MartinMA130 Authentic Acoustic - SP - Silk & Steel Custom (11½-47) 41Y18MA130

Its sounds great

I like it

At the time of writing the Amazon product description does not make it clear that these are actually 80/20 strings: it is not mentioned anywhere in the description (it just says 'bronze') and the text on the packet where it says this is too blurred to be readable in the photograph and you only discover this when you open the packet and see the text staring at you. I bought them believing they were normal phosphor bronze type. If you know what 80/20 strings are then you can stop reading here.Whether you like 80/20's or not is purely personal preference. People who like them use descriptive words like 'clear', 'bright' and 'cuts through the mix'. People who don't like them use words like 'harsh', 'shrill' and 'ear fatigue'.As I fall into the second camp I returned these strings. It's a bit annoying this fact wasn't made clearer as they are an 'add-on item' so if I had known I would have hunted down the phosphor bronze versions, but now it is too late and I will have to wait until my next purchase of £20 or more unless I want to pay postage.In general Martin make decent strings and if you get the type you want and they are cheap then they are a safe buy, if you are looking for some simple uncoated strings.

i've been a professional musician for over 30 years and I've always used Martin strings on my acoustic guitars. Now and again I've tried other more expensive brands but have never been impressed enough to change from using Martins.

Best sounds and value for me - I have these strings (M170) on all 3 of my acoustics. The tone and playability of these lighter strings - even on a dreadnought, really pleases my ear and fingers. I play a lot (at least 30 hours a week) so I go through quite a few sets but the deal on amazon for the multi packs works out at just over £3 per set. I figure I get 10 to 12 hours max from each set before I notice them going off but remind myself that going to see that amount of time of premiership football would cost nearly a £1000. Crikey. You can buy strings that last a lot longer, generally speaking for approx £15 per set, then you have to balance out the tone and feel they give you versus the longevity.I can play for many hours at a time with these lighter strings and feel that due to the quality of them I can play and bend the strings as aggressively as I want.When they do start to go 'off' you will notice the tone and pitch begin to slip - then it's time to change to your next set so you can begin all over again. At £3.30 per set (multibuy) this is a no brainer for me.

Decided to experiment and try a few different makes/types of string instead of my preferred brand (d'addario), and personally wasn't too enamoured with these. They are the thickest strings I've tried, so expected a more resonant, fuller sound. Instead just found them more difficult to play due to the thickness, and the sound rather lack-lustre and uneven - good bass but overall a bit lifeless across the range.. I guess there are a lot of factors that affect string tone, playing styling, ability, guitar make etc, and moving to heavier strings probably isn't a fair comparison, but think I will stick to my preferred strings in future.

I have the 'Baby Martin', which is a wonderful beast. It arrived with a set of Martin 'Clapton's Choice' strings, which were lovely, but for the last couple of years I've been using these. They sound amazing for the money, and last long enough for my needs. I did experiment with a 'coated' long life set, but found them a little dull sonically. I'd rather change strings and clean/set up my guitar every other month!Recommended!