Bright tone acoustic guitar strings

My primary acoustic guitar is an Alvarez MD70e Herringbone. It’s a lovely guitar, and I can’t tell you how much I love playing it. However, the tone is too warm for me. Because of that, I had to move away from Elixir strings and started using D'Addario. There are many alternatives, and I don’t have the budget to test-drive them all. So, I picked up the XS 80/20 Bronze Acoustic Strings and restrung my guitar.

My first impression was not very good; my classic tone with Elixir was gone. I keep my guitar in a case because the British weather isn't very friendly to acoustic instruments. However, a few weeks later, the tone settled into a very nice shape—warm but brighter. The guitar even started sounding louder. I’m using the 11-52 Custom Light Coated Acoustic Guitar Strings.

Here are the other alternatives I considered before deciding on the XS 80/20s:

Elixir Nanoweb 80/20

These are the strings I used for the longest time in the past. The 11-52 Custom Light set is my favorite. They have real volume—the guitar sounded twice as loud—but I think the Alvarez was just too warm with them.

##Ernie Ball Earthwood 80/20 I hated these. I think I only kept them on my guitar for a few weeks. I will never use them again!

##D'Addario XT 80/20 These strings are very popular, and a lot of people recommend them. I gave them a try, but they didn't work as I expected. There is a slight difference between the XS 80/20 and the XT 80/20.

##XS 80/20 vs. XT 80/20 This was the toughest comparison! I had already used the XTs and I loved the tone, but after a few months, I felt the tone was gone. I have been using the XS strings since last December (we’re currently in May), and I am still really enjoying the tone.

This is a very personal review. I’m a bedroom player, but I try to use strings with the best price-to-performance ratio. For me, the most affordable and playable strings for an acoustic guitar with warm tones are the D'Addario XS 80/20s.