Acoustic guitar strings to recommend to electric guitar players - Let’s spend Golden Week at home trying different strings-

Hello!
My name is Takuto Fujioka, guitarist in an acoustic unit called BABY BABY and an occupational therapist.

How are you all doing? I think that there are many people who cannot go out and are having a hard time spending days cramped at up home.
April is about to end in a blink of an eye, and before you know it, it's already May. Many people usually go on trips or go out and play somewhere on long vacations, other people have to work hard as usual, but I am patient and I will spend my time as best I can now. I will do my best to make this enjoyable for those who read the column to the best of my ability!

As such, to the guitarist who thinks "It's boring to just stay at home..."!
Then why not take this opportunity to try some different strings?

I usually write about posture and body, but today I would like to talk about "acoustic strings that I recommend to electric guitar players" based on a transcendental personal view.
As the title suggests, if you are a guitarist who says, "I usually play the electric guitar, and sometimes I play the acoustic guitar," please check this out!

Originally I was a band man who played only electric guitar, but my musical activity style changed and I started playing acoustic guitar for the first time when I became active in an acoustic unit.
I realized something right after I started playing. That is, the playing feel is completely different between an electric guitar and an acoustic guitar. Of course, there are many things in common, such as tuning and playing style. However, for me, who had only played electric guitars, the strings felt thick and difficult to hold, and the tension of the strings was strong. So if you do not pick with more strength than when you play the electric guitar, you will lose to the strings and you will not hear a good sound. I was troubled by the discomfort caused by the acoustic guitar.
It's simple, but I thought, "Then, if it's difficult to play thick strings, why not just lower the string gauge?!" I bought a lot of strings from Sound House and tried them.

However, the difficult part of the guitar is that things cannot always be solved by such a simple change. It's true that lowering the gauge and stretching custom light or extra light strings is one way to do it, but it doesn't feel right.
Making the strings thinner will definitely make it easier to play, but when it comes to the sound, I didn't like the "crispy" tone with less bass and more treble. Regarding the tone, I think there are differences in what you want depending on your taste and playing style, but I was looking for "a sound that projected a core of warmth." (I'm sorry for the crisp expression! Lol) Is there a string that produces a warm core sound even if the string gauges are thin?
Of course, I tried the popular brand Phosphor bronze strings, bronze strings, and coated strings first. Of course, there were many good strings among them, but I didn't mention them, and today I would like to offer another option that is a bit different!

One answer I arrived at. It was the "Martin MA130FX SILK & PHOSPHOR"!

(This is the old package I have.)
The "Martin MA130FX" strings are made of silk. The gauges are .011-.047, which are very thin for acoustic strings and close to the gauge of electric guitar strings. With this thickness, you can play as if you were playing an electric guitar, so there is no sense of discomfort. Also, since the strings are thin, it is easy to press them, and the nuances of stroke and picking can be produced with an electric feel. I change the songs I play and the strings I use depending on the mood at that time, but I'm currently using the Martin OOO 16-GT and the YAMAHA FG-130 for playing at home.

With only a quick look, they are not much different from normal Phosphor bronze strings.

It seems that the tension of the strings is lowered by using silk as the core. The bass sounds differently from bronze strings, and the sound quality is soft. In addition, since the winding is made of Phosphor Bronze, they produce a tone that is not only soft but also has a firm brightness.
The feel of the strings is also unique, and they has a soft, fluffy feel, which makes them feel different from coated strings.
(There are similar products such as SILK & STEAL strings, so-called compound strings, but due to the difference in materials, they have a milder tone and a taste similar to nylon strings. Both produce a good sound. I think the SILK & PHOSPHOR strings are more gorgeous and have a more acoustic and easy-to-use tone. There is also a way to select the SILK & STEAL strings for those who mainly fingerpick and the SILK & PHOSPHOR strings for those who also strum.)

(This is the "ERNIE BALL Earthwood 80/20 Silk & Steel". It seems that SILK & PHOSPHOR strings are sold only by Martin, but Silk & Steel strings are sold by various manufacturers. There are various gauges and tones. They’re completely different, so please check them out. It's fun just to read the reviews on the Sound House product pages!)

I hear a warm and gentle tone with a core, but I often see reviews such as "They’re fine for fingerpicking but not for strumming". However, I think they sound pretty good even when strummed. In fact, I rarely fingerpick, and most of the time I use picks or strum with my fingers.
It's true that the strings are thin and soft, so volume and power are not as strong, so you may not be able to rely on playing a live sound or playing strong and loud. However, I would like you to give them a try for the comfort of pressing the strings, the right volume, andand a unique, gentle sound! I think they’re the perfect strings for playing at home.

In addition, I think that silk strings can be recommended as practice strings for beginners who have troubles such as the finger pain from holding the strings down or with light gauge strings that do not sound good when strumming.

What did you think!? It’s not necessary to stick to any one set of strings, and depending on the song you play, how you play, and the situation, you may find some unsuitable, but it's fun to try various things and find some to suit your tastes! Especially for acoustic guitars, just changing the strings makes a considerable difference in sound, so I think there will be new discoveries and even an opportunity to review how you play and to understand the characteristics of your guitar.
This time it was my transcendental personal opinion, but there are some people on YouTube who have made videos comparing the strings from well-known manufacturers, so please refer to those as well!
If you find strings you are interested in, buy them in large quantities at Sound House and have a meaningful home guitar life during Golden Week! This is one example, anyway (^o^) / lol
Let's enjoy what we can do now because this is the kind of time that it is!
See you next time ~!