Loudest trebles for student guitars?

[spayzkadet]

By "student" guitars I mean typical beaters like older Yamahas &
Hohners, all laminate body (usually nato sides & back w/spruce top).

I don't play classical, just blues and country with thumbpick for the three open bass strings and trimmed fingernails for the trebs.

Just can't get enough volume from the D'Addario Pro-Arte medium tension trebles even with aggressive plucking technique.

Was wondering if treble volume is related more to string tension, or string construction and/or maker?

All comments/suggestions welcome and appreciated....TIA .


spayzkadet

[Paikon]

IMO volume is more related to ones technique than anything else
You may want to try Aquila perla strings which have fuller trebles than dadarrios

[Taylor-Taki]

I find that a higher tension gives me more volume

[Taylor-Taki]

Oh yeah and go away from D'Adarrios - I play La Belle and the sound difference is notably better! You may not want to go away from the strings that were on ur guitar originally, prob like the rest of us, but it's the best thing I done experimenting with different stings/tension. I'm about to try a new set with a wound 3rd (g-string)!

[toomanyknots]

Hmmm, I don't know. Are we talking all laminate everything, or just all laminate back and sides with a solid top? If with a solid top, than I have no idea, there are alot of guitars. Sweet jesus, I mean with all the older guitars out there, older japanese guitars, (some which are very good), man, I have no idea. I played an older Dauphin recently, which was an older japanese built guitar (I guess it might be in the "older beater" guitar catagory since most of them are probably older and beat up, etc) and it was very loud. It was up there in most ways with the 1500 dollar guitars at the store, with a price tag of only 600. It had a solid top, but I am pretty sure laminate back and sides. It was very nice. Weird neck though. If we are talking newer guitars, than I think cordobas starter guitars, like the c3m at 200, beats everything I have played in the "beater" price range. I think you don't see a lot of solid cedar top guitars for 200 bucks new though, if any, and a lighter built cedar guitar seems to typically be louder from the start than a similar spruce guitar, to me anyway. The older all laminate yamahas can have semi decent volume/projection sometimes, they have a type of charm to them.

EDIT: Although, I wouldn't ever choose a guitar over it's volume anyway. The voice and tone is where it's at. (among a thousand other things of course) To me, choosing a guitar over it's sheer volume, is like choosing to listen to a guy sing who has a super loud voice, but also is a horrible singer, and choosing to listen to him sing horribly for years almost every day (like you would listen to a guitar for years almost everyday), verses choosing a woman with a beautiful singing voice, but not as loud as the other guy. To me this is who I look at it anymore, especially when potentially throwing down a good amount of cash.

[spayzkadet]

Originally Posted by toomanyknots

Are we talking all laminate everything, or just all laminate back and sides with a solid top?

Laminate top, back and sides. Typical student grade, low end of a manufacturer's classical line pawn shop specials .

BTW, what I'm looking for is a more balanced volume between bass and treble strings without having to change my present picking technique.

I think that most all cheapo classicals are bass-heavy. I started using light gauge Herco thumbpicks to somewhat reduce bass volume and it did help, but it still upstages the trebles to an extent. Not a lot, but noticeable. So you see, I'm not seeking louder volume just for louder volume's sake, there is a method to my madness after all .

Thanks for your reply and to everyone else who chimed in, hopefully will get some more .


spayzkadet