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I hate when I have to change my strings. First of all it takes too long, then the guitar is out of tune for awhile, then the sound is metallic and tinney.(sp? like tin..) The strings are also too squeaky. I am often surprised to read some of your posts about how you like new strings...
The solution: buy another guitar, and if you have machines, get one of those crank thingies. When it's time to change, put on new strings, tune them up about a half step sharp, put the guitar away, and get out the other one.
After a couple of days, get out the one with new strings, tune it up about a half step sharp again. Wait two more days, then get out the guitar with new strings. It's ready to play. You will have to keep tuning fairly often, then less and less. When the basses stop going flat overnight, it's time for new ones again.
I had some work done on one of my guitars in the last few months. At the shop I was re-stringing it while the repairman was busy with another task, more urgent than mine. He said, "Why aren't you using the crank? It saves a lot of time."
I said, "I've been playing the guitar for more than 50 years, but I have never used one of those cranks to change strings."
If you hate new strings, I'll be happy to sell you my old ones.
Ramon
Me too, plenty where those came from!
Seriously, if you guys simply tie the string around the roller, and tune sharp as Richard said, and keep at it by playing it...finally when you need to perform (in a little as a few hours), tune the strings back down to pitch and it's good to go with only slight adjustments. In my experience anyway. I don't normally change entire sets as often, but when I do change only basses, I can have em ready to use live in minutes If I need to. Changing only the 3 trebles will also take a couple hours to settle.
I hate changing strings. I've been doing this for over 20 years, but I'm still slow at it. It takes me a month or so to really deteriorate my strings so they won't hold their intonation too well, and that's when I sigh and realize I am going to have to do it. There are definitely some good points. It only takes me a few days to wear a little notch in my treble strings where I usually play that make it sound kind of scratchy. I hate that sound! Of course the basses have a lot more snap when you change them. New strings feel too tight to me and do sound plasticky. It feels like I have to work harder to move them.
You can (I believe) buy squeakless strings, although they cost considerably more. I’ve never tried them. I remember Savarez used to make them for Alexandre Lagoya.
I really like new strings. after I've been playing on a beat up set longer than I should have and I finally change them its like I've got a new guitar. the metallic sound is fine to me.. doesn't last too long really. changing them can be a bit of a pain in the arse yeah. I bought one of those cranks and lost it in my house before I got one use from it. moved house now and its never been found. I havent got another one
I change strings about once every week, sometimes even more often. I don't like scratched up trebles as they produce sharp sound no matter what you intended. Takes me about 30 minutes to change, and one day to settle.
I have a conspiracy theory (I'm Iranian, so I have one for everything): String manufacturers could produce bass strings which would sound bright much longer if they just wanted to, but they don't, so that we have to buy strings every week. Imagine a set of bass strings sounding fresh and bright for one year. Manufacturers would go bankrupt
Dang, you must really play a great deal! I think I might have done this with strings that had been shelved or stocked too long or Savarez since they only lasts about a week but since I've discovered Strings by Mail, (known for good stock rotation) I only order once a month and I'm a happy camper. I'm talking about EJ46 here now.
As you probably know more about than I do, he was also in demand as accompanist for the greatest singers of the era, including Manuel Torre (!).
RNJ
quote:
concertista que alterna música académica con la flamenca.
Hmm, not sure WHAT "musica de academica" he would have played....I can't imagine him playing Bach or something with the technique he had. It was pretty edgy. I really like his playing for Vallejo. Maybe one of the earliest players I hear emphasizing the stacato picado attack. Segovia named him as the best (or his favorite) flamenco player....probably cuz he did play classical guitar. But to be honest, there is no comparison to R. Montoya IMO.
Your procedure sounds a bit long-winded to me until strings set in. I suspect that you do not keep them under tension from beginning when winding up. When not doing so, and possibly also allowing to many windings / excess on the roller, the setting in will be prolonged as the string keeps taking length from the roller. ( If that´s correct English.)
Another point I find of practical sense is how to reduce the losening of metall windings on the bass strings while the nylon core expands over time. When threadening in, before starting to wind up, twist the bass string along the windings direction. ( Enhance the windings density.) Hence, wind it up "pre-loaded" if you will.
Methods certainly matter. You see roadies stringing up with the guitars keeping tune rather fast / yet not going out of intonation after any potential over stretch.
And I can say with certainty that my guitars stay in tune considerably faster than in my first years of fiddling around.
... Oh, and one other point regarding windings on the roller: Line them up towards laterally. The enhanced angle in respect of the nut groove should be good for another bit of stability through increased friction.
As you probably know more about than I do, he was also in demand as accompanist for the greatest singers of the era, including Manuel Torre (!).
RNJ
quote:
concertista que alterna música académica con la flamenca.
Hmm, not sure WHAT "musica de academica" he would have played....I can't imagine him playing Bach or something with the technique he had. It was pretty edgy. I really like his playing for Vallejo. Maybe one of the earliest players I hear emphasizing the stacato picado attack. Segovia named him as the best (or his favorite) flamenco player....probably cuz he did play classical guitar. But to be honest, there is no comparison to R. Montoya IMO.
Ricardo
In fact, i read somewhere that he did play Bach in concert--perhaps in an even more personalized form than Segovia, but ¿Quien sabe?.
Here's another article that says a little more about him
Sometime in the early 1960s (late 1950s?) I was at a party at a big house in Sevilla when the host came out with some acetate discs of Manolo. He said Manolo had a rich woman for a student, and cut the discs for her. I also note in the linked piece that he made some recordings for Marius Zayas, that were published by the Bienal de Sevilla. Guess I'll hunt around for a copy.
Your procedure sounds a bit long-winded to me until strings set in. I suspect that you do not keep them under tension from beginning when winding up. When not doing so, and possibly also allowing to many windings / excess on the roller, the setting in will be prolonged as the string keeps taking length from the roller. ( If that´s correct English.)
To answer a little more fully: I could get going with new strings in an hour or two like Ricardo if I really needed to. I'm just lazy, and I like to play the other guitar once in a while.
Tuning a half step sharp and putting the guitar away for a day or two, then doing it again is nearly no work at all. After that the strings stay in tune pretty well for ten or fifteen minutes at a stretch, getting better and better as time goes on.
And I keep them tight from the start, minimize the turns on the roller, etc. etc. etc.
I used to tune them up, then stretch them, but now that I have two good flamencas, I don't need to fuss around that much.
I listened to that the other day. There are similarities to a Niño Ricardo rosas without ever being exactly the same. They say that much of Manolo de Huelva's stuff derives from Javier Molina, and maybe some of it via Molina to Paco de Lucena.
I'm sure Ricardo knows this, but for those who may not, the tocaor Javier Molina grew up with the great singer Antonio Chacon in the Barrio Santiago of Jerez, and frequently accompanied him after Chacon became famous. Molina also played both classical and flamenco, though I don't know to what extent he played classical in public.
It's unclear whether Niño Ricardo was at any time actually Molina's student, but Ricardo was heavily influenced by him.
Molina lived to a grand old age, and continued teaching long after he mostly stopped playing in public. His influence was great. For example he was the teacher of Manolo Sanlucar's father Isidro Muñoz, Paco Cepero is one of Molina's younger students.
To answer a little more fully: I could get going with new strings in an hour or two like Ricardo if I really needed to. I'm just lazy, and I like to play the other guitar once in a while.
Tuning a half step sharp and putting the guitar away for a day or two, then doing it again is nearly no work at all. After that the strings stay in tune pretty well for ten or fifteen minutes at a stretch, getting better and better as time goes on.
And I keep them tight from the start, minimize the turns on the roller, etc. etc. etc.
I used to tune them up, then stretch them, but now that I have two good flamencas, I don't need to fuss around that much.
RNJ
I see. Makes sense.
Ruphus
PS: Forgot to mention: I love new strings! Certainly new basses. ... But I´m lazy in the same time.
Molina lived to a grand old age, and continued teaching long after he mostly stopped playing in public. His influence was great. For example he was the teacher of Manolo Sanlucar's father Isidro Muñoz, Paco Cepero is one of Molina's younger students.
And don't forget Morao and Parrilla. The entire jerez "school" is attributed to him. Rafael Aguila was Molina's student, and taught many other players including Nuñez. He is interviewed in Rito y Geografia and admits also to be able to read music, but didn't teach that. Paco Lucena....Segovia's dad?
And don't forget Morao and Parrilla. The entire jerez "school" is attributed to him. Rafael Aguila was Molina's student, and taught many other players including Nuñez. He is interviewed in Rito y Geografia and admits also to be able to read music, but didn't teach that. Paco Lucena....Segovia's dad?
The whole Jerez school, indeed.
I cited Manolo Sanlucar's father because the story is told that he bicycled from Sanlucar to Jerez for his lessons with Molina. Seven or eight miles, a fair amount uphill, with a guitar on his back!
Cepero was only 14 when Molina died at the age of 87 0r 88.
I hadn't heard that alegria before - just about all the alegria i've heard from that era of player is almost all triplets, he seems to prefer the semiquaver/quaver phrasing that became popular much later
You only need to change the trebles about 1-2x a year (!), the basses every couple of weeks.
is this really true? doesn't the intonation go bad?
for basses, i reverse them after the second week, or at least adjust them and slide the whole thing down a few frets. you'll get the brand new strings sound for a day or two!
This is not true. The intonation goes bad and then some. Trebles become over stiff. Response, presence, percussiveness, harmonics etc. are also gone after 3 weeks or so. People that believe this "once a year trebles change" thing are either just too cheap, don't give a rats ass, or just a weirdie. Jejeje.
I like new strings after a week- they stay in tune, basses still have that nice bright raspy sound and trebles have settled in. I really HATE changing strings though - I'd gladly pay some Boy Scout to change them for me! Think I need to get one of those winder thingymajigs.
I have a set of strings on my old Eko steelstring acoustic that haven't been changed in 30 years! They are as comfy as old slippers ;-)
On trebles I agree; trebles usually can be changed 2-3 times per year. I use Savarez Corum HT basses, and they generally last at least a month and sometimes three months with good sound. i do wrap a cloth around each string and wipe thoroughly after playing; that could be a good key for making the bass strings last longer. Even on my little Yamaha flamenco the bass strings sound good for long intervals. I buy extra bass sets of the Corums from Strings by Mail; saves money.
My last two sets of Savarez Tomatito strings lasted 5 days each before I completely destroyed them. I play pretty hard I guess.
The secrets out, we know what strings Grisha uses now; quick buy them before they go out of stock.
Grisha is like a heavenly entity, you can't really talk to him directly but who knows, one day he just might start talking in your head and guide you....luke...put the visor down...luke.
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Me too, plenty where those came from! 
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