Strings recommended for J-45

Been playing Elixir NanoWebs on all my acoustics forever. They're especially good for guitars that don't get played daily.
Now with this awesome J-45 I just bought they do sound a bit... lifeless, and less than clear. I still like the relative absence of string noise.
Which strings do you use on your J-45s?

D'Addario J-17s (13s).

I like D'Addario 13s on dreads. I'd give a set of D'Addario EXPs a shot. They are coated, but in a different way than Elixers. To my ears they sound better. Wouldn't hurt to give a set a shot.
I also like Martin strings on Martins. For some reason, to me, Martins sound best with Martin strings. Weird.

Were you using Elixir Phosphor Bronze Nanos? Just curious as I have always thought any PB string holds a bright/yet warm tone much longer than a 'bright bronze' or 80/20 bronze string- Now I know that Elixirs regardless of alloy hold their tone a long time, but dig their PB's :wink:!

I prefer 13s but would say go with nothing lighter than 12s. I don't care for coated strings - any of them. Generally I stick with round wound nickel 13s but lately I have gotten hooked on Curt Mangan strings. The wound strings are about as lively as I have ever played. They last a good long while and really bring out the Gibson percussive low end and saturated mids.

Were you using Elixir Phosphor Bronze Nanos? Just curious as I have always thought any PB string holds a bright/yet warm tone much longer than a 'bright bronze' or 80/20 bronze string- Now I know that Elixirs regardless of alloy hold their tone a long time, but dig their PB's :wink:!

No, I used their regular 80/20 bronze.

No, I used their regular 80/20 bronze.

^^ Try the PB's - Now of course I can understand you may not dig the tone you hear with the PB's, this is personal stuff here! But if you do, the tone you hear as soon as you put the strings on, will 'hold' for a very long time. For me that is 4-5 hard playing gigs if I'm playing acoustic gigs( they probably last longer, but I don't like to go too long w/o a change if playing hard) , or a few months if not....amazing string. Bright and rich, IMO

I haven't found a coated set that I like. I had some DR's that were "ok".

I am with the guys above...D'Addario although I like 11's at home and 12's live.

I have heard excellent things about John Pearse strings but I have yet to try a set in my J-45

diaddario ej-19 12-56. they make my 1962 j-45 crack the whip on bluegrass and sparkle&croon fingerpicked. the most balance between the two styles i've found for that guitar. or i should say my wife found: i couldn't begin to guess how much money she spent on strings, trying different sets every couple of days it seemed, back when she was playing that guitar. after weeks of that, the ej-19s were what she settled on, and though i've since tried a few different sets myself, i always come back to them.

I have heard excellent things about John Pearse strings but I have yet to try a set in my J-45

I love the sound of these strings! Just did an outdoor trio gig Wednesday (guitar/bass/harmonica) playing blues/folk/Americana etc., and even though the strings (which have been on my Martin for a while) were kind of dead (still very much in tune, but the wound strings were no longer acoustically bright), the guitar just sounded "Doc Watson-y" with that strong midrange, some bass thump- NOT a 'brand new strings' sound- which I perosnally don't go for...Using D'Addarios for many years and later Elixirs for the longevity, I just love the tone (and feel) of the Pearse PB's

It took me a lot of experimenting to find the best strings for my J45. I had not owned any short-scale slope shouldered guitars before my J45. All of my acoustics have been in the Martin clone camp, with the exception of a Guild maple jumbo. On all of my previous acoustics I used 13s, D'Adarrio EJ17s. Used those strings for years, so that is what I tried when I got the J45. Never did sound right, tried lots of different brand 13s and they all sounded "choked". Which is the opposite of all my prior experience, guitars had always sounded better with 13s. Decided to try some 12s (the guage Gibson ships them with) went with D'Addarrio EJ16s. There it was, all that sparkle, sizzle, and growl I had been missing. The perfect string for my J45. Not saying J45s won't handle 13s, and all acoustic guitars are different, but all Montana era J45s are built with 12s in mind. I think that has to mean something. From what I understand, D'Adarrio is currently manufacturing the factory Gibson strings that they ship with.

The "Doc Watson" string...

Some time ago I tried several sets and gauges of the JP strings on my guitars and was not particulary impressed. Not that they sounded bad, just not as good as my venerable GHS Vintage Bronze or Bright Bronze.

I have since gotten a Huss and Dalton DS, their take on a J-45...and now I see the light! JP Strings really sound good on this guitar, have enough tension to drive the top but feel real good to play. Uncoated, but I have not noticed string noise as a problem. And, they are relatively inexpensive.

I have 2 J-45's a 62 and a 49, I use DR Sunbeams 12-54