String Poll

gitpicker

I didn't see manouche tone on there, which is fine because although they're awesome when brand spanking new, I have to change them within a week! You can feel the pits forming after just one day if you play a lot.

I use Argies mostly but honestly, I have NEVER lastet a month on one set. Heck, the last few sets I got had a dead A string. I had to change it right away! When they're right though, I just love them. Wish they came with an extra G string.

Charlie Ayers

I too have encountered many dead A strings, in the Savarez sets, but went back to using them after following the advice of a luthier who posted on the yahoo group: when encountering the dead A string, put the string in place, then remove the loop from the tailpiece end and twist the string once or twice to increase the tension of the wrap, before replacing the loop and bringing the string up to tune. It seems to work.

Charlie

MichaelHorowitz

It's worth mentioning that many of the Dutch Gypsies (i.e. Fapy Lafertin, Jimmy Rosenberg, Stochelo Rosenberg, etc.) often use the Galli silk and steel:

Galli
Gypsy Strings VO27 (1 Set)

Josh Hegg

I use the Argies 1510MF and they last me about 1 to 1.5 weeks of normal playing. And sound the best. Others I have used last about 2 days and lack in the tone department comparatively.

Cheers,
Josh

Fopa

Has anyone tried the Vintage-hot club strings yet? I bought a set , but would like to hear some feed back from someone thats already tried them before I put them on.

Bob Holo

Argentines - 10s with the B & high E strings upped one gauge.

I found the Pearse, Galli Gypsy & Galli R500 too stiff - though they may be great on Macs or other 648 scale guitars.

I liked the GHS on my Gitane 250M - they brightened up the tone a bit and cured it's "Gibson Jumbo" sound more or less... a little more snap and without being too stiff or sacrificing the amazing volume I get from that guitar. I don't think I'd put GHS on my Park though - it doesn't need any more snap - it sounds best with Argentines that are played in a week or so.

Didn't like the Manouchetone or LaBella - weak volume, weak tone, weak strings, break if you breathe on them.

I want to try the Galli VO27 and the Saga strings... I was excited about the Saga strings until I found they were charging a big premium for them. I was salivating thinking "cool - we're finally going to get a decent set of $5 or $5.50 strings... and then when they came out all I could say was... damn!!! they're charging a premium over Savarez? Are they high? You don't launch a brand new product at a premium to the market leader ... especially if your brand name is all about quality on a budget...

Ewan

I'll weigh in briefly here - strings are an inexhaustible topic. Over the last couple of years and thanks to Michael's extensive shop I've tried nearly all the above plus the Manouche Tone strings, which a local (Brisbane Australia) importer is getting in.
I keep coming back to the Argentines, but of the other I liked the Manouche Tones, and for me they lasted well. I like the idea of a family winding strings by hand in a little backroom somewhere in LA...
btw Raphael Fays was using the Galli R500s when I met him a couple of years ago.
cheers
Ewan

djadam

I strongly favor the Argentines - especially after a day of playing to break them in. They last pretty well too. I generally change the G string after 2-3 gigs and squeeze out a couple more.

I've tried the Silk & Steel and I like the feel of them, plus they sound broken-in on first strum. They don't last too long though, so I'd only use them if I needed to restring right before a gig.

I tried some Dell Arte strings and they didn't last much past one gig. Also, I thought they lacked balls.

Jack

djadam wrote:

I tried some Dell Arte strings and they didn't last much past one gig. Also, I thought they lacked balls.

Maybe they were loop-end.

Really, though, almost everyone I know goes through a period of trying other strings but always come back to Argies. (I used to even buy cheaper sets for practice/rehearsals, just to save the Argentines for gigs, but it got frustrating.) I think Michael makes it really worthwhile to use them when you buy them in bulk-the few local shops that carry them price them far higher.

My two,
Jack.

pmh425

A Quote from Sr Paul McCartney:

"I went into a guitar shop in America a few years ago, and some guy said, 'What kind of bass strings do you use, Paul?' I said, 'Long shiny ones.' "