Gypsy jazz is a niche in itself, with only seasoned masters really getting to the heart of the genre. One could make an argument that a true master can make any instrument sound great. Meaning that a masterful musician can make a First Act acoustic sound fantastic; it’s all in the playing.
While that is true to an extent, why limit yourself? If you are a true prodigy or master, why not provide yourself with the best tools? You would not see a master electrician using one screwdriver to do every single job when he could have the right tools.
The Top Gypsy Jazz Acoustic Guitar Strings
- Savarez Argentine 1510 and 1610– $14.95
- John Pearse Nuages 2800L and 2810LM – $10.19
- Gally GSL10 and GSL11 – $11.99
- D’Addario EJ83 and EJ84– $7.34
You can take a look into the best guitars to fit Gypsy Jazz. But for a guitar to sound great, you need to have the best strings for it. That is where this article will be helping you by showing some of the best strings for Gyps Jazz.
Gypsy Jazz Strings at a Glance
Gypsy Jazz is similar enough to other forms of jazz in its complexity, but the rhythms and tonal qualities vary. With this style, usually lighter strings are used for creating piercing plucks and brighter strums to personify the rhythms. It also allows easier bends to the notes to give them some versatility when you play.
To allow for the light strings and low tension, the majority of strings built for Gypsy Jazz are a mixture of steel and silk windings, some with a silver plating. This allows less tension to be put on the neck of the guitar while remaining in tune.
1. Savarez Argentine 1510 and 1610
There are the 1510s which are the light versions and the 1610s which are the light-medium version. Then in each weight is an option for ball end or loop end. This has to do with how your guitar strings are anchored on the bridge. I particularly enjoy the 1610s with a ball end, but this is more of a personal preference.
Why We Like Them: The Savarez Argentines are considered to be the best strings for Gypsy Jazz. They have been used for decades by many artists and some even believe they were the ones used by Django Reinhart himself. There are four options when it comes to the Savarez strings.
Price (before shipping) – $14.95
Check Price on Amazon2. John Pearse Nuages 2800L and 2810LM
The John Pearse Nuages strings come with 2 weights, the lighter 2800L and the 2810LM. They stick out from a few of the others on this list due to the nature of their build.
Why We Like Them: There is silver plated copper and silvered steel wound together and then wrapped in silk. The copper and steel give it the tension and thickness needed while the silk softens up the sound giving it that authentic Gypsy Jazz vibe.
Price (before shipping) – $10.19
Check Price on Amazon3. Gally GSL10 and GSL11
These strings come in light and medium weight, the GSL10, and GSL11 respectively. There is no option for looped ends, with the only ball ends offered.
Why We Like Them: Gally took a different approach than the Nuages strings by making them fully steel silver-plated rather than steel and bronze. They are, however, still are silk-wrapped to provide that softer sound that characterizes the genre.
Price (Before Shipping) – $11.99
Check Price on Amazon4. D’Addario EJ83 and EJ84
D’Addario strings are the newcomers to the game as it relates to Gypsy Jazz. They do, however, offer the same type of options as the classic Savarez Argentine’s.
Why We Like Them: The EJ83 comes in a light and medium weight as bell ended. For the loop end, they make the EJ84 which has the same light and medium weight options. This makes them the perfect newer version of the classic strings.
Price (before shipping) – $7.39
Check Price on AmazonPractice The Gypsy Technique
Gypsy Jazz strings alone won’t get you the sounds you’re looking for. A lot of the sound is in the technique.
There are a number of excellent tutorials and demonstrations on YouTube showcasing how to play Gypsy Jazz style.
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Jarrett is a hardcore Lover-Jazz Lover-Rock Lover-Blues Lover-just a music lover. He has the hair to match — Jarrett and provides in-depth insight into all things guitar and music engineering.