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Doing some Django style with a couple of students, and thought about using Argentines on my D'Aquisto NYE. Would that be a waste of money? It would be cheaper than buying a Dupont...
Rob
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01-04-2017 12:41 PM
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I would guess they are too low tension to drive a carved top well. But that's just a guess. i love them on my gitane
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They do 11-46 and 10-45. The 11s might work?
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Argentine strings have looped ends. They work better on 25.5" scale length or longer guitars than short scale length guitars.
I think they work fine on archtops if they are just for gypsy jazz guitar exercises and gypsy feel. Certainly, they facilitate bending and vibrato. They will not make your D'Aq NYE sound like a proper Selmer-Maccaferri-Favino-Busato but that is not your intent anyway.
Rodrigo Shopis makes a manôuche electric based on a 16" Lloyd Loar L5 with a CC blade pickup and loop-end tailpiece. It is laddder-braced apparently and has f-holes. Robin Nolan plays one. So, yeah, I guess it is sound to use Argentine on a D'Aquisto NYE.
How are you going to convert loop-ends to ball-ends? Nuts from the RC hobby shop?Last edited by Jabberwocky; 01-04-2017 at 01:10 PM.
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They come in ball ends too :-)
I'm not, as you suspected, expecting to suddenly sound like Django :-)
I'll probably give them a try.
Thanks for the info on Rodrigo Shopis...
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Shows that i don't know jack...zucker.
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Argentines wear out quickly. You'll be paying top dollar for strings that will start to show fretting wear within 4 hours of play time.
As much as I love the sound of Selmers and Argentines the whole stress of trying to find them and then paying a lot of money only to see them unravel as you tune them up to pitch pushed me to find an alternative.
I loved Martin phosphor bronze 10's on my Le Voi small hole (ooer!).
You could try Martin Silk and steel folk strings or even pure nickel roundwounds.
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I installed a set of the D'Addario Gypsy 11's on my Eastman John Pisano 880 a couple years ago just for fun. It was OK tone wise, not really much different than nickel roundwounds of the same gauge. Since I had a GJG at the time I didn't keep them on the Pisano-plus GJ strings don't last long.
I've since upgraded my GJG to a...Dupont. But really-you don't have to spend that kind of money to get pretty close nowdays. The cork sniffers turn their noses away from the Asian GJG's however with a good setup a Cigano or Gitane can sound amazingly good for dirt cheap.
That being said-having owned a Manouche Latcho Drom Djanology and gone to the Dupont-yes there is a difference.
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They've been ordered. I have to find out for myself. We shall see...Thanks for all the comments.
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Dupont MC-30-14 1998. I'm the second owner. Just installed a new set of Argentine 11's in this photo. They make her sing. Good luck with your project!
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Very nice. Yes, and Selmer-style guitar would be a fun acquisition, though I'm trying to cut down on my Gitanes!
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Don't you have to wrap Argentine strings the other way around if you use them north of the equator?
Since they were made for the southern hemisphere?
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I'm guessing due to the Coriolus Effect, I found playing a descending line on d'addarios south of the equator the notes went up. Didn't happen with the Argentines. Thesis confirmed. My playing's in the toilet.
Originally Posted by Bluedawg
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I've used them on my 1958 Hofner Senator - sounded good - they work far better on my Gitane though. The Hofner, despite being a very lightly built instrument still needs a bit more tension to sound its best.
Argentines wear out incredibly quickly and aren't cheap. I've found the John Pearse Nuages strings last better and are more reasonably priced.
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Go to know. Thanks.
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Don't waste your money. The Argentines cannot drive an archtop top. I absolutly love them on a gypsy guitar, but they are not made for archtops. I tried it - 10 minuts later the strings went to the trash :-(
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Too late, Frank, they're on their way :-) Lets see if Rob Learns...
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rob you could making fishing line sound good!
the argentines are silverplated copper...not the most highly magnetic combo..so you'll definitely have a pickup volume loss
they have a round core..so careful how you wind them around the tuning posts when putting on..bend the string before cutting
cheers
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Many thanks for the advice!
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I have used Argentines on an Epi Triumph for a while , which was a loud and percussive guitar anyways. Not ideal but certainly worked and was fun to try.
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I've been using Argentines on my Altimira (soon to be Shopis) for awhile now. The third string wears out quicker than any string I've ever used in 50 years of playing. I'm talking a few weeks and it is already shot. I'm ready to try something else personally. Originally Posted by entresz
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Okay, I've been warned :-)
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I am sorry if that was a suboptimal experience Rob! Argentine strings are awesome for what they are made for - GJ guitars. In fact, in that real they are are far and away my favorites, despite the lesd than stellar lifetime. For archtops they do not have enoug tension. For a more acoustic tone that still amplifies well, I like John Pearse pure nickel or just TI bebop strings.
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No problem, Frank. I asked the question, and yours was an honest answer. But you know what's it's like, curiosity got the better of me. They might arrive today or Monday. I'll give them a go. I'd like a GJ guitar someday, hopefully later this year.
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They arrived, and I put them on. The volume cut by a third, and they are very bright, but I can get within the ballpark of something that sounds gypsy jazzish, which will make working on this stuff a bit more fun. But I wouldn't want to keep them on for too long, as this guitar can sound a lot better.
Played a cheap cigano in an Edinburgh guitar store today. Not impressed. I can't remember the model number, but the whole thing looked, felt, and sounded cheap, which it was - so I suppose I can't complain. But I would definitely be looking for something better if I eventually decide to purchase a GJ guitar.
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