Strings are the cheapest way to change the sound of a guitar, and the easiest to get wrong. The two choices that matter most are tension and the material of the treble strings. Hard tension gives more volume and a firmer feel; normal tension is easier to play and warmer. Nylon trebles sound warm and round; fluorocarbon trebles are brighter and project more.
Tension
Classical strings are sold in several tensions, usually normal, medium and hard. Higher tension pushes the top harder, which gives more volume, clearer attack and a firmer, more resistant feel under the fingers. Lower tension makes the guitar easier to play and often warmer and more relaxed in sound, at the cost of some power.
A guitar built for power, such as a double-top concert guitar, may sound its best with normal or medium tension, because its top already responds strongly. A traditional top often benefits from a little more tension. It is worth trying both.
Trebles: nylon or fluorocarbon
Traditional treble strings are made of nylon. They sound warm and round and feel smooth. Fluorocarbon trebles, popularised by Savarez with its Alliance strings, are denser and thinner for the same pitch. They sound brighter and project further, and they keep their tuning very well, though some players find them less warm.
Basses
The three bass strings are made of a core of fine nylon filaments wrapped in metal wire, usually silver-plated copper. Gold-plated wraps are also made; they last longer before they lose their brightness. Basses lose their brilliance faster than trebles, which is why many players change them more often.
What we fit
Our guitars leave the workshop with strings chosen for each construction. The S-1000 and the MPR-400 are strung with Savarez, the MPR-100 S with Savarez 500 ARJ, and the MPR-5000 with Hannabach hard tension with gold-plated basses. These are good starting points, not rules.
How often to change them
- Performers and students practising daily: every three to six weeks.
- Regular home players: every two to three months.
- If the basses sound dull, the guitar no longer stays in tune or the strings look worn where they touch the frets, it is time.
Change strings one at a time, so the tension on the neck and top stays balanced, and give new strings a day or two to settle before a concert.