Oasis is known in Japan as a manufacturer of humidity control products for guitars. In fact, they also sell strings for classical guitars. This time, I’ll be reviewing the GPX Claro set, which is an unusual set with a special nylon first string and carbon second and third strings.
The following article summarizes the string reviews/thoughts/information articles on this blog:.
- Oasis is famous for its guitar humidity control products
- The first string is Claro and the second and third strings are GPX carbon strings.
- Bass strings are easy to recognize
- Treble strings that don’t squeak at all
- The bass string with a thick sound, the fourth string is a bit dull
- Recommended for people who want a balanced sound
Oasis is famous for its guitar humidity control products
Oasis is famous for its humidity control products for guitars. I’m sure you’ve seen humidifiers like this one that you can put in the sound hole of your guitar.
In fact, the URL of Oasis’ official website is also “https://www.oasishumidifiers.com/”, indicating that their main product is humidity control goods.
However, in fact,Oasis products are not only humidity goods, but also a wide variety of classical guitar related accessories.
Among them, I would like to try classical guitar strings this time.
For more information about Oasis classical guitar strings, please refer to this article.
The first string is Claro and the second and third strings are GPX carbon strings.
The set I tried this time was called GPX Claro Strings.
Oasis originally had a set called GPX, in which the three treble strings were carbon strings.
On the other hand,the first string is replaced with a nylon string Claro in this set.
Therefore, the first string is nylon and the second and third strings are carbon, an unusual configuration.
Some professionals use carbon strings for the second and third strings, but this is the only official set I’ve seen for sale.
The bass string is called sostenuto, which is a regular silvery looking string.
The Oasis has 4 combinations of treble strings:
- All nylon strings
- All titanium strings
- All carbon strings
- Nylon strings on the first string, carbon strings on the second and third strings
All four types of bass strings are said to use this sostenuto.
Note: There is a new bass string available called Inspiro.
Bass strings are easy to recognize
On the back of the package, there is a description of GPX. Oasis is an American manufacturer, and it’s located in Maryland. I wonder if that area is the place where such “Oasis” is located…?
The first three strings are in a paper package, while the bass strings are in an airtight plastic package.
The bass strings are color-coded to make it easier to identify which string is which. Red is for the 6th string, blue is for the 5th string, and there is nothing on the 4th string. it’s hard to tell which string is which when they are all in one package, but it’s nice to have them marked like this.
Aquila is so difficult to identisy…
The strings seem to be stable fast, and easy to use.
Treble strings that don’t squeak at all
Let’s start with the treble strings.
The GPX carbon strings on the second and third strings don’t have a squeaky sound at all. The sound is so mellow that you might think, “Are these really carbon strings?“. The sound is very mellow. It’s like Figaro’s Clear.
The first string Claro is much mellower than the second string, but I think it has a clearer sound than a normal nylon string, perhaps to balance the GPX.
If you are expecting the sparkling sound unique to carbon strings, you may be disappointed, but in terms of balance, I think it’s a good choice.
The one on top is the Claro first string, and the second and third strings are GPX. The first string looks transparent, while the second and third strings are a little translucent. But you won’t even notice it unless you are told.
The tension is quite high because it is a high tension set. If you are not used to it, your fingers will get tired.
The bass string with a thick sound, the fourth string is a bit dull
The bass strings also have a thick sound rather than a jittery metallic sound.
Personally, I thought the fourth string was a bit dull. This could be an individual difference or a bad string.
However, when played together with the treble strings, it has a strong presence and is not weak in the bass.
Rather, I felt thatthe total balance was good, with nothing outstanding.
It’s an interesting feeling when you play a single note and it’s a bit lacking, but when you play the whole strings, it’s balanced.
Recommended for people who want a balanced sound
With the different materials used for the first, second, and third strings, I thought the sound would be quite pointy, but I found the Oasis GPX Claro to be quite well balanced and easy to use.
No matter how good the sound of a single note is, if it’s not balanced as music, it’s ultimately difficult to use.
The tension is a bit high, but it is an interesting string set.
It’s a disappointment that it’s not sold in Japan, but Oasis products themselves are sold in Japan, so hopefully it will come in soon.
