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joemed - Posted - 04/13/2021: 16:35:32
What are some other options? I posted recently about Thomastik, not a lot of traction there
I battle neuropathy in my fingers and my fingers are a bit sensitive.
My new mandolin will have med J74’s and I can use those, and I will for a bit, but I’d rather something a little more forgiving to my fingers eventually. It’s not a matter of building up callouses, I’ve done that.
I gave used GHS silk in the past, and that helped me a lot. I’m really interested in the Thomastik, based on what I’ve read about the “feel” as well as what I’ve heard in the sound. I really see myself giving these a try at some point.
But, what other options might be out there that I don’t even know about? What other strings are truly “easy on the fingers”
I don’t know anything about Monel, Nickel, Elixir, and any of them really
Steven Clarkson - Posted - 04/13/2021: 17:35:30
I like the flatwounds from Emado.com — I use them on my longer scale mandola
TSSN - Posted - 04/13/2021: 17:42:15
I have used GHS Silk and Steel on my mandolin and mandola, and Elixirs on my guitars. Not sure I can recommend one over another.
Steven's suggestion is intriguing.
Mandodennis - Posted - 04/13/2021: 18:39:00
quote:
Originally posted by joemed
I battle neuropathy in my fingers and my fingers are a bit sensitive.
I wrestle with a similar situation. Whether they call it peripheral neuropathy or paresthesia the sensation in the fingers is essentially the same. Mine is left over from Guillain- Barre Syndrome. I know what it feels like.
In my case GABA inhibitors help a lot. Take your meds. Beyond that ...
My first suggestion is to use lighter gauge strings. Instead of the j74's (11's), try j73's (10's). Martin also makes a similar set of 10's. If you can find a set of 9's use those. Your volume may suffer but your hands will be happier.
A more off-the-wall suggestion is to try to isolate the skin on your fingertips from direct contact with the strings. Years ago I would coat the fingertips with a layer of Super Glue. It acts as a stand in for calluses or a booster layer if you have good calluses. Not a perfect solution but it helped. Make sure the glue is dry before you go near the mandolin. 
While going through my latest bout I used silicone fingertips for several months. They are available on eBay. They come in various sizes and some are thicker than others. You may have to try a few different types to find one that works and helps with the nasty sensations. Again not a perfect solution but it might be helpful.
Have fun with your new mandolin. Remember, it is called "playing" for a reason.
Hope that helps.
Dennis
Edited by - Mandodennis on 04/13/2021 18:46:55
joemed - Posted - 04/13/2021: 19:03:40
Thank you Dennis. Mine is a souvenir from my long battle with cancer. The chemo really got me. Thank you for all of your ideas a
Scott, Patrick , Steven- sorry if I didn’t word the actual question right. What I am asking is....
Is there another string, other than Silk or Thomastik, that is smooth on the fingers?
I have no idea what Elixirs feel like, or Monels, or any of the others...
Steven Clarkson - Posted - 04/13/2021: 19:17:27
Makes complete sense — the mandolin flatwounds from Martin at Emando.com work great on acoustics and are less expensive than the Thomstik option — flatwounds are, imho, the easiest string on the fingers if you like their tone.
joemed - Posted - 04/13/2021: 20:39:23
Thank you Stephen I am going to have to try to find an example so I can hear what they are like.
Do you use them yourself and have you been using them for a while?
Steven Clarkson - Posted - 04/14/2021: 03:27:21
Yes and yes — I use his strings on my acoustic Gilchrist mandola and she shines
joemed - Posted - 04/14/2021: 03:56:41
Thank you Steven, this is good to hear. I have heard some not so good things about Martin strings more than a couple of times, so I had pretty much written them off. But I think this is more directed towards their standard strings. I am going to look into these though
Steven Clarkson - Posted - 04/14/2021: 03:57:24
quote:
Originally posted by Steven Clarkson
Yes and yes — I use his strings on my acoustic Gilchrist mandola and she shines. I use Thomastik heavies on my Girouard mandolin mainly because she was voiced for that string choice. If you decide to try them, make sure you check loop end -- I made that mistake once -- ball end is his default
joemed - Posted - 04/14/2021: 05:38:15
Thank you for the links Steven. I’ll have to check those out later today, didn’t want you to think I was ignoring you..
I’m a 3rd shifter, and it’s about my bedtime
joemed - Posted - 04/14/2021: 16:01:56
Great videos, and great playing Steven. Yes, the strings sound fantastic.
Side question as I am always trying to learn some things: what genre of music would you classify that as? I’m not into labels, but I could get into playing like that...
Steven Clarkson - Posted - 04/14/2021: 20:25:17
The genre would probably be organic World or so a curator told me
