Oh no, what have I done !!

so first time re stringing my beginner Acoustic Yamaha F310 and looked on line for reviews about strings and what the diff is etc etc

Anyhow I saw good things about D'Addario EJ16-3D Phosphor Bronze Light (.012-.053) Acoustic Guitar Strings, so purchased a couple of sets.

Oh my, how awful they sound on this guitar I have tuned and re tuned these strings but they sound nothing like the original strings the bass is just not there E sounds flat in fact From low to too E every string sounds nothing like the fullness of the original

So question is, this normal, what kind of string are on this guitar? I understand the gauge higher deeper tone, but light etc etc, is a bit beyond me as a beginner it’s not something I need to know right ? What kind of string should I look at to produce a rich warm tone

Thanks to anyone who can help

Hi Zollybosher thanks for posting the great question!

I think what you are experiencing is just the sound of brand-new strings, which always have sort of a 'twangy' sound at first. It should go away as you break the strings in a little bit.

It's also normal that you will need to re-tune more frequently with new strings. They need to stretch out before they will stay in-tune, so at first they will go flat more quickly.

Don't worry, this is all normal. Let us know if you still have the issue after a week or two of playing.

Originally Posted by: Ben Martin

Hi Zollybosher thanks for posting the great question!

I think what you are experiencing is just the sound of brand-new strings, which always have sort of a 'twangy' sound at first. It should go away as you break the strings in a little bit.

It's also normal that you will need to re-tune more frequently with new strings. They need to stretch out before they will stay in-tune, so at first they will go flat more quickly.

Don't worry, this is all normal. Let us know if you still have the issue after a week or two of playing.

Phew, Thanks for the information. I did think they would settle eventually, it was the fact that they sounded so “tinny” that threw me the chords I was playing just sounded awful

I don't have an F310 or any dread, so can't be exact, but from spec. and owning a Yamaha APX which came with EXP26s, ex-factory at the F310's entry level price point I'd suspect Yamaha OEM. IDK if they are repackaged OEM D'Addario of any sort. Neither Yamaha Music's AU or USA website specify for the F310, so it's anyone's guess.

I use D'Addario EJ16s and they suit me, but I love Concert body bright and detest Dreadnought body boom. I also prefer the EJ16's price vs EXP26s, which facilitates more frequent replacement. Cheaper lesser quality strings and old strings will frequently be relatively boomy in the same gauge IME, so your ears may well just be accustomed to that.

As Ben said, new strings also require a bedding in period regardless of stretching when you fit them, during which they will go out of tune easily (flat).

Give them and your ears a week to adjust. If you still don't like them, experiment. Plenty of choice out there. Try EXP26s if you're prepared to pay for them. They are very nice to play, but to my ear as fitted to my Concert Cutaway, they too sound bright albeit with solid projection. I suspect they'll project a more prominent base tone on the Dread's full body.