EJ11 is D'Addario's classic 80/20 Bronze Light — brighter and zingier than Phosphor Bronze, more cut and less warmth. The traditional bluegrass and flatpicking string before PB became the dominant acoustic material. Bright ring with focused midrange, perfect for cutting through bluegrass mixes.

Best for

Bluegrass and flatpicking players seeking traditional 80/20 zing. Strummers wanting maximum cut from acoustic. Bright-voiced-guitar players who find PB too mid-focused. Budget-conscious acoustic players at under $7.

Durability

Standard uncoated 80/20 Bronze lifespan — 2 weeks of peak brightness, shorter than PB due to faster oxidation. Tonal life drops noticeably after 2 weeks. D'Addario QC is industry benchmark.

Climate notes

80/20 Bronze oxidizes faster than PB in humid conditions — tropical-climate players see 1-1.5 week cycles vs 2-3 for PB. Not ideal for humid environments without coated treatment.

Rate this string

Be the first to rate this string.

Pros

Bright zingy attack — classic bluegrass tone
More cut than Phosphor Bronze alternatives
D'Addario consistency at budget pricing
Perfect for strumming and flatpicking

Cons

Shortest lifespan of major acoustic materials
Too bright for fingerstyle warmth
Oxidizes faster than PB in humid climates

Best for these guitars

Picked by community consensus

Fender

CD-140SCE

80/20 Bronze brightens the CD-140SCE's slightly dark mahogany voice and cuts through Fishman piezo feedback live.

Cort

AD880CE

80/20 cuts piezo feedback better than PB through Cort's CE304T preamp on stage.

Yamaha

APX600

80/20 bronze cuts through feedback better than PB on the APX's thin body — the default for live performers using the piezo into a PA.

Martin

D-28

Unconventional: 80/20 Bronze on a D-28. Today's Martin standard is Phosphor Bronze (PB) — warmer, more balanced, longer-lasting. Martin ships its D-28 with PB from the factory. But bluegrass flatpickers — the pickin' circles that gave us Tony Rice and Doc Watson — famously reject PB and demand 80/20 Bronze for a specific reason: when playing alongside a 5-string banjo and fiddle in a pickin' session, PB strings get swallowed; the warm roundness that sounds beautiful solo disappears into the banjo's attack. 80/20 Bronze has cutting zing and sharp midrange projection that slices through dense acoustic mixes — you can actually hear your D-28 among 5 other instruments. What you gain: cutting presence in ensemble context, brighter flatpicking attack, stronger note separation. What you lose: PB's warmth and complexity when playing solo, and 80/20 oxidizes faster — you'll replace them every 2 weeks instead of 3-4. Worth it for bluegrass; questionable for solo fingerstyle.

Gibson

J-45

J-45 with EJ11 — 80/20 brightens the slope-shoulder warmth for cutting strum.

Washburn

WCG55CE

80/20 Bronze cuts through Fishman piezo feedback better than PB on the cutaway grand auditorium body.

Yamaha

STORIA I

80/20 for STORIA's bedroom-content creator users — brighter top records better through laptop mics.

Breedlove

Organic Pursuit Concert CE

80/20 for concert-CE owners using the cutaway for live performance.

Taylor

GS Mini

GS Mini loves 80/20 zing — small body benefits from brighter string voicing.

Taylor

110ce

80/20 Bronze for performers using the ES2 piezo into a PA — 80/20's brighter top cuts feedback better than PB.

Cole Clark

FL2E

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

Taylor

114ce

80/20 for piezo-forward live use — cuts through ES2 amplification better than PB.

Takamine

GN93CE

80/20 for performers using GN93CE's TK-40D preamp into front-of-house systems.

Gretsch

G9220 Bobtail

80/20 for cutting through band mixes — resonator + 80/20 + slide is the classic Delta blues recipe.

Yamaha

FG800

EJ11 80/20 Bronze — bluegrass-bright for FG800 players wanting cutting flatpicking tone.

Price history

Across retailers · last 6 months

—

Buy from

Updated daily · Affiliate links support StringTune

Source reviews

Synthesized from 18 videos & threads across 8 languages

reviews

515.1K

views

476

likes

languages

Top voter comments

This is the best description of the differences between acoustic guitar string composition I've seen. I agree with your observations 100%, especially when matching string type to specific guitar brands. I play a Yamaha AC3M that has a warmer tone, similar to Martins and Gibsons. I bought PB's once because I couldn't fi
64
Well now I know why I play 80/20
52
80/20 bronze sounds more brighter and crisp，phosphor bronze sounds warm and comfortable
36

Comments

Be the first to share your experience with these strings.