Reviews

I bought the Medium Tension La Bella Argento pure silver about a month ago. This is what I liked... They stay in tune most of the time, and the basses strings sound very good for about a couple of weeks. I dislike the following... The (4th) D String lost the silver winding above the 3rd and 4th fret and went completly muddy during the 3rd week of regular use (2 hours a day or so). I read the comment about the durability of this particular set and I strongly disagree with it. They last for about a month, or not even there. I was expecting a little longer than that. Maybe the set I received was defective or old, I am not sure since the metal winding damaged only occured to the 4th string. Anyway, for the amount of money I paid, I was expecting something more durable. I am not going to buy these strings never again.

These things are the King of Strings. I've never played anything that had such vibrancy and presence. They are very durable. You probably shouldn't, but you could keep them on for over a year and they still would show little sign of corrosion. I know because I did so on my fave guitar, a Michael Thames cedar and rosewood model; the sound just didn't deteriorate that much. These strings are GREAT! They are the Muhammad Ali of strings, "float like a butterfly, sting like a bee!"
Sound:
They don't add color as much as they bring out the best qualities in almost any guitar. You know that old saying; good strings won't make a bad guitar sound good? It would have to be a REALLY BAD guitar for these not to make it sound its best. They are more resonant, there is more sustain and more pure tone. They are mellow, but they are also lively. Both basses and trebles are very responsive to the player. The clarity of tone is superb.
Playability:
I currently am playing the hard tension set, but I’ve also played the Argento Pure Silver medium tension set and they are easier to bar. Both feel great. The rectified nylon trebles that come with the full set, I haven’t used. With basses, I have to be careful to be very clean on a rest stroke because these strings will report back with equal clarity both good and bad technique. I will say that a friend of mine who is a very fine guitarist has used these strings a lot over the last few years and has said the trebles could use more consistency. I haven’t noticed that myself yet.
Value:
Yes, they are expensive. I remember having to think about it before committing. When I put them on though, I forgot all about that and have subsequently bought a few more sets. You could get the basses and trebles separately and forget about the rectified treble set if you know you aren’t going to use them. That would save you some money. You won’t have to change basses as often, they really do last longer. The true value is in the incredible tone.
Summary:
These are the best strings I’ve ever played.
There are a lot of great strings out there though at all price points. David Russell, Xuefei Yang and John Williams play every day and night with strings costing no more than $5 a set and they can afford to play anything. Ultimately great tone is something you get from hours of practice. That being said, these strings are so pleasing to the ear that you should experience it at least once, providing it won’t put undue stress on your wallet. I’ve heard them on my Thames, a Kenny Hill signature model, a Greg Byers, and a Kremona Orpheus Valley. The expensive guitars sounded even better and the mid-priced Kremona gained more richness and transparency. The clarity is beyond anything I’ve heard before, even from other high end sets. The fact that the tone comes from purity and not coloration is remarkable.