Martin Magnifico strings.
 

A short video, playing my 1964 Bjarton-built 'Espana' SL-12, strung with Martin's 'Magnifico' strings, normal tension.

I absolutely LOVE these strings. Glad I decided to try them. All three of my nylon-string guitars are now strung with them and all three sound the best they've ever sounded.

(Note: relevant to other recent discussions here, the video also shows the LaBella string blocks which I've been using as 'string beads' for about two years now.)

Very nice playing

You have me curious and I have questions;

What tension strings are you using?

How do they sound when played finger-style??

How do they feel under your left hand fingers?? I prefer the feel of carbons and most nylons feel "too tubby" for my personal taste.

Dave

they sound good fingerstyle! though i dont have nails ala classical players...when i fingerpick i just use bare fingers.

the magnificos come in two tensions-- high and medium...i have the mediums....they are higher-tension than average, so the mediums are what many other makers would call 'high tension'.

they do NOT feel 'tubby', especially noticeable on the dreaded G string....i didnt like the sound of the carbons i tried, but liked their feel--these have a similar feel to carbons...like carbons, they're also skinnier, which i also like....check 'em out!

they also stretch into pitch WAY fast...faster than any nylon strings i ever used--which was another thing i didnt like about carbons--they took forever to get stretched.

I really like these new Martin strings too. I have the normal tension strings on my Esteso. Even the normal tension set is pretty high in tension compared to most other nylon sets.

Hey, Jane... loved it! I always enjoy hearing you play.

Come back to the Show & Tell when you can and let us hear some more of your music.

That is one pretty guitar!

The 1960's nylon-string 'folk guitars' built in Sweden by Levin and Bjarton (Bjarton also had a factory in Finland) are great instruments....VERY well-made, they hold up well (the necks tend to remain straight FOREVER!)...

great alternatives for those (like me LOL) who love but can't afford Martin's older, similar-design nylon-string guitars....some German and Italian companies also made dandy 'non-spanish style' nylon stringers.

They remain VERY affordable, a 'happy accident' of market demand--classical players mostly prefer 'legit spanish style' guitars. while most folk-pop-blues-country players prefer steel-string guitars.

Aesthetically I prefer their simpler looks to the rococco-florid visual aspects of most classical guitars--no fancy rosettes, plainer headstocks etc.

I paid $50 for this guitar. Needed some repairs, but nothing major. Brought it home, got out the clamps and glue, pretty soon it sang real good.

I've got Strings By Mail looking into being able to offer just Martin Magnifico Treble sets.

they sell them in almost every other brand, so I have my hopes up!!

There's nothing that can replace my use of Savarez Cantiga Basses.. :D

martin magnifico strings on a cordoba mini mahogany
 

here's the martin magnifico strings on the little cordoba

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@janepaints: Good deal for you! I will search these out. I am not looking to buy anything but if the price is right.................

Thanks for the info.

Hi Jane

Which mini cordoba is that? I or II? I have the original I, and wouldn't mind some new strings on it. Did you put the high tension set on? How was the tension?

sorry, i wasn't specific enough....the guitar is a cordoba coco mini mahogany....not the same guitar as cordoba's mini 1 or 11.....

designed to be tuned/played at standard pitch....580 mm scale....48 mm width at nut....it's now offered in three versions: 1. all mahogany 2. spruce top 3. flamed mahogany....all-laminate, great sounding/playing.... the medium tension martin magnificos are on it, they feel good....here's more of it:

I'm testing these on a biscuit resonator that's been adapted for non-metal strings and so far I'm liking them a lot. Very nice gut-string-like feeling under the fingers and a bright, round sound which compares very favourably to the HT Alliance strings I normally use. I'm waiting for them to open up a bit more in the higher registers thougn; it seems they should do that.

Hi, any luck with this? I'd probably want to stick with Savarez basses too (HT Classics in my case). I don't know yet if they're really better strings but they easily available as individual strings and locally made (which does make them the better choice :)).

Also, has anyone compared these strings to Aquila's Rubino strings? From what I understand the trebles have a similar design ("loaded" nylgut for some kind) though the Rubinos do seem smoother.
And if looks were everything I'd pair the Rubino basses with the Magnifico trebles; rich metallic red and cast-iron grey would make a nice visual statement :)

Martin Magnifico strings tension.
 

My guitar came from the factory with Savarez Corum crystal high tension. Total tension was 89. It is currently stringed with D'Addario Pro Arte high tension, that have a total tension of around 90. I'd like to try the Martin Magnifico strings, but I noticed that, even in the "Normal tension" option, their total tension is over 98... isnt'it weird ? This is more tension than most "extra high tension" strings! Also, would this added tension damage the guitar ?

I’ve had Magnificos on my Ramirez for about a week. Unlike Jane, I play 100% classical, complete with the fingernail obsession thing. They are definitely something noteworthy, although I’m not completely through my stack of strings that I got to see what works best. I’ve always preferred Savarez, but the Magnifico trebles are irresistible....clear and focused but warmer than the Savarez rectified. The intonation is really excellent too.

I’ve seen a lot of talk about the higher tension, and im using the high tension set, but I don’t discern any real difference from Savarez 520R under my fingers. I had more trouble with high tension Pro Artes. There was some talk that the strings are designed for a Martin crossover with acoustic steel string type bracing that is a 670mm scale, which would make the overall tension on a standard 650 (or shorter) less.

I need to try these strings.

The overall tension of the Magnificos high tension is reported at 46.7 kg.

The overall tension of the new Granato strings I am using is 49 kg.

(Both made by Aquila)

I do not notice anything 'tense' about the Granato strings and they are a joy to play. If anything I'd prefer the High E string to just be slightly tenser for when tuning down to D.

Sorry, really don't like the tones from most of the newer-packaged Martin acoustic strings. Tinny to my ears. Pro Arte nylons for me, D'Addarrio for steel.

I could have posted this exact same comment. I've never come across a set of Martin strings that I liked. However; I will try these just - because :D

Yeah, they definitely don't sound tinny ... even on resonator.

Not cheap and plasticky either, like every ProArte nylon I've tried.

Wait....we are talking about classical guitar strings, not acoustic. There is nothing tinny at all about the Magnifico strings, unless you happen to have a very tinny sounding guitar. And honestly, these are Aquila-produced.

Not the basses if you have to trust the "made in Mexico" label on their paper pouches (the trebles say "made in Italy, packaged in Mexico"). Could still be an Aquila design, I haven't been able to figure that out.

I gave these a try & just didn't like them. To my humble ears, they just didn't sound quite right. For lack of a better explanation, they sounded like dead phosphor bronze strings.

I'm back to Savarez Cantiga Normal Tension basses paired with Savarez Alliance High Tension trebles.

Dave

The trebles do sound a bit closed-off the first few days, esp. compared to HT Alliance trebles. How long did you give them to open up?

Also, the basses seem to have a pretty high tension (in the high tension set at least). If you're used to normal tension basses that could also explain the "deadness" (and in my experience the Cantiga sound considerably more metallic, pardon, brighter).

I gave them about a month of use.. typical 1 1/2 - 2 hours of playing daily.

It wasn't the tension so much as the "dead" sound.. The Cantiga basses do have some metallic sound for the 1st week or so, but it goes away.

I have found that the new Cantiga Premium Basses don't have that initial sound and last longer than the standard Cantiga's.

Sorry, but these just don't have the sound that I like.