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I just closed the back on my first guitar and I am looking ahead to the preferred brand and type of string.
The guitar is a Kasha-braced EIR and sitka with mahogany neck(Allied plans). It uses Spanish heel and I have added a maple bridge-plate.
I like the sound of a soft rubber pick but I still can't play worth spit.

Any opinions would be valuable if only as a place to start.

Bob

I like Savarez Corum Alliance Bass strings in normal tension and Oasis Carbon trebles in either normal or hard tension. You can buy the basses and trebles separately at www.stringsbymail.com. If you want to stay with nylon, D'Addario EJ45's are hard to beat. I don't know how any of them will do with a pick. My guess is you'll wear them out pretty fast.

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Waddy

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Sound Clips of most of my guitars

Savarez 520 F, with wound G. I have yet to find a set that I really like the solid G on.

There is no best classical string, each guitar will show its best with a particular string. When I make a new classical guitar I go through a process to establish both preferred brand and tension of strings for it. This involves trying the main brands, all in standard tension, and playing the guitar with a small panel of 'experts' listening and noting their comments. I'm lucky in tht I can use members of the faculty of guitar at the RCM as my panel! Then we go through the same process with high tension strings. While this is being done I also get the chance to fine tune the action as it is played by my panel. This is a process that we go through with each students' and faculty members' guitars so we have done this for many, many guitars

Of course the more guitars that you make, the smaller the selection of strings that you need to make, but I'm often surprised that a guitar I thought would respond best to string 'A' ends up being best with string 'B'.

Currently we seem to end up with one of three brands Savarez Corum Alliance, Hannabach Goldins, and Pyramid Super Classic. For Tornavoz fitted guitars the Hannabachs seem to be the preferred strings, and for most others it's a Savarez or Pyramids. If I was allowed only one brand it would probably be Pyramid. The Pyramids are available in either nylon or Fluro-carbon, so that gives you a further choice. Fluoro-carbon (polyvinyliden fluorid) has a higher density compared to nylon, so carbon strings have a smaller diameter than nylon. This results in a decreased bending stiffness and the string vibrates more easily which emphasizes the upper harmonics and results in a more brilliant timbre. Compared with nylon strings, carbon strings are more sensitive to sharp-edged bridges and frets, this concerns only the smallest diameters. The durability of nylon strings is excellent while carbon offers a more brilliant timbre.

Another considration is the type of music that you want to play, you might want a different sound for say Bach compared to Tarrega.

String type can make a far greater difference to a classical guitar than to a steel string, so it is something that should be considered and explored carefully for each individual instument.

Colin

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I don't believe in anything, I simply make use of a set of reasonable working hypotheses.

I agree with colin but I find that the D'Addario Pro arte strings are the best bang for the buck. The customer (in this case you) needs to find the right string for the guitar. I can find a set that I think sounds wonderful only to find out that later a customer hated them and is using a set I thing are awful so to each their own.

D'dario were awful on my Kohno. Also, they came with a 7th alternate G which ws high density. It would not glissando. But everyone has their own experience.

I like Augustine Regal and Imperial, but the old black label were defective, and I do not know if those are still in circulation.

I also like the Savarez Corum Alliance overall.....however, as some have stated, the type of music and tonal preference is the other dilemma. Each guitar will sound differently with each set depending on player and guitar. I also use the Savarez 540R and Augustine blue and reds for a mellower tone. I'm also growing accustomed to the D'Addario EJ45C composites for overall usage.

Some written pieces that are varied in intensity/volume and speed from Largo to presto and need the variety of tonal values such as: Bachs Chaconne... do well with the Savarez Corum Alliance and EJ45C. While other even value pieces can get the proper tone and playability from many other moderate priced Med. and high tension strings. A few hrs. of practice with whatever you use is necessary to make a good assessment. No doubt your G will be the stinker in almost all sets.

I would not mess with buying a combination of individual string sets unless it is going to be YOUR guitar and you know what you want and know how you play. A good player can evaluate a guitar when playing it with a good moderate quality string.

There is no perfect fit strings for every guitar. I sometimes play a set for a week and put them on another guitar for a week. That's about all the life I get out of a set anyway.....no matter what brand. I switch sets around. This gives you a chance to see what sets sound the best on what guitar. Relieving tension and restringing also gives the set a little rejuvenation and life. At least I feel it adds a few extra days to a 3 hr. practice day. Could be just my old age and thrifty brain wanting to think that.

Kent

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On my own guitars and for my playing, I prefer D'Addario J45 or J46 with a Savarez Alliance 3rd. I have so many D'Addario 3rds accumulating, I'll soon be able to tie them together and get at least 50 yards of 25 lb. test fishing line.

I should have added that when I stopped (was stopped) playing, my main guitar, with tornavoz, was fitted with gut strings, which seemed to suit the mainly Spanish music that I was playing and of course were the standard strings in use when the music was written. If you want to get the more traditional sound on your Torres style guitar, Richard Brune recommends using Hannabach Goldins as these are the nearest in density to gut strings, in fact he recommends then for all Torres original and replica guitars. But once you have played on gut, then you are really loathe to go back to nylon strings, they just lack that bit of soul. But of course I was used to guts from my lutes.

Colin

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I don't believe in anything, I simply make use of a set of reasonable working hypotheses.

Has anyone here tried Tamastik-Infield ?

Mike

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Mike Collins

Mike, I have tried the Thomastik C series Roundwound, they are a premium string from a very good maker, their violin strings are the standard by which all others are judged. They are handy in that they do make a lighter tension string than most other makers and these can safely be fitted to some of the vintage guitars that I get to restore. Their medium tension strings should certainly be included in the shake-up when looking for a string for any particular guitar.

Colin

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I don't believe in anything, I simply make use of a set of reasonable working hypotheses.

Thank you everybody!

I will be figuring out which of the brands mentioned are locally available and where to find the others. I have an order of ukulele strings to make soon so some of the less common brands may be available there.

Bob

Waddy's suggestion about stringsbymail.com was a good one- I've had excellent service from them (to Canada ). The local stores here in Victoria (BC) were 50% (and up) more expensive than stringsbymail , so it didn't take long to pay for the shipping. I like to support local business, but I don't like being gouged.

Cheers
John

By the way, on sets with high quality trebles, if you are careful to keep your hands clean and not get grease on the strings, the trebles last a lot longer than the bases. In his book, Jose Oribe recommends reviving a set of strings by changing only the bases. I tried this and it works. So, order extra base strings of the brand that you finally settle on and try it yourself.

As this is your first classical guitar, you would be pressed to make a better choice than the good old EJ45's. Start with these as a base line, they are widely regarded as fairly neutral, affordable, consistent, and widely available.

When tinkering around with new string sets on your guitar your comparisons will only make any sense if you have a standard reference.

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Expectation is the source of all misery; comparison the thief of joy.
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Douglas:
You had to come up with a logical approach to this problem after John Abercrombie sent me to a supplier who stocks Aquila guitar strings.
In my opinion, Aquila ukulele strings are head and shoulders better than anything that I have tried. Some people say Worths are better.
I had just decided to go with Aquila's but your reasoning for a standard baseline makes too much sense.

Thanks

Bob

Hi Bob,

Sorry of you're welcome, whichever fits best!

I always start a guitar on EJ45s. That way I can compare guitar to guitar, which helps my building. If I am always fiddling with strings then another whole big variable gets thrown into the mix.

As Colin pointed out, different strings bring another complexity, and can really bring out different qualities of the guitar. I find that best left to a secondary level of refinement.

Finally, I notice that you're in Winnipeg! Glad to find another local builder. If you are ever up for a shop visit consider yourself invited.

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Expectation is the source of all misery; comparison the thief of joy.
http://redrivercanoe.ca/