The name Black Diamond has been around a long time; in fact, I bought Black Diamond’s as my “new” strings when I was just learning guitar, as a teenager.  We didn’t have the Internet then, and stores that carried guitar strings didn’t give you a lot of choices.  But Black Diamond was always there, I was glad to find them still going strong.

Things have changed a lot since then, and so has Black Diamond.  Case in point, their N600 series Black Coated Phosphor Bronze Acoustic Guitar Strings. I recently gave them a try on a black Ovation 1778T Elite acoustic electric.  I chose this guitar for the evaluation because it has a broad dynamic range which can bring out the extreme highs and lows quite clearly and accurately, without imposing its own tonal limitations on the overall evaluation. I also found the black strings on a black guitar them had a novel attraction, and just plane looks cool.

I started with the N600LB 12-53 set first, and found them to be rather bright and somewhat tinny sounding.  They got a little more mellow on the second day, but after a week I was ready to go for the heavier N600MB 13-56 set.  The 13-56 medium gauge set was more to my liking, with a stronger and richer bass and fuller sounding trebles, not too bright or tinny at all.  All six strings in the set are black coated, including the two bare (non-wound) strings. The coating seems to be evenly applied and gives the strings a slick feeling which is very apparent when your installing them. They tuned up right away and stayed in tune.  They turned out to be an excellent set for acoustic electric applications, especially when you add delay and other effects.

Low Finger Noise: The coating helps hold down the low finger noise, which helps me when playing plugged in.

Tone: Because the coating tends to give them a slightly brighter tone, the bass strings are very clear, and never muddy sounding. This comes out very nicely when playing plugged in, especially with a delay effect added. The straight acoustic tone is full and rich, also.

Fun to Play: I found them to be very good for general strumming and cross picking.  I love them for tunes with complex chord changes, because these strings bring out the subtle changes so well and clearly, even after two months of hard playing. I played that 13-56 set hard and they continued to hold up. The black coating seems to keep them fresh sounding a very long time, and the only place I saw it wearing off was at the fret contact areas and right over the sound hole, where my pick hits the strings. But the wear was hardly noticeable unless you know where to look, and it didn’t affect the sound at all.  The fret wear is only evident when you take the strings off the guitar, and you can see the under side of the strings. Otherwise, it’s no consequence.

Conclusion: I’ve never been a big fan of coated strings, but these black coated strings are different.  Their cool looks, their feel, and their clear sound sets them apart for the clear coated strings I’ve played in the past. There’s also the idea that these are authentic Black Diamond strings, the brand I first bought when I was a teenager, several decades ago; and the brand that many old timers swear by.  Would I put on another set?  You bet I would.

Where to get them: Just click on the links below.

N600LB:  12-53 Light Gauge, Acoustic

N600MB :  13-56 Medium Gauge, Acoustic

Black Diamond also has black coated electric guitar strings, but I haven’t tried them yet. I’ll get to them soon, and will let you know what I think. Other Black diamond strings can be found at the link below:

Black Diamond Guitar Strings at Guitar String Depot

Rancher 110

An earlier post talked about selecting the wound G (third) string in a string set that offers a choice of wound or non-wound (bare) G strings.  I just switched to the bare, non-wound G string in the Dean Markley 2505 Nickel Steel electric guitar strings on a Les Paul, after giving the wound string a try. I liked the way wound G string played, for a while; but now I’m glad I switched back to the regular bare G string.  

 I had to reverse the guitar set up adjustments I made for the wound string. The intonation had to be adjusted to suit the wound strings, which meant the third string saddle had to be moved forward a bit, instead of being nearly all the way aft.  Also, the pole piece screw for the third string (G string) had been raised to better detect the wound string, and match it’s volume to that of the other strings. After putting on the bare string, I made both adjustments with a flat tipped screwdriver, in just a few minutes. The bare string has a stronger magnetic signature than the wound string, so I had to turn the neck pickup’s pole piece screw in one and a half turn, to reduce the bare string’s volume relative to the other strings.  As for intonation, obviously the bridge saddle had to be set back (moved aft) to bring the 12th fret first harmonic and fretted pitches together.  Both adjustments were no trouble, and the new bare string now plays in harmony with the other five.

Overall, the choice of using the bare or wound G string depends on how you want to play and sound, and to some extent on the type of guitar.  The wound string is okay for chords and strumming, but it sounds a little weak for leads.  The bare string seems to have no deficiencies.  It works for chords and leads, and is excellent for bends.  The guitar body type also matters.  I think solid body guitars deserve the bare string, since solid bodies tend to reflect individual notes and tones back to the strings they came from.  So you can bend a single note and hold it a long time on a solid body. It’s not quite the same with a hollow body guitar, which mix the string vibrations up.  They sound great for what they do, but if you want to hear those single notes clearly, you need a solid body.  The wound string is fine on hollow body and semi-hollow guitars, where you can get the acoustic response of the guitar top to add some woody overtones and warmth.

 Conclusion:  When given a choice of a wound or bare third (G) string, I’d choose the wound string for a hollow body guitar and the bare string for a solid body or a semi-hollow.  These string choices seem to be consistent with the character and sound that comes naturally out of these types of guitars.

That’s my opinion.  Let me know what you think.

Rancher 110

To see Dean Markley and other brands of electric guitar strings, click on Electric Guitar Strings at www.guitarstringdepot.com.

I had put off trying a set of La Bella 427′s far too long, though I had known about them for some time.  Well, I just put a set on my guitar, and I must say “they blow my socks off”.  Man, I was really surprised and pleased at their creamy sound.  They are a well balanced set, that makes strong, full bodied chords and have excellent clarity for single notes.  They have ample volume and projection if you want to be heard, or can also sound sweet when played softly, with feeling.  My first impression of these strings is…they are great, and very versatile.  I could play just about anything with them.  Not expensive, either.  A lot more string than their price suggests.

One of the pleasant surprises with 427′s is how easy they are to install.  La Bella didn’t economize on string length, here.  You get plenty of string length for easy ties at each end of a standard 650 mm scale length guitar, with ample string to trim off at each end.  Some makers cut them a little short, making it a challenge to finally get a reasonable looking traditional tie done; but not La Bella.

More to follow, soon.  I like these strings, and I want to go play them some more.  I’ll be back with more impressions after a few days of purposeful playing and evaluation.  I wish I had tried them sooner.

Where I got them: Classical Guitar Strings at www.guitarstrngdepot.com

Link to these strings:  La Bella 427 Pacesetter Elite classical/flamenco guitar strings at www.guitarstringdepot.com

Catch you later,

Rancher 110

At last…it’s good to get back to some solid sounding strings,  that sound like they’ve got some meat on their bones.  I just put these on my Les Paul after testing a set of Famous 351′s, and it’s like coming home to mashed potatoes and gravy.  What a difference, and how good they sound and play.  They don’t look fance, but they surely sound good. They are just good old nickel plated steel round wound strings and tinned plain (non-wound) strings; but made the right way.

Set Description: Dean Markley 2505 NickelSteel Electric guitar strings, which are round wound and have both a wound and bare G string in the set.  The windings are nickel plated steel, or NPS, even though Dean Markley makes one word out of “NickelSteel”. They are designated as “mediums”, with string diameters:   0.011  .013  .018(bare)/0.020(wound)  0.030  0.042  0.052 inches.   I put the wound G string on first, to see how it would sound and play, and will swap it out for the bare string later.   Each strings in the set is individually packaged in a straight forward paper envelope, with the string data on the front; with the exception of the two G strings being in the same envelope.  All of the strings had a consistent appearance and finish, with no spots or visually detectable concerns.  The ball ends were snug and neatly twisted and wrapped.

About The Design: Dean Markley didn’t cut any corners on design, but wanted to make these strings something special.  NickelSteel’s are designed to produce a magnetic signature that electro-magnetic guitar picks will listen to, and hear them loud and clear.  They are precision made with 8% pure nickel plated steel wrap, over a tinned inner core wire. This results in an easy playing string with high output and great durability.  The bare strings are also tinned, and have a smooth finish to them that makes them look like the quality strings they truly are.  Even before installing them, you can tell just by looking at a lot of care and pride went into these strings.

Installation: They were a snap to put on my guitar; easy to handle.  I found they all tuned up immediately with little or no followup adjustments required, which means there’s essentially no extra stretch to work out.  The best surprise was their sound, which was can best be described as powerful.  They seem to have very good magnetic properties, and I even lowered my neck pickup to smooth out the sound.

Harmonics? You bet!  Plenty of them, and they sustain a long time.  This is due to string consistency and uniformity over their entire string lengths, which means there are no variations, defects, or changes in string characteristics over their entire playing lengths.  If you can hear a lot of harmonics, it means vibrations travel with consistent velocities in any given string, and don’t get scattered or distorted by changes in string diameter, stiffness, strength, density, or winding tightness. I think this is a credit to Dean Markley’s techniques and quality control.

Intonation: One minor adjustment was needed, but only for the wound G string.   Since my guitar was set up for a set with a bare G string, I had to adjust the bridge saddle for correct intonation with the wound G string.  Checking intonation at the 12th fret found the G string to be a little flat when fretted, compared to the 12th fret open string harmonic. I simply moved the G string’s bridge saddle toward the neck in small increments, until the wound string gave me “proper” intonation at the 12th fret.  I actually ran out of travel on the adjusting screw, since the Tune-O-Matic bridge on my Les Paul was probably designed for a bare G string.  This isn’t a problem, because I got it “close enough”.

Playing Them:  It’s  been a joy.  Their strong sound means I can ease up a little and still get full tone and volume. I found I could pretty much level out my amp EQ settings, with mid positions for bass, middle, and treble ranges; and didn’t have to compensate for any variaitons.  My Fender Blues Junior seems to like even settings.  Chords sound very smooth and balanced, especially when played with my fingers or thumb.  I don’t use a pick so much these days, as I’m learning to get good sound without one, and I love the effect of playing the bass line with my thumb, while plucking or stumming the chords with my fingers on alternate beats.  I think the wound G string works fine for chords and finger style.  I can definitely tell it a wound string when I use a pick, though, because it sounds a lot softer.

Next, I think I’ll put the bare G string on and see how it sounds.  I’ll also have to re-do the intonation for the bare string, but that’s not trouble.

Finger Noise:  Yes, I noticed this set is not what you’d call a “low noise” string set.  Though they are not overly loud, when it come to finger noise from the fretting hand, I noticed they were louder than most.  I don’t think this is a problem, because I quickly got used to it and adjusted my fretting hand movements to get rid of the problem.  It’s just a small adjustment in my playing style I make when I pick up this guitar, after playing flat wounds, nylon, or some other strings.   This is definitely not a detriment to the quality and sound of these strings, but one things that makes them different and probably a little better than most nickel plated steel strings.  

Conclusion: I’m going to keep playing them until they wear out, and may put on another set after them.  I really like these strings.  I’d recommend DM2505′s with a wound G string for hard tail electic guitars, such as Les Pauls.  They make the body vibrate, and that’s a good thing.

Where to get Dean Markley guitar strings:

• Dean Markley NickelSteel Electric, includes DM2505 11-52′s as discussed here, many gauge choices on this page.
• Dean Markley Electric Guitar Strings, these and other’s by DM
• Guitar String Depot Home Page
• Guitar String Depot Electric Guitar Strings, for Dean Markley’s and many other brands

That’s all for now.  I’ll follow up when I try them with the bare G string in the mix, in about a week.

Rancher 110

I recently tried a set of Famous 351 Nickel Electric 10″s, just to see what they are all about.  What caught my attention was their super low price, and the fact that each pack contains a free guitar pick.  I just had to see if they are in good.  I had heard they were made in China, which seems to be the way of a lot of things these days; and I would be open minded and give them an objective evaluation.  I put them on a Les Paul with super good pickups and great body resonance, so the guitar would either bring out their strengths or weaknesses.

SPECIMEN :  Famous 351 10″s, with string diameters:  10 – 13 – 17 – 26 – 36 – 46  (thousandths of an inch).  The first three are bare, and the big three are round wound.

The packaging is rather snazzy, with bright colors and lots of printed information.  Right there on the back side, under the bar code, it says “Made in P. R. C.”  It also gives the strings diameter data and looks pretty good for an inexpensive set of strings.   On opening the pack, I found each individual string was sealed in a separate clear plastic envelope, with the string identifications on each envelope.   Examining each string, I found them to look just fine.  Each string was exceptionally clean and shiny, free of any visible defects or contaminants.  The ball end twists were all tight and well done.  So far, I ‘m impressed.  They look pretty good; now let’s see how they play.

When I put them on and tuned them up, I noticed they had a lot more “stretch” to them than my familiar American brands.  They didn’t stay in tune very long, and eventually settled in and stopped stretching on day two.  Their tone was a little thin, especially on the wound strings.  Even though they sounded tinny, every string of the set sounded that way; so they harmonized with each other.  Yes, I could adjust my amp to round out the tone, and ended up doing that, though it took higher setting on the bass and mid range knobs.

Though I can’t quantify it scientifically, they seem to have  weaker magnetic properties than my favorite US made strings.  I found myself wanting a stronger bass quality, though the bare treble strings sounded about like any other.   After a week, I decided that was enough.  I took them off and put on a set of Dean Markleys….which brought everything back to normal and really emphasized how weak the Famous 351′s sound.

CONCLUSION:  Their sound is weak and shallow, requiring a lot compensation at the amp.  They look good and wear well, are really inexpensive; but I prefer the robust sound of modern American made strings.   The best part about them is the free tortoise shell pick that comes in the pack.  It’s a keeper.

HOWEVER!.….If you have a need for “inexpensive” strings and want a free guitar pick, then I’d recommend Famous 351′s.  Keep in mind, you’ll get exactly what you pay for.  That’s probably why they only cost $3.15 a set.   But if you go through strings like mad, and can live with mediocre tone and performance, then Famous 351′s are for you.  They would be great as “student strings”, until the student is ready to move up to the real thing.

WHERE TO GET THEM:  Famous 351 Electric Guitar Strings at Guitar String Depot.

PRICE:   $3.15 per set.…including a free guitar pick.   Two gauges: 9′s  and 10′s.

That’s just my opinion.

Rancher 110

I just tried a set of Fender Stainless Steel Flatwound strings on my Epiphone Joe Pass archtop.  I liked them right away, and wonder why I had been so hesitant to try them.   I’m trying a set of  F50XL’s 11-50 “extra light”,  though they don’t feel all that light to me.  I like heavier strings, for the fullness of their tone and they way they feel under my fingers, and this set feels just fine.  Very responsive.   It’s also comforting to know they are made in the USA, so it just feels a little more patriotic to try them.

TONE   The tone is a little different in that the wound strings are a lot quieter and softer than nickel plated steel wound strings, while the two bare strings are just as loud and strong as ever.  Yes, the G-string is wound, and you have to look closely to tell…that’s how smooth they are.   The bass strings sound well balanced, and don’t get boomy when played aggressively.   I also increased the bass and mid-range knob settings on my amp, just to balance out the tone.  Previously, I had throttled back on the bass and mid EQ settings when playing nickel plated steel wound strings, which can get boomy and overpowering.  No treble EQ changes were needed for the bare strings, which is probably the common link to ordinary strings.  I also found I was running the master volume a little higher, while cutting back on the preamp volume.  This seems to sound okay to my ears, though I usually ran more pramp with NPS (nickel plated steel) strings.   I don’t know for sure, but it just seems to sound a little mellower this way.

This set sound great for chord melodies, especially when played with fingers and thumb.   Chord changes and even alternating chord voicings works well with these strings, since they sound so balanced between up the neck and down the neck chord positions, with no finger noise in between.  However, I still haven’t learned to like them with a pick.  They seem to require more energy input form a pick to get sound out of them, which makes me have to play them harder.   This may just be my preference, but I like them just fine playing with just fingers and thumb.

I also noticed that these strings sound pretty good even when playing unplugged on my archtop.  They produce plenty of raw acoustic volume; much more than NPS strings, and they sound sweeter and fuller.   These strings might even be okay on an acoustic electric guitar.   Maybe I’ll try that later.

FEEL   The feel of these strings is so easy and natural to my fingers that I don’t even think about it much, and there’s essentially no finger noise at all.   This means I can concentrate more on what I’m playing and really get into it without having to hold back and focus on keeping finger noise down.    I was surprised at how easily I can play finger-style with these strings, which is all I seem to do these days.

CONCERNS   One thing I’m going to watch for is fret wear, since the stainless steel wrap is said to be harder on the frets than ordinary nickel plated steel strings.  When I catch myself doing a bend on the G-string, I have to back off and tell myself not to do that….because it’s probably wearing down my frets.

CURRENT ASSESSMENT   So far, after a full two days with these strings, I’m quite pleased with them and would recommend them to anyone wanting a refreshing change from round wound strings.  They feel good, they sound good, and they look pretty good too.   Yep, I think I like these smooth strings.  They come in three gauge sets:  11-50 Extra Light (XL), 12-52 Light (L), and 13-54 Medium (M), and I may try a heavier set when these finally wear out.

WHERE TO GET THEM    Try Guitar String Depot, at the following link for Fender F50′s.  You can also click on the image above.

That’s all for now,

Rancher 110.

Description:  La Bella 10PH strings consist of silver plated alloy wound bases, on nylon multi-filament cores; while the trebles (first 3 strings) are all clear, high density,  mono-filament nylon.   They are made for long scale (655 to 664 mm) classical guitars, which have to carry a little more string tension, due to the longer vibrating length.  But they work perfectly on my 650 mm Cordoba.  They were a snap to install and tie, at both ends of the guitar.  No problems or hassles.  Plenty of extra length, so I didn’t have to feel like I needed to stretch anything just to get them tied.

Impressions:  Their tone is full, rich and clear, and sound powerful with plenty of volume and projection.  The treble notes are pure and clean, and sustain a long time.  The bass notes are robust and well balanced with the trebles.  They feel very responsive, due to slightly higher tension.  Strumming 6 string chords or picking finger style, 10PH’s are a joy to play.  I love they way octave notes (played in unison) sound.  I play a lot of Jazz, and they make me sound better than I thought I was.  Sometimes, it is the strings that make the difference.

I have had them on for 3 days, now…and I didn’t have to re-tune when I picked up the guitar for the first time today.  I think the silver plating will soon burnish off, where the strings touch the frets; but that’s to be expected and won’t affect the tone at all.  I don’t think the presence or absence of the plating makes any detectable difference in the sound or tone of the strings, since it’s contribution to string mass is insignificant, and it’s primary reason for being there is for string longevity.  The way I play, though, I wear out a set of nylon strings about every two to three weeks, and put on another set anyway.

A Note on String Life:  Oh, by the way…it seems to me that nylon string life is more a function of the number hours of playing on them, and not so much the total time they have been installed on the guitar.   If I play two to three hours per day for a couple of weeks, that puts me in the 30 hour cumulative playing time range, which is where I start to notice the evenness of the string tones starting to drift apart.  It seems that I have to de-tune the G and B strings slightly to get them to blend  in.  That’s when I start thinking about the next set of strings.  So, I think the generalization that a set of strings should last for 30 hours of playing time is about right.  Beyond 30 hours, you have to make tuning compromises to keep them sounding alright, but only up to the point where you know it’s time to change strings.

Get La Bella 10PH Professional Series High Tension Strings online: Guitar String Depot

Well, that’s all I’ve to say for now.  I love these strings and will continue to evaluate them over the next week or two.  I may update this blog post, if my impressions change or if they exceed expectation.  It’s time to pick up my guitar and play something….like “How High the Moon”, or “Rainy Night in Georgia”; or even a some old Jim Reeves tunes.

See ya’

Rancher 110

Ball end strings differ from conventional nylon classical guitar strings by having metal either brass furrels or plastic beads already attached to one end, when you take them out of the package.  This greatly simplifies the task of installing the strings and successfully securing them to the bridge tie block, since the ball on the end will simply anchor the string and keep it form passing all the way through the tie block hole.  Personally, I don’t mind doing the traditional tucked under tie-off at the tie block, but it was knowing that Willie Nelson plays ball end strings that drew my interest.

I decided to try a set of Dean Markley 2804 ball end nylon strings, just to see how they would play and  sound.  They were a snap to install, and quite easy to secure at the tuner spools.  The three bass strings are gold colored and wound with a very fine wrap wire, which feel smoother than most other wound nylon strings.  In playing them, I found they were fairly quiet and generated very little finger noise.  The bass strings have regular brass furrels at their ends, just like steel strings.  The first three strings are all black mono-filament nylon, with plastic balls slipped over them.  Plain stopper knots are tied in the ends of the strings to keep the balls from sliding off.  After installing, I snipped off the extra tenth of an inch of string protruding through the balls, just for neatness.

On tuning up for the first time, I found these strings have an awful lot of stretching to do before they come into tune.  The wound bass strings finally came into tune and didn’t go flat very fast; but the treble strings seemed to take forever.  The black strings wouldn’t stay in tune for more than a minute.  I finally just gave up and let them stand overnight.  The nest day, they were completely flat but tuned up quickly and seemed to stay in tune now.  Two to three days later, they needed only an initial tuning when I first pick up the guitar, but they tended to stay in tune for quite a while, once the initial stretch is worked out of them.

As for tone, the set as a whole has a different voice.  The basses are strong and full, but the black trebles sounded a little thin when played up the  neck.  The black trebles sound great when played long, or up near the nut; but they persisted in having a tinny sound when played short.  I suppose this is fine for some genre of music, such as what Willie plays.  I found I could easily sound like Willie playing Star Dust, and the notes and chords just seem to invent themselves and lead me along…naturally.   It doesn’t matter if I play hard or softly; these strings respond appropriately, and don’t sound over-driven.  Maybe that’s one of the reasons Willie plays them.   Or could it be there’s something magic about those black strings…so different from other strings that they empower you just let it all hang out, and go for it.  Maybe it’s that “black sheep” image the black strings suggest; but whether a chord melody or a penetrating solo, these strings have a special character that fulfills the emotion of the melody, with raw honesty and boldness that can hold its own, even in a Texas beer joint.

You can find Dean Markley 2804s online at Guitar String Depot, as well as some other ball end nylon strings, including:

• Dean Markley 2802 ball end classical nylon strings, with silver basses and clear trebles
• Dean Markley 2904 ball end classical nylon strings, with gold basses and black trebles…as described above
• La Bella 830 ball end nylon strings, with black trebles and metal balls (furrels) on all strings
• Martin M160 high tension, ball end classical nylon strings with clear trebles and silver plated basses

I had fun with these strings and I’d advise anyone who whats to sound like Willie Nelson without knocking a hole in his guitar to get a set, and try them out.  They are a bit different, but so is Willie.

Best of luck,

Rancher 110

I removed a set of Ernie Ball nickel plated steel, round wound strings (11-52′s) and put on a set of SIT GB1252 Golden Bronze 80/20 (12-52′s), since they are inexpensive but of good quality.   The installation was a snap, as I replaced one string at a time, in order to keep the bridge in place and set to its proper position for good intonation.  The SIT’s tuned up right away and held their tension after the initial tuning, even after a couple of hours of joyful exercise.

The sound is a bit different than what I had with nickel plated steel wound strings, since the magnetic  cross-section of the acoustic strings is only the core wire itself.  This made for a softer and weaker signal to my amp (Fender Blues Junior), but it’s easily taken care of with some simple adjustments.  I just adjusted the individual pole heights under the wound strings upward, to gather more magnetic influence form the strings, until I matched the volume of the bare first and second strings.   After that, I had evenly voiced strings with a warm sound much like that of Joe Pass and the other masters form the golden age of Jazz guitar.    The most delightful difference was the fact that I could play with more intensity, without having the bass strings get too boomy.   That’s just the magnetic effect.  There’s also the acoustic factor, in which the wood of the guitar flavors the tone of the overall sound.  I think the acoustic strings bring out the natural wood tones (spruce top on a maple body) better, and it adds a nice element to the overall sound.  The body tones come back into the strings as they vibrate, and allow the body tones to be heard  through the pickups.

EQ:  This is up to you, but here’s how I like it.  I play with my guitar volume at or near max all the time, and the treble trimmed back to about 70-80 percent of max.  I set the amp treble, mid, and bass knobs at 4-4-5, respectively; and the preamp volume at 3.  I use the master volume as the main amplitude control, setting it anywhere form 3 to 5, depending on how loud  I want to be.  The “Fat Switch” is OFF, since it tends to muddle the beauty of chord melodies, and covers up the subtle inflections given to specific notes in lead lines.  It’s okay for some things; but not for smooth chord melodies.

I found it much easier to play finger-style Jazz with acoustic strings.  They feel softer and more flexible than electric strings, and they convey my mood and feelings much better.  I felt I had to hold back with nickel plated steel electric strings, since they tend to over react with massive increases in volume if I would give it just a little more feeling and energy.  Not so with acoustic strings.  They are a good match for me, and I’d recommend trying them to anyone who loves his archtop and wants to get more out of it.

I don’t think it makes a lot of difference which acoustic strings you use, since the magnetic influence on the pickups is due totally to the core wires in the wound strings, and the diameters of the bare strings of course.   However, the winding alloy probably affects the natural body tone of the instrument, just a little; and that may detectable in the degree of warmth or brightness of the overall tone.   I am quite happy with the 80/20 bronze strings, for the moment; but I’ll try other alloys as time goes by.

Where to get strings:

Guitar String Depot:  www.guitarstringdepot.com

SIT Acoustic Strings:   click here

I hope this sheds some light on your questions about guitar strings, and how they affect the overall sound and personality of your guitar.  Don’t be afraid to experiment, and see for yourself what you can do just by changing the type of strings you play.

Rancher 110

I put the first set on my Cordoba C7, with a cedar top and Indian rosewood body.  The guitar itself has a tendency to sound a little deep and dark, but I really came to life when these strings finally settled in.    At first, I wasn’t all that impressed, but kept an open mind.  They sounded a little bright at first, and wouldn’t stay in tune very long, since they tended to have a lot of initial stretching in them.  However, somewhere around the third day they settled in and began to hold their tuning.   From that point on, I began to appreciate their special characteristics and the wonderful voice that gave my Cordoba.  Their brightness had lost it’s crisp edges and the trebles began to produce sweeter tones.  The basses were always full and rich sounding from day one, but now all six strings were working together.

These strings carry a bit more tension than “normal tension” strings, and conduct every vibration to the soundboard with excellent fidelity.  The trebles have smaller diameters than most classical strings, so their spacing and feel under my fingers is very comfortable and it gives me a feeling of confidence that the string is there and ready.   They respond immediately and I found I could out-run them with fast picking.  The feel a little like steel strings because of their smaller diameter and higher tension, yet they produce beautifully clear tones and excellent harmonics.

Volume:    These strings have a ample volume, and it’s evenly distributed across all strings.  They can be played softly or vigorously, to alter the projection; and always sound great at any volume.  You won’t have any problem being heard with these strings, and some people may think your are playing through an amp.

Intonation:   Very good.  I don’t know why some people have complained about intonation inaccuracies with these strings, unless it’s due excessively high string action.  I personally like a fairly low action, even with nylon strings.  I find the higher tension strings have very little excess movement when they vibrate, and don’t tend to rattle against the frets at low action heights.  But getting back to intonation, it’s the low action height that minimizes intonation problems.   That’s because low action means you don’t have to stretch the strings so much when you fret them, thus minimizing the increase in tension due entirely to fretting action.  I have no complaints about intonation on my Cordoba, and feel that such minor problems can be moderated out through proper set-up.  I also increased the truss rod tension to compensate for the extra load on the neck created by the higher tension these strings carry.  I left a very small amount of relief in the fretboard and have had no problems with buzz.

Materials of Construction:  Savarez Corums use a carbon composite filament material for the cores of the bass strings and the bodies of the treble strings.  The material itself looks very much like regular nylon, except it’s a little darker in color and not completely clear.  The bass strings use multi-filament cores wrapped with silver plated copper windings.  They are rather smooth and don’t produce much finger noise.  They have a firm feel that’s reassuring, and a warm bass tone.   The trebles are mono-filament strings of the same carbon composite material, and feel and sound great.  These strings have a fair amount of elasticity when they are fresh out of the package; but it seems to disappear quickly as the set is played and re-tuned.  Eventually, they reach a point at which the initial elasticity has left and you are down to the pure and stable string condition, in which very little stretching or “creep” will occur.    As they aged a couple of months, they seed to start feeling harder and held their tune a very long time without having to make any tuning adjustments.  I played them for two to four hours every day for three months, then decided to take them off and give another type of string a chance.  I like to test and evaluate strings, so it was time to try something else; even though I wasn’t done with these.  (Can’t wait to get back to these after finishing the next evaluation.)

Why I like them:  I like they sound in Jazz and especially chord melodies, with lead line finger picking interspersed.  They are a natural form my style and are well suited to my Cordoba C7.   I’d recommend them to anyone who has played steel strings for a while and is “crossing over” to nylon, because they make the transition much easier.  Yes, they cost a little more than ordinary strings, but they are really worth it.   Anyway, don’t we consider an investment in quality strings money well spent?   I do.

Where to get them:  Savarez 500AJ at Guitar String Depot.

You might also want to check out the other classical guitar strings offered there, including more offerings from Savarez.

I hope this was helpful.  I will be evaluating other strings from time to time, and posting my conclusion and impressions; so keep an eye open for new postings.  (Coming soon:  my impressions of Augustine Red Label classical guitar strings)

Rancher 110

P. S.   Hey, even Willie Nelson plays nylon strings.