Santa Cruz Coffee Break # 75 Zoomin’ with Richard Hoover and Rick Barto

[indexless]

Hello Forum,

Richard Hoover and Rick Barto of Santa Cruz Guitar Company, clear out the misconceptions of their revolutionary groundbreaking design. This is a master class in string tension and construction. I have been a part of every podcast on these strings and now I finally understand how it works, a really great hour spent with Richard and Rick. We hope you enjoy this one. As always Apple Podcasts

YouTube https://youtu.be/A45ObMnSTN0

Soundcloud https://on.soundcloud.com/KqDPD2MnHUkxtzBQ7

• This topic was modified 2 years ago by indexless.

[Hank]

I think Richard N. planned all along to push Richard H. and Rick about Mando strings. !!

Ricks explanation re “Parabolic ” was very clear and understandable.

As usual thanks All.

[pto]

respectfully, and in the interest of trying to finally satisfy myself after all these years since the “parabolic tension” strings have been available, please, someone at SCGC – show me the parabola (and, for that matter, the tensions)! (or even a reasonable facsimile thereof):) as a mathematician, AND OCD, for the life of me i have never been able to find the parabola. During this time, thinking it was just a marketing term and had no basis in reality, I let it rest. with this wonderful hour-long podcast, however, I find an opportunity to finally try to ask again why they are called parabolic-tension strings (i use and love both the mid and low tension strings, btw:)) now, i am using the tensions that Carolyn published quite a while ago; there is no way I can find that those tensions will give the appearance of a parabola when plotted against 1-6 (representing eadgbe), the frequencies, or the log of the frequencies. my only thought is that the tensions are not correct. these are the tensions that she published back then, I assume for a 25.4-in. scale. (perhaps an update would be helpful?) any input will help me sleep better at night!:) thanks.

Low tension:

.012, .016, .023, .032, .044, .056

GAUGE – TENSION in pounds

.012 – 20
.016 – 22.5
.023- 27.9
.032 – 30.5
.044—28
.056 – 27
Total tension – 156 lbs

 

Mid tension:

.013, .0165, .024, .033, .045, .056

GAUGE – TENSION in pounds

.013 – 22.5
.0165 – 24
.024 – 28.5
.033 – 28.5
.045 – 32.5
.056 – 27
Total tension – 163 lbs

[iim7V7IM7]

I really think that they could detail their string products more effectively than they do. They are fine strings.

My guitar (an FS) came with a set of Low-Tension strings on it. I was not particularly enthralled with them. I put a set of Mid-Tension on it and I greatly preferred them for my playing style. I switch between them and D’Addario XS.

I wish that SCGC made 80/20 alloy sets as well.

[pto]

the lack of detail… that’s why i have always assumed a soupçon of hype:)

[Hank]

I’ve been here fo several iterations of this Forum….. I learn  So Much. I have 7 of my 8 guitars strung with SCGC PARABOLIC strings …both Mids & Lows… For one very specific reason.

10 years ago I was lucky enough to be able to begin to explore the very limited world of “Boutique” ( again I HATE that word…Please Mr. Hoover, supply another Adjative for your Brilliant creations) guitars. I had bought a SCGC Da-1  Braz/Sitka from Guitar Center in Ft. Myers Fl…. It had been rode hard and put away wet , but sounded unlike any guitar I had ever heard. It intoduced me to a world of intruments I never thought I deserved to be in. But I was in a rare positive financial phase of my life and was wanting to get serious about my decades long screwing around with six steel strings and dive down the rabbit hole of high end guitars.

I joined the “OLD” SCGC Players Forum and the AGF and learned about Collings, Huss & Dalton , Bourgouis, and several of the “Slightly Less Expensive” solo luthiers. I went to Nashville and stopped in “All the usual” guitar shrines and played every builder I could find…… I took My SCGC D-a1 with me to compare. In Gruhns I came across an older SC VS amongst a hundred other guitars hanging on the 1st floor of the store ( Dee and I did get invited by George to the second floor..but that’s another story) and it’s voice tapped my frontal lobe just like the D-a1.

I had decided that I might explore other builders so I went on over to Artisan Guitars and played 10-12 models of the above mentioned builders, both new and used. I came across a guitar encased in its own cabinet with a price tag that made me look twice. The owner asked if I would like to play it, I said Please.

It was a SCGC Tony Rice….one of his !…Y’all know what that sounds like….

So after playing and listening and then listening to someone else play the Various builders as I sat a few feet away, one builder had  “The Sound”….. SCGC had my sonic heart.

SO….when “The Strings” came out I put them on the Ramuda….except for one.

Bottom Line…. The SCGC “Sound” has my soul… I believe the ‘Parabolics” enhance and expand the voice of my guitars ( including my 33 year old Martin D-28 and the Tayor K62 ce 12er).

I AM NOT a Musician like most of Y’all…. I’m just a picker with 65 years of bad habits ,but I am old enough to know what I want to hear and to know the builder whose guitars  from which I can create the sonics of my heart…. Thanks SCGC…. Good , Good Vibrations.

 

[Author]

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