Lenzner string order

[John Bertotti]

Hey all I just talked to Steve while ordering some octave strings. He is compiling emails he receives about Lenzner strings. When he receives enough interest he will go ahead with another order. I would recommend emailing him with the # of sets you would like.

www.acousticmusicworks.com


He said some people are interested in the plain A strings so specify what you want. I'm in for the Consorts. Wrapped A. Thanks John

[Jim Garber]

Hey all I just talked to Steve while ordering some octave strings.

Octave strings... do you mean octave mandolin strings?

Jim

[John Bertotti]

Yes, I am finishing my octave mando. 20.379 scale. Had ten strings on it but found the fret board to be to narrow for them. So I'm going with 8. It sounds real nice just working on narrowing the neck and the finishing touches. John

[Jim Garber]

Does Lenzner make octave mandolin strings?

I amswered myself...
I guess the Euro translation is mandola:
Lenzner Strings for mandolin. It looks like the bronze sets are #3120.

Do they actually make them with wound As? John, I wonder if they would sell you some single As as extras. You might ask Steve if he could inquire.

Jim

[John Bertotti]

I was actually just buying some Ghs octave strings but if he can get some Lenzners I'll have to try them. I'm using the cheapos because of my need to put it together then take it apart for more tweaking. Thanks John

[Alex Timmerman]

Hello all,

Here is perhaps a new and easier possibility to get LENZNER Mandolin Strings (Light-, Medium-, Consort-, etc.). Of course strings for Mandola and Mando(lon)cello are also available.

For the lesser known instruments of the Mandolin family like the Mandoliola, the Liuto cantabile and the Mandolbasso as well as the single strung Chitarrone moderno, please inquire.
I am sure Hendrik van den Broek - who has set up this Ebay shop with the idea to create a better distributuion of the Lenzner strings, will do what he can to provide you with the strings you are looking for. The distribution is Worldwide (Wereldwijd).

Paying for the strings will now be much easier since credit cards, Paypal etc. are accepted (no personal financial interest whatsoever on my side; only hoping that this will be of more convenience to you all # ).

Click here to find out more.


Greetings,

Alex.

PS. Hendrik told me that he also had made an English page but sofar I haven´t been able to locate that one.

[John Bertotti]

Just received an email from Steve at Acoustic music works. He sent in a request for a quote for 72 sets of the consort strings but hadn't heard anything but today 72 sets with an invoice showed up on his doorstep with an invoice. Cool! 20 sets pre-sold 52 to go. 16.95 a set, add 4 dollars for shipping. I belive it is a flat fee of 4 dollars not 4 dollars for each set. Have at it everyone. John #

[Martin Jonas]

Sounds like Lenzner didn't quite understand the meaning of the word "quote", but that price is very good -- Hendrik's price comes to 25 dollars even before overseas shipping. So, I suggest all of you good folks in the US get your orders in so that Steve can make it a constant trade and doesn't get stung on the unexpected initial outlay for the shipment he found on his doorstep.

Martin

[Hubert Angaiak]

Hello! I have a Martin bowlback, its very plain. I want to get proper strings for it. There was a thread someplace that mentioned the Martins worked best with one brand of strings because of its "sturdier" built and I can't remember if it was Lenzers or Calace. Any recommendations will really help.

Thanks

[Eugene]

Both are appropriate. #Try each and see what you like. #I like the sound of a matured Dogal "Calace" RW-92b set on my Martin. #I also like the sound of Lenzner's "Consort" set on my Martin, but the fine winding on the a' strings is not so long lived as Dogal's steel.

[Bob A]

28 packets of Lenzners on the wall, and going fast.

I ended up getting some plain a strings as well, giving me the option of going "folk" or "concert" as I wish. Has the advantage of giving me extra wound a strings, in case of fraying/breakage.

[Jim Garber]

I ended up getting some plain a strings as well,

Bob:
Did you get Lenzner As or another brand and, if the latter, what gauge to match the Lenzners?

Jim

[Markelberry]

I would like to try the Dogal strings on my vega,the lenzers werent that friendly. I would like to know where to purchase thanks, Markelberry

[Jim Garber]

The source in the US for Dogal mandolin strings is:
Classic Bows, Inc., PO Box 81655, San Diego, CA 92138
Phone: 1-888-402-5277
email: classicbows@nethere.com
Talk to Greg Gohde who specializes in mandolins

http://www.dogalstrings.it/pages/mandolino.htm

http://www.dogalstrings.it/pages/mandolin_tab.htm

RW92B Soft Tension (dolce) are the ines to order for vintage bowlbacks
RW92 Regular Tension (medio) for more robust instruments (I use them on my 2003 Pandini bowlback and that is what the maker put on as well.

Jim

[Bob A]

Jim, I just had Steve toss in a half-dozen plain a strings. I'd be curious to know whether there's a real difference in unwound steel strings. Intuition tells me music wire is music wire, but of course marketing practices will not permit me to believe it, quite.

BTW I use Dogal medios on a L&H Style A with no complaints, but I note that the strings are rather "toothier" than one might expect, rendering slides, for example, more difficult. Lenzners as a whole are smoother, slicker strings.

[vkioulaphides]

Bob —if I understand you correctly— are you asking whether there is a difference (in sound) between the plain, UNwound A's and the aluminum-flat-wound ones?

If so, yes, yes! The wound A's sound entirely different from their plain counterparts. But I am afraid I am missing your point, Bob...

[Bob A]

And my point misses you as well, Victor.

Actually, I'm trying to ascertain whether there are differences in PLAIN "a" strings, or in fact any unwound string of given dimension. Aren't they all pretty much the same thing, just steel wire? Or are there proprietary differences, such as plating or special treatments, that would influence the sound or playing characteristics of a given string?

[vkioulaphides]

Ah, capito... it seemed highly unlikely that you would have been asking what I thought you were; now I know.

Well, I doubt that there IS much difference, assuming material and gauge to be identical; degree of surface smoothness could be another parameter but, to my limited understanding, I don't see why any manufacturer would opt for less than "maximum" smoothness, whatever that means. Are there different technologies (i.e. superior and inferior ones) applicable to making such a thin, tubular surface as a mandolin A-string smoother? If so, I would assume that smoother is better.

But focusing on any single string (or course) may be missing the larger point, i.e. the tonal balance within an entire SET of strings, as designed, calibrated, and materialized by the manufacturer. Therein lies, in my opinion, the enormous difference in tone and overall quality between a well-matched set (e.g. Lenzner Consorts or Dogals) and the many, unhappy competitors.

And I do hope that your point does not miss me TOO sorely... #

[Bob A]

I can't tell you how many folks have commented on the "balance" of the Dogal strings - all favorably, of course.

And the pairs of courses argument is one I feel strongly about. To my old folkie way of thinking, a pair of wound courses, topped by a pair of plain wire courses, gives the tonal balance I prefer. Of course I use Consorts on the Pecoraro - it seems churlish not to. But for the others, I'll stick with the plain wires.

[vkioulaphides]

Yes, Bob; once again, you hit the nail on the head: on "old folkie" grounds (which I share wholeheartedly, as you know), the 2 + 2 argument is THE final word, I believe. And Dogals are undeniably fine, well-balanced strings; part of the reason is (I think) that their wound D's and G's never quite lose that special, Dogal-esque edge, which in turn allows them to blend better with the solid steel, upper strings.

The counter-argument is the inherent difficulty of transition from the wound D's to the unwound A's; and with all that highbrow, classical stuff written in E-flat, and A-flat, and Q-flat with all the (violinistic?) use of the positions in the middle register, wound A's make at least my life easier.

But, of course, this is no argument. Enjoy your many and fine instruments with the strings of choice.

[Martin Jonas]

I would like to try the Dogal strings on my vega,the lenzers werent that friendly. I would like to know where to purchase thanks, Markelberry

Hi Markelberry,

Different instruments do of course respond differently to different strings, as do different people, so it's entirely possible that the Lenzners weren't right for your instrument and/or your tonal preferences. However, one thing to keep in mind is that Lenzners take a LONG time to settle down -- four to seven days in my experience -- and then last for a long time. The first time I put Lenzners on my Ceccherini I was ready to take them straight off again, but luckily I presevered and they mellowed down beautifully. Incidentally, I believe that Dogals also take considerable time to settle down after restringing.

Bob --

there is a bit of a mystery about the exact gauges of the Lenzners sets. Alex's web site has gauges that are a bit different for the G, D and E strings of the Consort compared to the Bronce Medium set. However, I've measured mine and found them to be identical. I have in the past mixed and matched strings across these two different sets and had no problem.

Martin
(back from a week in Provence; the ideal setting for some bowlback serenading in the balmy evenings)

[vkioulaphides]

Martin is right: when you first put Lenzners on, —especially the Consort set— it is shocking just how BAD the tonal balance appears: the bronze-wound D's are super-super-"ringy"; the aluminum-wound A's hopelessly dull.

But... (a classic case of the Ugly Duckling Law), after a couple of weeks, you get a balance that, to my ear, is unmatched by ANY other set of strings.

The Lenzners on my 2004 Calace (my everyday instrument) are about 14 months old; a veeeeeery long time for any set of strings, by any standard; and yet they sound so incredibly sweet that I am reluctant to take them off (replacing them with a new but identical set). I guess I will have to do so this summer, when the instrument goes into the shop for "custom fine-tuning"— MC regulars know just how finicky I am...

Dogal G's and D's age into dullness; again, their longevity is prodigious and nobody should complain about any year-plus-old set of mandolin strings. Still, once their buzzy, cannonball-like carbonsteel ring is gone, it is impossible to match the natural hardness of their plain steel A's any more. No fault of Dogal strings, of course; nothing is forever.

[Alex Timmerman]

Hello Martin and Victor,

This ´settling in´ of the Lenzner strings is exactly how I have experience it. And it is good to hear that you like them. Victor´s describtion of the development of balance of Consort Lenzner string set is absolutely as it is. Also his experience with the Dogals I second completely.

Our first goal in developing the bronce ´Consort´ Lenzners was to create a string set for orchestra use and one that is available on the market.

Because these are mentioned at a web page of our CONSORT internet site and the advertisements by Henk van den Broek we can say that - due to the reactions we get - this particular string set is also very much liked by soloists (both professional- and amateur players) in Europe, Japan, Korea and the US.

With it, I think the choise for stringing the bowlback with bronce strings has become favored again. Something that imho is the best thing to do with old and fine Italian bowlbacks. Especially if one wants to get (as close to) the instrument´s original sound.

That they sound well on new bowlbacks is of course very nice also # !


The best balanced string set for our kind of instruments is however a bronce wound set with bronce wound a-strings. Although the technique is known and (privately) practiced by some, these a-strings are not yet ´on the market´.

Let´s hope that in the near future (for instance) the Lenzner company will adopt the technique to make a really thin bronce wound a-string (one that matches completely in all aspects with the G and D string) and that they bring it on the market.

That would really be a big step forward with regard to the appreciation of our instrument.


Best,

Alex

[guitharsis]

Just ordered 2 sets of Lenzner Consorts. Only 14 left . . .

[guitharsis]

Just curious. Anyone ever use Lenzner Consort strings on anything other than a bowlback? Steve suggested that I try them on my new A style (www.oldtimemandolin.com)