The first thing to pay attention to with a new string set is how long it takes for the intonation to settle. (You don’t want to forget which strings these are two weeks in!) Record the time and date of string changing. Save this video along with the description of the strings played – manufacturer, string set name, tension. Take a short video of you playing some notes on the fresh strings. It is important also to try to keep conditions as similar as possible, many factors will be altered if, for instance, you move from a cold and dry environment to a warm humid one. How to test classical guitar stringsĭocumentation is key in this process, as testing even just five different sets will, if done properly, take a couple of months. The best way to find the best match for you is to try out different sets over time and to record and document your impressions. The catch is each instrument is different and will react differently to different strings. The classical guitar strings you should buy depends on what you are hoping to get out of the instrument. Buying Strings What classical guitar strings to buy? They also provide a brighter sound that more closely matches the sound of the gut string while avoiding the shortcomings of the gut string's temperamental nature. Carbon strings are made of a polymer called polyvinylidine fluoride (PVFD) which is also known as fluorocarbon.Ĭarbon strings were designed with modern concert spaces in mind and aim to give the player more projection and clarity from the instrument. The only modern alternative to nylon strings are carbon strings. They are, however, increasingly tricky to get one's hands on and price points vary massively. While it might seem fancy to say you play titanium strings, the reality is that most of these words refer to either the sound or the color of the string and in fact all of these strings are made of different blends of nylon.Īside from this, gut strings, silk strings and even some plant fiber strings are still available for purchase and some players do still prefer these more organic alternatives. With words like Titanium, Dynacore, and Crystal entering the string scene in the last twenty years you would be forgiven for feeling a little overwhelmed by the choice of materials used in the string manufacturing process. Are all classical guitar strings nylon? It was Albert Augustine, founder of Augustine Strings, who first experimented with nylon as a material for guitar strings and it is through his collaboration with the infamous Andres Segovia, who was famously a huge fan of the gut string sound, that we have the modern nylon string as we know it today. The push towards nylon came, as do many innovations, with the Second World War, in which catgut resources were depleted through their use as medical sutures and the innovation of nylon as a synthetic replacement was developed by DuPont. For centuries instrument strings have been made of whatever natural resource was available to the region – horse hair in Scandinavia, plant-fibers in South America, silk in south-east Asia and famously catgut (animal intestines) in Western Europe. Therefore, these blends are mostly kept secret by almost all manufacturers.Ĭlassical guitar strings have not always been made out of nylon however. The specific blends of nylon used in a string’s creation are what gives each string set and each string manufacturer their identity. Most modern classical guitar strings are made of nylon, with the trebles (strings 1, 2, and 3) made of a single transparent nylon string and the basses (strings 4, 5, and 6) made of hundreds of individual strands of nylon that have been wrapped with silver or bronze plated copper thread. The Basics What are classical guitar strings made of? In this comprehensive guide, you'll find everything you need to know about strings – from their origins, composition and personalities, to how to change them, how to maintain them and how to choose the right string for you! Outline There is so much conflicting information online about guitar strings, so we’re here to make things simple once again. Choosing the right classical guitar strings and maintaining them properly can be the difference between achieving the sound you've always dreamed of or struggling to play a single beautiful note. Strings are one of the most important tools for classical guitarists.
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