Have You Heard Sheep Gut Strings On A Guitar?

[@brandonacker]

Join my online guitar course!🎸classicalguitar-pro.com -53 videos -6 hours of content -Learn your first pieces -Simulated recital -Downloads and PDFs

[@hellomate639]

Heh. I broke my first set of gut strings because my guitar nut was too sharp. And now I'm making a lyre with the leftovers! Ha.

[@angeloseminerio7179]

A

[@angeloseminerio7179]

6:34

[@roberthunt1540]

My highly scientific assessment of the difference is that the gut sounds less "splanky".

[@hugedickerinokripperino5299]

Lol. Id say it had a warmer tone to it but less splanky works too.

[@bluesdealer]

Rounder

[@satanuvsyn]

To me the gut sounds like light tube saturation :-)

[@polyhistorphilomath]

«Σπλάχνα» is a Greek term that means gut. I can’t agree that gut sounds less “splanky”. It’s like saying I don’t hear that annoying “omentum” sound from the drum now that we remade the drumhead out of that bit of the peritoneum pulled off the stomach.

[@roberthunt1540]

@@polyhistorphilomath You must be really smart!

[@luphi7556]

0:19 “I’m really committed to the idea of playing with flesh” lol

[@LaDivinaLover]

😏

[@Fairy_Gothmother]

🤦🏼‍♀️😂

[@LaDivinaLover]

Lmfao Armie Hammer has entered the chat. 😂

[@CatsPajamas23]

😶

[@LostSoulAscension]

Vamping bro

[@segfaultii]

6:52 this comparison convinced me, the gut strings sounded much more like a connected voice, in direct comparison the synthetic strings sound like one tone after the other, really fast.

[@taliesine.8343]

Agreed! I think this was the best example shown

[@hart.6230]

Too bad it's too expensive for my broke ass

[@Podcastage]

Those sounded amazing. Thank you so much for sharing this with all of us.

[@Scootermagoo]

Who is that masked Quarantineage....

[@subhadeepdas3944]

Bandrew !!

[@ericschneider8258]

Greetings earthling ;-) Love your channel!

[@Acoustic-Rabbit-Hole]

The Pod has spoken. N'uff said. Peace out.

[@JessisKnoll]

Was just talking to my mom about my Dad's guitar playing and learned that he used to have a classical guitar with gut strings.

[@Tejvir7]

Nice

[@gustavopaulette3496]

We don’t care though

[@slender1357]

@@gustavopaulette3496 rude af

[@legoobi-wankenobi3080]

Just because you grew a beard, doesn't mean I'm not onto you, vampire.

[@JackTheDeergal]

Probably just a stick-on beard from the dollar store

[@HDMensur]

Every video is an interview with a vampire

[@Gabriel-pd8sv]

He is trying to pretend that he ages :p

[@topneorej]

I don't get the vampire joke.

[@HDMensur]

@@topneorej it ain't a joke- it's a fact

[@malevolentsloth]

Every time I click on one of Brandon’s videos I’m just blown away by how incredible of a guitarist he is

[@Craig-mn2qh]

IMO I think he is a master of the guitar.

[@RÅNÇIÐ]

It took alot of guts to play the guitar back in the day.

[@anuvette]

Omg so funny XDDDD

[@vanguard4065]

i love you!

[@jasonmoskowitz246]

Good one Den ;)

[@lichen6962]

Futhark fan? Dennis trowato?

[@Acoustic-Rabbit-Hole]

Kind of like today's Lia Thomas where it takes a lot of balls to compete in the women's team!

[@RobMacKillop1]

Brandon, kudos again for taking the no-nails and gut strings approach seriously. I take issue with only one thing, maybe two things :-) The first is the cost. I’ve had my Aquila 900 gut strings on for over a year, play them every single day, and have tuned them to various pitches. They are very stable strings, based on Pujol’s measurements. The other thing is that nail players can use varnished gut strings without the problems you mention. Keep up the good work!

[@brandonacker]

Good to hear from you, Rob! I really appreciate your feedback since I'm so envious of your no-nail tone. I'm surprised you've found them to be stable. I've had gut on my theorbo for a year and in recording sessions/concerts I have to retune between every take. I am using varnished gut by Kürschner but my nails actually still chewed through the trebles. But you're right that I had no problem using nails with the gut other than that. I loved the sound. I hope you're well! Brandon

[@sharonvizcaino1442]

Hi Rob, love your videos, really amazing tone. Just wondering, what do you think of the Aquila vs Damian Dlugolecki, if you've used them? My teacher uses La Bella, but since those are no longer available, he suggested I try Damian's if I wanted to give gut a try again. I don't think he's tried Aquila.

[@RobMacKillop1]

@@sharonvizcaino1442 Sharon, my thoughts on strings (and many other things) are on my website: rmclassicalguitar.com/strings/ Cheers, Rob.

[@RobMacKillop1]

@Bran Hi Bran.

[@joejoejoe532]

@@RobMacKillop1

[@kirbymarchbarcena]

I don't have the guts to play an expensive guitar

[@javierdiazsantana]

Hehe...

[@kontti1472]

Bruh

[@woomi177]

What about a cheap one?

[@displaychicken]

Me neither. I usually smash mine after each performance like Townsend

[@sebthi7890]

Maybe the neighbors have a few sheeps in the front yard. If necessary, an old cat can also be used as an organ donor. ◐.̃◐👆

[@tolstoipie]

This and your no-nails video were extremely well done, and informative. You're a terrific presenter, and of course a superb musician. Thank you for sharing these with us.

[@kendrom]

I’m a machinist by trade, and I tinker with classical guitar playing in my free time. Due to my line of work, I find it impossible to keep my fingernails from constantly breaking, so I’m kinda stuck with the flesh technique. It makes sense to me that early guitar players would play with flesh as well, as life for many people back then was subject to more toil and laborious tasks, that might not have allowed for long fingernails. I loved the gut string comparison. Thank you for sharing. :)

[@dugaldlivingston8923]

Try press-on nails

[@psk1461]

Nails are disgusting 😅😂

[@FellowOfHammer]

They actually did not use nails back in the day, Segovia actually misinterpreted that meaning which caused him to use nails exclusively. Later in life he switched to a more "fleshy" approach as well.

[@robertkennedy4889]

Breaking nails, cuts and bruises are not uncommon in my trade (and partially completed secondary trade) unfortunately. I maintain just enough fingernail best as I can only for the natural sound projection they enable in public performance. Do you ever feel like an anomoly? No stereotypical group do we fit, which is quite amusing to me really. As if to cement the point, this blue collar "redneck" classical guitarist concludes with a comedic Shakespeare quote: "Now, 'Divine air!' now is his soul ravisht!-Is it not strange that sheeps' guts should hale souls out of men's bodies?" -Much Ado About Nothing: Act II Scene III.

[@dmurphy5852]

0:08 "with nails, on their fucking hand" lol

[@malevolentsloth]

Hahaha I thought I was the only one who heard it

[@TonecrafteLuthiery]

Very inconsiderate what you think about it... your fucking hand should always be well manicured.

[@tenhundredkills]

@@malevolentsloth I thought he said that as well. I had to rewind a couple times; he is saying "plucking", lol!

[@piesdescalzos27]

@@tenhundredkills you're mistaken. he said "fucking hands"

[@DerAykac]

@@tenhundredkills i´ll definetely go with "fucking"

[@Watcher6868]

It is not the string. It is you who make this instrument cry. Thanks for all the good music and kind personality.

[@Robobagpiper]

It feels to me like the biggest difference is on the attack, the gut feels like the attack is more gentle, rising to peak volume, whereas the nylgut is a very sharp and sudden attack. On top of the warmer sound of the gut, the effect is to really mellow the instrument. As far as sustain goes, I had the great pleasure of noodling on a gut strung bray harp at Ardival in Scotland, having dabbled a little on wire harp. I was expecting the difference in sustain between gut and wire to be huge, but it was much more subtle than I expected.

[@bens5507]

I've been listening to (and dabbling at) classical guitar for years, but I can hardly hear a difference. Thanks for your comment

[@Robobagpiper]

@@bens5507 I'm a fiddler (also playing early Scottish music on a gut-strung baroque violin) who dabbles in bagpipes, so I'm probably listening for different aspects of the sound. Though the fact that I can hear anything at all is a miracle, thanks to those bagpipes!

[@triton199]

i have to agree, gut sounds smoother, warmer and more round, but you explained it more concisely and precisely than i could lol

[@ptkstefano]

As someone who dabbles daily with synthesizers, this is also what i heard. The gut string sounds punchier and more responsive, as if it had a faster attack than the synthetic ones

[@leons6164]

I am very happy with your sessions.

[@triton199]

wow, I never would have guessed that there would be such a substantial difference in tone between real and synthetic gut strings. just gorgeous .

[@springdreamschilde]

The difference in color between gut and synthetic strings is really amazing! I am so glad I discovered your channel a couple weeks ago. Thanks for sharing your knowledge and music!

[@sharkuel]

The sound of the gut strings sound so full. The bass is well balanced and the harmonics are so clear, and yet so warm sounding

[@GalenHeffermanMusic]

I’m making a six course gut fretted guitar right now eg pagés, and listening to this just on my crappy iphone se speakers, every time the gut strings start, my eyebrows go up and my head goes back. it’s such a clearer sound. somehow brighter AND less harsh.

[@caymansellers8744]

I just want to say thank you, you're a huge inspiration. I recently took an interest in classical music and after watching some of your videos I purchased my first classical guitar, so thank you that.

[@caseymiller3829]

Gut strings. Hands down.. once again Mr Acker, you never fail to go above and beyond. Soooooooooooooooooooo many people on the platform are just rife with misinformation. You sir, are always such a refreshing and informative creator.

[@AndreaCangeri]

It sounds to me like the sound of vinyl vs. digital in terms of warmth and clarity. Love it.

[@snowninja133]

The gut strings sounded so lovely. So soft and elusive, I was amazed at how different they sounded.

[@aqueelkadri8371]

Why does the audio on this video sound so much better? Your voice always sounds great but somehow it sounds even better in this one.

[@stevenchristophersen7673]

This could just be confirmation bias, but to me, the gut strings seem to have a cleaner harmonic profile. It feels like the fundamental is much stronger, and the higher partials of the strings are more pleasing to the ear.

[@Ordolph]

I think you're right, back to back, the nylon strings sound almost like my ears were blocked when compared to the gut strings. The sustain has a very different quality to it as well, although I can't quite place it. It's almost like there's more reverb with the gut strings.

[@nfectedpsychosis]

I agree. Stronger fundamental. More higher overtones and stronger note separation. And more sustain. Edit: more pure overtones really, but I do hear higher ones more clearly with less of that metallic bite from the more dissonant ones.

[@YouTubeHandlesAreMoronic]

@@nfectedpsychosis I was surprised by the top-end "zing" ("sparkle?") that the gut strings produced. It's almost like the gut strings brought back a bit of the sharpness of playing with nails. I suspect it has to do with the surface friction allowing for a stronger pluck when playing sans nails.

[@triton199]

to my admittedly untrained ear the gut strings definitely have a richer and more full tone that rounds off more smoothly and the synthetic ones come across as more sharp/bright and flatter.

[@Spongebob-lf5dn]

Lotta words to just say it sounds "warmer" lol

[@yettiya9942]

Hi Brandon i love listening your covers/songs. Even though i have a cheap classical guitar, you inspire me to become better! You are such an amazing guy and player ! Thanks

[@user-83hricueb7]

We all start somewhere

[@yettiya9942]

@@user-83hricueb7 Absolutely

[@harrymacdonald]

I love how enthused you are in the video, clearly love what you're doing! Really interesting content.

[@Josh.Vanjani]

Thanks for making this; I saw in my analytics that this video was the highest click-through traffic source for my own Aquila gut strings review (and I even see my thumbnail over on the side, woah! 🤯) so I had to come check it out. I also appreciate you helping to bring gut strings from the periphery of the period instrument movement to the mainstream 👏. I certainly agree that the gut is easier to play; moreover, since it's a natural material, the tone has a more organic quality. I'm trying Pyramid gut next, and will look into the Boston Catlines for next time. Admittedly, I've seen your videos come up in recommended before, but this is the first one I've watched. I generally avoid large channels because I find them impersonal, but have now unreservedly subscribed. 😎

[@mabdub]

Oh, that was wonderful hearing the comparison. To my ear the gut strings are much more preferable, by far. The sound was noticeably refined with a sweet singing quality that sounded like it had a genuine life inside of it. I don't know how to describe the effect accurately but it was kind of like opening the door to a whole other universe of music and I didn't want to leave. I've never heard such a mesmerizing soundscape. Now, I'm really excited about hearing more from the gut strings. In every comparison the sound was more rounded and the decay sounded natural and felt familiar. Thank you so much.

[@AlphaOmega]

i've been waiting for so long for your Video. And suddenly you came with the answer for what i asked.. Thankyou So much. God Bless you

[@plank5797]

I'm so lost in the pieces and performance that I lose track of listening for the differences! Great job on the videos, I love every single one of them.

[@Rosso869]

ohhh my god... i´m from Paraguay, Pío Barrios country i´ve heard a lot of musicians trying to interpretate that masterpiece and they did it in a certain way... even the most famous guitarrist player from Paraguay Berta Rojas played that song but...... you my man... you took it to the next level i can feel Pío Barrios soul when you are playing it my gosh that was another level of music... THANK YOU for this and i really mean it thank you for this!!!! please do a full cover fo that song

[@jakestark9277]

Always nice to see a new video pop in when I have a fresh coffee in hand. Good on you! Relaxing and informative 😀

[@scottreeves1226]

Years ago I played on gut strings for a while. I like the sound the touch, and the response. Also, I find that gut strings feel live, and not surprising, organic under the fingers. But, as you say, for even a very-little-nail player such as myself, they wear more quickly. And they are very expensive. Ironically, Aquila Alabastro strings are the closest to a gut in sound and feel (liveliness) that I have encountered. I use them exclusively on my personal guitar. (I have not yet used the other Aquila strings that they market as being even closer to gut sound and feel.) Thank you for this discussion. Play on!

[@bmoraga01]

Scott - thanks for the reference. I will try a set. Word of mouth is the best advertisement.

[@ForProfit-x100]

I swear by Aquila strings. I usually get alabastro but I have tried a few of their string sets. I refuse to purchase any other brand of strings

[@Ursaminor31]

Within two videos I’m convinced of several things, no nails (except for effect) gut strings are sublime, and you are totally awesome and an amazing artist

[@danlindsey]

I've learned so much about the history of stringed/fretted instruments by just watching two of your videos. I was so excited I ran and told my girlfriend about all these cool facts I just learned. I don't think she was as excited as I was, but thank you so much for your videos nonetheless :)

[@DH-fu7bx]

I see you are a man of culture. Other youtubers just cut through their strings.

[@jdt1581]

Brandon, to put it simply, the synthetic strings sounded “synthetic” in comparison to the more “organic” sound, if you will, of the gut strings. The gut strings sounded richer, fuller to my ears. I’m not a classical guitarist but I do play jazz on the guitar. I use Thomastik-Infeld flat wound strings on my arch top guitar, and I stopped using a pick years ago preferring the warmer sound of my fingers on the strings-no nails. I do have a classical guitar that I use for solo gigs-again no nails-and even with my bastardized finger style playing, it just sound better without nails. I will now look into getting gut strings for the classical guitar. Thanks so much. Wish I had the right hand technique you classical guitars have!!

[@daveprice5911]

I've always been a hardline flesh player for that exact reason. I love the warmth too much

[@fredcox961]

You earned my subscription with this presentation. Thank you. I love the sound of gut. It's such a warm companion for wood.

[@Diegoyoutube24]

This is amazing! I didn't even know guts strings were still arround, never thought of this, will definitely give them a try when I get the chance. Great video Brandon! Thanks!

[@marcovajuso9832]

What I envy you most for is not your gut strings but the incredible effortlessnes and clearness with which you play the high chord with the ornament in Adelita.

[@paulgriffinpencil]

Completely got the resonance in the gut strings. It sounds beautiful. I think I'm going to follow suit and get some. My most expensive guitar just doesn't sound amazing. Had it a year, tried multiple strings and just not getting the sound I want. I'm sure it's wanting the gut strings. Loved Adelita. I got really excited when you said you were going to play it. Not heard it since learning it myself and glad to know I got it right. :) thanks as always, great video.

[@lapin46]

synthetic strings have a metallic ping sound on striking it while the gut string has way less of that. It sounds like the tone just starts. Wonderful demo. Your consistency allowed even me to hear the difference.

[@PaulMcCaffreyfmac]

There definitely seems to be a homogeneity of sound from bottom to top with the gut strings, as if in playing chromatically from fourth through third string it would be hard to tell where the string change occurred. Whether this is the case or not the palying is delightful as always.

[@BrunoHenriquesHasper1]

Thank you very much! 20 years listening about gut strings, just words about it and the rest left to imagination. A great hug from Brazil!

[@Fairy_Gothmother]

Beautiful! But not sure I want to know who in history sat around and discovered guts made pretty noises 😳😂

[@f_r_e_d]

😂 probably a hermit that lived deep in a forest

[@MariaVlasiou]

Ancient Greeks I believe.

[@flavio9750]

😂😂

[@ahmedalnagar4952]

Ancient Egypt, catgut was found in many instruments

[@MissPoplarLeaf]

Guts were used for a lot of things! Sausage casings, for one. Just imagine, you live in really ancient times where it's best to use as much of an animal as you can. You're most likely going to discover the uses of each part of the animal, because it's kind of necessary.

[@HowToProgramThis]

Listening to you play capricho árabe is always somehow so unbelievably satisfying to me lol, i could listen to it all day.

[@Marcos_O]

Mate, the strings are good but I'm much more impressed with your playing technique and feeling! What a way of playing!!! And without nails!! Loved the pieces...

[@obZidianZ06]

The sound is crazy!! The clarity and warmth makes it sound like you changed guitars entirely.

[@MisterNiles]

You and your stupid great playing. On the first piece I had to rewind 4 times because I kept getting lost in the music and forgetting to listen to the strings! Lol. That's an awesome super power. And yeah. They sound wonderful. Immediate extra bit of life audible in the instrument with the gut. Thanks for the video.

[@meg7617]

A really interesting experiment you have provided for us. Thanks

[@Glacier_Nester]

That's a really subtle change in the way those strings sound! Pleasantly surprised by the effectiveness of synthetic strings, you've really got to be paying attention to catch it, y'know? From your explanation of things here, seems like they're more of an effect on how the instrument feels to play rather than overall tone, at least to the average ear.

[@RaffyLataGuitar]

I agree with one commenter that a blind test is more effective, especially in weeding out the bias of knowing which string is on the guitar. I really can’t tell the difference as a listener, but perhaps as a player, the differences wil be more pronounced. Having said that, I now want to try the Aquila nylgut, at least. Thanks 🙏

[@bernardomanara389]

I use Aquila strings, of many type, since years and I've never heard something like this. Right now I'm using nylgut strings and... I loved them since the first note, I suppose this will be a returnless trip. 🤩. They even mantein the tuning incredibly..TOP!.

[@OscarRuiz-gj3mp]

Both SOUNDED amazing ly good.....to my ears,thru my speakers, no dicernible difference. Great vid!

[@fortissimoX]

Real test would be the blind test. You should have just put "Strings A" and "Strings B" while you were playing, and then let us decide which ones are gut, and which ones are synthetic. And of course, reveal the result at the end of the video :-) Personally, I would just have to guess because they sound very very similar to me. Btw, I'm very glad for that, because I'm using Aguila nylgut for quite some time, and this video just confirms that my decision was a good one. Thank you for your videos, you are doing great job, and I'm very happy that you've started playing without nails! I'm playing without nails and I've been asking myself so many times if it was possible at all to achieve good tremolo without them. According to that short segment from your last video, it seems that it is! :-)

[@miloshp7399]

Come on, I can clearly tell the difference and I'm not that talented (at least for pitch).

[@TheGrmany69]

5:49 exactly what I thought right away... the fingers don't slip. My other observation is that maybe you can add colophony to the strings to make them more sticky and apply trementine to clean them.

[@javierdiazsantana]

Gut is worth it whenever you have the chance (They are rather expensive) and you have a proper climate (Rather humid so the strings won't shrink) however since they are rather unstable and more expensive but you want to try the antique / romantic sound, some good sets are rectified nylon in general, such as D'Addario Rectified Nylon, Savarez Traditional Trebles (Rectified, not Crystal) in their respective tensions, Aquila Ambra 800 or 900 (Lower and higher tension respectively) to name the most that come to mind. All these sets are proper for antique guitar since they have rather dark and balanced basses and textured treble strings, pretty much similar or the closest in synthetic materials to actual gut sets. By the way i am really loving the romantic kind of sound since i also have a Torres replica guitar. Had been putting on Savarez Corum carbons on it and it didn't sang, it screamed... Extremely cutting as a set overall. D'Addario and Knobloch carbons are warmer but still have certain cut to the sound. Some nylons have always been very dark for me, D'Addario nylon overall. My fave sets soundwise were Augustine Regals but they get damaged quite quickly and easily, so i will have to ditch them. And since the rectifieds keep a better character and on top of that, suit the character of the guitar better than carbons, i think i will get several sets of trebles from those brands and pair with some dark high tension basses, to bring a more traditional character to that guitar. Greetings Mr. Acker from Mexico, take care

[@MrMjp58]

Both types of strings sound super in-tune across the entire fretboard. The intonation on that thing is sensational! Every classical guitar I've played has had poor intonation - including quite expensive ones [ a lower priced Ramirez for instance]. I thought the gut strings had a subtle and classic styling to them, but the downsides you outlined would put me off trying them. Fantastic video and so clearly explained. KZbin at its sanest!

[@LaserGryph]

Thanks for your no nails experiment. Being a piano player I'd always shied away from guitar because I didn't want to grow out a set of claws. At least now I know you can be proficient without them and I've decided to take up fingerstyle guitar.

[@MyDemon32]

You don't want to grow nails, but you're a gryphon!

[@woomi177]

Ever heard of tommy emanuel? He also doesnt use fingernails

[@camrindelvalle2145]

That’s freaking awesome dude

[@Goriaas]

@@woomi177 he plays only steel string though. pretty different

[@woomi177]

@@Goriaas i was just pointing it out since he mentioned fingerstyle.

[@thespeedcuber7818]

I love your enthusiasm for this stuff

[@reaganguitarwilliams8759]

The sound difference is on par with a pickup swap on an electric guitar! It really makes the instrument come to life! I'm buying a set of true gut stings now!

[@DerekGripperGuitar]

great video. I was having a gut string moment (happens every few years) and this was great to encourage me to get a new set. Thanks!

[@brandonacker]

If you're interested in trying out gut strings, you can purchase them in the US at www.bostoncatlines.com and if you are in Europe try www.cuerdaspulsadas.es Don't forget to SUBSCRIBE! Cheers, ~Brandon

[@CatsPajamas23]

I've always wondered about this, because as a commenter already stated, nylon strings were created to be an improvement over gut, but always wanted to hear a classical guitar with gut strings. Thanks and best regards. ❤️

[@beatricebertucci3611]

Thank you

[@songfulmusicofsongs]

Actually, for the price, I think it's similar to the prices of strings for violin and viola (I think it's actually cheaper). But yeah, I'd like to try them someday, but nowadays my guitar is so bad that it doesn't deserve such strings.

[@forgalzz7]

@@CatsPajamas23 But was the improvement supposed to be that they sound better, or that they last longer?

[@cezary8673]

U look better when u shave. Video is good.

[@RemunJ66]

I really was wondering as well and now I know it can work on my modern Spanish guitar. Thanks a lot for sharing all these interesting videos.

[@2li678]

Well, I guess you discovered one reason why more people used to play with their flesh: they were also playing gut strings! The historical gut string-flesh combo makes a lot of sense if nails just cut into the gut. The timbre of the gut strings have so much more character, definitely warmer. It does sound to me (on my phone's speakers) like the sustain curve is a different shape, like there's a steeper decay, even if the overall sustain duration is comprable.

[@wearetemporary]

I love the tone of gut. The strong fundamental and the way the envelope of the sound unfolds is beautiful to me. That said, I’ve played the Boston Catlines for a while now with very mixed feelings. I’ve tried all four variations of “light” and “recommended” gauges in both varnished and unvarnished form. In all instances the unvarnished gut failed almost instantly. In one case the high E snapped on wind up and in two other cases one or more of the strings started to develop fraying within a day or two. I should mention that my nut slots were smooth, free of debris, and properly angled, and that my frets are regularly polished and smooth. Needless to say, I am not convinced these are a truly feasible match for a classical guitar. My experiences with the shellac varnished gut strings, however, could not be more different. In that case the strings-even the lighter gauge ones-were incredibly durable. In fact, they performed daily for almost three months straight. Just amazing. As to the varnished sound, I could ascertain absolutely no audible difference to the unvarnished gut. They sounded just as beautiful. The only Achilles heel of the varnished gut? Squeaks. Every time you play, after about 10-30 minutes, they start to squeak like crazy (especially on the RH). Cream on fingertips helps temporarily, but it’s a trade off fraught with issues of its own. Too much cream and it transfers to the strings adding density and wrecking havoc on pitch and intonation. You also loose some much needed RH grip for stroke preparation. Also the cream wears off unpredictably… you might be fine and then midway if though a piece it starts squeaking again. Mind you, the squeaking isn’t just for a few days but throughout the entire string’s life. Unlike strings that are known to squeak during a “break-in phase”-think Aquila Sugars etc-the varnished gut never stops squeaking. As soon as the temperature of the strings goes up and your body’s oils and sweat starts interacting with the shellac, the squeaking begins. For those of you who have ever worked with shellac I’m sure this comes as no surprise haha. Anyhow, this is all to say that I do love gut, but the only feasible option for me is the varnished variety, and managing squeaking, though possible, is a constant hassle. The Aquila’s synthetic gut, btw, is no substitute. It’s not a bad string in its own right, but real gut is truly magical in a way no other string is. And without wanting to make anyone else feel bad about their strings, my own subjective experience upon trying gut (and then switching back and forth to nylons and other materials) was that gut truly makes guitars strung with synthetics, carbons, and nylons sound like toys by comparison. In fact, after once tearing a gut e’ string without backup, I was forced to replace it with a high quality nylon. I kid you not, upon comparing the g’ and b’ guts to the e’ nylon I burst out spit-laughing. Absolutely NO comparison at all. I could not believe my ears.

[@andrewquigley8052]

I love how the most eloquent musician on the internet has a Coca-Cola and Mountain Dew sponsorship. What an absolute inspiration lmao

[@mutantkoffee]

xd

[@coenvalk833]

Hey Brandon great video. I would love to see a video on long term classical guitar maintenance. When to restring, cleaning the body + neck, polishing and maybe even recrowning frets, action and intonation tweaks, humidity control, etc. Anything to keep my hobby and investment in a beautiful instrument worthwhile.

[@Pb-ij4ip]

The gut strings sound a bit less percussive to me, which is to say there isn’t that “pop” at the pluck/pick/strike (whatever you want to call it). Other than that, I couldn’t detect a difference worth making the switch. But then again...you mention the feel of the strings. That’s a huge difference. I’ll confess my classical experience is small. The argument in the “electric world” seems to be about gauges. I played a heavy gauge string for close to 2 decades because of that tone. After listening to gauge comparisons (with my eyes closed for what it’s worth) I found what I was hearing was mostly what I wanted to hear (although not entirely). I also found using a heavy gauge low end and a light gauge high end made my instrument much more enjoyable (comfortable) to play. Bottom line is this: try a lot of different things. Choose the ones you like, and choose them for the reasons that make sense to you.

[@CatsPajamas23]

🙂❤️

[@coffeeguyd]

Wow! I usually don't hear enough of a noticeable difference to my untrained ears in these comparison videos, but those gut strings SANG! 🤩

[@AvaToccoRodriguez]

I mean with Brandon Acker, he could make plywood sound good.

[@ScottishJazzman]

Django played plywood... don’t knock it!

[@juleswinnfield3958]

I had no idea they used the gut for the frets too. I love how you include some interesting history.

[@alimrahardian109]

a vampire playing with flesh and guts... okay enough internet for today.

[@picksalot1]

Very good comparison and description of the differences between Gut and Synthetic strings. I have played gut strings before, and found them to feel kind of sticky in the humid climate where I live. The do have a better tone - warmer, sweeter, more fundamental frequency, louder, and perhaps even better sustain on the high strings/notes. Constant tuning is an unfortunate necessity. I used to play Savarez "rectified" synthetic strings that have a somewhat rough finish on the treble strings, so they didn't feel so slippery. I'm not so finicky these days. Thanks

[@TruthGuitar]

WHAT A FREAKING GREAT VIDEO!

[@iiirdeyeheretik]

Yaaasss Brandon, join the cult of nail-less lute and guitar performance! That beautiful near/on the bridge tone on lute and theorbo is toooo good.

[@stephenmugeche8117]

You convinced me after saying gut strings are easier to play! I'm also inclined to try anything that might help me get through Recuerdos 😅 Would love to see a La Catedral cover. It sounds so beautiful with the gut strings.

[@daniberberi7165]

How tf is this comment 11 hours ago

[@caesar2164]

@@daniberberi7165 Brandon has a Patreon, so I would bet Stephen is a patron and thus got early access.

[@stephenmugeche8117]

@@caesar2164 Yes, that is correct

[@jijolbadutspm8672]

@@caesar2164 what is patreon?

[@daniberberi7165]

@@caesar2164 ohh thx for explaining

[@armanzakwan1898]

Omg finally! A classical guitar with gut strings. On KZbin there're barely any videos about it

[@moni426]

wrong, please check out: carles trepat, rob mckillop, tate harmann, steven watson, william wyse, Josh vanjani

[@nhrifle]

I like the gut strings. They sound a bit fuller, more warm and rounded, just beautiful.

[@brendanjames8818]

It's amazing how more round, like a warm feeling that the tone becomes

[@tqnguyen9658]

I can feel my blood pressure 10 points dropping.

[@uzer_zero]

Wow... was going to post the same. Every time I watch one of Brandon's vids, I feel my BP dropping into the Zen range. ;-)

[@cmcg5788]

Thanks for the comparison, Brandon. Very interesting demo! I've always wondered how gut differed from synthetics. Based on listening to these examples on my computer with earbuds, IMHO, I thought that the synthetics had more sustain and a fuller, brighter, and ringing initial attack--they "popped" a bit more and sustained a bit longer, providing slightly richer overtones throughout.

[@JayBee0212]

I do like the high end on the synthetic better but they have a kind of boomy low mid that I’ve never liked on nylon guitars. The gut strings sound great in the mids, they don’t have that sound that I’ve always disliked, but are missing that high end that I like, however if they were played with nails I think that would sound really good. Not sure what to do about the drop in sustain tho. Overall really interesting to hear thanks Brandon

[@airpierre2501]

It is fun watching your reactions to the gut. Thanks for this video.

[@joshcollins202]

Great comparison! The gut sounds so warm. Just a natural tone compared to the synthetic, which is more bright but you can just really tell the difference. Really great!

[@jeffmoore9487]

I so enjoy your enjoyment and your explorations

[@mer1red]

Of course we can only hear the recorded sound and it is played without nails, but I definitely prefer the synthetic strings, sorry. Clearer note definition, more brilliance but not too much, better sound projection, a frequency spectrum that I like. Guts string have indeed a specific nice sound texture, but I think that is only enjoyable for someone who is sufficiently close to the instrument. The problem with many guitars is too much midrange frequencies or other kinds of less desirable distributions. You can call this warm, but sometimes muddy is a better word. I also suspect that the combination of gut with brand new metal coated basses could easily create an imbalace.

[@unconditionallove3820]

Awesome! The overtones even through the phone, WOW! Like analogue and digital. Must be the secret to why some of the greats today sound even better

[@juniperfern2]

This is awesome Brandon!! I’ve been on the no nail journey and it’s crazy seeing you (one of my favorite guitarists) become such an advocate :) One thing I’ll say is that if gut is too expensive, the closest alternative I’ve found are “Rectified” nylon strings. Specifically Savarez 520J strings. They are “Rectified” because they’re textured, and give me a lot of grip and control, similar to steel strings. Rob Mackillop also recommends these on his website!

[@robgrune3284]

Having studied violin, I am not surprised by the price and sound of gut. Kudos to Acker for trying these and the efforts for the vid. But the trial is only half-way. The e, g, d strings should be changed as well, to ensure proper balance, which will improve the overall harmonics, and likely increase the sustain Acker seeks. The guitar setup should be altered, too. For those who may squawk at the price, gut requires a great investment of hands-on time to produce.

[@jalal1392]

the shorter sustain paradoxically makes it sound more romantic. the strings sound more balanced also, especially thr 3rd string

[@Douglas1102]

Wow, I'm really impressed with the brightness 😲 I'm about to record something I've been working on for the past two years and this really makes me consider trying these 🤔I studied with a student of Segovia who is old enough to have had to use gut strings and he has nothing good to say about them, but it seems they've come a long way.

[@49mrbassman]

Your hammer ons and pull offs are much cleaner and more defined with gut strings. All in all a much nicer sound than the synthetic strings

[@stevenqirkle]

Wow such a big difference in tone! I think you are really onto something here. I’m actually a little surprised you haven’t tried out gut strings before given all of your experience with historical instruments.

[@brandonacker]

Thanks, yes it took me a while to justify the expense but I dont know if I can ever go back now

[@walkerx1813]

This is the most metal way to play classical guitar. With flesh on gut.

[@haydenbsiegel]

I used to play Contrabass in the Symphony down in Texas. One season I out gut strings on my bass because I also had a ton of bluegrass gigs that year. Man, on Arco!!!!! It was amazing.

[@charlesfoster141]

Excellent presentation. I am a beginner but have a great 1964 Goya G-10 to learn on. I cannot wait to try Guy strings once I become a bit proficient.