Knobloch Erithacus EDQ 34.5 QZ Nylon High Tension, Full Set

The Erithacus QZ nylon set brought with it great expectations. I've heard from a number of players that this was by far the best string they'd ever tried, so I decided to try them myself. I tried the Actives (w/ QZ nylon) in the past and found those to be rather underwhelming, so I was curious to see what the Erithacus set would bring. They are indeed different than the Actives. The set sounds nice, with a purity that is enticing, rather like the quality you get when you use a pure silver bass string (if you can afford to try them. . ). The Erithacus basses are not pure silver, but rather a silver plated copper over nylon thread, like most bass strings are. But again, they sound rather pure with nicely aligned overtones. They also feel like they have less tension than most sets with the same diameter, not exactly sure why that is. Could just be me. Durability was good, they seem to last as long as the other popular brands, so no issues there.

However, they have a downside too. They have noticeably less volume than D'Addario EJ 45 or Savarez Corum/New Cristal sets. So, if you're looking to enhance the volume of your instrument, perhaps look elsewhere. I found myself really digging in to try to bring out what I was used to with the other sets from D'Addario/Savarez/Augustine, etc. I don't want to work harder to get the same result as something else, so projection was a negative in my book.

The first string also had a strange timbre or overtone that was, I hope, caused by a defective (uneven) string. I actually don't think it was a defect, but rather the character of their particular blend of nylon that emerges when pushed hard. It sounds like it breaks up when you play with hard rest strokes. With the reduced volume, and somewhat subdued timbre/overtones, this set didn't rank up there with other well-known brands I've mentioned.

So, their packaging and their marketing campaign are great, kudos to them! They seem to have really captured a lot of interest recently. However, for me, at twice the price of D'Addario, Savarez, or Augustine, I doubt I'll be purchasing more of these. Like many strings, it's fun to experiment to see what they might bring to your instrument, but in this case, it was one and done.

I installed these strings on a Hippner Bernabe cedar/madagascar rosewood guitar. When I opened the package, I noticed an obvious defect on the 3rd string that I could both see and feel. At 1st it seemed like it was not going to matter. Then I noticed a significant intonation problem as I went up the frets on this string alone. I will reevaluate when I install another set to be sure it's not the guitar, but intonation issues have not been noticed before.

The feel of these strings is outstanding and they offer a very pleasant and balanced tone, while being capable of good expressiveness. Hopefully, the defect present is a rarity, as these strings are a bit pricey. They do offer some nice qualities if you want to take a chance on them. However, I'll probably use other strings in the future.

Previously, I posted a review of the Knobloch Erithacus EDQ 34. 5 string set and gave it 3 out of 5 stars. The previous assessment was based on my perception at the time that there was an intonation issue with the 2b string. Subsequently, I discovered that this evaluation was in error because of a problem with the guitar rather than the string set. Recently, I tried these strings again on a different guitar (Saers/Joluck A8 630 mm scale) and found them to be excellent in all respects. These strings settle quickly and exhibit excellent intonation, very good bass-treble balance, low finger or fingernail noise, and an agreeable velvety tone.