- This topic has 3 replies, 3 voices, and was last updated 1 year, 10 months ago by
.
-
Posts
-
-
I’m new to the land of nylon string guitars. I’m looking to replace the strings on my Yamaha Flamenco guitar and it looks like it came with medium tension strings. That’s where I get confused!
In my Google searches I’ve seen some people refer to medium tension being the same as normal tension. Is it the same? Will I damage my guitar, or will it be un-playable if I put the wrong tension strings on? Low tension? Normal tension? Medium tension? High tension? Arrrrgh!
Joe
The sight of a touch, or the scent of a sound,
Or the strength of an Oak with roots deep in the ground.
--Graeme Edge -
Hey Joe, I have a classical guitar which is nice to play and sounds good, with plenty of volume. The strings on it are about 25 years old. So I’m conducting a scientific experiment to see how long nylon strings will last. After 25 years, they show no sign of wear. I don’t understand it.
Sunjamr Steve
-
Medium tension is the same as normal tension.
The primary difference between nylon string gauges is brightness and volume. Higher tension strings give more volume but are duller (because their mass causes a roll off of harmonics). Lower tension strings do the opposite. Also, low tension strings may be more difficult to play accurately because they bend more easily.You will not damage your guitar by putting higher tension strings on it, and it won’t be unplayable.
Some say leaving high tension strings permanently on may potentially cause neck relief in the long run, but it’s actually rather unlikely given the actual tension – even for high tension strings. And if your guitar has an adjustable truss rod (few classical and flamenco guitars have one) then it’s even less of an issue.I recommend you go for meium (normal) string gauge.
-
Thank you gentlemen. This info eases my fear of choosing the wrong strings.
I tend to use a heavy touch so low tension wouldn’t be good for me. My guitar doesn’t have a truss rod so I think I’ll stick with medium/normal tension.
The picture I’ve attached shows the low strings are beginning to wear…the 4th string looks like it’s beginning to unwind and even has a frayed wire strand at the 2nd fret. Hence my decision to change them. 😉
Joe
The sight of a touch, or the scent of a sound,
Or the strength of an Oak with roots deep in the ground.
--Graeme Edge
-
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
