Strings: What brand/type do you use and why?

[815C]

I'm getting a bit more time in on my nylon string guitar. Just bought a nice 1994 Dauphin that I'm really enjoying. I've played mostly steel string guitar that few decades and was wondering what brand and type of strings you guys prefer.

I just restrung with a set of Savarez high tension strings. They are good, but wondering what you guys would recommend.

Thanks!
David

[Dave T]

On my Goodall classical the Savarez Alliance Corum HT produce the best sound of all the strings I've tried.

Dave

[oldtimeblues]

I use daddario ej47 80/20 bronze wound bass normal tension because they give me the perfect sound for a steel sounding old acoustic blues guitar.
I use savarez cristal 500c trebles red card because they sound almost like gut. Carbons were fun but they got old to my ears quick. Bright can only get me so far. These Savarez cristal trbles are overlooked because they are sort of an inbetween set. brighter than the normal but not as bright as the Alliance.
My string experimentation is done. These are what I use and nothing, nobody says about a new string will get me to change. I have a whole drawer full of new strings. Just about every string they ever made. Good luck. I avoided major mental breakdown by just changing one string a week. I never had a matched set at any one time.
I still change one string a week. Every Saturday. But I replace with the same string. That way only one string is out of tune and all strings are no older than 6 weeks.

[Ned Milburn]

I've never found a string I've enjoyed more than Savarez Alliance. Haven't tried their carbon yet, though.

[riffmeister]

Originally Posted by 815C

I just restrung with a set of Savarez high tension strings.

Which ones? Savarez makes several types.

I mix trebles and basses, most of my guitars have these on them:

Savarez Cantiga normal tension basses.
Augustine Imperial 1st & 2nd strings.
Savarez high tension Alliance or D'Addario normal tension EJ45 3rd.

Crazy, huh? But I've experimented with numerous brands/types and the above seems to give the best sound (bright but not too bright) and feel.

Of course, all this is highly subjective and depends on the guitar and especially the player.

[riffmeister]

Originally Posted by Ned Milburn

I've never found a string I've enjoyed more than Savarez Alliance. Haven't tried their carbon yet, though.

Alliance is the name of the carbon treble strings sold by Savarez.

[Ned Milburn]

Originally Posted by riffmeister

Alliance is the name of the carbon treble strings sold by Savarez.

Whoops!! Then whatever new-fangled stuff they use... A couple performing guitarists recommended them to me (I think the cantiga basses...??). I've tried several different Savarez basses, but none were so pleasing as Alliance tops and bottoms for my preference, so I didn't retain the info about their optional string types. ;-)

[Paraclete]

Savarez 520 R (red cards) on my Ramirez

[Silly Moustache]

Pretty much through with experimenting. Tried lots, wound, unwound, low tension etc.

I like reliable non gimmicky strings whichy convey the power and tonality of the guitar.

On my dreads I have settled for D'addario Ej17s (56-13) but Iput light 12 & 16 on the 1st and 2nd. My dreads are all Colliongs so they don't need more treble.
I use Elixir anti-rust unwounds by choice but D'adds, Ernie Balls, or Newtones etc., work fine.

I also use Ej17s on Archtop, Weissenborn, National.

On 000,00, L-1 - Ej16s.

D'addario advantage - you can buy them in single packs and 3, 10, and 25 packs.

Simple, reliable, and cost effective.

I quite like Jim Dunlop PB sets, for mando and Dobro.

They seem to be slightly higher tension, and the Dobro set gives you both a 16 and an 18 1st string.

Nowadays, I want hermetically sealed string sets.

[oldtimeblues]

Originally Posted by riffmeister

Which ones? Savarez makes several types.

I mix trebles and basses, most of my guitars have these on them:

Savarez Cantiga normal tension basses.
Augustine Imperial 1st & 2nd strings.
Savarez high tension Alliance or D'Addario normal tension EJ45 3rd.

Crazy, huh? But I've experimented with numerous brands/types and the above seems to give the best sound (bright but not too bright) and feel.

Of course, all this is highly subjective and depends on the guitar and especially the player.

oh man, if you like bright but not too bright you are a good candidate for the Savarez corum cristal trebles. I use to do the same thing because I had a certain g string I really liked but I didn't like the b and e, so I would mix up all kinds of trebles. Try those corum. No one string in the set is distinctive in any way, but all 3 together are really beautiful and you can make them as bright or as mellow as you want with nothing more than a nail file and determination.

[riffmeister]

Originally Posted by oldtimeblues

oh man, if you like bright but not too bright you are a good candidate for the Savarez corum cristal trebles. I use to do the same thing because I had a certain g string I really liked but I didn't like the b and e, so I would mix up all kinds of trebles. Try those corum. No one string in the set is distinctive in any way, but all 3 together are really beautiful and you can make them as bright or as mellow as you want with nothing more than a nail file and determination.

Corum is the name of a type of bass string that Savarez sells. I've tried their New Cristal trebles and the are very good, but I prefer the mix I described above. It's all very subjective and so of course your mileage may vary.

[oldtimeblues]

Originally Posted by riffmeister

Corum is the name of a type of bass string that Savarez sells. I've tried their New Cristal trebles and the are very good, but I prefer the mix I described above. It's all very subjective and so of course your mileage may vary.

cool, I thought you were still searching. Same here. I'm dyed in the wool and don't pay any attention to unsolicited recomendations. Right about corum bass, never tried them, can never remember the exact # for just the Cristal treble set. 500 something.

[naccoachbob]

I've had my classical guitar a year and tried all sorts of string sets and combinations. I'm a beginner to intermediate player on fingerstyle both steel string and classical, some might say late beginner.
But I settled on Galli Genius Titanio treble strings because they do sound brighter than those of most sets.
I like the Savarez 520 Red series of bass strings. They have a good, decent bass set to my ears.
I just used a LaBella 427 Medium Tension set, and liked it all - except like many sets, I didn't like the G string. The B and E weren't as bright as these Galli's, but are ok.
My tastes don't much like the G string in a lot of sets. I might come to appreciate them more later on.
So one man's opinion and on to the next
Bob

[Sidheguitarist]

Originally Posted by riffmeister

Which ones? Savarez makes several types.

I mix trebles and basses, most of my guitars have these on them:

Savarez Cantiga normal tension basses.
Augustine Imperial 1st & 2nd strings.
Savarez high tension Alliance or D'Addario normal tension EJ45 3rd.

Crazy, huh? But I've experimented with numerous brands/types and the above seems to give the best sound (bright but not too bright) and feel.

Of course, all this is highly subjective and depends on the guitar and especially the player.

And the situation. I'll use different strings for playing unamplified in a large church with my wife singing than I will during periods where I am on the guitar a lot in practice.

In all, I find I gravitate towards a similar set up as you, with a preference for either New Crystal normal tension with the Cantiga basses (full set) or Augustine Imperials with the same Cantigas and a D'Addario HT J46 3rd. That said, plain old HT EJ46 trebles feel, tension and sound enough like the normal tension Savarez, that lately I've been just going J46 on top, and Cantiga normal on bottom, and it works great for me. The D'Addarios are just incredibly economical, because A) they're relatively inexpensive and B) they last forever.


(As an aside, I absolutely love Galli Genius nylon strings on my Sahlin, but those things are horrifyingly short lived: they stretch for 3 days straight, sound good for one solid practice session, then nick up beyond repair. I can't even get a week out of them...)

[oldtimeblues]

now if it's value you are looking for https://www.stringsbymail.com/la-bel...ings-5152.html they sell them in 4 tensions. And they are good strings.