Official Luthiers Forum!

I don't play classical guitar (most everybody that hears me says I can't play guitar, period!) but I have a few classical projects on the go, and planned for the next year. All these projects are 'on spec' so there is no 'customer' to specify string preference. I need recommendations for nylon strings- something not too expensive, but good enough that the guitar sound won't suffer unduly. I want to buy 'a bunch' to have on hand.

Choices (I've dealt with stringsbymail.com for ss strings, and been happy with them) range from bulk 'Martin' strings at $2/set, through the usual range of D'Addario, Augustine, and LaBella, and up.....

What do you use or recommend?

Should I be getting 'Normal' or 'Hard' tension strings? (I usually put mediums on my SS guitars.)
Composite? Rectified? It's all unknown territory to me!

Thanks
John

Hi John,

I think you'll find that there seems to be quite a difference in what one company calls hard tension and what another does.

What kind of guitars are you planning to build? If you're building a traditional type of guitar, say a Torres plan with a spruce top then I'd suggest Hannbach Goldins or Savarez Corums. The Hannabach Goldins are the closest density to gut and really seem to work well on the older designs. This is what Richard Brune stated he uses after his restorations.

If you're using low/wide braces (7mm wide by 3mm tall is pretty standard to the old designs) The Goldins and Corums ot some kind of carbons tend to work well.

The Galli Genius are also quite good.

_________________
Instagram: @jfrenchluthier
Web: https://www.jfrenchguitars.com/

It is definitely a matter of preference, but, IMO, Medium tension strings offer the best all round flexibility for playing style.  I used to always play high tension and sometimes x high tension, but I will never go back.  Now, if the guitar is heavily built, maybe a higher tension would be better.

As to brand, many are good.  I like the LaBella Professional series classical strings.  Some don't, because they feel a little different, thinner feel to the strings.  I don't actually play them, but I like them.  I actually play WebStrings Medium Tension, and like them fine. YMMV.

_________________
Waddy

Photobucket Build Album Library

Sound Clips of most of my guitars

You are not going to believe this but i really like

LaBella Folk singers. they are a very inexpensive string.

This fall i decided to take up the classical. and I need to be a better sight reader. So I sought out the best Classical teacher in the area. When we got started I asked her which stings she prefers. She told me she had played every set under the sun time after time and kept coming back to LaBella Folk Singers for the warm tone and feel.

If you try them cut off the plastic buttons on the string and tie them as you would any classical.

I have to say after trying several expensive set i to really like them.

If you want to improve your sight reading find a few other people and play together in an ensemble for a while.  It does miracles for sight reading.  Not that lessons won't too.

_________________
Waddy

Photobucket Build Album Library

Sound Clips of most of my guitars

On my Kevin Aram Torres model, on Joshua's recommendation, I now use the Hannabach Goldins and love the range of sound they can produce.

I use natural gut strings on two of my lutes and the synthetic Nylgut on another. I plan to try some Nylgut strings and some natural gut on a guitar I'm building as well, as these guitars were originally designed for gut. Until then I'm happy with the Goldins. They claim to be medium/high tension.

Colin

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

I should have mentioned that the current couple of projects are lattice-braced single-tops. I haven't decided on the details of the future projects, but I'd guess they're more likely to be 'experimental'/modern, rather than Torres-inspired (I can't say Torres replicas, as that would imply a much higher skill level than I display!)

Thanks again.

John

I like Augustine Imperials or Regals. Years ago Augustine packaged a bad lot of Black Label trebles that really gave them a bad reputation that I do not think they still deserve.

They sure did.  I can remember throwing away a dozen sets that I put on guitars, and could never get in tune.  It was amazing.  I couldn't believe Segovia had his name on them, at the time.  I bet they got those problems solved too.

_________________
Waddy

Photobucket Build Album Library

Sound Clips of most of my guitars

[QUOTE=Colin S]On my Kevin Aram Torres model, on Joshua's recommendation, I now use the Hannabach Goldins and love the range of sound they can produce.



I use natural gut strings on two of my lutes and the synthetic Nylgut on another. I plan to try some Nylgut strings and some natural gut on a guitar I'm building as well, as these guitars were originally designed for gut. Until then I'm happy with the Goldins. They claim to be medium/high tension.



Colin[/QUOTE]

Colin, have you tried the LaBella Antique Classical strings with gut trebles?

_________________
Waddy

Photobucket Build Album Library

Sound Clips of most of my guitars

My favorite middle of road set-up is a combination of Galli Genius trebles
with Hannabach 728 basses, all medium tension. The Galli trebles are rich,
without being tubby and have a good amount of vibrancy. The 728 basses
are lively and have good length of life. Strings by Mail is great because you
can mix and match basses and trebles. The Goldins are nice but a bit
pricier.

John,

Ive used Savarez fortes on all my classicals for the last 20 years. There might
be something better out there but I like the Saverez sound.

You will get a lot of recommendations, and I could throw in my favorites as well. But the thing is, everybody likes different strings. My absolute favorite strings got a 'sour face' look from a dealer I brought a guitar to sell on spec. For him I now put on his favorite brand and no longer get the sour face, though I still prefer my brand.

But here's what you do. D'addario are widely regarded as having a very neutral sound. Almost everyone has played them at some point, whether or not they like them. The person will be able to hear the guitar, not the string. Back when I was a buyer rather than a builder I never asked what kind of string was on the guitar, and I spent a lot of time in classical shops and never heard anyone else ask either. But string it up with carbon trebles and someone who doesn't know the carbon sound will probably be pretty displeased with the guitar. Go neutral.

Also, get medium tension. Higher tension has its place, but at the cost of stiffer action. Don't make it hard on the potential player.

I had an interesting problem with the set of D'addario I tried. It came with two "g" strings. One was a denser material, so a smaller diameter. It was tan opaque colored, which the company referred to as "coffee colored". I tried that sting, and because of something about the texture it would not make a noise for a glissando, which is an important technique. Of course, I tried the other string, too, but I just did not care for the response of the whole set on my particular guitar. Others like these, so I am not saying that you should avoid them--I just didn't care for them.

[QUOTE=Bill Bergman] I had an interesting problem with the set of D'addario I tried. It came with two "g" strings. One was a denser material, so a smaller diameter. It was tan opaque colored, which the company referred to as "coffee colored". I tried that sting, and because of something about the texture it would not make a noise for a glissando, which is an important technique. Of course, I tried the other string, too, but I just did not care for the response of the whole set on my particular guitar. Others like these, so I am not saying that you should avoid them--I just didn't care for them.[/QUOTE] That string is composite, designed to solve the problems with G strings on classicals. As you note, it has it's own issues, but I do find it more or less hangs in with the other two nylong strings.

As for not liking them, that was my point. I can see recomendations above that I don't like. There just isn't an answer to this question that isn't going to get somebody else to say "I don't like those". So, go with a fairly neutral string.

I also thing this stuff is overthunk. :) the string manufactures don't manufacture the treble strings - they just buy them in big spools, and run them through an inspection machine to ensure uniformity. There's a lot less variance in the manufacturing then the variance you'll hear in people discussing different nylon trebles. Basses are a different story. The same sort of situation occurs with steel strings. There are only a few manufacturers, and everyone else buys from them and repackages. Yet you'll read endless debates about which string is best.

It's because of the few manufacturers that I ended up using the "WebStrings".  I really can't hear much difference, at least on the 5 or 6 guitars I play, between them and some of the others I have tried.  I have played Savarez, LaBella Professionals, Aranjuez, Augustine, and a number of others I can't remember, like the Private Label strings Guitar Solon used to sell, maybe still do. I have never tried Hannabach.  I just can't hear enough difference to justify the difference in cost.  It could be my hearing and/or my playing, probably both.  

_________________
Waddy

Photobucket Build Album Library

Sound Clips of most of my guitars

Waddy - what kind of guitars are you playing? Generally hand made classicals will respond very differently to different types of strings.

Also rlabb is right. For the longest time and maybe still, Dupont was the only manufacturer of Nylon. Everyone had to buy from them.

_________________
Instagram: @jfrenchluthier
Web: https://www.jfrenchguitars.com/

Joshua, my primary is an MH-80, by Aria, supposedly hand built.  I also have a fake "Barbero" from Sherry-Brenner Ltd., that was supposed to be built in Spain, but I think is a Japanese hand buillt Repro, like Hernandez.  It is however a Boomer, with a WRC top, long scale, big body, and very lightly built.  Other wise, I have a hand-bult by a local guy I knew for years, who built about 300 or so guitars and who used to play Archtop for Stan Kenton back in the old days, and who studied with Pappas, and got in a few private lessons with Segovia at the West Coast Master Class that Parkening played in.  His guitars don't look like much, but sound pretty good.  I also have several early guitar copies he built, but most need work, and I really don't play them.  I also have a little Takehari, Ladies Guitar(Looks like a Parlor) that I keep at my office, and play when I get bored with the day.  There are a couple of others, but they mostly sit. 

You are probably right about the differences in hand built guitars.  I have played a Hauser Sr., which this same guy owned, and a couple of late 60's Ramirez's, a Rodriguez, an Oribe, a few others over the years.  Never could afford one.

For fun, here is a pic of a Juan Pages 1783 that Fred (my friend) built.

Not a good picture.  Took it with my phone.  Guitar needs a tuning peg and new strings plus some cleaning up.  I have played it, and it sounds great.

_________________
Waddy

Photobucket Build Album Library

Sound Clips of most of my guitars

Thanks for all the input, folks.

Lots of food for thought here!

Cheers
John