Superwound and their sibling company Rotosound have been among the brand leaders in guitar and bass strings for many years now, and these Country Golds are part of a recently launched range. I snaffled a set of 012 gauge, and put them on my Manson Sandpiper to give them the treatment.

Country Golds follow the well-established Superwound principle, in that the windings terminate some three inches before the ball end, so that only the bare string core rests on the guitar's bridge. The idea here is to increase the vibration of the string and thereby the resonance and response of the instrument. Now, the Sandpiper is one of the most resonant acoustics it's ever been my pleasure to hear, with the kind of projection that can knock you flat at ten paces — when I whacked a chord, the resulting sound was almost too much! It just rang, and rang, and... it was nothing short of incredible!

The strings settled in very quickly and an hour or so of solid playing started methinking that these could well be some of the finest strings I've ever come across. Response on the Manson was tremendous; the initial 'over-the-top' element had gone, and I was getting unbelievable projection and a powerful, sweet sound. These, I feel, would bring out the very best in anything from a top-flight acoustic to the cheapest model on the market.

I've tried to find something to criticise about these Country Golds — but quite honestly, I can't! Response is magnificent, sound superb and as for staying power... well, ever since I put them on I've thumped 'em, snapped 'em, hammered 'em, and they just flatly refuse to clap out! How long they will last is anybody's guess, but it's been a good six weeks now with no deterioration that I can discern.

At an RRP of £4.45, Country Golds aren't the cheapest strings on the market. But in my view, for a string of this sheer quality, they're well worth every single penny.