Augustine Strings - Anyone??

[mrkpower]

Who has ever tried on Augustine Strings? Can you share your opinion?

[Gitfiddlemann]

Not a big fan.
They were, by far, the worst performing strings I've ever put on, intonation wise. They just never stopped stretching and getting out of tune.
I had bought 3 sets and they were all like that. That was a while ago though, so maybe they changed. But, I'm not going to try them again.
But as with all things strings, YMMV!

[charles Tauber]

What AndreF said: worst strings I've ever tried due to playing untrue (i.e. out of tune.) I also haven't tried them in decades: perhaps they've improved.

[Carey]

The 'Classic' trebles have had a reputation for playing out of tune, and that was my first experience with them as well, which is too bad because they have a nice sound. If they were a bit lower in tension and were more consistent, they'd
probably be my favorite first and second string.

The basses are very nice though, but not long lasting. In fact I just got a set
of Red (medium-high tension) basses yesterday for my Spruce/Sapele guitar.

Augustine Classic trebles are by far my favorite treble strings. I have never had a problem with intonation, and the tone, sustain, and vibrato is great. I find them to be very sweet sounding with just the right amount of brightness. I tried the Imperial trebles, but found them to be a bit pingy/metallic sounding. They are also stiffer in feel.

I have tried the Red (medium tension) and Blue (high tension) bass strings and thought both were warm and mellow sounding. They did not have the punch that I was looking for. Also, the string noise on the Blue set was the most I have experienced. I have moved on to other bass sets.

Hope this helps.

[CuidadoCaliente]

In my admittedly limited experience, I have found that Augustine strings sound much better than D'Addario.
About two weeks ago I put Augustine Classic Black strings on a 2016 Cordoba C5 that I have had since February. I had previously used primarily D'Addario Pro-Arte nylon normal tension strings with brief experiments with D'Addario Pro-Arte hard tension and low tension strings. The Augustine strings sound so much better to me than the D'Addario strings that I doubt that I will ever use D'Addario strings again. The Augustine trebles are brighter and the lower tension bass strings reduced the somewhat overwhelming bass frequencies on my guitar. To my ears, it sounds like a "real" classical guitar now. After hearing the obvious improvement, I also put Augustine Classic Black strings on my 2008 Manuel Rodriquez C3F flamenco guitar. The difference from the D'Addario strings was less dramatic than the Cordoba, but the trebles were definitely brighter. I will probably try Augustine Classic Reds on my flamenco guitar the next time I change strings.
Another difference that I noticed was that the Augustine strings only had to stretch for two days before they would stay in tune while D'Addarios usually took three days.
It is probably important to note that I play mostly jazz and bossa nova and I pluck the strings with the flesh of my fingertips and not the fingernail. Before I heard the Augustine strings I assumed that the lack of treble in my tone was caused by not plucking with my nails, but now I see that it was the D'Addario strings.

Originally Posted by CuidadoCaliente

In my admittedly limited experience, I have found that Augustine strings sound much better than D'Addario.
About two weeks ago I put Augustine Classic Black strings on a 2016 Cordoba C5 that I have had since February. I had previously used primarily D'Addario Pro-Arte nylon normal tension strings with brief experiments with D'Addario Pro-Arte hard tension and low tension strings. The Augustine strings sound so much better to me than the D'Addario strings that I doubt that I will ever use D'Addario strings again. The Augustine trebles are brighter and the lower tension bass strings reduced the somewhat overwhelming bass frequencies on my guitar. To my ears, it sounds like a "real" classical guitar now. After hearing the obvious improvement, I also put Augustine Classic Black strings on my 2008 Manuel Rodriquez C3F flamenco guitar. The difference from the D'Addario strings was less dramatic than the Cordoba, but the trebles were definitely brighter. I will probably try Augustine Classic Reds on my flamenco guitar the next time I change strings.
Another difference that I noticed was that the Augustine strings only had to stretch for two days before they would stay in tune while D'Addarios usually took three days.
It is probably important to note that I play mostly jazz and bossa nova and I pluck the strings with the flesh of my fingertips and not the fingernail. Before I heard the Augustine strings I assumed that the lack of treble in my tone was caused by not plucking with my nails, but now I see that it was the D'Addario strings.

I agree that the Classic trebles are brighter than the EJ45, but I also like the tone and sustain of the Classics better. The Classic trebles are slightly higher tension than the EJ45, but do not feel as stiff/tense as the EJ46. Augustine Imperial, Savarez Cristal, and La Bella 2001 are brighter than the Classic trebles if the Classics are not bright enough for you. Then there are carbon trebles if you want even more brightness.

I also think that the intonation/consistency issues with Augustine strings were resolved several years ago. Augustine, like D'Addario, is using laser machines that are extremely accurate in the the string making process. This process ensures accuracy in string diameter and tension.