Ok, Martin MA 130 Silk & Steel arrived, finally. If you 'll recall, I was going to put very light electric strings on the high E and B strings, and the Silk & Steel on the bottom 4 strings. Well, I abandoned that right away because I broke the Ernie Ball Extra Slinky 8 right away! To be honest, it felt too "slinky" anyway, and obviously not strong enough to handle the tension on my acoustic. I'm not blaming the string here, I am sure it was my fault I broke it. Anyway, after that I just used the whole set of Martins (11 - 47).

My first impression is pretty good. I think they have a nice, bright sound and I think I like the way the silk coating feels. The 6th string has less buzz than what I had before. I was really getting a buzz anytime I had to play a note on 6th string, especially with my pinkie, unless I hit the fret just exactly right (and even then, well, didn't sound good). So, Am pentatonic sounded like crap for me most of the time even when I thought I was doing ok.

The idea was that this hybrid setup using super light high strings combined with the silk wrapped low strings might be easier for tender beginner fingers. I think the silks might be a little easier, but can't say on the high strings. I may try again with a lighter gauge than the 11s but not as extreme as the electric 8. That was too far. I will post another update in a few days after playing these more.