wicked awesome strings

[keith]

being a transplant from the southern midwest to boston/new england, i had to ditch my old southern drawl and phrases and adopt some new england ones. "wicked" prior to a word meaning something good is one of them--it means doublely good. i guess it is that old pilgrim thing that if it is good, it is wicked. and why pisser (pronounced pissah) is good is beyond me, but that is new england.

:twisted: for the rambling above.

a few weeks ago, searching for ancient egypt statues, i came across a website that sold the statues and the strings sabicas used. i called the factory and spoke with daniel mari the owner of the company (the mari is from the mari family that is associated with labella strings). mr. mari told me that the strings were formulated for sabicas (he knew sabicas). well i was doubtful but gave them a try.

as neo from the matrix would say: WHOA! 8) whether or not the sabicas story is as it is told, these are kick-a** strings. the trebles are bright and the "g" string is bright rather than tubby. the basses are prominent yet smooth but not boring smooth--there is a raspy bark there as it should be. the strings actually produce significant volume--unusual for a light guage string (and boy do they legado like crazy---as martha stewart would say, this is good thing). :D

if you type in daniel mari in your search engine you will find the person who sells the flamenco strings (described above). if you go to the mari site you can see other strings available--classical strings. i suspect the dealer of the daniel mari strings can get you the classical strings-- and sell you an egyptian statue (small replicas--not the real thing) if you so choose.

i have played labella strings (2001) and these strings are different. these strings make my bottom of the rung old gravina 7 conde sound a notch or two better--this morning it actually sounded like sabicas' barbero-- or maybe all that practice is starting to pay off. but for you flamencos out there, you may want to give them a try. they are wicked good :twisted: :D

[NGiorgio]

Hi Keith,

Went to Mari site. Are the strings that you were referring to Mari Flamenco 300's?

Thanks,

Nick

[keith]

yes, purple pack, the 300's.

[NGiorgio]

Keith,

I'm going to try the Mari strings. What is the scale of the guitar that you put them on? I have 660 and 650 Flamencos.

Thanks for the tip, I'm always experimenting with different strings.

Nick

[keith]

since they were engineered for sabicas, i would assume they were designed for a 657 mm . i am using them on a 650--remember, this is bottom of the rung conde here--a good back up and it was cheap. my ramirez fl-2 is on the "to be sold block"--and is not being played (damn, another shameless plug in my attempt to raise the funds to buy a professional level flamenco guitar).

yesterday i paired the trebles with luthier 20 basses (i get my strings/bass sets via stringsbymail) and boy the sound is similiar to the sound generated by the old school--bright, earthy, FLAMENCO.

[NGiorgio]

How much better are the Luthier 20 basses than the Mari basses on your guitar. I had been using the Luthier 20's on a 660 Flamenco for quite a while. and was happy. Last week I tried a set of LaBella 2001 Med Hard and really woke the Guitar up. The 2001's were louder, brighter amd much more Flamenco in their sound. Really surprised me. That's why I like to try different strings. I'm waiting for the Mari's which I ordered. Maybe Richard might carry them in singles if he gets a few requests.

[keith]

you know richard--so you know stringsbymail. cool 8) stringsbymail is definitely a great resource--especially since there is such a good selection (and it seems over and beyond the usual) and one can buy multiple sets of bass strings. i sent richard an e-mail yesterday about the strings. he is a great guy.

and having a used guitar section where folks like me can post used guitars for sale is such a great service (damn, once again yet another shameless plug)

the luthier 20's (basses) have a more "metallic" sound to them whereas the mari basses do not--here is a good idea. play sabicas' punta y tacon and that describes the luthiers. play sabicas' puerto de malaga and that describes the mari basses.

as for loudness. i use to use labella 2001 med. tension--classicals. the mari i think are louder. the trebles are definitely brighter--they have a presence to them which is 8) . if you are familiar with galli strings--which i am sure you are since you know stringsbymail, these trebles have that nice ring to them as do the galli. being lighter guage, the play faster (especially for legattos) :twisted: 8) (wicked cool).

again, gotta let your ears (and fingers) decide on this one.

[NGiorgio]

Yes, I buy from Richard, as I change basses frequently. He is been terrific to do business with. I do not have the Sabicas material that you mentioned but I get the idea. I have been trying to find strings that work well with all of my guitars (to keep the purchasing simple) but it is not working out. Thanks to Richard we can mix and match. My biggest disappointment has been the trebles, for Flamenco, so I am looking forward to trying the Mari's. I've had some good results with Savarez Red basses. They don't seem to hold up well for me, but they sound terrific for a few weeks.

Do you have any experience with the books from Encuentro, La Guitarra Flamenca series? I just started working with the Moraito book.

[keith]

yes richard is a great guy and his stringsbymail company (great name and it fits the www and the .com part--a shameless plug for him) is a great thing. the flamenco trebles were the weak spot for me as well. i tried the hannebach flamenco trebles--and they are good but the tension is a little higher than i would like. the super low trebles are great sounding but the diameter was smaller than normal--but that champagne color is cool 8)

as to books--have not use the ones you mention. i personally like the juan martin book(s) as well as the dennis koster books. dennis studied with mario escuardo and for a short time, sabicas. for a system of book/visual (video/dvd)/auditory (cd) juan martin i think is the best. but that is my most humble opinion.

i chew through basses too. that is what is great about stringsbymail--i can buy several sets for one treble set. and the selection is great.

go get them sabicas c.d.'s everyone needs sabicas in the house!! 8) 8)

[NGiorgio]

I tried Hannabach Med Flamencos, thanks to Richard, on my 660 and I liked them, but that was back 18 months or so. The guitar was pretty much new then and it has changed and so has my playing. The search goes on.

I've got all of Martin's books, videos etc. Wonderful stuff. I'm just about finished with that material. If you would like to check out Encuentro stuff, www.duendeflamenco.com has video samples on Moraito, Rafael Riqueni, Tomatito, and Pepe Habichuela. www.encuentro.com lists all of their videos and places where they can be purchased. I found that www.flamenco connection.com has the best prices. Check it out, you might like them.

About this time last year Juan Martin was to do a concert at Berkeley. I bought tickets, booked a motel and the concert was cancelled. Very disappointed. E-mailed Martin and Helen responded that they had gotten involved with a dishonest promoter. Unfortunate as I would have liked to see him in person. I have quite a few of his CD's and I really like his playing. I have considered Koster's material and I have been putting off getting Sabicas Recordings because there are so many. Which would you recommend?

[keith]

the problem with sabicas songs is that they have been cut and pasted into so many c.d.'s--many not under his name. i looked up to see if g.s.i. carried any and they do not so i guess it is fair game to say that luthier music in new york does. i would recommend: flamenco puro (everyone should have this one--it is a classic) and the one with the code: cdmf 96202--i think that has puerto de malaga on it.

if you are at border books then check out the international section. there are some budget c.d.'s of flamenco that have sabicas tunes--budget being $7 or so--this is one of the cut and pasted. you can get flamenco puro through them--either in stock or ordering.

there is a c.d. you should be able to get through borders called flamenco on fire--it has many classic sabicas tunes (non flamenco puro ones) and is cheap. the really weird thing about this c.d.--it has 16 or 18 tunes and you think: WHOA. but then you play it and find the c.d. is really the first 8-9 songs played twice with a slight variation in the title. pretty weird, but you can get it through borders--i definitely recommend it (twice at that).

one person you might want to check out: gino d'auri. his first c.d. is o.k. but his second: passion and duende (or something to that affect) is really interesting: he uses a cello player and his siguryias is awesome with the cello--as is his peternas. very dark songs and the cello adds a little extra darkness :twisted:

but, as players go: 8) 8) 8) triple coolness for sabicas. he was (and still is) THE MAN.

[NGiorgio]

Thanks for the Sabicas titles. I'm going to try to locate them. I do have the Gino D'Auri CD, the second one. It is very interesting. I like it a lot.

Have you heard Miguel de la Bastide? I have two of his CD's. Very nice work. A bit more modern.

Did you ever try LaBella Flamenco strings?

[keith]

the 820's--purple. yes. dull. the 2001--yes but it it weird that the d string is so high in tension relative to the other strings--that is a big legatto string. the 2001 basses do have a nice ring to them. the trebles--are ok. as to the flamenco trebles (black ones). they get lost against an ebony fretboard. and they seem rubbery. will check out the artist you recommended. and gino d'auri c.d. is pretty cool--especially the cello.

[NGiorgio]

I don't like the LaBella Flamenco strings very much either. I haven't had any problems with the 2001 D string, will have to look into that. I did do a comparison of tension between D'Addario J46 and J45's, and LaBella med hard. The Labella's are lighter tension than the J45's.

I first heard Gino D'Auri and Miguel de la Bastide on the same CD. It's a compilation Flamenco CD from Narada. Punch in Miguel de la Bastide and you should be able to find his site. Has some nice audio samples and a video as well.

[keith]

i forwarded the info to richard at stringsbymail who is going to look into the mari strings. one really cool thing about stringsbymail is the selection--and his introduction of galli strings has been great. these strings are great for guitars needing a little more nudging on treble side--especially ramirez estudios. if the word gets out i bet galli strings will prove to be one of the best sellers for classical strings. and tubby 'g' strings will be thing of the past for many folks.

by the way, if you go to dcflamenco (website, you know what you need to add here) they sell nick-nacks such as flamenco t-shirts, etc. and they have a: yo (heart) flamenco bumpersticker. waiting for mine to greatly increase the market value of my geo metro.

[NGiorgio]

Still waiting for the Mari's. Maybe in tomorrows mail.

Did you try the Galli's on a Classical or Flamenco? I just got 2 sets from Richard. One med, and one hard. I was going to try them on a Classical.

I will check out dcflamenco.

[keith]

i use the regular (medium) tension for classical. the medium tension are probably similiar to med.-hard tension. if the string companies could do one thing and one thing only it is to standardize tension descriptions. galli strings give you numbers for diameter and tension which is good.

the great thing about stringsbymail is that you can buy trebles only, basses only, or the package set. have fun with them.

[rumbamaster]

You guys should really try to use hard tension strings. I used to use light and medium tension strings for the longest time. (La Bella 820, Luthier 20's). I forced myself to use a heavier gauge (La Bella 2001 Flamenco Hard). It was hard at first but eventually my muscles got stonger and now they are very comfortable. Now I have a better tone, more volume and more power when I play. I can never go back to a lighter guage. I've found that the La Bella 2001 Flamenco Hard Tension, Hannabach 827 and D' Addario J 50 sound the best for flamenco playing. Its ultimately a personal choice, I just thought I would contribute my two cents worth. Good luck.

[NGiorgio]

I have been using high tension strings D'Addario J46, Luthier 30's etc. on my 650 scale Guitars. I started to use mediums on a 660 which made it easier to play. That guitar now has LaBella med/hard 2001''s which are working very well. I have my Flamencos set up with low action, 2.5mm or less at top of 12th fret to bottom of the string. The higher tension seems to work best for me with real low action. Received the Mari Flamenco strings today but have not installed them yet. They do appear to be a very light gauge. I really wish that string manufacturers would list the the diameter and tension of each string and yes, standardize the tension so that we can compare apples to apples. To be continued.

[rumbamaster]

I totaly agree. High tension strings works great with super low action. And yes, string gauge's should be standardized! Check out www.bigcitystring.com They have a big list of different string companies and the tension in kg. It doesn't have everything but its a start.

[NGiorgio]

Installed Mari Flamenco strings today. Put them on my newest guitar which is still breaking in, I bought it in March '03. It is a very strong and bright instrument. It came with a set of D'Addario med J45's. I tried a few different strings on it and the last combination I tried, which sounded great was Luthier 30 trebles and D'Addario J46 Basses. The Mari's are a light gauge, the package makes no reference to a gauge. They are much lighter than what I had been using. However, they sound very strong. A lot more volume than I would have expected with such a light gauge. The tone is very Flamenco, more so than any other strings I have used on the guitar previously. I did have to install a slightly higher bridge saddle, as they buzzed a bit too much. The guitar was set up at just over 2mm at 12th fret, 6th string. I raised it to a little over 2.5mm. The light gauge feels a bit strange as I have not ever used anything less than mediums, and mostly hard tension. I am a long time Classicial player, Flamenco has been my passion for only about 2 1/2 years. So, I'm going to have to play these Mari's for a while to fully evaluate them. I would have to say to all the Flamenco players out there to give 'em a try. They might just surprise you. Thanks again Keith.

[keith]

you are welcome. they are quite surprising in the volume. maybe if enough folks used them and wanted a higher tension mr. mari would do so--again, as mr. mari reports, these strings were formulated for sabicas. hey, ngiorgio--how goes the galli strings?

[NGiorgio]

Spent some time with Flamenco today. The Mari strings have settled in so that I could play rather than tune. They are extremely nice strings. The trebles sound unlike anything I've tried before. I especially like the G string. I am however, having difficulty with the tension. It may be because I'm used to higher tension strings but I like that resistance under my left hand fingers. I bought two sets, should have bought a few more as I do want to try them on a couple of other guitars. I'm curious as to how they would work on a 660 with that extra little bit of tension. I will say again, Flamenco players or anyone using a Flamenco guitar as a crossover or whatever, give the Mari's a try.

If we could get the Mari's in a higher tension, that would be interesting. Have not tried the Galli's yet, Keith. Just before I bought them I re-strung my Classical, and I really hate putting new trebles on it again, but I should get to that soon.

I went to www.bigcitystrings.com and checked out some of the tension numbers, thanks Rumbamaster. The difference between manufacturers is really amazing. When a medium tension from one maker is higher than a hard tension from another maker, it really makes some comparisons useless. Worse yet, is that many makers don't give the spec's on the packaging. I suppose we will have to live with that.

[keith]

the whole tension description warrants this: :twisted: :roll: hannebach describes uses the phrase "superlow tension" to describe strings that have higher tension numbers that labella 2001 med. tension. give mr. mari a call--his e-mail goes to the same place as the john williams page link posted elsewhere. i had mentioned it to him also. however, fingers do adapt. and in the long run it may be better to use less tension--repetetive stress and all that. if you want more tension, you might want to try the galli normal tension--there is more and you still get that wonderful sound--especially the 'g' string. also, do remember that most flamenco is played with a cejilla so the tension of the string will increase when you use a cejilla.

[NGiorgio]

A good point regarding repetitive stress and use of a cejilla, but I am not comfortable with the light tension. Went back to J46's today and they feel better and sound better on this particular guitar. I'm going to try the Mari's on another instrument. I would prefer them in a higher tension.

Do you find the Galli G string to be as nice as the Mari? I see that the Galli Medium's are closer to a high tension than a medium.

The Mari's are terrific Flamenco strings if you like light tension.

Have you decided what your next guitar is going to be? The last one I bought is a G.V****bio, "Gerundino" model, Blanca. Very nice, very easy to play and very Flamenco.

[keith]

if i were to use treble strings equivalent to the tension you prefer on my flamenco, galli would be the ONLY choice. they have great sound--especially the "g" string. stringsbymail sells them as you know.

yes it would be nice if the mari's had a higher tension for those who prefer that tension. they may do so--nothing like a phone call to the mr. mari.

as to my next flamenco: it would be a toss up between an upper level conde or an aaron green. see dimitri's and my exchange in one of the ramirez discussions. now if i win tonight's powerball, well....... that is another story.

[NGiorgio]

Will try the Galli's. Did you get any idea from Mr. Mari as to what a minimum run of a higher tension set he might consider?

I had a 2000 A-25R Conde for about 5 days, last winter. It was on approval. It was a french polished version in natural finish. Brazilian was spectacular. The condition was only good but the sound was wonderful. I found the neck to be a bit uncomfortable, too thick for me and it was wide, at least 54mm at nut. I did not buy it as I really wanted a blanca, but it was the best flamenco I ever played. I've been to Aaron Green's website.

Good luck with Powerball.

[rumbamaster]

Hey NGiorgio. I have a G.V. Rubio Gerundino Flamenco also. Except mine is a negra. I'm thinking about getting a G.V. Rubio blanca Gerundino or Santos. I don't think there are other guitars in that price range that sound as good as the Rubio. Would you agree?

[NGiorgio]

Yes, Rumbamaster, I agree. Tried a few instruments above the Rubio's price that were not as good. For me it was a combination of excellent workmanship, quality of tone and ease of playing. The neck is one of the most comfortable I've played. The Rubio is the guitar I tried the Mari's on. How long have you had yours? I tried Rubio's "Santos" at the same time. It was a toss up between them. I think the "Gerundino" had a little bit more volume, and for some reason it was easier to play.They are both very nice Flamenco's. Is yours Indian or Brazilian? I have a cedar/indian Negra which is a real nice instrument. It was made for me by Augustino LoPrinzi. I can play Classical, Flamenco, BossaNova and it all sounds great on it. When I drive it real hard it can be very Flamenco. I would think that your Negra must really sound nice. I would like to try one of Rubio's Negra's. I'm told that he is making a "Reyes" copy also. Where did you find yours?

[rumbamaster]

My Rubio is Spruce/Indian. I've had the guitar a little under a year. I am fortunate enough to live in Los Angeles, and his shop is not too far from me. I've been there a few times to play on all his guitars. He's a real nice guy. You're right, the neck is totaly comfortable. Mine is a 53mm. Ridiculously easy to play. I bought the Negra because it was a great "all around guitar" capable of playing flamenco, classical and jazz. I don't remember his Santos sounding as good as his Gerundino. (I think his Santos is a little less in price though). But now that you brought it up, I'm interested in hearing and playing his Reyes model. I just might wait for that before I make a decision. Beside's the Mari's, what strings do you use for your Rubio?

[NGiorgio]

I envy you. There's nothing better than being able to go to the Luthier's shop. The "Santos" was $3200. and the "Gerundino" was $3400. This was from a dealer in Cleveland. Do you want to tell me what the price was on your negra?

As I mentioned in my exchanges with Keith, I've tried many different strings on the guitar. It came with D'Addario J45's. I used Luthier 30's, complete set. Savarez 520 basses, D'Addario J46 basses, with the Luthier trebles. The Mari set, and now J46 set. It sounds and feels good with the hard J46's, with just a bit over 2mm at the 12th fret, 6th string. The Mari's had a brighter, more Flamenco sound but felt too light. I spoke with Daniel Mari earlier today and he gave me the diameters on his Flamenco strings.
If what he gave me was correct, they would be a medium gauge, but he did not remember the tension. He suggested that I get a micrometer and measure various strings, find a diameter that I want and he will try to put something together for me. His G string was fine, the B and high E felt too light. These were the spec's he gave me. E .028, B .032, G .040, D .031, A .037, E .040.

[keith]

ngiorgio--do yourself a big favor and learn from my wasted time--diameters, tension description, etc. etc. will drive you to the point of needing benzodiazapenes (xanax, valium, etc.). if there is anything i have learned over these past few years--there needs some standardization in descriptions--i have seen strings with diameters the same but differing in tension. and then there is one person's hard tension is another's low tension.

if you like a harder tension string, try this combo: galli trebles and luthier 30 basses. the galli trebles will give you the mari treble quality (especially the g string)only in a higher tension.

[NGiorgio]

Keith, I think you are correct. When I was comparing diameters with tensions today, I thought that this may be an effort of a lot of wasted time. I'm going to try the Galli/Luthier combination.

Anything on Richard carrying the Mari's?

[keith]

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have not gone to stringsbymail.com lately to see if he is carrying mari--but he definitely carries galli and luthier is basses and/or trebles.

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[rumbamaster]

Hey Ngiorgio. I paid $3900 for my Rubio "Gerundino" Negra. I saw in his shop a few "Santos" for in between $2200 and $2400. I don't think they were 2003 models though. They might have been a few years old. (Still sounded great though). I've tried the J46's on my Rubio and they sounded good. The EXP 46's are kind of cool too. They last a lot longer. I don't think they're worth the price difference though. I've also been experimenting with "Studio" strings. The ones designed for recording that take out the nasty string squeak between position changes. La Bella makes some and so does D'Addario. They really do work. You can't hear one little squeak. You don't get the bright basses that you get with silver bass strings, but in the studio there's nothing worse than a squeaky guitar. Have you ever tried these?

[NGiorgio]

Hey, Rumbamaster. That's the same price that I got from a dealer for the negra. How would you describe the tone and volume of your negra, compared to the blanca's that you played at Rubio's shop? My Rubio is loud, bright but has a mellow sweetness to it. Yet it can be very raspy and bark when you get into it. Have you played any of Rubio's classicals and if so, what do you think of them?

No, I have not tried any of the "quieter" strings that you mentioned or the EXP's. I agree the EXP's are to expensive. I do like a bright string and the search will go on. Are you considering trying the Mari'?. The price is $7.00 per set and the shipping is only $3.00 for a couple of sets.

[rumbamaster]

The sound on my negra is beautiful and dark, but still very flamenco. I would say the volume is pretty loud for a negra. It doesn't have the bark and volume that a blanca has, but the sound is oh so sweet. I did not try any Rubio classicals. I was in the market for a flamenco, so I only played those. Next time I go I think I will play some though. It's tough to be in his shop because I'm like a kid in a candy store. Every guitar I pick up sounds great and I want to buy it! He also makes all kinds of other string instruments. Mariachi Guitarons, Bajo Sexto, Requinto, Cuban Tres, Puerto Rican Quatro. I would definatley try the Mari strings if I could get them in a hard tension. Maybe if enough of us request it, he'll make a run. By the way, what year is your blanca? A friend of mine has a 1997 G.V. Rubio Santos Blanca and its one of the best I've ever heard.

[NGiorgio]

Rumbamaster, I agree. Whenever I get to go to a Luthier's shop, I feel the same way. I spend a lot of time in the Clearwater, FL area, that's how I met Augustino LoPrinzi. When I go to visit him I bring my wife so that I won't get in trouble. I guess there could be worse things than being hooked on "candy". Your description makes me interested in a Rubio negra.

As for the strings, I think Mari would make up some sets but I wonder if it would be worth it. I may pursue this a bit more next week,

My Rubio is a 2002, number/date 6-19-02. I have been told that all of his guitars have a sweetness to them. Mine has a french-polished top and lacquer sides and back. If your interested in trying a "Gerundino" blanca, Dan Zeff has one listed, last time I was at his site. Is he near you? Do you play mostly Flamenco with yours? I didn't realize that Rubio was making the "Santos" model that long. The tone on mine is still improving. I guess it will continue to improve. That's what's nice about spruce top guitars. Do you have any other Flamenco guitars?

[rumbamaster]

Hey Ngiorgio. Yes I agree. Rubios definitely have a certain sweetness to them. (At least the ones I've played). Mine is French polished also. After nearly a year of playing it everyday, its getting pretty beat up. Luckily if I bring it back to the shop he will completely re-finish it for $300. I'm told it will look like new after the re-finish. I mostly play flamenco with mine, but I also do a lot of gigs as a solo classical guitarist and the Rubio Negra is great for that too! Dan Zeff is not to far from me. I might go and check out what he's got. I do not have any other concert guitars. That's why I want to get a Blanca. And then after that a good classical. (Mainly for the studio). How about yourself? Which guitars do you own and which is your favorite?

[NGiorgio]

That's a great price on the re-finishing. I am getting some wear on mine. That is a problem with french polish. Got to be real careful with them.

I have a spruce/indian Classical by Augustino LoPrinzi, and cedar/indian negra which he made for me. I also have a Flamenco made by John Price, an Australian luthier, who is best known for his "Smallman" type instruments. However his Flamenco is a traditionally built instrument, with a spruce top but the back and sides are koa. It is beautiful to look at. Somewhat unusual. The tone is somewhere in between a negra and a blanca. That is probably my favorite instrument. I do seem to play the Rubio more than the others though.

[NGiorgio]

Have now tried a set of Mari Flamenco strings on another guitar, a 660 scale Flamenco. They work better for me on this instrument. Perhaps it is the longer scale, giving them more tension. The Mari's brightened up this guitar and the tension makes the guitar very fast for the left hand. Was previously using medium hard LaBella 2001's on it.

After doing a bit of comparison, it appears that the Mari's are a medium tension and not a light tension as I had previously thought. Received a few more sets of the Mari's today so that I can try some more experimenting.

The Mari's are very, very Flamenco.

[keith]

ngiorgo, you are quickly becoming a nylon string animal 8) . now we have to get jonny hotnuts playing galli (he seems the classical type) and next thing, the guy it going to be the alhambra guru 8)

[NGiorgio]

Just in case anyone is interested, those wicked, awesome strings are now available in a higher tension. Just ordered a couple of sets. Will try them and post a comment or two .......

[keith]

hey nick--last autumn daniel mari wanted me to give feedback about the strings and the most significant comment i had for him was the tension--on a 650 they were a little loose (on my 664 they are great!). it is good to hear he bumped it a little. can you reply and post where you are getting your mari strings so folks out there can join the revolution.

mari strings, played by sabicas, keith, nick, and now the rest of the world--i kinda like the sound of that.

by the way, a couple of months ago i spoke with richard (cyber spoke) about a lower tension galli. it turns out galli used a 664 scale for their numbers (d'addario uses 648, everyone else it seems 650) and when measured on a 650 the normal tension is actually about the same if not a tad lower than normal tension d'addario.

i was playing my classical this morning and those galli strings really bring out that nice ringing treble--really makes my low cost asturias sound exceptionally better on the treble end.

[edwardcav]

the trebles, they do that. it sounds like a recording. so smoooth

[NGiorgio]

The Mari strings are available from www.ostriesculpture.com

They are described on the site. On the normal tension set, the trebles are clear and refined, much like the Galli's, only brighter. I, like Keith, find the normal Mari's a little light on 650's but on my 660 the seem to work nicer. The G string is very nice. Hope the higher tension has the same tonal qualities.

However, after saying that, I am now using the Mari's on a 650 negra and like the sound and tension very much. Every guitar seems to respond differently.

So that no confusion exists, Mari flamenco #300 strings are normal tension, and the Classical #200 are the higher tension.

[NGiorgio]

Tried Mari #200 high tension. Put a set on a 650 spruce blanca. They seem to have similar qualities of the #300 flamenco strings, nice clear G string and all that. Didn't do it for me on this particular guitar. Not bright enough. Tension is nice, not too hard. Will try some on another guitar. Maybe they will be better on a classical.

After removing the Mari's, installed a set of Hannebach 827 flamenco med. and compared to the Mari 300's these are very bright and do bring out the flamenco character of this guitar. The Mari's were on the guitar for three days. In comparison, the Hannebach med. seem to have more tension than the high ten. Mari's.

[keith]

nick: last year when i spoke to daniel he did say the 300 were a classical string. i thought maybe he had bumped up the 200's. but when it comes down to it, there is a string out there that does match if not excel the mari 200's--read on.
as a fellow northeastern u.s.a. person you know the past couple of weeks it has been cool and muggy here. as such, the tone of my guitars have decreased some and i am returning back to the hannabach 827's. they are great strings--especially the trebles (and the champagne color is wicked cool looking). i am expecting my strings today or tomorrow from you know who--using with aranjuez basses (the 200) which have a nice silverly edge to them. will post how they work as a summer string. but man, this humidity does dull the sound.

if you go to hannabach's web site they give the numbers (they have to be measured on a 660+ scale)--actually the numbers they give are newtons--which is about .96 of a kilogram. for example, a 7.0 newton is 7.1 kilogram. basically, add a tenth to each number to get the numbers in kilograms.

i use the superlow tension--which is about everyone else's medium tension. i can only imagine what the superhigh tension strings are like-man, those germans must have fingers of steel.

[NGiorgio]

Thanks. Glad to know that this tension thing is not my imagination.

Yesterday here on Long Island, around midday the humidity inside was down to 40%. It does make a difference in the sound of the guitar. The humidity was back later in the day.

[jay]

what do you guys think about the labella strings
they have a set of gold basses and black nylon
the black nylon looks cool(nearly invisible) on a ebony fingerboard
i prefer silver basses though

[NGiorgio]

I have tried them quite a while ago. They never worked well for me. I do prefer silver basses as also. What it comes down to is, if they sound and feel good on your guitar. That's what really matters.

[jay]

i normally use the original augustine strings so many types and tensions i confusing to me not to mention i don't know if it can have an effect on the bridge
got any experience with the other augustine trebles regal and imperial they seem to be made of better nylon

[NGiorgio]

I used Augustine Red on a spruce top classical with excellent results. I believe the Reds are medium. Not too much tension, good volume and tone. Switched to Galli normal, and found them to be far superior, especially the trebles.

Yes, Augustine strings are very confusing when it comes to various tensions. Most guitars can handle high tension strings but if you want to be safe, stick with medium gauge.