Cigar Box Guitar string comparison

Using 3 identical (or as near identical guitars as I can manage to make, bearing in mind all our cigar box guitars are handmade), and comparing 3 different sorts of strings. These are our regular ChickenboneJohn d'Addario balanced tension set, Newtone hexagonal core strings, and Newtone round core strings.
In this comparison, all of the strings are nickel wound electrics, and all are the same gauges.

In the first part I play them "blind", not knowing which guitar has which set of strings. Throughout out this demo I have refrained from saying whether I can detect any difference in sound, as I think this is really subjective, and I'm not sure how much (if any) if this will come through the recording and uploading process. I don't want to put ideas into people's minds and ears, by suggesting tonal differences that they may not be able to hear.

The one thing that is noticeable is a subtle difference in tension between the conventional hex-core strings and the more "old school" round core strings. The round core strings come to pitch at a slightly lower tension, so feel slightly softer to play. Modern strings such as the d'Addarios are usually made on a hexagonal core wire, to help the windings grip as the string is wound. The Newtone strings are hand-wound, and are available on either a hexagonal or round core. With a round core string, there are no gaps between the core and the windings.

We never use cheap strings, as I believe the string is at the root of the sound of the guitar - it's where your tone starts, and it is the part of the instrument that you are most directly in contact with, all the time.

I'll leave it to you to see if you prefer the tone of one type over the other. We will soon be stocking the Newtone balanced tension sets in addition to our range of d'Addario strings. I'm particularly pleased about this, as it is great to be able to offer another high quality handmade British product to compliment our range of guitars.

We've got all these strings including the new hexcore and roundcore Newtone sets on our webshop:

[Hubcap_John]

I like the sound of the round core John. I can just here a slight difference with the notes being clearer. cheers Hubcap John

[janjanssens]

Hi ChickenboneJohn! I‘m a great fan and following you for a long time now. It‘s my first question to you. We don‘t have Newtone strings available in Switzerland. What kind of d’Addario strings do you recommend? There are so many different... thank you for helping me out (it‘s my first cbg). Kind regards and stay healthy

[bobu]

how high should I make my string action if I use medium gauge strings. the 5th, 4th and 3rd string.

[benwright]

ChickenboneJohn ..what is that in that Kay pancake lookin pickup in that there cigar box guitar? Is it close to a Kay pickup in size dimension and sound?

[chemicalcabbage]

Can I use the strings from my normal electric guitar?