Enuff with the fuzzies already! I've played mandolin for 25 years and some sets have them, some don't. What probably does matter is that your first pair for this old bowl back should indded be on the lighter side and have loop ends (most still do). Your local music store will probably only have one gauge of thickness on mando strings. You can take your chances but it might be worthwile to catalog shop a little and get something light until you know if your old instrument can take the tension.