I'm very impressed
Review by Don on 4 Mar 2025 review stating I'm very impressed As an engineer, I find reviews of classical guitar strings to be less than satisfying. The comments are often about characteristics that range from obscure to esoteric to arcane to useless. And the assessment of these characteristics are always subjective (because they can't readily be measured with a meter).
Assessing strings is further complicated by the fact the final sound production from a guitar is a combination of strings and guitar (and guitarist). Strings that sound great on one instrument may not sound so on another. Some higher quality instruments are designed for a particular string or tension. Some inferior instruments may be such that no string will make it sound good. For example, regardless of the string used, my student-level instrument has a certain upper register where the plucked volume just "disappears" only to pick up again a few frets higher (soundbox resonance is nutty).
All this makes reviewing strings difficult to do (aside from just saying 'these sound good').
But reviews do have some merit. It's all about sound production and quality: it's helpful to discover what others consider the important characteristics of a string in these regards, and to see how they describe these characteristics. Hopefully some folks will get some value from this review.
----- Who am I
Let me begin by saying I'm not a professional musician nor even an accomplished guitarist. I was playing quite a bit earlier in my life merely as a hobby. I unfortunately got away from it later in my career (life often interrupts personal pursuits). I now have time now to get back into playing and went looking for some replacement strings.
My guitar (a decent student model bought secondhand decades ago) came with La Bella Golden Superior strings. I stayed with those while I was active. I found them quite pleasant to play. My only criticisms were that (a) they took quite a while to settle into the point where they didn't often require retuning, and (b) they wore out faster than I would have liked. I tried using other brands (including D'Addario). But I always came back to the Golden Superiors.
---- The retailer
I used another online string retailer through the late 90's. Going back there recently I found their website completely lacking (very limited selection, unusually high prices, terrible organization of web pages). Luckily, I also found 'Strings By Mail' which had a well-designed website and carried an incredible selection at reasonable prices (honest assessment, I don't get any merch from them for saying this). I decided to try D'Addario strings (EJ45) again. They were more reasonably priced than the Golder Superiors and widely used by many (Ana Vidovic apparently uses EJ46. . . if the Pro Arte strings are good enough for her, then who am I to disagree).
---- The strings
I chose the EJ45 strings as they are normal tension (vs the EJ46). The difference in net force on the bridge is small. Based on data from the D'Addario site, the total tensions are as follows: EJ45 85. 8 lbf, EJ46 89. 9 lbf (~5% increase). Still, I went with the lower tension strings to give a break to my quite old guitar (and to my quite old fingers).
I was impressed by the packaging: a single zip-sealed plastic bag holding all the strings. That was inside a cardboard package with the branding and string information. The plastic bag (recyclable in my town) should help limit corrosion before purchase. Individual strings in the plastic bag were clearly labeled with a removeable paper tag. These are small almost silly details, but it just goes to show the extent to which D'Addario has thoughtfully engineered their product delivery.
The strings themselves: in a word, wonderful.
---- Details
Once installed on my instrument, the EJ45 strings had a familiar sensation. They feel like the strings I recall using years ago. The bass strings are "grippy", and the nylon trebles are not so slippery as to roll off your finger or nail too easily. It's an odd balance to describe. I don't think D'Addario is unique in building this into their strings. I mention it only because in this regard the Pro Arte product contrasts with their other more modern offerings (like the XT).
As an aside, I'm not a fan of the coated bass strings. I've tried them in a music store locally (too slippery for me). And the carbon trebles, well, maybe/maybe not. String suppliers put all the tech into increasing the sound projection and longevity of strings. They do sound brighter and last longer (I'm told). I'm sure professional level players can get great sound from them. But if taken too far it moves away from sounding like the instrument I enjoy. Maybe that is too extreme a statement? It's like listening to a well mic'ed classical guitar compared to one amplified using an acoustic pickup under the saddle. They are both loud. But the first is usually mellow and sweet, the second often quacks like a duck to the point of being unlistenable.
Acoustically EJ45's fit into that sweet spot for me. The basses are rich (lots of harmonic content) without being overpoweringly loud. Some characterize this defect as sounding too dark (that really is the best description I've read for this). The EJ45 basses are not like that: they are instead warm and mellow without sounding muddy (or evil?). In this regard they are very like the Golden Superior I used previously. The trebles were a nice surprise. They are clear and project well without being too percussive (or bright). I suspect this is due to the mix of harmonics produced by the string. When I tried EJ45's years ago, I recall them falling into that too-bright category. I don't hear that in the most recent set I purchased. I'm unsure if this is due to a change in materials or their production process, or if my guitar has aged and responds differently now to the string input.
Overall, this leaves the EJ45 basses and trebles well matched. Together they provide a very pleasing sound palette on my instrument. For example, I find it easy to control the dynamics of a piece: I can blend high & low notes together while managing volume. I can also control articulation well (staccato, legato, attack, etc) to provide emphasis for selected passages. I find it easy to express these musical nuances with the EJ45's.
Note this control afforded by being well matched is not typical of all strings I've used in the past. Some sets had basses that were far too soft volume-wise (compared to the trebles), or vise versa. Other times it seemed even new the strings were so "dead" that they made any sort of articulation difficult if not impossible to achieve (for me anyway). Surprisingly this happened more with the trebles than the basses. I'm not sure what material characteristic(s) control this in the manufacture, but the D'Addirio folks seem to understand it and manage it well.
Comparatively, I'd say the Golden Superior from years ago were equivalent or perhaps marginally better than new EJ45's in these regards (i. e. being matched and allowing nuances). But that is based on memory and not a recent side-by-side comparison. Maybe it was just that I was a better player years ago.
I also found that the EJ45s tend to be tuning-stable over time. After a brief break-in period, they remain close to pitch both during and between playing sessions. I can play for longer periods without having to check string tuning because something sounds sour (aside from my playing). And when starting a session, the strings are closer to their last tuning so it doesn't take long to get them playable again. Retuning is inevitable and is the bane of guitarists everywhere. But the stability of these strings makes this process less onerous. It's a nice feature. I'm not sure if this is somehow designed into the product. But the EJ45's are noticeably better in this regard than some other strings (including the Golden Superiors).
I can't comment on the EJ45 durability. In the past, I found they lasted longer than the Golden Superiors that I was using yrs ago.
---- Final Assessment
I have only used this set for a few weeks now but I'm very impressed. Based on quality, expressiveness, stability, durability, and price, this may become my new favorite string. If you are one of the few folks who haven't tried these yet, buy a pair and give them a try.
On D'Addario EJ45 Pro Arte NT Classical Guitar Strings, Full Set
