Ryan Guitar: Am I the only one ?

brownsteins · #1 04-26-2019, 02:40 AM

Hey guys,

A quick note from France as I'm probably more likely to get answers from players in the US...

I'm the lucky owner of a 2008 Ryan Pierre Bensusan Signature Model (Western Red Cedar over EIR).

It's a special guitar, based on the Nightingale but with a deeper body and a different type of bridge (strings through). I know only 17 were made.

For the past couple of weeks, I've been struggling with this instrument. It was hard to play, didn't compare very well to my previous high-end guitars (dozens...). The highs seemed muffled, intonation a bit off. Took it to my local luthier who did all he could do to work on the nut, lower the action but the problem remained... and I clearly couldn't bond with it. Needless to say I was a bit disappointed as I'd paid a premium to purchase this guitar in Europe... I tried different strings : Lights, DAGDAD 13-59, Low Tension Newtone etc... to no avail.

Until a couple days ago when I both listed the guitar for sale :-( and decided I'd try to put lighter gauge strings on it. I didn't have much hope but...
then came the REVELATION.

Not only did the guitar come to life again but it's now clearly one of the best sounding most responsive instrument I've played my entire life.

That's very counter intuitive to me but it seems like 10-47 is the exact gauge that guitar was designed to give its best. I tried 10-50, 11-52 (and like I said above 12s and 13s) and they all sucked the tone, harmonics and even volume out of it.

Now it's nuanced, loud whenever I want to, the highs are heaven and string to string balance is perfect.

I just wanted to share that with you guys cause that's really game changing and as I'd bought it used without instructions (and strung with 12s), I was clearly wrong about how to make it sound.

I've emailed Ryan guitars to see what they have to say about that, if it was intentionally braced for extra-light strings etc...

I'm puzzled and very eager to see what you'd have to say about it especially Ryan Nightingale owners...

Best regards to y'all from Paris

Wade Hampton · #2 04-26-2019, 03:50 AM

Well, you're lucky you hit the sweet spot on that guitar. An inability to find that might be why the previous owner gave up on it.

I had a somewhat similar experience with a Martin Custom Shop D-18 I went to look at after it was listed on our local Anchorage Craigslist. It sounded quite good, but one of the things that actually motivated me to buy it was that the seller mentioned that it had a fairly elaborate pickup with onboard preamp mounted in it. (He was the guitar's second owner, but he showed me the original order sheet that showed that the person who'd ordered it from Martin had specified that pickup system.)

I'd previously put one of those same pickup/preamp systems into another one of my guitars, but pulled it out after a few weeks because I found it had a discernible negative impact on the acoustic sound. So I wagered that if I bought the D-18 and pulled the electronics out, the guitar might actually sound great, not just very good.

So I took a chance and bought the instrument. Fortunately, my hunch paid off, and now - minus the electronics - it's an incredible-sounding guitar.

Since the original owner had ordered that pickup/preamp system as original equipment installed in the guitar at the factory, he or she never had a chance to hear it "naked," so to speak. I benefited from his or her impatience or lack of realization of where the problem lay.

The guitar now has a nice, unobtrusive and non-tonekilling K&K Pure Mini bridge pickup on it, and sounds as good as it was originally intended to sound.

It's great that you figured out the problem with that Ryan: more power to you. Aren't you glad you didn't give up and stop testing different string sets before you found the right one?

Wade Hampton Miller

Kerbie · #3 04-26-2019, 04:38 AM

So glad you found the right mix... congrats! They sure are outstanding guitars.

Deft Tungsman · #4 04-26-2019, 04:49 AM

Hey, Brownsteins!

As I've told you privately, I am glad that you are finally satisfied with your guitar and are no longer thinking about selling it.

I never experiment with different brands or gauges of strings because I've already got too many options available. But your journey with this guitar has got me thinking that maybe I ought to be a bit more adventurous. Needless to say, I can't wait to play your Ryan again now that you've got it dialed in. Boy, are we going to have some fun!

M Sarad · #5 04-26-2019, 08:04 AM

I am a big fan of D’Addario Custom Light Guage Strings.

jaymarsch · #6 04-26-2019, 08:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by M Sarad

I am a big fan of D’Addario Custom Light Guage Strings.

I put these on a parlor guitar that was sounding muffled and choked and the guitar just came to life. Experimenting with strings can definitely be eye opening or in this case, ear opening.

Happy to hear that you have re-discovered your beautiful Ryan, brownsteins.

Best,
Jayne

eshrager · #7 04-26-2019, 08:13 AM

I once had a Froggy Bottom C. When I received it it sounded fantastic - it confirmed what people had been saying about Froggys.

It needed some minor repairs and a setup, so I left it with my luthier to do the work.

When I got it back, it sounded like crap - muddy, flabby, unfocused, etc. In looking at the string wrappers left in the case I saw that it was strung with PB's instead of the 80-20's it had come with. A quick switch over and just like that the magic was back. To this day I am amazed at the difference between the two types of strings.

Mycroft · #8 04-26-2019, 09:41 AM

Glad that you found your sweet spot. Ryan has a rep for making superb guitars. I guess that often very responsive guitars can be a bit finicky. Here endth the lesson... <G>

Enjoy your new baby.

brownsteins · #9 04-26-2019, 10:26 AM

Thanks for all your messages. At some point I was wondering if that guitar deserved so much effort... and then I considered how much time and money I'd lose if I tried to sell it :-) looking back, I'm thinking of all the sweet ones I didn't give their chance...

I'm impatient to find someone who could confirm their Nightingale was braced for very light strings. It still seems very odd to me...

247hoopsfan · #10 04-26-2019, 01:07 PM

You could always send an email to Kevin Ryan.

brownsteins · #11 04-26-2019, 01:28 PM

I did

They don't really know for sure but no guitar is braced individually or differently than others (17 in this series) and this one would have been sent with 12s...

Mysterious...

Doug Young · #12 04-26-2019, 02:08 PM

Kevin's normal strings (and also what Pierre uses) are "True Medium" Gauge. 13 and 17 on the top 2, a 56 (I think) on the bottom, with the middle strings light gauge. So that's what the guitar was presumably built for and what it would have been originally set up with as far as I know. You could definitely email Kevin and ask what he recommends for that guitar - tho it sounds like you found the answer for you!

I have a Nightingale that is not the Benusan model, but that Kevin still did the extra depth on. To me, it sounds perfect with the true medium strings (Kevin's are basically the same as D'Addario EJ24s) and Pierre uses Wyres. But that's what I use on all my guitars. You may just prefer extra lights for your own taste, great that you discovered that. That should be a fantastic and unique guitar, hope you enjoy it!

Howard Emerson · #13 04-26-2019, 02:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by brownsteins

I did

They don't really know for sure but no guitar is braced individually or differently than others (17 in this series) and this one would have been sent with 12s...

Mysterious...

Some guitars like less loading on the top, and although all 17 are spec’d the same, wood isn’t homogenous.

Great to hear a story with a happy ending!

Regards,
Howard Emerson

colins · #14 04-27-2019, 02:31 AM

Congratulations Brownsteins, that is a great result. When I heard PB playing a Ryan I thought it was a marriage made in heaven, so I am glad you are able to enjoy yours.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Deft Tungsman

....I never experiment with different brands or gauges of strings because I've already got too many options available. But your journey with this guitar has got me thinking that maybe I ought to be a bit more adventurous........

Go for it it DT. I have tried different types of Newtones on my Baraniks and the changes are significant.... so get yerself a family pack of Newtones (or your maker of choice) and start experimenting!

brownsteins · #15 04-27-2019, 02:49 AM

Thanks a lot guys ! I picked it up this morning and the magic is still there and real. It responds to the lightest touch and tone is present at the slightest touch.

Still... I really wish I could know for sure if I'm missing on something. I have never been a player of extra light strings and have played 13-59 more than often without difficulty.

Since this PB was probably NOT designed for XL but more probably for 12s or 13s, I can't help but wonder if there's something that could be done to the setup ? New nuts ? adjustment of neck relief ? I guess the luthier I took the guitar to in the first place would have told me... Am I getting the most out of it ? Am I asking too many questions ?