.

In summary, Great strings for beginners and anyone who challenges playing Eathwood”s Line of Light Strings

I have no idea yet how long these strings will last – I’m given to using elixir coated strings normally, and those have quite a lifespan. But I used Earthwoods quite a lot when I was younger and they tended to last me 3 or 4 weeks, so perhaps I’ll get as much out of these. They’re about 2/3rds of the price, at any rate.

But I bought these to get me back up and running after a carpal tunnel release surgery on my fretting hand – those medium Elixirs were pretty harsh. And these extra-soft strings are so much gentler. They’re the first silk-wound strings I’ve used, and they have a very elastic, snappy feel and sound. They pluck with a strong attack and a gentle warm tone. The strings are lower tension than any I’ve used, but they don’t buzz where other light-gauge strings I’ve used have.

They’ve got a very dynamic, expressive quality to them. I play a small Alvarez parlor guitar and they feel pretty perfectly suited to the guitar. The treble strings play really crisp, clear notes, great for melodies, and the bass strings are warm and snappy. These strings are much more comfortable to strum and pick fingerstyle too, which is nice. They feel more yielding.

Anyway, I’ll probably be using silk and steel strings going forward, even after my hand is all healed, just because they’re pleasant to use.

Por razones varias, dejé de tocar frecuentemente y perdí el famoso “callo” de los dedos. Cuando quise tomar de nuevo mi guitarra, tenía unas d’addario custom light que era el calibre adecuado para mi en ese entonces, pero ya no. Decidí acelerar un poquito la generación de “callos” y me decidí por estas cuerdas pero en el calibre Extra Light. Fantástico. No se escucha el movimiento de dedos en la mano izquierda (soy diestra) y puedo practicar por más tiempo. El sonido es verdad que son menos sonoras que las custom light, pero creo que el balance entre sonido y comodidad para tocar lo vale. Sin duda, una excelente opción para una retomar la guitarra.

Las recomiendo ampliamente para principiantes o para personas con manos delicadas, o gente como yo que dejó de tocar por más de un año!

I have diminished strength in my fretting hand due to previous strokes. These strings, along with low string action make the instrument payable. Great product.

I’ve been playing guitar since I was a kid, and then moved on to bass guitar for a while and played in a folk band. Now I’m getting back into guitar in my retirement so I wanted something that would save my fingers until I could build up some callouses. Actually I didn’t know these sort of strings even existed until I started looking around on Amazon for a set of a strings for a second hand guitar I bought (Washburn, love it).

Each string is nicely packed and tells you which string, and the gauge of each string. Nice touch! Strings went on easy enough, no drama there. I used to 10-50 extra light.

Having played with them a bit, the lower four wound strings feel like classical guitar strings. They are definitely softer and easier on the hands. The highest two strings are unwound, and feel softer too, but maybe because my hand isn’t recoiling from the strings as much?

Playing the guitar both unplugged and through an amp, the strings are definitely more mellow and laid back. They don’t ring out like other strings. They also seem to be slightly lower tension than my other strings, so the neck bends a little straighter with these, so I can get fret buzz off them if I play too hard. So if I replace these strings I might go up to the .11 gauge strings. Washburn recommends .12-.52 but these strings jump from .10 to .11 to .13 (no .12 on the first string). Certainly not a deal breaker but strange they don’t offer a .12 gauge version.

These strings are definitely noisier than the coated strings I took off the guitar. You can definitely hear your fingers squeaking around.

So my overall thoughts are, these are very good strings for someone who is a beginner or coming back to guitar and want a softer version until they build up calluses. Others might just like the classical guitar feel of them and willing to give up a bit of the top end “ring”, or the quietness of a coated string, to have the features of this string.

Am I glad I made the purchase? Yes, absolutely, I can play longer now while I build up calluses. Would I buy them again? Well, I think I would! I’m willing to give up some sonic details for a softer string. I’ll probably try to the next gauge up, getting the best of both worlds, a higher gauge and a softer string! Plus, these strings are fairly inexpensive, which seals the deal!