Newtone Strings company is founded by Malcom Newton, who was a previous coal miner, cable jointer, linesman and finally ended up in a firm manufacturing wire rope, where he learnt about wire drawing, plating processes and applications of wire. He went on to join a company called Albion Strings which later became Newtone Strings.
Newtone strings are round cored, compared to the average string which is hex-cored. Round cored strings tend to have less strain on the guitar neck and soundboard. It is also advertised on the Newtone website that round cored strings tend to have longer life due to there being no angular surfaces under the wrapping wire where dirt can accumulate to deaden the string and increase corrosion.
I try on strings on my guitar like a girl tries on clothes. So on a whim, I ordered these Newtone Masterclass Phosphor Bronze strings (.012 - .054) from overseas, along with others like John Pearse, Everly, etc. My previous strings of choice were Daddario EJ16 or Martin SPs. So I proceeded to put these on.
Bright. That's the word that came to my mind instantly when I put them on. The closest relative in terms of tone to these strings in my mind would be Elixir Nanowebs Phosphor Bronzes. Though I haven't been using Elixirs much recently as I find them rather stiff. I proceeded to play the strings in for a day. The next day I realised that they had lost the initial over-brightness. It was like turning the "Presence" knob on a guitar amplifier from 7 to 5.
Feel
Initially I was afraid that these strings wouldn't keep in tune for alternate tuning songs as I play frequently in DADGAD and other dropped tunings. As I tuned it to DADGAD I found that the strings still had a nice feel. Sliding chords became much smoother and easier than the Daddarios or Martins, not quite but almost approaching electric guitar territory. Still, the tone had a bite that I like.
Recording
I proceeded to record these strings. Wow. These are a perfect fit for my Goodall RCJC. The sound is articulate and excellent for fingerstyle.
Here is the clip of an arrangement in DADGAD tuning I am working on. No processing, eq, compression or reverb was added to this clip.
It excited me that it sounds great just by itself without any studio trickery.
Longevity
For me, the test of longevity on any string is two weeks. If after two weeks of daily playing of 2-3 hours the strings are dead, I tend to classify the lifespan of the strings as average. After two weeks, I found that these strings were still going strong and the recorded tone was still pretty much the same as the initial tone. This sealed the deal for me.
Conclusion
These are excellent strings. Another round-cored string product are the DR Sunbeams, which I didn't like as much. For recording, I have not found another that suits my Goodall to a T. Still, string choices are subjective, both to guitar and to the individual. I predict that this is one company that is going to grow and grow.
Pier Lim - Play Guitar Singapore Reviewer
Out of a maximum of 10 Singapore Flags, the Newtone Masterclass Strings gets an excellent 9 flags!
My New Favourite Strings - Newtone Masterclass 