Acoustic guitar strings - what's you favorite brand(s)?

[Ricklh]

I've got a Takamine acoustic and was wondering what brands you guys/gals prefer? Anyone tried GHS? I use a medium gauge and use my guitar primarily for home recording, with mostly strumming and fingerstyle.

 

[JR#97]

I'm partial to D'Addario 80/20's for recording. But with my open tunings, they don't last long. For practical purposes, I really like the Elixers. A little pricey, but they last forever.

 

[tjohnston]

elixer polyweb coating. I tried some cheap ghs strings: the tone got dull after 2 days.

 

[freshmattyp]

I'm a big fan of Elixer Poly-Webs, but I can't stand the nano-web version. They just don't feel right to me. I used to change strings twice a week, now I can play 2-3 gigs before needing to change.

 

[Ricklh]

Thanks, I think I'll go back to Elixirs! They do last a lot longer. I put D'addarios on the guitar last time and they sounded really nice but didn't last nearly as long, clarity-wise, as the Elixirs. Anything else comparable to Elixirs, as far as longevity?

 

[Bill Assumpcao]

'Morning Rick,
FWIW I'm very partial to D'Angelico 80/20's. 2 weeks of playing and they're still brighter than the Ernie Ball Earthwoods right out of the package. But,
what do I know?
Bill

 

[CDT-sHaG]

I am partial to john pearse phosphor bronze...their 80/20'1 are great as well...really smooth for a non-coated string and they have great tone.

 

[the dude]

I, too, discovered the Elixers a while back and they are great! They seriously last 3-4 weeks longer than regular strings. I also have 2 takamine acoustic/electrics. The EF350 and EG334. what do you have? LAter the dude

 

[Ricklh]

I, too, discovered the Elixers a while back and they are great! They seriously last 3-4 weeks longer than regular strings. I also have 2 takamine acoustic/electrics. The EF350 and EG334. what do you have? LAter the dude

The GS330, which is their basic acoustic but I love it - I compared it to the lower-end Martins when I was shopping and decided that, for the money, I couldn't go wrong with Takamine. It plays and sounds like a much more expensive acoustic. I wanted to get something that was quality enough to keep me motivated to learn and grow, and that's just what this Takamine has done for me. It sounds good on my recordings and that's with dull D'Addarios! (dull because they're overdue for a change)

 

[Treeline]

Try these and all kinds of others - string preference seems to be personal to the player. There are a lot of really good strings available, fortunately. I'm partial to DR bronze, but they're on the heavy side and I went to D'Addario Bluegrass, which is a blend of medium and light. Maybe I'll go back to Elixirs; they shed.

 

[the dude]

Yeah, man I have nothing but great things to say about Taks. They rock. I know everyone loves thier own shit, but I know a few friends who play them, and you cant go wrong, I played hundreds of guitars before I bought my first one and it outplayed nearly all of them, except for the ones worth the price of my truck. rock on bro! later

 

[donkeystyle]

if your going to go for the elixers, you might try the new gibson strings that are kinda like the elixer strings. they are supposed to sound way better.

 

[Light]

I HATE Elixirs. Sure, they last for a long time, but they start out sounding like crap. They also cost about twice as much, so if you are getting double the use, the economy is false.

I use D'Addario Phosphor Bronze, partially because I like their sound, and partially because I like their packaging. D'Addario is also making a coated string now, which sounds much better (to my ear) than Elixirs

The best thing to do, however, is to try a bunch of different strings. Every time you change strings (which should be at least once a month with non-coated strings), put on something new until you find ones you like. Save the string packages so you can remember what you have tried. This is what we recommend to all of our customers who ask "what is the best set of strings for me."


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi

 

[Armistice]

I agree with Light - I tried Elixirs, mainly to cut down on string squeaks, using whichever is the thicker coating - dullsville in terms of sound - then tried the lighter coating on another guitar and thought they sounded really harsh. I'll give a set a go on my new guitar which is a very warm sounding animal, but not expecting great things. I've always used D'Addario Phosphor Bronzes as a rule.

 

[BillyFurnett]

I like Martin's strings ALOT, but only after the initial "Brightness" has faded. ( Takes about an hour of playing for me to break them in.) I find there's a nice "Dark" quality to be had once the over responsiveness is out of them... It gives me room to really work the "character" out of my guitar.

 

[dkijc]

personally i like dean markley's..

i've tried elixirs.. but the only reason why it lasts long is it takes time to get that coating off the strings and the sound gets a little better... but at first, it just sounds dull IMHO.. and with that price, I would rather buy two sets of strings and last me the same length as elixirs but have clairity all the time....

just my two cents =)

 

[BillyFurnett]

What do Elixirs go for generally?

 

[philboyd studge]

What do Elixirs go for generally?

About $11 usually. Try juststrings.com or stringthis.com.


For steel string acoustic and electric guitars I use Elixer nanowebs. Banjos, Dobro, Weissenborn, mandolin, mandocello need something else. For nylon strings I've found the bulk ones from stringthis are working well.

On some guitars that don't get played much the Elixers haven't been changed, so I guess they've been on for 3 or 4 years.

 

[mrface2112]

i like martin SP phosphor bronze strings on my martin. nothing else sounds like they do. and like billy said, it takes about an hour for that initial brightness to go away, after that they SING. besides, who knows martin guitars better than martin?

on my yammerhammer plywood guitar, i've found d'addarios to sound the best.

i've never liked the "extended life" strings of any brand. sure they last forever, but they never sound good. they always sound dead, even when new. and yeah, dead strings DO last forever.


like all things, this is subjective to the guitar, guitarist, and recording/performing environment.


wade

 

[BlindCowboy]

D'Addario 80/20 Phosper Bronze Light : Blue package.

Strings are subjective. I tried 3 sets of Elixers on three different guitars. They start shedding their coating at the sound hole, and dull out from the beginning. Though I do like that slinky feeling. Reminds me of my flatwounds on my bass.

Blind Cowboy...