Mari Strings--Classical, Flamenco Strings, Requinto and Ethnic--Special pricing $6 per set, minimum 4 set order shipping included in the US (revised November 18, 2011)
I have used Daniel Mari strings in my workshop since the 1990s.
Since it takes as much time to send several set of strings as it does 1 set and the sshipping cost the same, I offer classical, flamenco or requinto strings at the very low price of 3 sets for $20 ( that's $6.67 per set) or 4 sets for $24 including shipping in the USA (that's $6.00 per set including shipping). I will mix the sets so you can order some of each classical or flamenco sets.
Bass sets are 5 sets for $20.00 shipping included in the USA; 3 bass sets and 3 full sets is $30 shipping included.
If you want to order strings and pay by VISA or MasterCard, call me at 949-856-1537 or send me an email: ron@fernandezmusic.com
Contact me before you send a check or money order. I have a large stock of these strings but please contact me first.
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I have 3 types of Classical Guitar strings sets: Medium(silver) and High tension (silver), Medium Tension Bronze.
I have 2 tensions of Flamenco Guitar strings: standard flamenco and light strings.
I have sets of the 3 bass wound strings (4th , 5th and 6th) for medium tension classical and standard flamenco strings. These bass sets are not for the contrabass--these are strings for the standard clasical or flamenco guitars.
I have various specialty strings: requinto strings, children strings, charango strings, Venezulan cuatro strings, Tres Cubano strings, Laud, Bandurria strings. These strings are $20 for 3 sets, $24 for 4 sets including shipping in the US.
When I first met Daniel Mari I asked him about lute strings and he then started to explain in great detail how he made them. I was impressed and pleased because I realized that this man was that rare person--a genuine expert in his field. I soon found out that his family has been making string in Italy since 1600! And, that he had made strings for Sabicas, Mario Escudero, John Lennon, Leo Fender, Les Paul and many others.
For years Daniel has been making private labeled strings and strings for instrument manufacturers around the world. He is in essence a supplier to the musical instrument manufacturers.
I have put Daniel Mari strings on thousands of guitars that I have imported from Spain, Portugal and Latin America. I personally use Daniel's strings on my Miguel Rodriguez flamenco, Felix Manzanero classical and flamencos, Eugene Clark, John Park and my own guitars. I use them on my private ethnic instruments too (Bolivian charangos, Portuguese guitarras, Venezuelan cuatros, Martin Ukuleles and Tres Cubanos).
Mari Classical Strings 100p are professional grade, medium tension strings with silver coated basses and clear trebles. These are the strings I put on Esteve, Manuel Adalid and Juan Hernandez Classical guitars when I restring them in my shop. I find that that this tension produces a full sound. In technical terms it produces good fundamentals and upper partials. These are the strings I generally recommend to everyone. 4 sets for $24 including shipping in the US
Mari Classical Strings 200ph are professional grade high tension, silver coated basses with clear trebles. 4 sets for $24 including shipping in the US
Mari Classical Bass String sets in Medium tension. These sets include the 4th, 5th and 6th wound strings. 5 sets for $20 including shipping in the US
Mari 810 Classical Strings. These are Medium tension sets with Bronze basses and clear treble. These have a different sounds than the silver coated basses. 4 sets for $24 including shipping in the US
This photo show the silver coated bass trebles of the 100p and 200ph and the bronze bass strings of the 810.
Mari Flamenco Strings. Standard tension. These are lower tension than the Mari Medium Tension classical strings. Silver basses, clear trebles. These are what I use on Esteve 5F, 6F, 8F, 9F and 11F, Vicente Sanchis, Juan Hernandez Profesor Flamenco and Juan Hernandez Professional Flamenco Guitars. I also use them on my Felix Manzanero and Miguel Rodriguez Guitars. 4 sets for $24 including shipping in the US
Mari Flamenco Bass sets. These sets include the 4th, 5th and 6th wound strings. 5 sets for $20 including shipping in the US.
The Light Gauges Flamenco Strings have silver basses and clear trebles. These are for flamenco guitars which have a very flexible soundboard such as very old instruments which were originally made for gut strings. Before the Second World War all classical and flamenco strings were gut; the guitar makers of the time made their guitar soundboards for such strings. Old guitars which have been played heavily for a long time or which have been made with very flexible soundboard might benefit from these light gauge strings. Generally, if you have a flamenco guitar made in the last 50 years you should be using the standard tension strings not the light gauges. 4 sets for $24 including shipping in the US
Mari Ethnic Strings. I stock various strings for ethnic fretted instruments such as Bolivian Charango,Tres Cubano, Cuatro Venezolano, Standard Ukulele and Tenor Ukulele.
I also have some strings for Brazilian Cavaquinho, Spanish bandurria, Spanish laud by others makers.
If you want to order strings and pay by VISA or MasterCard, call me at 949-856-1537 or send me an email: ron@fernandezmusic.com
Contact me before you send a check or money order. I have a large stock of these strings but please contact me first.
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Some thoughts about the projection and fullness of guitar strings by Ron Fernandez
I use to think that high tension strings would always produce a louder sound than medium tension strings. I now think that the matter is more complex. One reason is that the audience and the player hear different sounds. So, the question becomes: louder for whom?
The player hears more of the fundamental notes and the audience hears more of the upper partials (what some people call "harmonics"). The fundamental and the upper partials travel at different rates. What does this mean? What is a "fundamental" and what is an "upper partial". Let me give an example.
When you pluck the 5th string of a guitar it produces a frequency of 110 cycles per second, that is, the strings vibrates 110 times in a second and produces the note "A" (its technical name is A2). If the soundboard has the right flexibility and the string is the right thickness, the string will also segment into 2 parts (at about the 12th fret) and each of the 2 segments will vibrate at 220 cycles per second at the same time that the entire string is vibrating at 110 cycles per second. The note produced by a frequency of 220 cycle per second is an "A" (its technical name is A3 which is one octave above the fundamental note "A" ( whose technical name is A 2 at 110 cycles per second). If the soundboard has the right flexibility and the string is the right thickness, it will also segment into 3 parts each of which will produce a frequency of 330 cycles per second which is the note "E" ( whose technical name is E4 which is a fifth about the A3 at 220 ycles per second). [This explanation may be boring or difficult for some readers but it is worthwhile to continue.] If the soundboard has the right flexibility and the string is the right thickness it will segment into 4 parts which will produce another "A" at 440 cycles per second (which is Concert Pitch "A", whihc is called A4 whihc is the same note as the "A" on the 1st string at the 5th fret. The string can also segment into 5 parts and produce a note at 550 cycles per second, which is close to the note C#. The string might also segment into 6 parts and produce another "E" at about 660 cycles per second (the technical name of this note is E5 which is at 659.26 of an even tempered scale. The string might alsosegment into 7 parts and produce a note at 770 cycles per second which is close to a G5 at 783.99 of the even tempered scale. And it might segment into 8 parts which will produce another "A" (A5 at 880 cycles per second).
What this means is that the single 5th string can segment and produce an A7 chord (A, C#, E, G). However, If the string is too tight, it cannot segment and will not produce such a full series of notes and will not seem to have such a "full" tone. What this means to the player is that you must find strings which suit the flexibility/stiffness of your guitar.
Futhermore, higher frequencies travel further than lower frequencies. In every day life you know that you can hear a baby scream across the room but it may be difficult to hear a man with a deep voice. This is because the scream of the baby is a higher frequency which travels further and with less energy than a lower frequency. The implication for a guitarist performing without amplification is that the audience hears more of the upper frequencies (i.e., the upper partials) while the player is surrounded by lower frequencies (i.e, the fundamental notes). So, if you are going to test the projection and "volume" of a guitar you must not simply listen from behind he guitar but you must have someone else play it so you can listen to it yards in front where the audience would be.
To recap: whether the guitar will produce a louder sound with medium or high tension strings depends greatly upon the flexibility or stiffness of the soundboard on a particular guitar. If the string tension is too hard for the particular soundboard then the strings will not be able to segment enough to produce the upper partials. In short, higher tension does not guanantee a louder sound or strong projection. High tension strings are harder to pluck but they return to playing position slightly faster than a lower tension string--they feel stiffer to the player. You might like how higher tension strings feel if you are playing polyphonic music and you want the strings to return to its original position more quickly but they will be stiffer/harder for your fingers And, they will not necessarily sound louder or fuller to the audience.