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| Site last updated . This particular page was created 19/12/2003 and last updated 13/11/2005 Site updates |
To help you choose the right string set for your guitar, I've separated them into four categories:
Budget nylon strings
Are you on a shoestring budget but need guitar strings? You can get strings of reasonable quality amazingly cheap if you just look around a bit.Cobra CCL-20-N
| Type: | Classical guitar strings |
| Produced: | USA |
| Availablility: | Europe, USA, Canada |
Cobra are US made budget guitar strings that have only been available in Europe (and not very common there either) until now.
They may not be the best strings in the world, but neither are the common and far more expensive brands like D'Addario or Savarez. Besides, although "serious" nylon strings produces a better tone, can your guitar manage to transfer it? Most low- and mid-priced guitars can't, so a top-of-the-range string set like Aranjuez is really just a waste of money unless you have a guitar to match.
For a "standard" nylon stringed guitar, Cobra strings are worth a serious look, and if you're shopping for strings for your local school or something like that, Cobra is definitely what you want!
Extra light (flamenco) strings
Flamenco guitarists seem to prefer lighter strings than classical guitarists. It makes it easier to play fast, and also gives a wonderfully agressive edge when you play them hard.Aranjuez AR-200 Spanish Silver
| Type: | Flamenco guitar strings |
| Produced: | Puerto Rico |
| Availablility: | Europe, USA, Canada |
Aranjuez knows exactly what flamenco is all about. Their flamenco set even looks cool with their black treble strings. One warning though: These strings are for flamenco playing only. If you want to play both classical and flamenco, you should try some light classical strings.
Light strings
Light strings are for maximum playability. They're also a good compromice if you use the same guitar for playing classical and flamenco music.Aranjuez AR-300 Classic Silver
| Type: | Classical guitar strings, flamenco guitar strings |
| Produced: | Puerto Rico |
| Availablility: | Europe, USA, Canada |
Great strings for the average home player. Like all Aranjuez sets, the Classic Silver offers the quality of expensive "specialist" strings at the price of "standard" strings.
The Aranjuez Classic Silver gives a credible flamenco sound too. Not as good as special flamenco strings of course, but perfect for the multi-stylist.
Aranjuez AR-600 Classic Gold
| Type: | Classical guitar strings |
| Produced: | Puerto Rico |
| Availablility: | Europe, USA, Canada |
The parlour strings par excellence. Soft and mellow strings with a soft and mellow tone. Put these on a small Spanish guitar and you've got the perfect combo to pass away the long winter evenings with Tarrega and Sor.
Standard strings
The kind of strings you'd normally use. Heavy enough to produce enough volume for a concert and still soft enough to allow for the romantic, classical tone.Aranjuez AR-400 Concert Silver
| Type: | Classical guitar strings |
| Produced: | Puerto Rico |
| Availablility: | Europe, USA, Canada |
Aranjuez used to be one of the big classical string manufacturers, but in recent years they seem to have lost market shares to the big American string brands. That's a pity since they manufacture strings with a sweetness and playablility no top-selling brand is even close to. Augustine is really the only serious competitor (unless we're talking about high-priced "specialist" strings), but even they have problems matching Aranjuez.
Aranjuez AR-700 Concert Gold
| Type: | Classical guitar strings |
| Produced: | Puerto Rico |
| Availablility: | Europe, USA, Canada |
The "Gold" refers both to the set's golden coloured bass strings and to it's round, gentle tone. Concert Gold strings may not cut through as well as the brighter sounding Concert Silver, but for a full, romantic tone nothing can match them.
Aranjuez Concert Gold are the strings I use myself btw. I know Concert Silver would suit my Fleeson guitar the best, but I never can resist a little extra sweetness. :-)
Heavy strings
My old guitar teacher used to talk about "tractor guitars" - big, solid, loud guitars able to be heard even in the biggest concert hall. There's absolutely nothing wrong with that. Volume is necessary sometimes, and there'll always have to be a compromice between volume and flexibility/sweetness. Great guitar makers like Ramirez, Hopf and the late Martin Fleeson are representatives of this "heavy" school of luthiership, and their instruments are widely regarded as being among the best there is.There are "tractor strings" as well. Heavy strings to fill big rooms and to cut through the background noise.
D'Addario EJ44 Pro-Arte Extra Hard Tension
| Type: | Classical guitar strings, flamenco guitar strings |
| Produced: | USA |
| Availablility: | Europe, USA, Canada |
I'm usually not very fond of D'Addario nylon strings. There's nothing wrong with them - it's just that there are so many other brands that give you more for your money.
Their high tension strings are an exeption though. The stiffness that is D'Addario's main downfall actually becomes an advantage when we're talking about really heavy strings. The tone is unsophisticated and rough, vibrato and such is difficult, but if you really need to cut through the noise, D'Addario Extra Hard Tension is what you want.
D'Addario EJ46 Pro-Arte Hard Tension
| Type: | Classical guitar strings, flamenco guitar strings |
| Produced: | USA |
| Availablility: | Worldwide |
The EJ-46 set includes standard treble strings, but heavier bass strings, making it a good alternative if you want high tension strings but feel the EJ-44 set is a bit over the top.
For a couple of years it was virtually impossible to get Aranjuez strings in Norway where I live. Thankfully the internet fixed that problem, but in the meantime D'Addario EJ-46 provided me with a fair alternative, and the set is still definitely my personal second choice.