Official Luthiers Forum!

Yes, believe it or not, I'm asking what strings should I get?

I never owned a classical guitar, therefore, I am unfamiliar with classical guitar strings. I am gearing up to string my first built classical guitar and am unsure of what kind of strings to get. The guitar was built from Cumpiano's book, and has no truss rod.

What brand and guage/set should I get.

Thanks,

Doug Ubele

_________________
Guitars...One's too many...Twenty is not enough.

doug

classical strings don't come so much in guages as they do in tension, low , med., high etc. there are a plethora of brands, including many small, highend niche brands. if you stick to the good names you won't go wrong, but it may take you several tries to find the one set that suits your guitar, your playing style and your ears. for what it's worth (segovia's status is in no danger from efforts at my playing classical guitar) i use d'addario high tension because they are easy to find and of good uniform quality. i would probably prefer thomastics, but they tend to be hard to find.crazymanmichael38462.4526041667

I also use D'addario high tension strings. I have an awesome Hauser model guitar built by David Schramm, and I'd say the D'addario sound as good as any. I've tried many name brands and more expensive strings, and I didn't like too many. D'addario are very consistent up and down the neck. Some of the more expensive ones seemed to go out of tune as you play up the neck. The worst were Augustine brand strings.

Cheers!

John

Ok. Thanks. It gets better........anyone know a website that shows how to tie classical guitar strings?

Thanks,

Doug

_________________
Guitars...One's too many...Twenty is not enough.

When you get your classic finished I would sure appreciate it if you would post pics and tell what you think of the sound. I just finished my second classic guitar and to tell you the truth I am not at all impressed with the sound. I’m not really sure where I went wrong, but I’m thinking it could be related to the fact that I used a redwood top and bubinga B&S. Not used to working with these woods. As for strings I’ve used D’addario, GHS, Augustine, and the handmade ones LMI sells. I really like the D’addario as good as any.

doug

frank ford's frets.com has good pictorial essays on tying on classicals.crazymanmichael38463.4014583333

Here's the method I use as described by John Gilbert, one of the best classical builders of all time.

String tying

Cheers!

John

I too use D'addario Pro Arte' Ej46 I believe is the number for hard tension... I've recently tried some Saverez ( I think) Excellent strings but take a while to become stable...

I have used D-addario strings in the past. I have also used Augustines (He invented the nylon string, btw). They come in blue, red and black: low, medium and high, respectively, as well as a plethora (I've always wanted to use that word in a sentence! ) of other brands with varying results.

The strings I am using now though are relatively new in this country but can be ordered through www.stringsbymail.com are, Galli Genius Titaniums. They are a hard tension string but don't feel it and they sound fantastic!

As said elsewhere, strings are very personal to each guitar and what sounds best on one may not on the next.

One thing to avoid are "extra" or "super" high tension strings. The combined ttension can warp un-reinforced necks, especially cedar and/or thin necks.

Good Luck, Steve Brown

[QUOTE=Colby Horton] When you get your classic finished I would sure appreciate it if you would post pics and tell what you think of the sound. I just finished my second classic guitar and to tell you the truth I am not at all impressed with the sound. I’m not really sure where I went wrong, but I’m thinking it could be related to the fact that I used a redwood top and bubinga B&S. Not used to working with these woods. As for strings I’ve used D’addario, GHS, Augustine, and the handmade ones LMI sells. I really like the D’addario as good as any.[/QUOTE]

I'd love to see pics of the guitar, I'll bet its beautiful. What is it you don't like about the sound? Is it muddy or too harsh? I'm not sure what you can do about it now but if it's too muddy, remember that it can take time for a classical to open up and with a redwood, bubinga combination, it may just have a darker tone.

My first "good" classical (made by Esteve)was darker in tone and my teacher can remember how the tone literally changed from one week to the next.

Good luck, Steve Brownsfbrown38464.2537731482

I’ll post some pics in a new thread as soon as I have time to take some. The thing I don’t like about the sound is there is not enough treble or output. I am kind of watching it to see if the sound is going to improve. I like classicals to be loud and bright. This one is kinda gloomy.

Your new guitar may just be wet. When the humidity level rises above 40%, my cedar classical's brightness begins to degrade; the difference between 40% and 50% is obvious. Also, having owned several cedar guitars (similar to redwood) I have found Hannabach Carbon trebles (medium/high tension) really do help brighten the treble register. I mix them with Savarez Corum bass strings, which also deliver a slightly brighter sound and lower string noise too. Using higher tension strings can help with volume issues; a light double-top/nomex soundboard design increases volume as well, regardless of wood selection. Don't give up on your guitar; matching strings with a guitar's wood/construction and the area's average relative humidity is absolutely critical!SonicAgamemnon38465.607349537

I strung up my first guitar. It sounds ok. I went with GHS medium tension because that is what Stew-Mac had. They were reasonable and I used them to set the guitar up.

I am ready for the D’addario. Can I put high tension strings on a guitar that has no truss rod?

Thanks,

Doug Ubele

_________________
Guitars...One's too many...Twenty is not enough.

yes

I went to the store. They didn't have D'Addario EJ46's, but they had J48.

I went to D'Addario's website to research the difference. I didn't find much, but it looks like the EJ46's have silver bass strings, and the J48's have gold bass strings. What's the difference soundwise between silver and gold? The tensions are the same

Thanks,

Doug Ubele

_________________
Guitars...One's too many...Twenty is not enough.

tone.

the "gold" are bronze wound i think, and the "silver"   silver plated copper???

anyway, the "gold" should have a warmer tone, the "silver" brighter.crazymanmichael38476.417349537

Hi Doug!!
I used to play classical guitar and flamenco style.
I have a few sets of top grade name brand set that I don't need. I think I have about 4 or 5 sets. Most of them cost about $12-$15 each.
If you are interested I will sell them to you for a song!!
MOST ARE MEDIUM AND MED-HARD TENSION. ONE SET IS HARD TENSION. THESE ARE GREAT STRINGS!!!!
All are sealed and factory packaged.
Let me know if you are interested.
Regards, Walter

walter

if doug is not interested i may be; what brand and how old are they?crazymanmichael38476.7221180556

I am not interested, but thanks for the offer.

Doug Ubele

_________________
Guitars...One's too many...Twenty is not enough.