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Well, as things and practice progress, I've invested in a new guitar. Actually it's the 3rd guitar I've brought home to try out - it's extremely sensitive with acoustic /classical guitars, when factoring in the fingers of the right and left hands, bodies, wood, fingerboards and the strings employed on guitars of various builds.
So I am experiencing all of those effects, learning a lot, and curious about a few things.
Is there a page / thread / website where i can learn about the types of strings used on classical guitars? I have been to Rob MacKillop's website - great stuff!
Specifically, I'd like to understand the differences between hi-tension, and medium tension strings, where to use them, and what is the effect of each in terms of tone and (very importantly) the feel of each. Playing finger-style is so dependent on physical elements, and the different string types play a huge role in helping or hindering IMHO at this stage of my studies. my reading so far has led to little conclusion, and people throw out personal preferences for advice.
Any advice folks? Thanks. JM
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02-27-2022 10:40 PM
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Yes I am familiar with that site. It's a lot of reading but the viewers' responses are interesting.
I was looking though for a concise explanation of the types and tensions of strings. I'm sure there is something out there somewhere.
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You just have to try them to see what feels right for your touch and style. In general, you get more volume out of the harder tension, but you have to play harder too to get it. (I think the harder tensions intonate a little better too.) Try a D'Addario ProArt Medium and see how you like it and go from there. Then you can go harder of softer. (I hope my wife doesn't read that.)
I do like the feel (texture?) of the Savarez trebles, not so smooth like the other "fishing lines," almost gut-like. But they are $$.
ps - If you're new to nylons, be aware that it takes a long time for them to "set." You will be tuning up for days.Last edited by Woody Sound; 02-28-2022 at 09:38 AM.
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There's a whole subforum dedicated to this topic:
Classical Guitar Strings - Classical Guitar
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Since nylon isn't my main style, i 've found the extra hard tension to be closer to the tension of steel strings in the other guitars i play (acoustics etc..), so it's easier for me to go from steel strings to nylon. For me this was another factor to consider, besides the sound and response on the classical by itself..
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True - when you fingerpick on both. But even when alternating between the rather low tension Plectrum AC111s and high tension Aquila strings the latter still feel like rubber bands initially (so if you play heavier steel strings or use a pick this argument probably becomes moot.)
One thing to keep in mind: nylon strings stretch (as pointed out) and that also means that their actual tension once at tune is lower than the listed one. It's possible to calculate this actual tension but for some reason no manufacturer provides that information.
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Another thing to consider is that medium tension and hard tension are unique to each brand. There is no universally acknowledged standard. One manufacturers hard tension may well be another’s medium tension.
To add another personal preference: I normally use medium tension because I fancy myself that I can modulate the sound better. Hard tension strings tend to be a little insensitive both towards right-hand touch and left-hand modulation
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Those are interesting questions and you might find some answers and a great classical string resource in general here: Classical Guitar Strings & Nylon Guitar Strings | Strings By Mail
I have found that the best sounding strings are usually those that the builder/manufacturer recommend for the guitar. In my experience, strings with the higher tension sound better but of course they are more difficult to play (for me anyway). It depends on how challenging the music is. Sometimes it’s a trade-off. And I think regardless of what advice you receive you will really only know once you put a set on your guitar and try it for yourself. In some ways guitar strings are like perfume… it’s the combination of the product with your own body that determines how well it works or doesn’t. For me there’s no getting around trial and error. Good luck!
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Great advice. Besides scale length, some classical guitars just feel tighter than others it's weird.
Originally Posted by TomDC
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BTW, we often scowl at the prices of vintage archtops. Check this out:
Jose Luis Romanillos 1996 - high-end classical guitar with | Reverb
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YMMV and all that, but it's the consensus on the forum I linked to that no builder or manufacturer can possibly have tried out every set of strings, or worse, every combination of ever set of trebles with every set of wound strings (a rather common thing). And that's ignoring the fact that everyone's taste is different. Originally Posted by TomDC
It's much more likely builders make their choice based on economics: what's available with a steady quality and for an acceptable price. I can only think of 4 string brands usually used as factory installs: d'Addario, Savarez, Martin and Aquila. Of those, the 1st is square in the "steady quality for an acceptable price" corner and that's IMHO the only thing going for them. There may be a few guitar brands who have their own string brand but they're probably made by one of the preceding 4. BTW, the trebles in the Martin Magnifico set are made by Aquila.
Fun fact: very few string makes run their own extruders (for the trebles); not even d'Addario AFAIK. Aquila do, but most all other nylon and carbonfluor strings come from a very small number of companies (with I think only 2 or 3 types of nylon though a priori with a production recipe that is specific for each string brand/reference; there's more margin for variation here than with plain wire steel trebles).
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Ouch! And for that price you get plastic tuner knobs, tss tss tss Originally Posted by Woody Sound
(Reverb also says only 65 euros shipping to France, so maybe there's been a typo in the price?
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[QUOTE=RJVB;1183174]YMMV and all that, but it's the consensus on the forum I linked to that no builder or manufacturer can possibly have tried out every set of strings, or worse, every combination of ever set of trebles with every set of wound strings (a rather common thing). And that's ignoring the fact that everyone's taste is different.
Yes that’s a safe assumption. And it’s just as unlikely that every guitar owner has gone through the same OCD process you outlined (though sometimes I feel like I have come close ;-) Yes my M does V based on the limited half dozen or so classical guitars I’ve purchased over the last 25 years. For example, in the mid-90’s I bought a Ruben Flores that came with D’Addario Extra Hard Tension strings. The strings sounded great but were a bit of a strain on my fingers as I have had some hand injuries. So over the decades I tried different brands, tensions and materials, but in the end I accepted none sounded as good as the D’Addario extra hard tensions. As you say of course Ruben Flores didn’t try every possible combination of strings before settling on this set, but it’s a safe assumption that when they chose it they thought hey these sound really good on this guitar. I remember thinking they likely tried mediums and hard tension and realized they were lacking compared to the extra hards. In other words how the strings sound was no doubt a major deciding factor as well as all those you listed.
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So true about the feel and touch of strings. A number of years ago I tried a set of trebles that were perhaps carbon? Whatever they were they sounded fine but they were so thin I just could never get used to the feel. There was something very unnatural about the thinness. Originally Posted by Woody Sound
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FWIW, d'Addario's extra-hard corresponds to the "hard" of most other brands (and only applies to the trebles).
Also, let's not forget that truly good instruments will sound good with almost any string, and there's something to be said for stringing them with the blandest (pardon, most neutral) possible type.
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Beginner: D'Addario EJ45
Intermediate: same
Advanced: D'Addario EJ46
These are the most neutral, quality strings at a fair price point. As you advance musically/technically, your ears will change and then you must tailor your strings to your taste.
Marinero
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Thanks for the link - I knew that there had to be some kind of Forum for classical guitar, and a whole forum on strings !!!!! Originally Posted by RJVB
I'll be reading for days now!
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Hi, W, Originally Posted by Woody Sound
There are musicians and collectors. No CG performer in the world, doing a blind test, would ever pay 80K for that guitar. A superb, artist model instrument can be purchased for 15-20K and would last at least 20 years of heavy, daily playing and concertizing. However, there is a point of diminishing returns as prices rise and sound quality differences are unrecognizable to the sophisticated musical ear. Great post, W!
Marinero
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