Low tension nylon strings...... availability????? seems zero without importing

Keira-WitherKay

heya all......... i'm in search of nylon guitar strings but low tension ones.........

i know i can order them online which at moment seems the only option.. i used to use the pro Arte low tensions a while back then swopped to normal tension and detuning to Eb to reduce tension ....... and wanna try them on this new nylon sting i been using for gigs recently

i have done my homework online so i know whats available but does anyone know any stores or importers who have stock....... i have tried marshall music/andy mcgibbons/ music connection/ music boys in jhb and no joy........ they used to be available

also there is a nylgut string i wanna try ...... apparantly what i've read on classical guitar forum they raved about as amazing strings designed to that of the original gut...... and by the reports has the true sound of the gut strings but with the accuracy of modern design() but that is surely a special import....... the company is Aquila strings check out their website......

http://www.aquilacorde.com/guitar.htm

anyway just normal low tension strings would be just fine for me ........... so anyone have a clue?

any brand of low tension will do ..........

Finally, I don’t get sucked into the advertising hype that one string is supposed to be better than all the rest. I remember reading an interview once in which someone asked Paco de Lucia what brand of strings he uses. He said that when he needs strings while on tour he just uses whatever brand of classical strings he can lay his hands on. It’s not practical to be fanatical about brands. Playing guitar is about making music, not about being precious about the hardware.

peace and light
keira

Bob-Dubery

Keira WitherKay wrote
Finally, I don’t get sucked into the advertising hype that one string is supposed to be better than all the rest. I remember reading an interview once in which someone asked Paco de Lucia what brand of strings he uses. He said that when he needs strings while on tour he just uses whatever brand of classical strings he can lay his hands on. It’s not practical to be fanatical about brands. Playing guitar is about making music, not about being precious about the hardware.

It must be the case that some are better than others. They're manufactured. Some will be manufactured to better tolerances than others. De Lucia might use any reputable brand of string, but is he going to stake his performance on some brand he's never heard of that are on sale cheap at the 7-11? They might not stay in tune, might screw up the intonation, might snap.... With any thing that is made there is a range of qualities available.

AlanRatcliffe

Low tension are rarely used though, so you are not going to find them easily. Some might have them but not know it - music store counter jockeys might not know that the Augustine Blacks are low tension for instance.

Otherwise, I'd probably start approaching the distributors directly, so check with TOMS for D'Addario, Tradelius in Durban for LaBella and A & A Terry in Cape Town for Augustine. I think either Turnkey or Tradelius do the Savarez, but I'm not 100% sure (I should know - I use Savarez :-[).

Like Bob, I think there is a big difference in strings - especially nylon strings. Try a set of Ernesto Palla (Ernie Ball ?) and check the intonation on the trebles - you'll be horrified. Replace a set of Augustine Blues with a set of Savarez 520's and the guitar will change character completely.

aja

try lovemore music in brixton (or whatever it is called)
they have lots of classical stuff, maybe they can help?

Keira-WitherKay

Bob Dubery wrote
Keira WitherKay wrote
Finally, I don’t get sucked into the advertising hype that one string is supposed to be better than all the rest. I remember reading an interview once in which someone asked Paco de Lucia what brand of strings he uses. He said that when he needs strings while on tour he just uses whatever brand of classical strings he can lay his hands on. It’s not practical to be fanatical about brands. Playing guitar is about making music, not about being precious about the hardware.
It must be the case that some are better than others. They're manufactured. Some will be manufactured to better tolerances than others. De Lucia might use any reputable brand of string, but is he going to stake his performance on some brand he's never heard of that are on sale cheap at the 7-11? They might not stay in tune, might screw up the intonation, might snap.... With any thing that is made there is a range of qualities available.

Bob i think it was implied any of the "better " strings on the market ......... and not a set of cheapo's anyway thats how i understood it... i never would imagine anyone just using the cheapo's for pro gigs........ heheheheh

peace and light
keira

ps.. and aja i did try lovemore music too... they had some cool imported handmade strings (well thats what the woman said ...who obviously plays classical guitar herself cos she said she had em on her guitar...) that cost a fortune but no low tension

and yeah Alan i was hoping for the Augustine black pack to be available locally they such common strings ....... i will contact the supplier AA terry ...thanks for pointing out they were the suppliers ....

AlanRatcliffe

Good luck! If you find a store that's willing to get and keep in stock, it'll be worth patronising them.

This ties in to what was discussed the other day in another thread - that lately shops don't bother carrying any stock that doesn't have a fast turnover. I know from experience that if you keep just one or two sets of these things in stock, they do sell - maybe only a couple of sets a year, but you add up the dozens of different, less popular strings (and plectrums and spares and...) and it adds up in the long run and you get a rep for always having the stuff in stock. It's the smaller stuff like that that get people into the store, where they just might see something else (like an interesting high priced guitar). Also the people who have very specific demands for the "smaller" stuff are usually the pros who have a lot of influence on other players - be it people they play with or students.

A good example - a the last two times I went looking to replenish my personal string stock, namely:

3 x Savarez 520R classic sets (@ +/-R169 ea)
12 x Ernie Ball Power Slinkys (@ R89 ea)
1 x ECG25 D'Addario Chromes set (@ R169)
2 x D'Addario Electric 12-string sets (@ R189 ea)
1 x D'Addario EXSL160 double ball end bass set (@ R299)
2 x Elixir 11-52 Nano acoustic sets (@ R189)

I've been buying these same strings now from the same store for over a decade. What's more, that's only three months supply for me (except for the Chromes, which last forever). But thanks to staff changes and belt tightening on stockholding, they only had the Power Slinkys and didn't seem bothered in getting the other sets for me - so I didn't bother buy the Slinkys either, and went elsewhere... ? That's a combined retail price of nearly R2,800 they lost (granted I don't pay retail, but even at discounted prices it's still a hefty whack for a string sale).

Keira-WitherKay

well Alan the shocking news is that in jhb ........ Daddarios pro artes normal tension have run out of stock....... both music boys and marshall are waiting for stock and i buy also in box's of 10 at a time.......... and marshall ordered for me about a month ago and i'm still waiting ... i was told another 2 weeks till a new shipment gets in........ damn and i lose out if i buy at other stores...as i know one store in pta has them...and i been forced to buy a few sets.... at a way inflated price...... cos again marshall offers me huge discount...... and the crying shame is marshall only carry 3 brands of nylon string the d'addario's the martins and a very expensive tomastik set.... but cos of my percussion/style i trash strings so quickly .... that i change every 10 days......... so buying a set for R175 is ridulously bad cost management when i get pro artes at about R60 a set if i buy in bulk...... yeah so i don't even have options of many string brands .......

so yeah alan i share your woes when it comes to strings .......