Strings Mix and Match

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hon

Posts: 20
Joined: Jan. 3 2011

Strings Mix and Match

Does anyone mix and match strings from different manufacturers to get the best effect?

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jan. 24 2011 5:06:44

Anders Eliasson

Posts: 5780
Joined: Oct. 18 2006

RE: Strings Mix and Match (in reply to hon)

Yes, I do when I get to know a guitar well.

Right now I play a negra with:
1st and 2nd: Luthier 30
3rd: Daddario med. tension composite
4th, 5th and 6th: Conder Hermanos medium tension.

I leave the 3 terbles for a long time. A year or so and change the basses. The Condes are good but nothing special, and since they are quite expensive I wont be using them again. So next set of basses will be plain Daddarios.

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Blog: http://news-from-the-workshop.blogspot.com/

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jan. 24 2011 8:49:35

sean65

Posts: 414
Joined: Jan. 4 2010
From: London

RE: Strings Mix and Match (in reply to hon)

Quite a few people here mix their strings.

My setup is La Bella 820B on the 1st and 2nd strings. D'addario Composite Hard for the 3rd 4th 5th and 6th.

This might change to

1st La Bella 820B
2nd La Bella 820B
3rd D'Addario Composite (Hard)
4th D'Addario EXP (Hard)
5th D'Addario EXP "
6th D'Addario EXP "

Just play around a bit and find what works for your guitar and playing style.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jan. 24 2011 15:22:12

cavedave

Posts: 8
Joined: Jan. 29 2011

RE: Strings Mix and Match (in reply to hon)

Yes I have with mixed results. On my Black, medium on the treble and high on the bass worked well. But on my Blanca this approach failed resulting in a dead sound. I think you will just have to experiment until you find the strings that work for your guitar. I hope this is helpful.

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cavedave

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jan. 31 2011 19:25:39

Sr. Martins

Posts: 3079
Joined: Apr. 4 2011

RE: Strings Mix and Match (in reply to cavedave)

quote:

medium on the treble and high on the bass worked well.

If it works for you thats ok, usually I go for the opposite. Trebles with higher tension than the basses.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jan. 31 2014 22:28:13

aeolus

Posts: 765
Joined: Oct. 30 2009
From: Mier

RE: Strings Mix and Match (in reply to hon)

I used to do that but now I favor uniformity of manufacture. I now have a set of Galli light tension on my 2007 Lucio Nunez Rayes copy from the measured drawing of Tom Blackshear and for the first time I am happy with the sound. After it warms up a bit. The use of carbon strings on the g is a possibility but with the light tension the Galli is not so thick and ok

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jan. 31 2014 22:51:34

Sr. Martins

Posts: 3079
Joined: Apr. 4 2011

RE: Strings Mix and Match (in reply to aeolus)

quote:

I used to do that but now I favor uniformity of manufacture.

There's no uniformity when talking about treble and bass sets. Choose a bass set and a treble set, put a package on it and there you go, new set of strings.

I would rather see some uniformity on tensions from string to string (tighter G & B for instance).

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jan. 31 2014 22:58:08

aeolus

Posts: 765
Joined: Oct. 30 2009
From: Mier

RE: Strings Mix and Match (in reply to Sr. Martins)

quote:

There's no uniformity when talking about treble and bass sets

Dunno about that. The problem on a guitar is the quality of sound between the wound strings and the monofilament. Say one plays a note on a wound string and then plays the same note on a monofilament; the quality would be much different. That is why the Segovia scales emphasize playing up and down a string rather than across the fingerboard One would hope a manufacturer would develope strings to minimize this discrepancy and in a preemptive gesture; penis.

I am referring to balance here. I don't think 3 hi tension bass and 3 low tension trebels would be a good combination while a reputable string maker will carefully size the gauges in a set for a balanced sound.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jan. 31 2014 23:27:10

Morante

Posts: 2183
Joined: Nov. 21 2010

RE: Strings Mix and Match (in reply to Anders Eliasson)

Strange

Just what I use, with Dadarrios rather than Condes. Do your guitars sound like Gerundinos too?

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jan. 31 2014 23:44:50

Sr. Martins

Posts: 3079
Joined: Apr. 4 2011

RE: Strings Mix and Match (in reply to aeolus)

quote:

Dunno about that. The problem on a guitar is the quality of sound between the wound strings and the monofilament.

That´s exactly what I said: "There's no uniformity when talking about treble and bass sets".

You have a set of three basses and a set of trebles, the string makers just pack them togheter.

quote:

I am referring to balance here. I don't think 3 hi tension bass and 3 low tension trebels would be a good combination while a reputable string maker will carefully size the gauges in a set for a balanced sound.

Really? Just check the amount of makers who use the same basses and only change the trebles tension and end up calling the packs HT, MT, etc..

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Feb. 1 2014 11:53:02

tele

Posts: 1464
Joined: Aug. 17 2012

RE: Strings Mix and Match (in reply to hon)

I mix to get the best tension and I like the alliance g string:

Medium savarez corum basses
medium savarez alliance G string
Hannabach E and B string high tension classical blue

The med tension savarez new cristal E and B strings are also good but I prefer slightly more tension so decided to use the hannabachs, luckily they're available as single strings in many shops.

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Feb. 1 2014 12:45:03

bernd

Posts: 680
Joined: Feb. 15 2004

RE: Strings Mix and Match (in reply to hon)

I use for basses Hannabach blue 815 (HT, Silver Special) and Savarez Alliance (carbon) for trebles. This sounds good on nearly any guitar.

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Feb. 1 2014 13:25:28

aeolus

Posts: 765
Joined: Oct. 30 2009
From: Mier

RE: Strings Mix and Match (in reply to Sr. Martins)

quote:

Really? Just check the amount of makers who use the same basses and only change the trebles tension and end up calling the packs HT, MT, etc..

I haven't check every string maker as to its practice but I have Galli as they are the ones I use. Here are the string diameters for their Genius nylon monofilament sets:

light 028 032 040 029w o33w 042w

med. 029 033 041 029w 037w 044w

hard 029 033 041 030w 038w 045w

While there are some diameters that are the same in both med and hard sets, in every case in the low tension set only the d is duplicated in med tension I suspect as too small a d would be susceptible to breakage. I find that is the only string that is liable to break. So you see there is a difference and depending to the construction of the guitar I find some work better than others. Also I prefer a balanced feel and sound from a carefully graded set. Augustine uses the same trebels with different basses I believe. I used to think their first string was the best on my guitar with Cantiga basses but the first is 030 I now know it was too heavy.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Feb. 1 2014 13:49:35

Sr. Martins

Posts: 3079
Joined: Apr. 4 2011

RE: Strings Mix and Match (in reply to aeolus)

quote:

Also I prefer a balanced feel and sound from a carefully graded set.

As you can see from the example you posted, there's no such thing as a "carefully graded set". At best you have "carefully selected trade offs" based on the diameters that each manufacture produces.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Feb. 1 2014 14:16:44

aeolus

Posts: 765
Joined: Oct. 30 2009
From: Mier

RE: Strings Mix and Match (in reply to Sr. Martins)

quote:

As you can see from the example you posted, there's no such thing as a "carefully graded set". At best you have "carefully selected trade offs" based on the diameters that each manufacture produces.

based on the diameters that each manufacture produces.

Oh sure, they just selected the string gauges randomly and then decided how to assemble them in sets.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Feb. 1 2014 14:21:11

Sr. Martins

Posts: 3079
Joined: Apr. 4 2011

RE: Strings Mix and Match (in reply to aeolus)

Based on what you wrote for that particular case (Galli):

quote:

med. 029 033 041 029w 037w 044w

hard 029 033 041 030w 038w 045w

If they were so "careful" with the exact optimal diameters, how come the holy diameters for the trebles would be exactly the same for the MT and HT sets?

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Feb. 1 2014 15:11:48

aeolus

Posts: 765
Joined: Oct. 30 2009
From: Mier

RE: Strings Mix and Match (in reply to Sr. Martins)

quote:

If they were so "careful" with the exact optimal diameters, how come the holy diameters for the trebles would be exactly the same for the MT and HT sets?

The designation of tension is the resultant of the pressure of all six strings on the bridge thus a mix of diameters is used chosen according to the quality of sound generated by individual strings. From my comparative chart notice that the greatest variation from set to set is in the 6th and 5th strings. This would suggest, and comparison with other makes support this , the diameter of strings 4th thru 1st is only usable through a narrow range of diameters the exception carbon strings of course. If for what ever reason it rankles you to hear that string manufacturers give any thought in the selection of string gauge, then by all means stick to your belief in a eeny, meeny, miny, moe formula.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Feb. 1 2014 15:37:03

Sr. Martins

Posts: 3079
Joined: Apr. 4 2011

RE: Strings Mix and Match (in reply to aeolus)

I never said that.

What I told you is that there is no such thing as "uniformity of manufacture" as opposed to mixing a treble set with a bass set.

Just take a look at D'Addario and see how many packs of strings are made up of "basses from here and trebles from there".

EJ25 for instance, normal tension basses and high tension trebles. Of course the tensions vary from brand to brand but if what you were saying were true ("uniformity of manufacture"), then those sets like EJ25 would be flawed... or uniform, depends on how you want to see it.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Feb. 1 2014 15:47:44

aeolus

Posts: 765
Joined: Oct. 30 2009
From: Mier

RE: Strings Mix and Match (in reply to Sr. Martins)

quote:

What I told you is that there is no such thing as "uniformity of manufacture" as opposed to mixing a treble set with a bass set.

Just take a look at D'Addario and see how many packs of strings are made up of "basses from here and trebles from there".

I suppose if you wanted to, you could have a set of strings with one from every manufacturer on the planet and it might give the same result as using a complete set from one a manufacturer if the gauges were the same. But why go to all that trouble. If you want to use hi tension bases and low tension trebels go right ahead. I can't understand your beef with string makers.

I don't doubt that today it's marketing that drives repackaging of all products. Just go check out the variety of toothpaste today and this extends to all brands. For years the only brand of guitar string available in the US of quality (Black Diamond was available but worthless) was Augustine and they came in only one flavor.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Feb. 1 2014 16:09:28

Sr. Martins

Posts: 3079
Joined: Apr. 4 2011

RE: Strings Mix and Match (in reply to aeolus)

One big penis for you coming right out!

Seriously, you have issues so Iam leaving this as is.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Feb. 1 2014 16:12:18

aeolus

Posts: 765
Joined: Oct. 30 2009
From: Mier

RE: Strings Mix and Match (in reply to hon)

I have issues? Maybe so but penis obsession is not one.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Feb. 1 2014 16:32:24

timoteo

Posts: 219
Joined: Jun. 22 2012
From: Seattle, USA

RE: Strings Mix and Match (in reply to Sr. Martins)

You do realize that you reopened a three year old thread? Why? All of the original posters except for Anders are long gone, and the initial question has been adequately answered. All you're doing is adding noise.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Feb. 1 2014 17:54:03

guitarbuddha

Posts: 2970
Joined: Jan. 4 2007

RE: Strings Mix and Match (in reply to timoteo)

quote:

ORIGINAL: timoteo

You do realize that you reopened a three year old thread? Why? All of the original posters except for Anders are long gone, and the initial question has been adequately answered. All you're doing is adding noise.

Maybe so, but guys can make friends at loggerheads.

D.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Feb. 1 2014 18:06:10

Sr. Martins

Posts: 3079
Joined: Apr. 4 2011

RE: Strings Mix and Match (in reply to timoteo)

quote:

You do realize that you reopened a three year old thread? Why? All of the original posters except for Anders are long gone, and the initial question has been adequately answered. All you're doing is adding noise.

I have many open tabs on my browser at all times, some are from the latest posts and sometimes search results. I don't keep track of post dates and I think they are irrelevant since all topics circle around stuff that you'll be still talking about in another 10 years.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Feb. 1 2014 18:20:21