I know nylon strings can take a few days to stretch before they are playable for more than a few minutes, but steel strings have always been kind of straight-forward for me; put 'em on and play 'em. New strings sound jangly and are fun as all get out to play right from the get-go. They sound jangly and fun for a week, maybe a few weeks if you're lucky, but they gradually lose their sparkle and finally you have to give in a install a new set.
Last week I put D'Addario EJ36 strings on my Taylor 355. They are a light set, 80/20 bronze. I usually use Elixir lights on the 355 but have occasionally dabbled in Martins and some other brands that have coated strings. I don't remember where I bought these, or why, but I wanted a new string sound and this is what I had on hand.
Then I got ready for an evening of fun playing with new strings, but bleh - the worst sound, the harshest hard feel...they were AWFUL!
The story has a happy, but somewhat surprising outcome. I made a video - you can see the punchline here.
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