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  #1  
Old 11-10-2017, 10:55 PM
Dylan Dylan is offline
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Location: State College PA
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Default Carbon Strings???

Can anyone tell me what Carbon strings actually are? How are they different from nylon strings? What are the pros and cons? What brands do you recommend?
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Old 11-11-2017, 01:26 AM
sirwhale sirwhale is offline
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Location: Spain
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Carbon:
  • higher tension
  • denser and therefore thinner which in turn allows for a brighter tone
  • Sounds louder, but I don't know if they project better over longer distance
  • The 1st string can be very high tension compared to the rest, so I tend to buy HT 2nd, 3rd, and a lower tension 1st.
  • They say that you can get more control and tone out of nylon if you are really good (I am not really good).
  • The 3rd carbon is superior to a 3rd nylon in most people's minds - a lot of nylon string players used a carbon 3rd.
  • Some people consider the percussive properties of nylon to be better than carbon.
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Christian
Guitar: Camps Primera Negra A (a flamenco guitar)
Strings: Aquila SugarAquila Rubino, Knobloch CX, Aquila Alchemia
I play: Acoustic blues & folk
Videos: https://www.youtube.com/user/sirwhale28/videos
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  #3  
Old 11-11-2017, 08:25 AM
Dylan Dylan is offline
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Location: State College PA
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sirwhale View Post
Carbon:
  • higher tension
  • denser and therefore thinner which in turn allows for a brighter tone
  • Sounds louder, but I don't know if they project better over longer distance
  • The 1st string can be very high tension compared to the rest, so I tend to buy HT 2nd, 3rd, and a lower tension 1st.
  • They say that you can get more control and tone out of nylon if you are really good (I am not really good).
  • The 3rd carbon is superior to a 3rd nylon in most people's minds - a lot of nylon string players used a carbon 3rd.
  • Some people consider the percussive properties of nylon to be better than carbon.
Thank you! Are there any brands of these strings you'd recommend? I'd like to give them a shot!
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Old 11-11-2017, 09:12 AM
Dave T Dave T is offline
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Location: Mesa, AZ
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I had the best luck with Savarez - Alliance Corum, HT. YMMV!

Dave
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  #5  
Old 11-11-2017, 11:00 AM
sirwhale sirwhale is offline
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Location: Spain
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I use Savarez Alliance, HT 2nd and 3rd, normal tension 1st.
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Christian
Guitar: Camps Primera Negra A (a flamenco guitar)
Strings: Aquila SugarAquila Rubino, Knobloch CX, Aquila Alchemia
I play: Acoustic blues & folk
Videos: https://www.youtube.com/user/sirwhale28/videos
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  #6  
Old 11-11-2017, 06:04 PM
Carey Carey is offline
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Location: Los Osos, CA
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My favorite carbon strings are Knobloch Actives CX medium tension, though I
mainly use their third string only, preferring nylon for the two top strings.
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