People often ask me about strings, picks and all the other paraphernalia associated with the guitar. For the past three years or so I’ve been using John Pearse phosphor bronze strings to great effect. I’ve found them to be excellent - good tone right out of the packet with none of that very abrasive toppy sound that some strings have when they’re brand new. They last for ever too…I realised with some alarm that a set I put on at the beginning of January had done an entire German tour as well as half a dozen shows after I returned home. They still sounded OK too, but I replaced them as there was a danger they might start breaking. It has to be said that I’m fortunate in that I don’t have particularly sweaty hands unlike a couple of friends of mine who can kill a set of new strings by looking at them!

Anyway, it turns out that JP strings are not so easy to get in the UK, so I’m delighted to offer them through our online shop for anyone who’s interested. The company actually manufactures a huge range of products, but I’m offering only the phosphor bronze light & medium gauge sets here. For what it’s worth, I use a light set - 012-052 - but with the substitution of a 013 on the top string to give a little extra bite at the top end. Please go to the online shop for details.