The members of the Flatpick-L are verbally sparring again, hotly debating the merits of various guitar strings. Ultimately, as such threads often do, the discussion comes to a screeching halt with the mention of D’Addario’s renowned phosphor bronze medium gauge guitar strings, the often deployed “J-17’s.” “I needed strings on my [Martin] HD28LSV,” one animated guitarist writes. “I was out of strings, [but] had a set of J-17’s in my case. I put them on. Man, oh man . . . it’s over. On this guitar, it is J-17’s. That’s it!”

“I’ve been doing the same thing,” another list member responds, and I keep coming to the same conclusion. The J-17’s seem to be the most responsive, longest-lasting strings on everything I have that uses medium [gauge strings].”

Those sentiments are shared by some of the biggest names in bluegrass as well. “I’ve been playing D’Addario strings for over a decade and I am really impressed with the craftsmanship and consistency, to say nothing of how long they last,” states Alison Brown. “Whether I’m using the acoustic banjo strings or a custom classical set for my electric nylon string banjo, when I’m playing D’Addario I know my string won’t let me down.”

“D’Addario EXP’s are the best strings I’ve ever used, honest to God, live or in the studio,” Ricky Skaggs exclaims. “They work well on every mandolin I have. They make a good mandolin sound better . . . and they’re great for a guitar!”

“I’ve been using D’Addario strings for more than 25 years,” David Grisman jumps on the bandwagon. “Since 1976, all of my recordings have featured D’Addario strings. Tone has always been important to me and I like their tone. There are also very consistent. I don’t know how you all do it, but I just like ‘em.”

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