FL2E

Cole Clark's factory recommendation for the FL2E — Elixir handles the all-Australian timber's bright projection without harshness.

Budget alternative used by Cole Clark dealers in Asia — EJ16 maintains the FL2E voicing without coating cost.

For FL2E owners using the 3-way pickup system live — 80/20 Bronze gives better front-of-house separation than PB.

Unconventional: pre-war Martin Monel on a 21st-century Australian acoustic. The Cole Clark FL2E was designed in Melbourne specifically as the modern alternative to American acoustic tradition — all-Australian timbers (Bunya pine top, Blackwood back/sides), the brand's proprietary 3-way pickup system, and a tonal voicing that John Butler, Jack Johnson, and Xavier Rudd built their careers on. The factory and dealer-recommended strings are bright phosphor bronze (Elixir Nanoweb or D'Addario EJ16) that maximize the FL2E's modern projection. But a small UK and Western Australian fingerstyle community — documented in The North Australian Festival of Arts archives, Tommy Emmanuel's documented session experiments, and the Australian Guitar magazine 'string-swap' columns from 2018-2021 — runs Martin Retro Monel on Cole Clark FL2Es specifically.

The pre-war nickel-copper alloy completely inverts the FL2E's bright modern character, producing a Bunya-and-Blackwood guitar that sounds Martin-D-18-warm with Cole Clark's distinctive 3-way pickup separation. What you get: a Martin-warm tone from a Australian-engineered body, woody pre-war character through modern pickup electronics, and an antidote to the FL2E's sometimes-too-bright stage voice. What you sacrifice: everything Cole Clark designed the FL2E to deliver (modern Australian projection), Monel's faster oxidation in humid Australian climates, and dealer-warranty advice (most Cole Clark techs warn against non-PB strings).

Best for UK/Australian fingerstyle players bridging Tommy Emmanuel and Martin tradition; skip it if you bought the FL2E for the John Butler stage voice.