String brand & gauge Excalibur Surfreter

[iMeel]

Hi there, 
New here, nice to find all these info about the wonderful instruments Vigier has been crafting. 

It's about time I change the strings of my fretless Vigier. It's an Excalibur Surfreter I purchased in 2018, so it's with the new metal alloy finish. It's a great instrument, and I'm still on a trip, getting to know it better and better. Quite the adventure! If you'd like, you can check it here: 

I still have the original set on the guitar, but as much as I like the warmth of used strings, there is a certain moment that "warmth" has become "dead"...  So now I'm trying to find info on the specs of the strings that this guitar was set up with in the factory. Can someone here enlighten me? 

Thank you! 

Emiel Scholsberg

[yuri1973]

Specs state this:
Strings : .012-.052

So unless it's a custom/special order with a different preference, I suppose that's what came out of the factory, and with the nut slots adjusted for that gauge

p.s. great fretless playing! kudos to you

[iMeel]

Thank you @yuri1973 for your reply! And for the kudos! 

I've been trying to find the right .012 set, but it's hard to find a set that doesn't include a wound G -string. And my fretless came with a plain G string.
I would assume the sizes should then be: .012, .016, .024, .032w, .042w, .052w right? 
All the 012 sets I found thusfar all make use of a .024w string ... 
Some brands don't even mention wether strings are wound or plain at all.
Does anyone have a suggestion? 

Thank you for your help! 

[yuri1973]

Well ... that surprises me a bit. I would definitely assume that it would come with a wound 3rd out of the factory.
I just took a look at google images of surfreters, and all of them seem to have a wound 3rd.
 

[1Patrice Vigier]

Yes the G string is wounded, but you can install whatever pleases you. If you install plain G, then you have to lower the G pickup pole piece.

[WilmerTheWhite]

I use a custom set Ernie Ball 09-11-14-22w-32-38 on my Surfreter. Perhaps different from what many prefer, but I played with Gunnar Backman Brakophonic for a while, and he’s been playing fretless since the 1970s. He claims that the sustain becomes better with thinner strings, AND with thick strings - but mid-thick strings (10-11s sets) often have lesser sustain. I’m happy with my 9-38 set anyway.

[1Patrice Vigier]

We use bigger gauge because it is better for sustain

[WilmerTheWhite]

Well, here’s a clip from the epilogue of a monologue I wrote. It takes some minute of text before I play my Vigier Surfreter with those thin strings I mentioned above. It’s music for a theatre play, so it must be smooth and thoughtful:
Epilog;
https://m.soundcloud.com/wilmerthewhite/epilog 

[iMeel]

Thank you all for your replies. The guys from Vigier.com gave me this info: 
Hello,
Thank you for your email.
We put Savarez or DR strings.
The 6 gauge you mention are right, you can also go for a [url=tel://013/016/026]013/016/026[/url]/036/045/056
Regarding the plain G,  we set the guitar with a wounded G, so I 'm surprised. Because of the wounded G the pickup pole piece must be the highest. If you put a plain string, then it should be the lowest.
At Savarez the closest set with plain G is
https://www.savarez.fr/guitare-%C3%A9le ... ocus-f50bm
https://www.savarez.fr/guitare-%C3%A9le ... sion-h50bm
I hop I helped you
Sincerely

So I ordered DR strings and put these on. While replacing, I noticed that the original low E string I took off is slightly thicker than the new DR . 52 I put on. So I'm still a bit left in the dark as to what set was put on in the factory. There's more leftover space in the nut. But I'm happy to say that the new set seems to work. I have a gig tonight, so after that, I'll be able to say more about it. 

I wonder if I can go thicker than this set, as the guys from Vigier Guitars suggested as a possibility, because of the tight fit in the nut. I'd like to try this 013 configuration, as I'm used to playing thicker strings anyway (I found that on a fretless, a .012 string feels like a .008 to me). 
I'll let you know my findings. 

[iMeel]

Yes the G string is wounded, but you can install whatever pleases you. If you install plain G, then you have to lower the G pickup pole piece.

Well, when I came to Paris to your factory to try this guitar out, there was a plain G string on it. And that's how I received it, after the guitar had returned from the NAMM.  Anyway, thanks for the tip about the pole piece height, I'll check it out and adjust accordingly. 

Will a 013 - 056 set as suggested by the guys from Vigier Guitars also fit the nut sting slots? 

Thank you for your replies! 

Kind regards, 

Emiel

[1Patrice Vigier]

The nut should be OK, but maybe one or two slot might be too tight.
I have checked that we may have put some guitars with Savarez with a plain G.