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I finished my arch top last Christmas, It was strung with NB lights for a while, but it seemed like I could SEE the neck moving. So I switched to the heavy nylon Perlas that I bought because they had higher tension. I figured that one of the sets would work. They sounded great for months, then I had to push the trebles too much to get anything out of them. The thrill was gone you might say. Now I'm not into bright. I listened on the Aquila site to all their sets just the other day, and I liked the Alabastro and the ones below it best, so the duller ones. The gut and silk 900's sound the best to me; but it was also played on a Torres guitar.

I switched to nylgut, and they sounded really good. I think I found the proper conversion number, and then converted that AGAIN, because looking at the gauges now, they are too thin. But it sounded good.

But now 6-7 months later, and it's back to dullsville. They can sound good on their own, if you hit them just right, but they won't be heard over the basses. They blend well, but don't cut through enough.

Yes, I have old ears too. Maybe they really sound great?

Are my basses that GOOD?

Do trebles just wear out?

Do I need the steel string trebles?

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Why be normal?

I haven't tried Alabastro, but the Ambra 800 and 900 that I use are probably pretty similar. I've never had the trebles go bad, even the time I kept playing the same set until the windings on the basses wore through Maybe try changing out one or two of the trebles and see if the new ones stand out from the old ones.

My rule of thumb: When they stop stretching and stay in tune, they're done.

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"Act your age, not your shoe size" - Prince

Speaking from my experience with classical guitars and typical "nylon" trebles.

Although I let them go forever, people who want good tone, e.g. professionals, change them very frequently (a few weeks?). This means that you need to practice how to play without squeaking, or else you will always have severe squeaking. There are subtle techniques to avoid squeaking, only one or two of which I know.

Luthier Jose Oribe pointed out that changing the basses more frequently than the trebles works well, because the new basses seem to make both the base and trebles sound better. I think I have tried this and its seemed to work.

Grime on your hands can kill the strings very quickly. Wash your hands before paying. Don't eat potato chips, for example, while you are playing.

Concentrated dish soap, such as Dawn, used for hand washing right out of the bottle leaves enough residue in your skin to also kill the strings.

The nylgut strings I've used have been on banjos and ukes, and on those there's either one or no wound strings to deal with. They seem to last forever, but I hate the sound of new strings anyway and am actually happy when some of the zing is gone. I am glad when they stop stretching and stay in tune though...

Dave

Ok, it sounds like different strokes. New strings sound bad, or squeaking? Never noticed that. Maybe my ears don't pick that up? Chips no, nuts and cereal, yes. But while playing? Really? Washing hands? Don't do that much ever, and with soap? Really?

I don't remember what I put on the back of the neck, but from the first to third, and the ninth fret, the finish is soft and gummy. Toxic hands? Don't know why it's fine between there. I thought it was just a coat of zpoxy, but I don't remember. I don't use it on violins, but I am pretty sure that it was just zpoxy.

I ordered a set of Ambra 900's. I have a set of 800's for the small Staufer I started.

I'll start rinsing my hands off before I start playing.

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Why be normal?

I have been using the Nylgut strings for about a year now and I replace them every 2-3 months. Last batch I bought just some bass strings so I am going to try that approach too, something that I did with regular strings often. Then treble strings tend to last a lot longer. The one think I noticed right away when switching to Nylgut is that the day you put them on they already stay in tune as opposed to taking at least a weak with regular nylon strings.

Vaseline will ruin some finishes. The action is not instantaneous. Some hand lotions have Vaseline in them. Worst thing I experienced dissolving finishes (fortunately not on a guitar) is insect repellant spray/lotion. I have heard of other people damaging a guitar with insect repellant on their hands. I guess the chemical is DEET. So, if you go outside to play, I do not know how you would deal with a mosquito swarm.

Based on the guitars I see sitting in the dusty corners of some of the other offices here, 10-15 years.

Some of the old fiddle players around here insisted on using baby powder on their fingers to get things slipperier....Seems to have worked for them.

Dave

Really it's about how many hours a day you play. With a classical playing a couple of hours a day will wear them out in a few weeks - very few if you play hard. A dead giveaway is when the windings on the basses start breaking where they are fretted.

On a classical it is a huge improvement in sound when you put new ones on. I guess this may be less so for your box.

Dave

I'm playing on the maple/redwood arch top I finished last Christmas. It sounds pretty good, at least to me. It has a sound like an arch top crossed with a classical; if there is such a thing.

The basses sound great, and are still like new, I only play an hour or so a day, they've been on a year. The thing that happens with the trebles, is that they begin to need a lot of force to get sound out of them. So it is a lot more effort for things to sound good. Sometimes you can get it, but you have to go right up to the end of the fingerboard, and pluck them just right. And the big fingers get in the way, where when it's playing good, fretting doesn't seem to be a problem. It's the sound that I like to hear; the ringing of some notes and chords, and the sound of 4 strings blending into an almost dull thud. If I can't get it, or it is hard to get, it is annoying. Maybe the new strings will help, they are thicker.

It could be under strung, but they don't sound like rubber bands. I've heard that before. Maybe I'll put the old steel trebles on, and see what happens.

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Why be normal?

Well I got my strings today. I ordered them Thursday afternoon. 2 days from Strings by Mail! They are just in Traverse City, but that's still great.

Taking off the bass strings, I see that my thumb is a GREAT cleaner. Who needs chemicals? Rub them down with your fingers. Yeah.



Now that the tension is off, I'm going to add more clearance under the extension. When strung up, there isn't much. The top rises, the extension drops, or both.

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Why be normal?

I've had nylgut trebles on for well over 2 years! Real gut is another matter. The G I can get well over a year out of one, the B around a few months, the E can be anywhere from 2 minutes to a week.

Are the e's breaking? Maybe need a thinner one? Tight nut slot? I had bad luck with e's on violins when I first tried them. Then a few years later I read that the manufacturer hand problems with them breaking for a while, about a few years before. I have some guts ones on some with no problems.

Now the sound, and the playing? Do you like them? The Ambra 900's sound pretty good. The basses, wound silver plated copper over rayon thread sound really nice. I'll have to raise the nut on the bass side, the E wants to rumble it vibrates so much. I do have it at something around 3.25 at the 12th, but it was never a problem before. The high e is maybe 2.5mm. I really don't care for high strings. They get in the way. The nylguts? They aren't bad, but they sure don't have the feel of the basses. They seem to lose their zing. My ears have never liked treble too much, but they don't like dull high notes either.

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Why be normal?

D'Addario Pro-Arté J46 Nylon classical strings, last one week, playing 4 to 6 hours a day.

Exactly my thoughts. When I was playing professionally (flamenco & classical) I went through 2 1/2 sets a week.

I picked up a guitar I hadn’t played in twenty years. So there is an outside limit. Nylon strings are no good after twenty years.


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