Comparison of Small Guitars

Oasis makes a set of all fluorocarbon baritone ukulele strings for DGBE. Just add 2 generic base strings. I have the Oasis strings arriving today and will try them on my Mini.
Each string is 63 inches. long enough to make 2 sets per package.

Well, there is no issue to get 1-5 strings for Mini in E-E tuning:
you can just get any normal tension classic guitar strings and shift them: throw 1st string away, use 2nd as 3rd, 3rd as 4th etc

The issue is always the 6th string, nothing usual really match it.
Not all strings can provide you a good deep low E sound and a good tension.

I really love Hannabah 1/4 set for the sound they have on bass strings.

But they also have issues: for some reason the 6th string in this set looses it's volume and deepness very fast, in 1-1,5 months.

So even 1-5 strings are in a good shape and sound after 1.5 months of playing, the 6th string becomes more and more muffled, so that you feel a MAJOR difference after replacing it.
 
Should I buy regular Classical Guitar strings or is there such a thing as strings for short scale guitars? I like nice mellow sounds. What exact strings do you think would work best on the Aria. I almost always tune my guitar and ukuleles to Drop 3 tuning.
 
Should I buy regular Classical Guitar strings or is there such a thing as strings for short scale guitars? I like nice mellow sounds. What exact strings do you think would work best on the Aria. I almost always tune my guitar and ukuleles to Drop 3 tuning.

If you tune your instruments in drop 3 tuning in order to have low tention ones, regular classical guitar strings may work for you.
 
Should I buy regular Classical Guitar strings or is there such a thing as strings for short scale guitars? I like nice mellow sounds. What exact strings do you think would work best on the Aria. I almost always tune my guitar and ukuleles to Drop 3 tuning.
There are special string sets for shorter scale guitars (f.e. 3/4 or 1/2 guitars like D'addario or LaBella have). Some manufacturers put a scale lenght on the pack (Like Savarez or Hannabah).

Im not sure what a Drop 3 tuning is (do you mean you drop the tuning by 3 semi tones and tune it to C#-C# instead of E-E?), but if you are using lower tuning AND shorter scale guitar, you should at least took into Super high tension sets to reach enought tension and sound (cause usually guitar sets are designed to make a E-E tone @650mm scale), or go for special 1/2 guitar sets
 
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If you tune your instruments in drop 3 tuning in order to have low tention ones, regular classical guitar strings may work for you.
Thats what I was thinking. I have normal tension guitar strings on my 19" guilele at G tuning and it is moderate tension. The same strings should give F tuning for 21" scale so standard E tuning might work out fine at a lower tension. I'd say start there and be prepared to maybe go up a notch or two depending on how that feels.
 
I used the Oasis fluorocarbon strings, and while the G, B, & E strings worked well, the D string was a floppy dog. The other fluorocarbon strings were a little floppy too at first, but as they stretched and were tightened back into tune they arrived at a nice tension. The D string never Improved, and stayed floppy and dull, so I replaced it with a wound string.

Next I lowered the saddle a bit to 2.75mm at the bass, and 2.5mm on the treble side. Overall the Cordoba Mini sounds and plays nice now in E-E, and I plan to leave it alone. I now have a decent travel guitar.

I was correct about the length of the Oasis strings. Each package will easily make 2 sets of treble strings. Here is my final configuration:

Fluorocarbon
E 025
B 029
G 032
Wound
D 038
A 043
E 048
 
You might also consider the Pepe Romero Baritone Guilele Set. I'd consider it a heavy gauge set on 650mm scale but on a guilele at guitar pitch it feels lighter, on the moderate side. The trebles are silky smooth and warm sounding. I briefly tuned them up to terz guitar pitch but they felt too tight.

1 = .0245" fluorocarbon
2 = .0275 fluorocarbon
3 = .0335 fluorocarbon
4 = .029 wound
5 = .037 wound
6 = .045 wound
 
You might also consider the Pepe Romero Baritone Guilele Set. I'd consider it a heavy gauge set on 650mm scale but on a guilele at guitar pitch it feels lighter, on the moderate side. The trebles are silky smooth and warm sounding. I briefly tuned them up to terz guitar pitch but they felt too tight.

1 = .0245" fluorocarbon
2 = .0275 fluorocarbon
3 = .0335 fluorocarbon
4 = .029 wound
5 = .037 wound
6 = .045 wound

Peter,

You are correct, and I already have 2 sets that I purchased to use with my Romero Creations DHO 6 string. I was looking for a less expensive way to string the Mini which will never approach the sound quality of the DHO 6.

I believe that most of what can be achieved in these small body guitars is baked in by the manufacturer's design and choice of woods. Strings can only take you so far. I had a grandfather who sold food to bars and taverns, back in Detroit and he had a saying "no matter how you slice it, it's still baloney".

By the way I found your website interesting.
 
Oh, I see what you're getting at. If you want to tune the Mini to standard guitar pitch, buy a heavy set of standard classical guitar strings, e.g., D'Addario Pro Arte Extra Hard, EJ44. They're relatively inexpensive and are on the mellow side (to offset the Mini's bright voice). The trebles do stretch a lot longer than fluorocarbon but D'Addario Carbons are as pricy as the Pepe Romero sets. The other alternative is to use Seaguar fluorocarbon fishing line for the trebles and buy the wound basses in bulk (my fav choice with so many instruments).
 
Should I buy regular Classical Guitar strings or is there such a thing as strings for short scale guitars? I like nice mellow sounds. What exact strings do you think would work best on the Aria. I almost always tune my guitar and ukuleles to Drop 3 tuning.

If you are dropping 3 semi tones from EADGBE on a 20" scale instrument all strings will feel very floppy. There is just not enough tension generated at that tuning from that scale length to sound and feel good.

Give this a try, I have done this with my Pepe baritone guitar, 20" scale length tuned E-E. Buy Daddario extra hard classical guitar strings eliminate the #1 string and install #2-#6 on the #1-#5 spot. This leaves #6 empty, order D'addario silver wound NYL050 for the #6 spot. That is a very thick string but will balance with the others. This in effect creates and extra extra hard tension set. The trouble you could run into is the nut slots might not be wide enough to accommodate such thick strings.
 
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Question I have is, will a heavy set of standard classical guitar strings hurt the mini guitar? Is a 530 mm scale guitar built for heavy strings? If OK to use then I will be trying them because I want to get as close as possible with a guitar that fits with my hands as I can to standard 440, Ee tuning. With a mellow sound too.
 
Question I have is, will a heavy set of standard classical guitar strings hurt the mini guitar? Is a 530 mm scale guitar built for heavy strings? If OK to use then I will be trying them because I want to get as close as possible with a guitar that fits with my hands as I can to standard 440, Ee tuning. With a mellow sound too.

I am confused..........you have stated you Drop 3 tune, but above you state "standard 440 E-e tuning. What tuning are you planning. But regardless extra hard or extra high tension strings on a short scale instrument is safe, at standard tuning or lower. The shorter the scale length the less tension the strings are under. If you look at the picture of the Savarez Prodige string set the diameters are the same as extra high tension strings. This florocarbon string set is designed for short scale guitars.

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I believe each of the small reduced scale guitars have a sweet spot where everything comes together for the best sound, and it's up to the player to find it.

In the case of my Cordoba Mini, I really think it sounded best with a set of generic classical guitar strings tuned to F#-F# however I did finally set it up to E-E using different strings to have the same tuning as my other guitars. In my opinion going to E-E degraded the sound a bit, but considering the Mini was purchased for occasional use as a travel guitar I am ok with that.
 
I agree with dcuttler about the sweet spot for the mini. For me it is F# to F# or G to G depending on the string tension of the classical guitar set I put on.
E to E really doesn’t project well on that small of a scale for me. The Aquila tension was okay but the trebles were brutal.
I like thick nylon and have been using the hannabach 600 ht set F# to F#. (Hannabach are relatively high tension compared to the same tension level of many other classical brands ). These are semi functional e to e but really lose a lot in projection.

Adam
 
I am confused..........you have stated you Drop 3 tune, but above you state "standard 440 E-e tuning. What tuning are you planning. But regardless extra hard or extra high tension strings on a short scale instrument is safe, at standard tuning or lower. The shorter the scale length the less tension the strings are under. If you look at the picture of the Savarez Prodige string set the diameters are the same as extra high tension strings. This florocarbon string set is designed for short scale guitars.

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I always use drop three tuning. It is much easier on the fingers when I practice. If I play with others I capo on third fret. According to what I learned somewhere, which may or may not be correct, when the guitar is tuned to E-e by tuning the strings or by capo, the guitar is 440hz.

Most of the time I use drop 3 and capo on first fret. I like that sound best.
 
Hi, Jonny! Guitar's heavy strings are one semitone (one step) thicker than regular strings in general. If we keep them both in same tension, regular string makes E and heavy string makes Eb. And small guitar strings are almost same diameter as heavy strings (see the figure below). Actually Pepe Romero says their baritone guitalele set contains their heavy guitar strings in their web site. And we can easily check the diameters both heavy guitar strings and small guitar strings. Most of them are fluorocarbon but some are nylon (for example, Aria's pepe strings). Yours may be Savarez's fluorocarbon strings.



A-20 is 21inch (530mm) scale. If we put heavy strings (small guitar strings) on it and tune to same tension as guitars with regular strings, we tune it up to G-G (see the table below). Some people take G-G tuning on 21 inch. E-E is three steps lower than this tuning. It is not too hard or it is still even weak. And it is popular tuning on this 21 inch too. If you want to have mellow sound, you may try nylon sets like Aria's pepe strings. Nylon has less density and lower tension than fluorocarbon.


 
I always use drop three tuning. It is much easier on the fingers when I practice. If I play with others I capo on third fret. According to what I learned somewhere, which may or may not be correct, when the guitar is tuned to E-e by tuning the strings or by capo, the guitar is 440hz.

Most of the time I use drop 3 and capo on first fret. I like that sound best.
So that's really D-d.

With the shorter scale, I think you should aim for E-e. Tension should be low and that will give you a mellower tone. Of course go lower if you want but at some point the tension gets to be unusable in practical terms. Where that lies is up to you.
 
So that's really D-d.

With the shorter scale, I think you should aim for E-e. Tension should be low and that will give you a mellower tone. Of course go lower if you want but at some point the tension gets to be unusable in practical terms. Where that lies is up to you.

Yes exactly Jim. If johnnysmash is playing a 25" scale length guitar D-D the tension will be higher then a 20" scale length standard tuning E-E. My 20" at E-E us just barley acceptable, F-F is much better. Yes Adam if you are reading this I changed strings and tuned up, come over and play it.
 
I must say I love the sound of my RC Baritone 6 tuned G C F Bb D G. Rings like a bell and has plenty of dynamic range. Flamenco and Renaissance lute music sound right at home. At standard guitar pitch it was loose as a goose even with heavy strings. With a capo on the 2nd fret—ukulele/requinto pitch—it sounds nice albeit with less fingerboard to play with. With a custom light set, I took it all the way up to A D G C E A and, while okay, wasn't as resonate as the G C F Bb D G terz tuning. Terz tuning seems to be the sweet spot for this wee guitar.
 
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