Curt Mangan strings... Anyone?

[Goat]

I just purchased a 2016 R7 from a shop in Texas. The seller is throwing-in two sets of Curt Mangan strings, and a t-shirt. He said that Curt Mangan use to work for Ernie Ball, and that these strings are as good as the early era Ernie Ball strings. I've definitely noticed a drop in EB quality, so these should be a treat to play.

https://www.curtmangan.com/

 

[crwnedblasphemy]

My buddy Brent uses CM strings for about 4 years. I tried a few different sets/gauges...they were okay. He swears by them. I find them a little dark for me. I have used Daddario NYXL's now on all my guitars. They are just it for me. But to each their own....

 

[mikey]

I like them. I had used D'Addario and Dunlop for quite a few years and the Mangan's last quite a bit longer for me.

 

[Beyond Black]

The shop local to me carries these, so they’re all I’ve been using for years. I’m pretty heavy handed and I don’t have a breakage problem. I love the sound and feel of them. They’re not super bright, or too dark.

 

[Goat]

I've been using Ernie Ball string since 1978. About 10 years ago, I began experiencing a problem with high E and B strings unwinding. To avoid the issue, EB began their RPS line. I never needed RPS strings before, so what's the deal? EB strings don't sound as good as they use to either. They have an odd tinny sound that takes a few hours of play to calm down.

 

[Metlupass2]

Haven't used EB slinkys since I discovered Elixir Nanowebs almost 10 years ago.

 

[fearhk213]

I’m not a fan of Curt Mangan strings. I tried some different sets a few years back and their tension just seemed out of whack string to string from what I tried. The other guitar played in my band experienced the same thing when he tried them. Maybe it’s different now, I don’t know. I didn’t find them too dark, but they’re perhaps a bit darker than others. Now their pure nickel set....that’s a dark string. They sounded dead straight out of the pack lol. Those are likely best suited for single coil pickups.

 

[mooncobra]

My buddy Brent uses CM strings for about 4 years. I tried a few different sets/gauges...they were okay. He swears by them. I find them a little dark for me. I have used Daddario NYXL's now on all my guitars. They are just it for me. But to each their own....

I got a Aristides with daddarios on it and asked them which type they are and he said balanced tension. a few say balanced tension on their site. I really like them but I still am not sure which daddarios they are? the Aristides plays and sounds soooo good. not fond of the way it looks, has a Floyd which is cool.

 

[stratjacket]

I just purchased a 2016 R7 from a shop in Texas. The seller is throwing-in two sets of Curt Mangan strings, and a t-shirt. He said that Curt Mangan use to work for Ernie Ball, and that these strings are as good as the early era Ernie Ball strings. I've definitely noticed a drop in EB quality, so these should be a treat to play.

https://www.curtmangan.com/

Can't beat free
I've never tried them, curious what you think when they arrive. I've tried most and lately been using Dunlop 9-42, can get 3 sets from Sweetwater for about $8 and free shipping. So hard to beat that and they feel and sound great. Went back to 9's after a decade and really liking the feel.

 

[MistaGuitah]

I also got a couple of sets with a Les Paul traditional I bought a few years ago. They were regular wound strings but I really liked the tone and feel. They didn't last long like coated strings or anything, but they had good sustain and not too bright.

 

[mooncobra]

I just purchased a 2016 R7 from a shop in Texas. The seller is throwing-in two sets of Curt Mangan strings, and a t-shirt. He said that Curt Mangan use to work for Ernie Ball, and that these strings are as good as the early era Ernie Ball strings. I've definitely noticed a drop in EB quality, so these should be a treat to play.

https://www.curtmangan.com/

Can't beat free
I've never tried them, curious what you think when they arrive. I've tried most and lately been using Dunlop 9-42, can get 3 sets from Sweetwater for about $8 and free shipping. So hard to beat that and they feel and sound great. Went back to 9's after a decade and really liking the feel.

did you see the video on string size on rick beatos youtube?

 

[orangekick]

I used them back when they first came out. They weren't bad. I'm not really a fan though. The tension was weird.

 

[Goat]

Weird tension? That's a new one on me.

 

[fearhk213]

Weird tension? That's a new one on me.

I remember 2 (and maybe 3) of the strings had a much higher tension than they should have compared to the rest of the set. It just didn't feel balanced at all. The other guitar player in my band who tried them had a nightmare of a time setting up his floyd and trying to get it intonated. I know lots of folks like them, so maybe it was just a bad run with certain string offerings and/or gauges. I just know I didn't like them when I tried them.

 

[stratjacket]

I just purchased a 2016 R7 from a shop in Texas. The seller is throwing-in two sets of Curt Mangan strings, and a t-shirt. He said that Curt Mangan use to work for Ernie Ball, and that these strings are as good as the early era Ernie Ball strings. I've definitely noticed a drop in EB quality, so these should be a treat to play.

https://www.curtmangan.com/

Can't beat free
I've never tried them, curious what you think when they arrive. I've tried most and lately been using Dunlop 9-42, can get 3 sets from Sweetwater for about $8 and free shipping. So hard to beat that and they feel and sound great. Went back to 9's after a decade and really liking the feel.

did you see the video on string size on rick beatos youtube?

Yes, I thought it was pretty good. I switched mainly for feel, with shorter scale PRS and Caparison Horus, I tried some 9’s and then went all in.

 

[gibsonash]

Weird tension? That's a new one on me.

I remember 2 (and maybe 3) of the strings had a much higher tension than they should have compared to the rest of the set. It just didn't feel balanced at all. The other guitar player in my band who tried them had a nightmare of a time setting up his floyd and trying to get it intonated. I know lots of folks like them, so maybe it was just a bad run with certain string offerings and/or gauges. I just know I didn't like them when I tried them.

Same here 10 years ago .

 

[Goat]

Weird tension? That's a new one on me.

I remember 2 (and maybe 3) of the strings had a much higher tension than they should have compared to the rest of the set. It just didn't feel balanced at all. The other guitar player in my band who tried them had a nightmare of a time setting up his floyd and trying to get it intonated. I know lots of folks like them, so maybe it was just a bad run with certain string offerings and/or gauges. I just know I didn't like them when I tried them.

I wonder if this is why Curt released a 9.5 set? Could the early 9's actually been 9.5's? I believe it's the high E and B strings that are larger...standard 9's for the rest.

 

[Monkey Man]

Or it could just be that they feel stiffer.

As much as I wanted to like the NYXLs when they came out a few years ago, I found that for me at least they felt at least 1 gauge stiffer than one would expect. They were too-pricey for me anyway, so too bad, 'cause I felt that if I'd gone down a size I might've achieved a similar feel to what I was used to, and of course, IMHO at least, they sounded very-good. Plenty of sparkle that hung around for weeks of use.

I've recommended them to a couple of peeps since, but always with the caveat that they try 1 gauge down from what they normally use in order to bring things back-to-normal.

So yeah, could it just be that the CM strings are stiffer than regular ones at equivalent gauges?

 

[Goat]

I was told that some popular string manufactures are using recycled metals, and that Curt Mangan does not. Ernie Ball strings don't sound as good (IMO) as they did back in the 70's/80's. I ended up moving to SIT strings, but stopped when I quit using a Floyd Rose. Why I didn't keep using them, I do not know? The CM strings were free, so I'll give them a shot. I have a set of Rotosound colored strings that I have not yet tried. I think Bare Knuckle included them with a set of pickups that I purchased.

 

[Beyond Black]

Or it could just be that they feel stiffer.

As much as I wanted to like the NYXLs when they came out a few years ago, I found that for me at least they felt at least 1 gauge stiffer than one would expect. They were too-pricey for me anyway, so too bad, 'cause I felt that if I'd gone down a size I might've achieved a similar feel to what I was used to, and of course, IMHO at least, they sounded very-good. Plenty of sparkle that hung around for weeks of use.

I've recommended them to a couple of peeps since, but always with the caveat that they try 1 gauge down from what they normally use in order to bring things back-to-normal.

So yeah, could it just be that the CM strings are stiffer than regular ones at equivalent gauges?

I agree with this. I have a guitar with 10 gauge NYXL’s and I swear they feel more like 11’s. I’m not a fan.