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I'm sure this has probably been discussed before, but what exactly do carbon and titanium trebles provide that regular nylon trebles do not?
Are they :
(A) brighter (B) louder (C) clearer (D) easier to play
or what?
And just what is the difference between carbon and titanium trebles???
I'm interested in trying a few for experimenting; but dont want to get suckered into any advertising hype and gimmickry. .
(By the way; "Happy New Year" to everybody in here. I've just recently completed my first year on the Foro, and I've learned a lot from some really good people. . .)
Posts: 143
Joined: Jan. 23 2005
From: New York, New York
RE: Carbon/Titanium trebles??? (in reply to britguy)
My experience is that like so many things, the qualities of carbon and titanium strings depend on the brand, tension, guitar, player, etc.
In theory, I think carbon and titanium trebles are both trying to "improve" on nylon trebles by being brighter and louder, having more sustain up the neck, and eliminating dead spots, "tubby" sounding G strings, and defective strings that just won't hold a tuning. Manufacturers also seem to be able to make carbon strings more perfectly round and in higher tensions at any given string gauge, so you can get more tension without a super thick string.
My personal experience with them has been mixed. I find they often feel thin and hard under the fretting hand and gritty under the playing hand. And while classical guitarists want strings that sing, I find that the slight "thunking" attack of nylon trebles suits flamenco very well. It's all a matter of taste, though, and I'm sure some flamencos swear by titanium or carbon and sound great with them.
The one alternative material string I have really liked is Galli Genius Titanio. Despite the name, though, I read they're not actually true titanium strings, but some hybrid compound.
RE: Carbon/Titanium trebles??? (in reply to britguy)
Carbon trebles make the guitar sing more and sometimes it gives more volume and sustain. I worked in a guitar shop in Granada and all the dead sounding guitars were given Savarez Alianza trebles in order to make them sound more impressive.
Personally I dont like carbon trebles at all. They hurt my right hand and they dont sound flamenco at all in my ears. Like tmock, I prefer the nylons which I find to be much more percussive and with better attack.
On the other hand, I like very much brown Daddario composite G string.
RE: Carbon/Titanium trebles??? (in reply to britguy)
Savarez Alliance trebles, Savarez Corum basses; I have found nothing to equal them and use high tension. They do not hurt my hands. However, on a 664 scale I use the medium tension, but there seems to be only a small difference in the sound and feel.
RE: Carbon/Titanium trebles??? (in reply to britguy)
S#$%^*&t; I hit the wrong key there and posted before I'd finished!
I also wanted to ask (Anders E) if you had any experience with those expensive Hannabach Goldin's? I think they are 'carbon' too, aren't they? Am wondering why they'r so damn costly?
RE: Carbon/Titanium trebles??? (in reply to britguy)
Hi For what it's worth I've been using hannabach titanyls for about the last year. These work really well on my Ramirez 1A [Blanca]. Most suited string for my playing and guitar at present.... They are bright, loud and punchy, seem to respond well to a variety of dynamics. Last for a long time, especially the nylon filament/wire basses. Little pitting from capo use etc. think I've tried most strings out there [ used luthier blues for a while ]but happy with these for now, no issue with how they feel under the fingers.... Similar to the galli strings mentioned before but much brighter. they only come in med-high tension which works well for my guitar. But they sound boomy, felt sloppy and dull on my friends media Luna [Negra] but great on another's E5n [Another Blanca].....so variables a plenty... Think the general thing about titanyl strings from a players perspective is the added loudness and longevity.
RE: Carbon/Titanium trebles??? (in reply to britguy)
I ship my guitars with the strings I have... I mostly ship them with Daddario J45. Why? Its a good quality and cheap string, consistancy is very high (thats important for me) and a lot of people use that string, so the guitar has to work with it.
personally, I do what most other players do, I test around untill I find the string that suits me and the guitar. Be aware that I´m more interested in feel and pulsation than in sound. If the guitar fells good, then I sound good because I feel good. And like most other players, I change brand here and there. Its nice with something different. I think my favorites right now are Daddario flamenco black trebles and Luthier 20.
The Goldins are good strings. Compared to Sav Alianza, their tension is inbetween med. and high tension and the 1st string is less annoying to the fingers. On the other hand, the Alianza sounds clearer. Remember one thing, trebles last a long time. Normally 3 - 5 times longer than basses, and carbon trebles last longer than nylons, so the cost is relative. You end up using your money on basses
RE: Carbon/Titanium trebles??? (in reply to britguy)
I use the hannabach golden trebles on my Negra and hannabach karbon trebles on my blanca. They both only come in MH tension which I find to be a perfect match for the MT basses I use on both. They last very very long and after about a week, rarely go out of tune. I think my trebles on my Blanca are 5 months old and I play every day. I think they are brighter,louder than nylon. I find the Goldins alittle too colorful on the Blanca but perfect for the bigger sound of my Negra. I really has no troubles switching to them from standard trebles. Great for picado, rasqueado and arpeggio. I use a variety of basses but all are medium tension though I really like the hannabach 828 and 827 the most.
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