Pyramid Gold Strings , are they worth it?

[racecar]

Just ordered a set for $20. Anyone try these ? Are they worth it? Feedback would be kindly appreciated. Thanks.

[midnightrainband]

I recently put a set on my ES-335. They are nice, very smooth. I like them but haven't really played them enough to pass full judgement. Are they worth 20 bucks, I don;t know. Will I buy them again, probably.

[Sparechaynge]

I would say they are, especially for Bobby sounds. Very warm sounding and nice to play, my only problem is the difficulty in obtaining replacements for broken stings and custom sets. A 11-52 set would be a nice option.

[Dozin]

Weir gets a special set of Pyramid strings made for him called the BW Specials. They consist of 12-52 with an unwound G string. I order the George Benson set of the 12-52 and also purchase the unwound G from juststrings.com (which is a couple miles down the road from me)

[zambiland]

Wow, that's a pretty heavy set! I use a set like that for my jazz box.

[Sparechaynge]

Hey Dozin, do you have to email JustStrings to get Pyramid singles? I can't find the option to do so on their website. I'd really like to replace the ones I broke and get 11's w/a plain G.

[Dozin]

I don't think you can get single Pyramids. That's why I switched to the George Benson Thomastik strings. They're very similar to Pyramids.

[Sparechaynge]

Ah, that's my mistake. My brain failed to process the George Benson = Thomastik connection. Thanks!

[Quebee]

I have been using Pyramid flatwound 10's for a while (comes w wound and plain G) The thing I prefer to some sets is that they are 10-465 and 11-48 and sound smooth and balanced. The 10-48 0r 11-52 sets are way too heavy on the low E for Bobby sounds, for me.

[Sparechaynge]

Huh, that's odd, the sets I got from Elderly Instruments didn't have the plain G, just the wound one. Retailer's choice?

I have a friend who will be in England soon, what are the chances the European retailers sell singles?

[Quebee]

As it turns out only the 10's come with the plain G.
My 11's showed up today with only a wound G. Turns out it was an honest mistake by Just Strings. Bill,pretty sure it is Bill, from just Strings suggested I order plain steel .020 for $.60/ea or in bulk for about $3.00, which I will end up doing. The plain steel strings are pretty similar across the board, it is the wound strings that are the real difference makers and Pyramid does use very high quality metals in this regard. So you could most likely do this in whatever gauge you want for both backup and to keep your G plain.

[Sparechaynge]

Ok, thanks for clarifying. I'm going to order a bunch of E, B, and G "pure nickle" strings from whatever company feels most like the Pyramids (probably DR or GHS, maybe TI's). I really wish it was easier to get singles and custom sets.

[racecar]

Well I finally put the Pyramids on my guitar and played my first gig with the new Pyramid Gold Strings (11's) flatwounds and I have to say I am rather impressed. It took a little getting used to the flatwounds, I felt like I was playing thin cables. But the tone was there in spades. My set came with the wound G only and it was just fine. I am going to keep using the Pyramids on one of my Andersons and I am going to stick with Elixirs on the other so I can do some comparisons. But on the surface, I think I am going to stick with these Pyramids for awhile.

Are they worth $20 a set..... Not sure yet.....I will say , I believe they are better strings then the Elixirs I have been using for a long time. Worth twice the price....jury is still out...but I am enjoying them and will stick with them for a bit and eventually decide if I go back to ol reliable or stick with these. YMMV

[mkaufman]

Does anyone have an issue with the low strings having too much bass? I like flats on my jazz guitars, however, I've never liked them on a 'Bobby' guitar.

mk

[Sparechaynge]

Racecar, if you really like them than the high price is easily justified by their lifespan. I'm still using the same set as when I posted back in December! They sound just as good as the day I put them on.

Mkaufman,I haven't had an issue there. The treble strings are much louder/brighter on my guitar, and I had to adjust my pickup to get more volume/bass on the lower strings.