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I have a double top (double cedar) lattice braced guitar. My professor recommended me to experiment with different strings as I was using savarez alliance 540J hard tension and they were getting old. So I just got a D'addario pro arte medium tension it sounds great but the sound of the tuning is throwing me off when I play pieces (maybe intonation issue?).
Anywho I'm sticking with the D'Addario for a bit to see if the tuning issue resolves (maybe the strings need to get used to the guitar I don't know). I'm looking for other options and opinions though, maybe there is a string set out there that works best on my guitar specifically. What would you guys recommend?
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08-29-2025 07:09 AM
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My current favorite is Aquila Ambra 2000.Sorry i didn't try these years ago.Very warm sounding and vibrato on these strings is very nice.Everyone has their own subjective view on what sounds good on their guitar.Like your professor said,the only way is to try different strings and see what suits you best.
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I like savarez. Regarding D'Addario, here is a thing I posted a few months ago on another forum:
"I just wanted to say thanks to the people on this thread and offer my story.
A couple days ago I noticed the intonation on my top 3 strings was off, judging by ear, around a quarter tone. This was very sudden and strange. It was completely unplayable outside of first position. I messaged the maker of my guitar, started looking for a luthier near me, and searched the web. So I landed on this thread.
I believed strings could affect intonation, but never imagined to THAT degree. But, i gave reversing the strings a try and, like magic, it fixed the intonation. To think I almost took it to be worked on!
The end reveal here is, the strings were pro arte normal tension! Maybe they were fake, but I would be surprised judging by where I bought them. Just good old fashioned crap product."
+Can a string be "bad" and not intonate? - Page 3 - Delcamp Classical Guitar Forum The post. I didn't know fake strings were such a thing!
I learned a ton about strings from stringsbymail.com
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I reached out to strings by mail today and they recommended me a couple of string sets. Looking forward to trying them!
The D'Addario intonation thing is not an issue anymore for me I guess it took some string stretching over time to get acclimated. Fake strings huh? Who knew!
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What, exactly, is "reversing the strings"? What gets reversed? The winding around the peghead? Do you turn the ball end to make it seat differently in the tailpiece when up to tension?
Originally Posted by joe2758
On rare occasions, a set of strings will be bad. I've probably seen this only twice in life. Maybe if I had known about reversing the strings... :-)
I'm a satisfied customer of juststrings.com. I've never asked them for advivce, but they give good prices and fast shipping. I like LaBella Nylon Tapes (.14 - 67) for my Byrd.
SJLast edited by starjasmine; 08-30-2025 at 12:59 AM.
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you take the string off and put the end that was tied to the bridge through the peg hole and vice versa.
The time I did it was just to see if I had a string problem or a guitar problem, I didn't continue using the strings.
It's only a temporary solution at best (for instance while you're waiting for the new strings to come) in my case it was just an experiment that was useful
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My favs are the 510AR with the the 510MR a close second. I find the fluoro-carbon G a nice transition sound between the basses and the trebles in the MR set and I would use this set but over time I feel the fluoro-carbon trebles seem to keep their clarity and "freshness" longer compared to the regular nylons so I usually go for the AR set. I find Savarez sets the most musical to my ears, and feel like they have a nice wide and well balanced sound from low to high. I also like that the trebles are clear, musical and have consistent volume even high up the neck.
Oh, and one more thing - I found Savarez to sound equally great with and without nails, whereas D'Addario sound better to my ears with nails.
I have tried Augustine Imperial mediums, but they were a big disappointment and lasted the least amount of time of all the sets I tried. They were decent for about 2 weeks after that the trebles seemed to have lost some of their clarity and the G was really tubby. Maybe I got a bad set but their overall sound with my guitar was a big meh.
D'Addarios were good with my guitar, tho again, the G left me wanting.
I want to experiment with titanium strings, but can't find them locally...
Fwiw, the guit is cedar top, rosewood body with ebony fretboard.Last edited by jazzloverfat; 08-29-2025 at 10:45 PM.
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Thanks for clarifying. That's unusual ...! Originally Posted by joe2758
IDK how Elixir sound for jazz archtop but I get good tone (and indeed improved mileage) out of them on my Parker Fly.
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keep in mind he's asking about classical strings, i don't know if it would have an effect of steel strings. Originally Posted by starjasmine
My main point is I won't get the Pro Arte again, even though I have used them plenty of times before that. Hannabach sounded really good but D string broke after two weeks and they are just way too expensive for that to happen.
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This is so interesting, I found the exact same thing. Originally Posted by jazzloverfat
D'Addario must have recognized their poor G string at some point when they decided to include the additional/optional carbon string that looks sort of brownish. I found it's effect was a little TOO much and didn't use them.
And I used the D'Addario when I played with nails, and the savarez are now my favorite without nails. we must have similar ears and/or technique!
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I use Knobloch SN Nylon medium tension. I don't remember the last time I used something different so I can't really compare them, but I guess you could say they must be doing something right...
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Ohhhhh...! That makes a LOT more sense. Thanks. Originally Posted by joe2758
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For me Augustine Black have worked best for 30+ yrs.. Have tried other brands..but always come back to Augustine.
Visit this site and check out all the people who are using various Augustine strings sets.. BTW--Segovia is one who uses the Classic Black label.
Augustine Strings: The Original Nylon String for Guitar
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I ordered the RC Strings Dynamic Silver with Carbon Trebles HT, Full Set. I always liked brilliant, loud, powerful sounds (I guess I'm a rocker at heart) so who knows maybe this set is going to be right for me.
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RC’s are great, great strings. Originally Posted by jazznylon
I like these labella professional studio strings I tried on a lark. But almost every string I’ve tried pales in comparison to Hannabach super low tension.
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My professor recommended me to try low tension strings as my guitar didn't need the power of hard tension (due to double top and lattice bracing already providing a lot of volume). So I tried savarez low tension (the gold package) and sure enough the volume difference isn't there and still very loud. Might as well stick with it since I don't have to fight against the hard tension strings anymore.
My professor still encourages to experiment but I don't know so far the savarez low tension are the best I tried with my guitar and I tried a bunch of different ones. Hard to know which new strings would be better at this point
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I'm gonna give the hannabach a try Originally Posted by spencer096
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Do we have a winner here in the string category?
I've decided it was a dumb idea to put steel strings on this guitar (pictured below), it was designed to take nylon strings, why try to change its stripes? - um that is, strings. But the question is, which nylon strings? Don't even know which ones they came with, but they were questionable.
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Yah, steel strings on a nylon can cause damage, better play safe xD Originally Posted by Mick-7
Do we have a winner here in the string category?
I've decided it was a dumb idea to put steel strings on this guitar (pictured below), it was designed to take nylon strings, why try to change its stripes? - um that is, strings. But the question is, which nylon strings? Don't even know which ones they came with, but they were questionable.
Can you tie the strings at the bridge - if so try Savarez 510MR (or AR for slightly brighter trebles)? Otherwise you need a set with ball-ends.
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Yes, the bridge is designed for regular nylon strings so they can be tied. They advertise the guitar as suited for both nylon and steel strings but nylons are it's strength so better to stick with them. Thanks for the strings suggestion. Originally Posted by jazzloverfat
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Here's another suggestion, I just put on a set of Alliance HT 540A (cuz my usual 510AR was out of stock) and while the trebles are the same, the bass strings made a significant difference: while the numbers would suggest a similar tension, the feel is much stiffer and the sound is much more present, well defined and sustains longer but they lose a tiny bit of warmth compared to the Catinga basses in the other set. I found that I don't have to pluck as hard for the same volume but at the same time, if I do so, while loud and authoritative they are not boomy and don't overpower the trebles and instead provide both a contrast and a complement to the high strings, if that makes sense?
I noticed this when playing something like Calatayud's Valses, where the notes on the bass strings created the perfect backdrop for the high notes on the trebles.
These are my first impressions after having them on for about 10 days and around 6 hours of play time, and am only a hobbyist so do take that with a grain of salt :P
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Thing is, I think all of these suggestions are for classical nylon string guitars, and I have the Landmark Nylon Electric guitar of which I posted the pic. That is, a certain type of nylon string may be preferred for this sort of instrument. I think I will seek the advice of one of the online string dealers (I just emailed Strings by Mail).
I just noticed that the manufacturer states that the guitar ships with this gauge of strings on it (I bought a used one)
- String Gauge: 028-043. Does that suggest anything to any of you?
https://www.amazon.co.jp/-/en/Landscape-SE-01-Guitar/dp/B0B9BCHPP9
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try Knoblach Originally Posted by jazznylon
I began to use them relatively recently and I was really surprised, normally I am quite sceptic, but it was astonishing: the tone, the balance, the stability... and they live very long. I have a feeling that worn out basses of Knoblach sound still brighter and fuller than some new basses from some other brands.
But they are expensive.
Also you can experiment with pitch, I do not like hard tension and I play without nails, so I use low or medium tension and tune in a=415 (half step lower), in case I do not have to play with other people.
Knoblach carbon is also good if you want more brightness at lower tension
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I'm assuming you bought that guitar for more pop jazz type tunes.GHS Muriel Anderson strings would be good for that type of sound.Just don't buy them on amazon because they are double the price of other retailers. Originally Posted by Mick-7
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Actually I bought it mostly because I saw it in a shop and liked it (although the strings on it were a mismatch). They did not know what it was, and were selling it it for about 1/3rd of it's normal retail price, and that's without shipping/import fees, which would have been high - they're made in Japan. Originally Posted by nyc chaz
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