The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
  1. #1

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    I’ve noticed this problem on a couple of guitars where the open G string sounds ugly, or at least not very sonorous and requires better technique to make it sound OK. It’s as if it’s really excessively staccato and it just dies instantly, as soon as it is plucked. I don’t know if it’s a bum note or a dead note or whatever. But it seems to only happen with the open G and also the G on the fifth fret of the D string sometimes. Is there something with that particular frequency? The type of thickness of the string? I’m just curious and would appreciate anybody having any information about this. Thank you.

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  3. #2

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    some combination of the guitar and the string. There are quasi-wound G strings available or you might try carbon composite instead of nylon

  4. #3

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    I use D’’Addario Pro Arte on my Kirk Sand but swap out the G for a Savarez. They are available as singles.

  5. #4

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    It's not uncommon to swap out that tubby nylon 3rd string for a composite or...? The issue when fretting the 4th string at the 5th fret is another matter.

  6. #5

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    I'll offer two and a half unsophisticated responses. First, a friend of mine builds classical guitars; when I showed him my luthier made guitar from Spain, he plucked each of the strings individually, listening carefully. When he got to the open G, he said, "yep, it's always the third string." In addition, doing a Google search revealed a number of threads on the Delcamp classical guitar forum on the topic, with most posters suggesting a carbon third string, or a wound string. One poster noted that it's really the overall sound of the strings together that should be judged, rather than too much focus on any one string. Anyway, FWIW.