The Perennial String Question

[Mark Papa Garcia]

I need some advice about which strings to buy for a Ramirez 125 Anos Cedar.

There are two sets that I've tried both with pros and cons, the cons being sufficient to make me believe there is a more appropriate set out there....

Originally the guitar had been fitted with Hannabach Goldins. I stuck with these for several sets.

The Pros Of Hannabach Goldin on the Anos:

1. Incredibly warm, rounded and sweet tone on the trebles. Lots of sustain. The best treble sound I have ever heard.
2. Unbelievable depth to the bass strings.
3. They settle in almost immediately.
4. Stunning sustain.

The Cons:

1. The bass strings, having such depth, completely lack any top end attack. This is such that the definition of the bass notes is completely lost - you get these amazing low tones but without a clarity of the note. Consequently the treble parts are unbalanced with the bass parts - you get clear treble and this bass 'warmth' that doesn't 'join' the trebles. Still, it's pleasant in it's own way, just too unusual a response to one's playing.
2. I've had milk that has a longer shelf-life. As I've previously posted, the strings deteriorate seriously after about ten days of playing.
3. They're very expensive. Coupled with their shelf-life, this is problematic.

So I switched to D'Addario EJ45 Pro - Arte for the last change.

Pros of the EJ45

1. Half the price of the Goldins.
2. At least three times the longevity.
3. The bass strings have the punch/attack that is missing from the Goldin i.e enough treble on the attack to make the notes more than just bass obvertones. The bass strings blend in more with the trebles and there's less disparity when one moves from bass to trebles.
4. Slightly easier to play.


Cons of the EJ45s

1. The trebles are more 'clicky' than the Goldins and lack the sweetness. You get more of a slight thin brittleness in the attack. Less sustain. This is how I remember Classical Guitar treble strings sounding from when I played twenty years ago. To this extent, I assume that the tone on the EJ45 treble is more the norm.
2. They take a hell of a long time to settle. Even two or three days later they were still unsettled.
3. Intonation problem on the B string. No intonation difficulties with the Goldin whatsover but the EJ45 second string had persistent problems.
4. Less depth to the bass strings than the Goldin.

The Pro-Arte are now at the end of their life so I'm considering which strings to try next- obviously a set that minimises these cons and maximese the pros. There are obviously guitarists here who've put a lot of time in experimenting with sets - I've returned to classical after a twenty year hiatus, so would really appreciate any knowledge and ideas on this. At the moment I'm thinking that Hannabach Silver might be the solution (if there is such a thing). I'm simply going on a hunch they might have some of the qualities of the Goldin but not in such extremes.

Thanks for the time and effort in reading (and maybe replying).

[Mark Papa Garcia]

OK Maybe that was a little over-detailed. I'll try a different approach....

I'm about to get a new set of strings for a Ramirez 125 Anos cedar. Any suggestion as to which brand?

[Cary W]

Some traditional choices that may work for you: Augustine Red, or Savarez 520R.

Cheers.

[arran1810]

You seem to like the Goldin trebles better than the basses. You might try mixing the Goldin trebles with a different bass string. I have used Goldin trebles with Savarez Corum basses and liked the combination.

[Mark Papa Garcia]

It crossed my mind to mix and match with the Goldin trebles. Unfortunately it's difficult to get hold of Hannabach complete sets, let alone split sets, in the bricks and mortar shops in London.

The London Guitar Studio suggested I try La Bella 2001 (never heard of them myself...) so I'll give those a go first.

[arran1810]

It crossed my mind to mix and match with the Goldin trebles. Unfortunately it's difficult to get hold of Hannabach complete sets, let alone split sets, in the bricks and mortar shops in London.

The London Guitar Studio suggested I try La Bella 2001 (never heard of them myself...) so I'll give those a go first.

You might try an internet dealer for split sets. I usually get my strings from Strings by Mail. They sell lots of split sets and even single strings. I don't know about the transatlantic shipping issues, but you might want to shoot them an email.

BTW, I recently put LaBella 2001 on my Dupont and am quite happy so far.

[Mark Papa Garcia]

Well I hope these La Bella 2001 bass strings warm up considerably when they've worn in because at the moment they are unbearably glassy and metallic.

[DanielMcPherson]

The Goldin trebles are carbon fiber rather than nylon. You could try some other carbon strings. Oasis has some carbon fiber strings that are very good.

If you want to use some expensive strings, you could match the Goldin trebles with LaBella Argento Pure Silver basses. I doubt "most expensive strings" is your goal, but it would probably be a good combination.

[Mark Papa Garcia]

Several days later and the La Bella have settled in more. The basses have lost some of their clang but are still very metallic and squeaky. Serious intonation problems with the bass strings especially the D. The trebles sound dull and flat to my ears. The Augustines were better than this (although the trebles had more of a click).

Back to the drawing board (or the Goldins...)

[rojarosguitar]

You seem to like the Goldin trebles better than the basses. You might try mixing the Goldin trebles with a different bass string. I have used Goldin trebles with Savarez Corum basses and liked the combination.

I use sometimes Hannabach fluorocarbon (not goldin) which I personally like even more than goldin, combined with Augustine Red basses. Very nice combination

best wishes
Robert

[pop]

TRY...hannabach titanyl basses and just play prelude no.1 (villa lobos ) then sceamsssss
cheers,Pop

[Sean]

Mark,

You could try D'addario rectified trebles. I second Cary W's advice; those would make excellent choices.

[Mark Papa Garcia]

Augustine Reds, whilst not as rich in tone as the Goldins, seem to be working out well.

[Mark Papa Garcia]

The Reds were sounding great until I woke up this morning to discover inexplicable fret buzz on the second and third string. @&*£! It's one thing after another.

[jim1]

I have tried quite a number of combinations, but have always come back to the Goldins for trebles and I now am using D'Addario coated EXP 45 Bass. I have been satisfied with the "life" of the Goldin trebles. I have to order from internet provides as no local stores stock the split sets.