Nylon Strings

  • Thread starter Thread starter Frank Story
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Frank Story

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I just re-strung my recently purchased guitar with DeAddario strings and it sounds like a Telecaster on steroids with lots of finger noise. I don't know what the factory put on but I wish I had 'em back. What strings are you using for nice, mello bass? Have any of you experimented with flat-wound strings in place of the wound strings?

Thanks.
 
Frank Story said:
Have any of you experimented with flat-wound strings in place of the wound strings?

Thanks.
Click to expand...


Do NOT do this. The only flat wound strings out there are steel strings, and they would put too much pressure on your guitar. If you are lucky, only the bridge will come up, but you won’t be lucky. Bridges are glued on too well for that. The top will buckle, and multiple braces will come loose. This is not a theory, this is what I see at least twice a month when someone brings in their nylon string guitar which they decided to string with steel strings.

Give your new strings a few days to settle in. Nylon strings are much more temperamental when they are new than steel strings. Give it some time, and they will mellow out, and it will start staying in tune much better.


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi
 
Thanks Light. I was thinking about using fairly light gauge strings but have heard other horror stories about damage from heavier gauge strings. I don't know the market well enough to know what's available. I'm past the stretching phase but hate the tone of the strings I have on. I like mellow tone with booming bass but these sound like Don Rich re-incarnated.
 
Even light gauge steel strings are WAY too heavy for nylon string guitars. Don't do it.

As for classical strings, the best are the Savarez, but they are very expensive. The best thing to do for strings is to try a lot of different ones. Every time you change strings, try something different. Eventually, you will find the ones you like.


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi
 
Thanks, I'll look around for Saverez. My touch is light and the non-wound strings last me a long time anyway.

Iwill take your advice and not put flat wound strings on for bass. It's always better to ask first. With 100 million guitar players out there, someone has tried everything by now.
 
Frank,

I've been happy using D'Addario, Pro Arte, Hard Tension, gold alloy, clear nylon. They take about a week to stop stretching but they finally settle down. Hard tension is definately quicker to stretch out. I think the string squeak is reduced over time also. I'm trying to reduce the squeak through better technique (lifting the fingers rather than sliding them) but it's not the easiest thing to do. Good luck.

rpe
 
In looking at the package for the D'Addario set that I have, the bass E string is only 43 gauge which seems awfully light. I like to play bass with my thumb and get carried away on some passages and snap the string against the fingerboard. My touch is generally pretty light to be doing that. Who makes a set with heavier gauge wound strings? I'm sure the set that came on it was the cheapest the manufacturer could find but they were heavier and seem to be wound a little finer. My home recordings are awfully squeaky and twangy sounding with the new strings compared to the old. Flamenco players might like the projection these strings give better than I do.
 
The low E on my set is a 44. The store where I buy mine has a very limited selection and I don't think they carry a heavier guage Pro-Arte but a Google search will provide you the answers.

rpe
 
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