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Bought a used A&L Cedar Folk for $200 with hard shell case. Solid cedar top with laminate cherry sides and back. It's going to be my string testing axe. It came with a fresh set of D'Addario phosphor bronze 12s. I know these are your standard acoustic strings, but I find them a little stiff and I can't play the guitar as long as I can with lighter gauge strings. They were a bit bright too, but that could also be the guitar. Like I said, these aging fingertips are becoming a little bit more whinny. The heaviest gauge I can comfortably work with are 11-52s - I have these on my S&P Woodland Folk Pro - Martin SP 80/20 Bronze
I purchased some Martin Flexible Core Silk and Phosphors 11-47s. So far my fingertips are enjoying these. The sound is mellower and a little lighter than the standards. Easier to finger. Less buzzing and damping - don't have press barre chords so hard. I also have a set of Ernie Ball 80/20 Bronze Silk and Steel 10-50s to try in a month.
I also know that radius it part of the playability for me - not a fan of the standard 16". Less flat, the better. I prefer a 12" radius on an acoustic. Don't like small frets either, but I that is something else. Whinny old aging fingertips.
I purchased some Martin Flexible Core Silk and Phosphors 11-47s. So far my fingertips are enjoying these. The sound is mellower and a little lighter than the standards. Easier to finger. Less buzzing and damping - don't have press barre chords so hard. I also have a set of Ernie Ball 80/20 Bronze Silk and Steel 10-50s to try in a month.
I also know that radius it part of the playability for me - not a fan of the standard 16". Less flat, the better. I prefer a 12" radius on an acoustic. Don't like small frets either, but I that is something else. Whinny old aging fingertips.