Savarez nylon wound treble strings.

[Bax Burgess]

This is going back several years. When I first used them on a guitar, they were rich sounding, 'did the trick'. Then I switched over to a second guitar, the very same strings (now secondhand) whereupon they sounded dull. Were they 'spent'? I replaced them with unused ones, which were just as disappointing. I tried them a third guitar, poor again. Haven't used them again. Any users with satisfying, long-term use? Do these strings have a short shelf life?

[rmgjsps]

Bax, I've used the Savarez 520 P set with the solid high "E" on my La Patrie Concert and they sound like a million bucks with clear sharp trebles and bass sustain that just does not quit. I'm going to try the 520 P1 set with wound high "E" at my next change. I only have the one classical guitar, so I can't compare instrument to instrument.

My La Patrie is currently strung with D'Addario EJ-45s, because the set of Thomastik "John Pearse" all wound string set I bought had a defective high "E." The D'Addarios, while quite nice, just don't bring my guitar to life the way the Savarez do.

I think that there can be great variation between instruments that requires a lot of experimentation to bring out what we each consider the guitar's best. I have the same issues with finding which strings help coax the most out of my acoustic steel strings too.

[Bax Burgess]

I just pulled from my stock unused #s 1 and 2 wounds, and a complete set of 520R (plain nylon trebles). I'm going to give them another try.

[rmgjsps]

Originally Posted by Bax Burgess

I just pulled from my stock unused #s 1 and 2 wounds, and a complete set of 520R (plain nylon trebles). I'm going to give them another try.

I'd be interested in how your new experiment goes. Report back, please.

[Bax Burgess]

I'll put on the plain nylon set tonight, put them through their paces this weekend, then replace the trebles 1 and 2 with the 'plastic wounds'. By Tuesday I should have something to pass along. Realize that I tune quite low, and if the 'plastic wounds' sound dull with my CFCfac tuning, I will tune them up and tell you where they clarify.

[Bax Burgess]

Tried the 520R (rectified HT), and also the #1, 2, 3 plastic wounds, on a Rainsong NP12A parlor. Using my lower tunings, high tension strings demonstrate more resonance, sounding, I suspect, similar to normal or low tension strings tuned up to standard.

I've left out more nuanced observations, as they enter into the realm of personal preference.

Savarez 520 R
CFCfac tuning: balanced, trebles dryish, a bit choked, #3 loses resonance when fretted over the body.
Lower CDAdga tuning: excellent volume, full, balanced, #3 maintains some resonance when fretted over body.

Savarez plastic wound nylon HT trebles (swapped in for the #1, 2, 3 520 R)
CFCfac tuning: firm, dryish, a bit cleaner than the 520 R, fret well over body, 1 and 3 lose some gas on the last two frets.
Lower CDAdga tuning: clear, a bit more robust, dryish, fret well over body.
Standard EADgbe tuning: loud, precise, loses resonance at this higher tension.

Does the carbon top sound so different from a wooden top, as to make this info relatively useless for non-carbon players? For context, here follows how the Rainsong NP12A compares to a traditional wood, a Castelluccia G6b, when using Savarez 500 CRJ Corum New Cristal Mixed (ST New Cristal trebles, HT Corum basses).

Castelluccia G6b (bone saddle)
CFCfac tuning: balanced, strong and bright
Lower CDAdga tuning: balanced, robust and clear

Rainsong NP12A (micarta saddle)
CFCfac tuning: balance, powerful, ringing
Lower CDAdga tuning: balanced, firm, full

Closer in character than I would have thought.

[Bax Burgess]

My initial post concerned the dullness of plastic wounds, but since I don't remember the guitars on which they performed so poorly, and cannot say with certainty if I then knew my arse from my elbow when it came to nut optimization, it's a sloppy observation. I adjusted my test to account for my inclusion of a #3 plastic wound. I won't be using them as there are plenty of unwound strings that float my boat. Selling points for these wound strings would be their tactile feel, and a direct, robust, slightly dryish sound.

[Paultergeist]

Sometimes the string brand/type that sounds great on one specific guitar does not sound so good on a different guitar.

As I play my nylon string guitars, one of the aspects I find myself exploring over time is discovering what brand/type of string sounds best on each particular guitar.

[Bax Burgess]

I've been able to limit my steel guitars to two strings, paired with the most complementary of saddle materials. My nylon guitars will require my expanding to four or more strings. I guess nylon guitars take a little more coddling.