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  #1  
Old 01-14-2019, 07:58 AM
janepaints janepaints is offline
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Default 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.)


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  #2  
Old 01-14-2019, 09:03 AM
dkstott dkstott is offline
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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
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Old 01-14-2019, 09:21 AM
janepaints janepaints is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dkstott View Post
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.
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Old 01-14-2019, 02:54 PM
gmr gmr is offline
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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.
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Old 01-14-2019, 03:04 PM
Kerbie Kerbie is offline
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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.
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  #6  
Old 01-14-2019, 10:03 PM
MasterMonkeyMan MasterMonkeyMan is offline
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That is one pretty guitar!
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Old 01-15-2019, 04:45 AM
janepaints janepaints is offline
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Originally Posted by MasterMonkeyMan View Post
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.

Last edited by janepaints; 01-15-2019 at 04:54 AM.
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Old 01-15-2019, 11:06 AM
dkstott dkstott is offline
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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..
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  #9  
Old 01-15-2019, 02:30 PM
janepaints janepaints is offline
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Default martin magnifico strings on a cordoba mini mahogany

here's the martin magnifico strings on the little cordoba

[
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Old 01-17-2019, 10:18 PM
MasterMonkeyMan MasterMonkeyMan is offline
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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.
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Old 01-18-2019, 01:23 AM
sirwhale sirwhale is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by janepaints View Post
here's the martin magnifico strings on the little cordoba

[
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?
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  #12  
Old 01-18-2019, 04:37 AM
janepaints janepaints is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sirwhale View Post
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:

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  #13  
Old 03-26-2019, 07:13 PM
RJVB RJVB is offline
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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.

Quote:
Originally Posted by dkstott View Post
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..
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
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  #14  
Old 03-30-2019, 12:46 AM
gerardo1000 gerardo1000 is offline
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Default 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 ?
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  #15  
Old 04-07-2019, 05:59 PM
Paraclete Paraclete is offline
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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.
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