Santa Cruz Parabolic Strings???

[frankmcr]

They're not at all parabola-shaped -- what's up with that?

[brandall10]

TLDR: they feel and sound (once played in a bit) like coated strings because they are. Good, but nothing special, and the tension feels substantially higher than advertised. The parabolic thing seems like a gimmick.

I've been on a tear with trying out strings over the few months for my OM-28A. Tried both the SUS mediums and heavies and the Santa Cruz mid-tension.

They're both reasonably nice strings, but for my taste, out of the ones I've tried they take a backseat to Newtone Masterclass and GHS Vintage (totally shocked at how nice these are considering the cost, these struck me as truly balanced in tone/feel, just the right touch of harmonics, etc).

With SUS in particular, the mediums felt uneven insofar that the bass was a bit overpowering compared to the treble, and the converse was true with the heavy set. The Santa Cruz strings felt nicely balanced but they're obviously coated and they struck me as subdued sounding in the bass once broken in, though still nice sounding on balance.

To me, the SUS and Santa Cruz strings felt stiffer than the noted tension. On a 25.4 scale guitar tuned to 440, I would have guessed 175-180 lbs tension. So certainly a low tension string, but any number of lights I played that are rated mid 160s felt noticeably easier to play. I think the parabolic tension marketing thing is nothing more than marketing, which does bother me a bit as I am a fan of Santa Cruz guitars and Richard Hoover.

[Arch Stanton]

Well, my next set will be the ghs's. Then the martin retro's.

[Gomers]

They're ok, that's all I can really say. Have a set of low tension on my 000-28EC. To be honest, I haven't noticed any difference in tension from normal lights, they sound fine, they cost twice as much as regular strings; I'll leave it with you [emoji6]

[Rosewood99]

Originally Posted by Gomers

They're ok, that's all I can really say. Have a set of low tension on my 000-28EC. To be honest, I haven't noticed any difference in tension from normal lights, they sound fine, they cost twice as much as regular strings; I'll leave it with you [emoji6]

But they last as long as coated strings.

[brandall10]

Originally Posted by paulzoom

But they last as long as coated strings.

That's because they literally are coated strings. I do agree people are making a bit too much of a fuss over the price as they're just marginally more than most coated strings.

[Jeff Mc]

Let me preface this by saying that I am generally cheap when it comes to strings and picks. My string choice is usually partially dictated by which strings the local music store has in their annual tent sale for a buck a set(they are pretty good strings - DR a couple of years ago, Cleartone after that, and an assortment of Martin strings this year. This year they put a 5 set limit on it or I would be set for several years.

I did order a set of SUS lights a year or so ago. Not impressed, they were like extra lights to me. I called them and they said that I should order mediums if I want lights and heavy if I want medium. Maybe they should change their designations. Just me of course. But they didn't seem special to me.

I ordered 3 sets of Santa Cruz strings when they had their 3 for 2 sale, still more than I want to pay for strings. I put a light set on a Taylor 712ce 12 fret and did not seem much different to me. I put a medium set on a Taylor PS18e and wow did it make that guitar sing. I may be stuck paying the $18 a set or whatever for that guitar. I am almost afraid to try them on others now.

[awalsh]

I put the medium tension strings on my Santa Cruz D a few weeks ago and it sounds like a new guitar. Lots of overtone resonance that wasn't there before. Makes me want to play!

[vindibona1]

It's been awhile so I'll chime in...

I've tested the SC strings and compared them with their cousins Straight Up Strings. Personally there isn't all that much difference in sound and difference in feel is negligible. The SUS strings are half the price of Santa Cruz. And in spite of the SC's being "vapor coated" I didn't find they lasted any longer than the SUS strings based on my desire for a fresh sound. Your sonic needs may differ considerably.

The thing is that coating has the POTENTIAL to do 2 things: 1) Prevent corrosion from acidic hands. 2) Prevent gunk from getting in between the windings. A coating like Elixir polyweb strings will do both because of the heavy coating. ElixirNanowebs? I would suspect they do a good job with #1 and a fair job of #2 as I don't have an acidic pH, but I do get a couple more weeks out of them than non coated strings. SC's? If I compare them to Elixirs I would say they don't do as good a job in the longevity department from a "gunk prevention" perspective. I do have to confess that from time to time I'll WIPE a coat of Finger-Ease on my strings just to reduce friction and string noise (and it works especially great on my basses thought not widely used in the bass world).

I'm not saying that anyone shouldn't try Santa Cruz strings. It's just my experience that I found the alternative for half the price with essentially the same sound and feel and similar longevity... though uncoated. JMO

[steelvibe]

I've tried the low tension and loved them on my Martin DJr. I previously owned. . These are good strings that last quite awhile. However, I tried Med Tension on my carbon fiber guitar and found them strident in the upper mids, in a very annoying way and it never mellowed even over 3 months.

Question though; why doesn't SCGC make an 80/20 version of these strings? I think they would work wonderfully on carbon fiber guitars.

[M Hayden]

Originally Posted by steelvibe

Anyone tried these on a 12 fret?

I'm wondering if the low tension would be too floppy, especially when down tuned? Would mid tension choke the top too much or would the be the bees knees? I'm thinking of trying them on a RainSong, a very responsive top with no braces, so I'm not concerned about whether the low tension will drive the top.

Yup. Use lights on an SCGC 00-29, and they’re wonderful.

[4-string]

Originally Posted by vindibona1

It's been awhile so I'll chime in...

I've tested the SC strings and compared them with their cousins Straight Up Strings. Personally there isn't all that much difference in sound and difference in feel is negligible. The SUS strings are half the price of Santa Cruz. And in spite of the SC's being "vapor coated" I didn't find they lasted any longer than the SUS strings based on my desire for a fresh sound. Your sonic needs may differ considerably.

The thing is that coating has the POTENTIAL to do 2 things: 1) Prevent corrosion from acidic hands. 2) Prevent gunk from getting in between the windings. A coating like Elixir polyweb strings will do both because of the heavy coating. ElixirNanowebs? I would suspect they do a good job with #1 and a fair job of #2 as I don't have an acidic pH, but I do get a couple more weeks out of them than non coated strings. SC's? If I compare them to Elixirs I would say they don't do as good a job in the longevity department from a "gunk prevention" perspective. I do have to confess that from time to time I'll WIPE a coat of Finger-Ease on my strings just to reduce friction and string noise (and it works especially great on my basses thought not widely used in the bass world).

I'm not saying that anyone shouldn't try Santa Cruz strings. It's just my experience that I found the alternative for half the price with essentially the same sound and feel and similar longevity... though uncoated. JMO

SUS are also coated according to their FAQs:

Q: Are your guitar strings coated?
A: There is a very thin anti-corrosion coating on the wound strings that prevents the strings from tarnishing. The coating also adds slightly to the smooth playing feel.

I just put on a set of SUS mediums on my OM-28v and initial impressions are very good.

[vindibona1]

Originally Posted by steelvibe

I've tried the low tension and loved them. These are great strings. I've also tried TI Plectrums, also great. If I had to pick between the 2 I would go with the low tension but did find them a bit floppy on my short scale. Maybe I will give the Med Tensions a spin.

Question though; why doesn't SCGC make an 80/20 version of these strings? I think they would work wonderfully on all mahogany guitars.

There isn't that much difference in feel between the low and medium tension SC's. FWIW they both use the same gauge low E (!).

There are possibly several reasons they don't make an 80/20 version. 1) They are guiltar builders first and haven't found the need for an 80/20 for their guitars. 2) The 80/20 may require an entirely different recipe to accomodate their concept of tension and balance.

If I may add one more thing about the Straight Up Strings, "cousins" to SC's that doesn't usually get mentioned in the SC's vs SUS conversation... The SUS strings are built on the concept of trying to lessen the torque along the guitar's latitudinal axis. Roger Siminoff can explain it better. I'm including a small video clip to make it clearer. SC, while similar in paying more attention to tension than gauge comes at it from a different perspective. And FWIW Santa Cruz consulted with Roger Siminoff from SUS.

[Rosewood99]

Originally Posted by vindibona1

It's been awhile so I'll chime in...

I've tested the SC strings and compared them with their cousins Straight Up Strings. Personally there isn't all that much difference in sound and difference in feel is negligible. The SUS strings are half the price of Santa Cruz. And in spite of the SC's being "vapor coated" I didn't find they lasted any longer than the SUS strings based on my desire for a fresh sound. Your sonic needs may differ considerably.

The thing is that coating has the POTENTIAL to do 2 things: 1) Prevent corrosion from acidic hands. 2) Prevent gunk from getting in between the windings. A coating like Elixir polyweb strings will do both because of the heavy coating. ElixirNanowebs? I would suspect they do a good job with #1 and a fair job of #2 as I don't have an acidic pH, but I do get a couple more weeks out of them than non coated strings. SC's? If I compare them to Elixirs I would say they don't do as good a job in the longevity department from a "gunk prevention" perspective. I do have to confess that from time to time I'll WIPE a coat of Finger-Ease on my strings just to reduce friction and string noise (and it works especially great on my basses thought not widely used in the bass world).

I'm not saying that anyone shouldn't try Santa Cruz strings. It's just my experience that I found the alternative for half the price with essentially the same sound and feel and similar longevity... though uncoated. JMO

I've had both as well but to me the SC lasted a bit longer but not enough to warrant the extra price. But both are fine strings so that's not meant to disparage SC strings.

[vindibona1]

Originally Posted by paulzoom

I've had both as well but to me the SC lasted a bit longer but not enough to warrant the extra price. But both are fine strings so that's not meant to disparage SC strings.

I hope that's what I was getting across. As you say, both are fine strings and I've found quite similar. And like you, for me it comes down to a cost/benefit thing. SC's do have some "features" (such as solid ball end and vapor coating) that make them more expensive to produce. But in the end it's up to the user if they can take advantage of them or appreciate the extras. If it sounded like I was disparaging SC's that's not what I was trying to do.