Effect of stiffer strings on tone and volume

Davoravo

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 13, 2018
Messages
185
Reaction score
3
Hi all

I am looking at 3/4 classic or nylon syringed instruments. Most of them in the shop have slacker strings due to the short scale. Also a bit quiet. I am trying them out and trying to imagine how stiffer strings would sound. Does anyone have an idea of a general rule or on average how stiffer strings would sound, especially in terms of more or less muddy when strummed and effect on volume? Thanks y’all.
 
Hi all

I am looking at 3/4 classic or nylon syringed instruments. Most of them in the shop have slacker strings due to the short scale. Also a bit quiet. I am trying them out and trying to imagine how stiffer strings would sound. Does anyone have an idea of a general rule or on average how stiffer strings would sound, especially in terms of more or less muddy when strummed and effect on volume? Thanks y’all.

I own a Cordoba Cadet which is 3/4 size. I bought it used and the strings seems old and a bit dead or dull sounding. I restrung it with high tension Savarez fluorocarbon strings to increase tension, it worked. The sound was much louder and brighter, really much better over all.
 
Thanks, you are a great resource. Thank for all your answers to my questions. it was the cadete i was specifically thinking of, just needs a few percent more note separation and sparkle for my style of playing.

EDIT: tried the yamaha cs40 ii 3/4 today, very easy playing instrument if not quite as rich as the cordoba cadete. Does not have a truss rod, the salesman thought the strings were stiff enough but also said the neck would rise with higher tension strings, even with nylon. Not sure whether to believe him.
 
Last edited:
I was looking for advice on buying strings not so long ago and found pages in social networks of shops and musicians. During the quarantine period, for many, the blocks and channels of social networks became relevant. And I followed the advice of the musicians. There were even video tutorials.
 
Hello, I have a rebadged portuguese 3/4 guitar from APC, with a massive cedar soundboard. The best match to this day is, in my opinion, d'Addario EJ46 FF, which are very hard tension carbon strings. The carbon strings really compensate for the dark side of cedar; with the shorter scale they really feel like normal tension strings.
Highly recommended.
Hope this helps, regards.
 
There are string sets specifically for 3/4 (and 1/2) guitars, designed for a more appropriate tension.
 
I really like the la bella 2000 strings. They are nylon. If you want a brighter sound the vivace with fluorocarbon strings will be brighter. I don’t really like their rectified nylon strings. whats the scale length of the guitar you are looking at? Sizing varies a lot from brands. Some half scale are 3/4 scale to other brands. I have a Cordoba Requinto 580mm scale and 3 other guitars 20 inch scale. (508mm scale). Generally nylon guitar string tension is a bit lower than a tenor uke. I am not sure if the bridge can take so much tension over time unless it’s a string through bridge system. The sales person could be right in saying that too high tension might bend the neck a bit. Some cordobas have trust rods in them. That will counter the bending but your bridge might come off eventually. If the scale is shorter than a standard guitar(approx 650mm) then hard tension might still be ok. Not sure about extra hard tension. You might want to check the specs as some hard tension vs extra hard tension have the same treble gauges but different bass gauges. The same applies to medium vs hard.
 
Top Bottom