Anyone know a good set of strings for a Classical Acoustic?

For guitars of the straight waisted variety (or reverse offset).
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Unicorn Warrior
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Anyone know a good set of strings for a Classical Acoustic?

Post by Unicorn Warrior » Sat Nov 27, 2021 7:56 pm

I’ve had this really nice rosewood body Cordoba Classical for a few years now. I use it mainly to figure out new parts and melodies to transition over to electric. It has been an incredible writing tool.

With that said, I’ve had the same stock strings that came on it when new. No idea what they are. The guitar has never really held tune very well, but I suspect that’s a common thing with classical guitars. However, maybe putting decent strings on may help?

What are the options for classical guitars? Any particular brand that does well with longevity and have a good sound? I’m all ears. I figured some of you guys may have some ideas

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garyfanclub
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Re: Anyone know a good set of strings for a Classical Acoustic?

Post by garyfanclub » Sun Nov 28, 2021 11:35 am

I use D'Addario Pro-Arte on my classicals (72 Guild Mk 3 and an old Madeira C600) and I'm enjoying them - expect the usual settling time before they reliably hold tune, but otherwise they've been great. Tension is good too, not too crazy for an old guitar but still enough to use a drop tuning and not be too floppy.

Best part is these are reliably available at GC.

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DrQuasar
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Re: Anyone know a good set of strings for a Classical Acoustic?

Post by DrQuasar » Mon Nov 29, 2021 11:42 am

I've used Ernie Ball black/silver nylons for more than a decade. I love 'em. Mostly because I think the black strings look cooler than the clear nylon ones. I've used D'Addario pro arte and Augustine classic tension in the past and they were fine. The Ernie Balls are usually cheaper. They're branded under Ernesto Palla, which is a little cheesy, but who cares?

If you want something a little different look at La Bella 820s which are flamenco strings and red. They were a little too small for my taste, but worth a try. Might feel closer to electric string gauges.

One thing that helps is nylons stings really need to be stretched after you put them on. After a half hour or so of playing (and constantly retuning) after string changes mine don't really ever go out of tune. Stretching them will lower the amount of post-change play time. Look on youtube for how to tie them properly. I think StewMac has a video that's good.

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Caddy65
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Re: Anyone know a good set of strings for a Classical Acoustic?

Post by Caddy65 » Mon Nov 29, 2021 2:02 pm

I have been playing acoustic nylon string guitars since the early 60’s. I have used many different strings over the years but for the past 20+ years have been using D’Adarrio Pro-Artes (normal tension). Very happy with them.

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Unicorn Warrior
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Re: Anyone know a good set of strings for a Classical Acoustic?

Post by Unicorn Warrior » Tue Nov 30, 2021 6:13 pm

Thanks for the suggestions, guys. I’ll keep those in mind.

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