My Bass Stings are too Quiet

[RyanR]

Hi there! I have purchased a nice classical guitar (from the Hill Guitar Company). Sound is good overall but the balance is off; the bass strings, especially the low E, are a bit too quiet.

I don't have this problem with my steel string guitars.

Anyway I'm wondering if a different set of bass strings would help. I currently have on there Classical D’Addario Pro-Arte Nylon EJ46-3D Hard Tension.

Do you have any suggestions?

[Gitfiddlemann]

Originally Posted by RyanR

Hi there! I have purchased a nice classical guitar (from the Hill Guitar Company). Sound is good overall but the balance is off; the bass strings, especially the low E, are a bit too quiet.

I don't have this problem with my steel string guitars.

Anyway I'm wondering if a different set of bass strings would help. I currently have on there Classical D’Addario Pro-Arte Nylon EJ46-3D Hard Tension.

Do you have any suggestions?

I think it very well might, barring an unforeseen issue with the guitar.
It's actually a much better problem to have than the other way around, i.e. weak trebles.
I happen to be a big fan of the D'Addario J46 Hard Tension strings, but I much prefer the trebles. So I mix and match treble and bass sets.
Try this bass set from Savarez to experiment:
Savarez Corum HT Bass Set
I think these are excellent, and it's my go to bass set.
There are of course many other choices, but it's a good place to start.
Congrats on your Hill guitar. Kenny Hill is a fine builder.

[jonnymosco]

If it has a spruce top and is new, it will open up with playing (or a Tonerite).

Jonny

[mtdmind]

I prefer the extra high tension EJ44 sets. Do you know if your Hill has lattice bracing?

[RyanR]

Originally Posted by jonnymosco

If it has a spruce top and is new, it will open up with playing (or a Tonerite).

Jonny

Well it has a cedar top (and rosewood back and sides). It is over 1 year old now and I play it most days so it is probably pretty broken in by now.

[RyanR]

Originally Posted by mtdmind

I prefer the extra high tension EJ44 sets. Do you know if your Hill has lattice bracing?

I'm not sure... is there a way for me to tell?

I should add this guitar is from Kenny's "Value" line - New World Guitars, Player series. Not one of his custom ones. Still quite a nice guitar I think and they set those guitars up at their workshop/store in Ben Lomand, CA.

I live near Ben Lomand so I drove over to pick it up. Kenny was around and gave me a tour of the shop. What a nice guy! My Dad (who was in a bluegrass band in the 70s) was with me and he and Kenny were swapping stories of times they saw Segovia play.

[Carey]

Another vote here for trying Savarez Corum, or their Cantiga basses.

More tension is not necessarily the answer, IMO; I use a low-tension
sixth string (D'Add EJ43) with an otherwise normal-tension set, and
get a fuller sound than with a higher-tension string.

[Alytw]

I agree with Carey about the tension. I'd suggest normal tension- they should be more resonant.

Savarez has good basses. I find that Cantiga are a bit brighter and more articulate than Corum, but both are fine.

(Strings by Mail sells half sets).

[Rapido Eduwardo]

I had a similar problem, my bass was ok but I really like a strong bass. So reading (on another forum) about this I found that for my guitar (Cordoba C-10) the Saverez Contiga was highly recommended. So I tried them and they have been my bass strings since then. Be aware that this is somewhat dependent on the particular guitar you have.

All the best.

[Rapido Eduwardo]

I had a similar problem, my bass was ok but I really like a strong bass. So reading (on another forum) about this I found that for my guitar (Cordoba C-10) the Saverez Contiga was highly recommended. So I tried them and they have been my bass strings since then. Be aware that this is somewhat dependent on the particular guitar you have.

All the best.

[mtdmind]

Originally Posted by RyanR

I'm not sure... is there a way for me to tell?

You can only tell by looking inside. Hill has nice guitars. He makes both lattice and fan braced guitars. I asked because one of my classical guitars is latticed braced and the bass seemed weak to me. I have gotten used to it, but my fan braced instruments seem to have more bass. I am not saying all lattice braced instruments sound like that. But mine does.

[RyanR]

Thank you for all your replies. I decided to order the Savarez Corum HT Bass Set. At some point I might try the Savarez Cantiga as well.

Also I looked in the guitar with a mirror and it appears to have a variant of fan bracing.

[Carey]

If you get a chance, let us know what you think of the Corums.. thanks.

C

[j3ffr0]

I recently bought a Hill performance model and I had the Cantiga hard tension basses for a bit. They were too much (as in too much bass). I ended up with Savarez Alliance normal tension all the way across and now I'm happier. Tried Savarez Cristal Corum High Tension (all the way across as well as just the basses) before I found what I wanted. It seems like it can take a few sets of strings to find something that does what you want it to do. FWIW I'm more in sweetness than thunder as far as tone... Lost a little volume going to normal tension, but it's still the loudest guitar I own and much sweeter now.

[RyanR]

So I've tried the Corum Savarez strings (replacing the D’Addario EJ46 bass strings I had on there). I tried to record a few short pieces before/after to be objective about it. The new strings sound fine but have to say there was not as much difference in bass volume as I hoped.

The new strings are a bit brighter for sure but that might be because they are new.

I may try the Cantiga's at some point. One of the other posters is probably right that I need to try a few different strings to find the best for me.

But I'm also thinking of another approach - letting my thumbnail grow out a bit. I use very little (thumb)nail now because I find it catches. But I'll experiment and see if I can get a bit more of it. I suspect that could help a lot.