Some mandolins have a lot of “punch” — too much perhaps. While this is fine if you’re playing rhythm in a loud bluegrass band, it’s not particularly enjoyable for solo playing or during practice sessions.
For some mandolins — especially bright, jangly F-style mandolins — it makes sense to damp down the sound just a bit.
And that’s where silk and steel mandolin strings really pay off.
Strings with silk wrapped over the steel
The (bronze) wrapped strings are covered with silk, rather than full-thickness bronze. This reduces the harsh sound that often accompanies an F-style mando played at full volume. Most players describe silk and steel strings as having a warmer, softer, more ‘woody’ tone.
So if your mandolin is just too loud for however you use it, you can soften the sound with silk and steel strings without altering its playability or set-up.
They change the tone, not the volume
If you want to reduce the noise level of your mandolin (the volume), silk and steel strings alone won’t do that for you. They alter the tonal characteristics, not the overall volume. To reduce the volume, you’re better off using lighter gauge strings.
Longer life? Silk and steel strings may sound good longer than normal strings
You know how good a new set of strings sounds, right? There’s nothing like it. Musicians wish their instruments could sound that good all the time, instead of just after a string change.
Some folks claim that silk and steel mandolin strings sound good for much longer than normal strings. Because the silk keeps the string windings clean, the strings supposedly sound good for a longer period of time after restringing the mandolin.
