What strings do you use?

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STAT1STICK

STAT1STICK

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I have played on a lot of different types of guitar strings and I always seem to come back to the same brand again and again. We'll get to that one later but I want to talk about some other brands for a minute.

Ernie Ball... These strings are pretty bad. They sound bad and they don't last long. Well, let me re-phrase that... They sound pretty good for about 2 days. Anything after that is like someone turned down the tone knob on your guitar. They break way too easy, too! If you're just starting to play guitar, take some advice and stay away from these. Unless you're on a budget and they're all you can find.

Everly Bros. Rockers are almost as bad as EBs but the tone lasts a while longer. The durability is about the same.

GHS Boomers are decent. They don't offer much in the tone department but they'll last. I once had a set of Zakk Wylde's 70s and let me tell you... It's not worth carving down the nut and then having to fix it when you want to go to a lighter gauge. If you stick with the normal (or close to normal) gauges, you should be fine.

Fender Bullets are, well... Crap in a box. There I said it. You may as well dig through your cats litter box, dig out some turds and strap them to the neck of your guitar. Stay away at all costs.

D'addario's are pretty good and are close to my number one pick. These last a while and have a good tone that lasts a fair amount of time. If you're nice to them, they'll last forever... Tone, however, won't. While they may hold up physically, they won't last sound wise. But, like I said, it will take a while for that to happen. If you're looking for a good guitar string for a cheap price, get a set of these.

Now, here's my number one pick. These are just amazing and will perform until you break one... Drum roll please...

Dean Markley Blue Steel! These strings were crafted in space and handed down to man by God himself! Well, I don't know about all that but they have been frozen to -350 degrees! I'm not really sure what that does to guitar strings but the result is amazing! The durability is top notch and they never go tone dead! At least none of mine have. I don't think I have ever broken any either! They're a little bit on the pricey side, especially if you buy them in a local shop but you can usually find good deals online.

So there's my list...

Please share your picks and let us know why you like the brand you like.

Thanks!
 
I like the heavy-gauge ghs-boomers (all of my necks are customized/reinforced) becuase they have great presence and reliability...but I've never tried the Dean Markley Blue Steel; I'll have to check'em out--seeing as how they're from outer-space :cool: Thanks for the tip.
 
D'Addarios are all I will ever use...ever... XL115's on my electrics and EJ16's on my acoustics. I have used just about every other string (including blue steels) and have always come back to these. I was really hard on my strings when I was gigging 3-4 days out of the week and can only recall breaking one string at a show. I changed them about once a week, unless I forgot, then it was whenever... All the rest seemed to crap out on me quite frequently.
 
D'Addarios seem like the best for me too, especially for acoustic guitar.

For electric, I haven't tried that many. Even the Musician's Friend 12 gauge are pretty good and provide a good tone and seem to last long, which was a little surprising to me.

But the majority of the time I use D'Addarios. I just prefer them over any other strings.
 
I use Elixers on everything just to piss the people off who don't like them.
 
i have tried lots of different string but for the last 10 or more yrs i have always used ernie ball super slinkys guage 9 (they never brake on me) and martin guage 12 on the acoustic

i just orderd a set of Dean Markley Blue Steel on ebay for 8euro plus p+p
the ernie ball usually cost around 6-7euro in a shop
 
I've been a Dean Markley fan for years. Not the Blue Steel strings, though, just their standard electric guitar strings. They have a good compromise of tone and longevity.

When I was gigging a lot and changing my strings often I used GHS Boomers. Great tone out of the box but they fall off kind of fast, and they tend to oxidize pretty quickly. None of this is a problem if you're changing strings every other night.
 
Why would anyone make a guitar string choice based on wanting to aggravate someone else? :confused:
 
I use EBs-the green pack. The tone is very live and twangy for the gig. I don't really care about how they sound after ten days. I think the peak tone when they are fresh is better than other strings. The first 8 hours of string life are really all I care about. I don't have trouble breaking them. That is usually a function of wear. If they are old, and have alot of playing time on them, they break.

D'Addario seem to have a very drastic tone change after a couple days in my experience.

Personally, I don't like eco-friendly packaging. I like a plastic envelope with individual strings inside their paper envelopes. That is why I quit using dean markleys. I used them for years and then switched back to EB. I change the string sitting at a table in the bar, so I really don't have time to sort the strings like the mexican in the factory was supposed to do.

Boutique (cryro, coated,etc) strings are for couch pickers who change their strings once every three months. Not for gigging musicians.
 
I prefer the D'Addario's to blue steel. D'Addario makes a decent classical string as well for the price. I use medium guage.
 
I use EB Power Slinkies of late, and I like them. Good for downtuning too. eh, whatever, they work for me. I figure use EB strings on my EB bass.
 
Ernie Ball regular slinks on my electric, Elixir 11s on my acoustic.

A lot of players slag of the EB's for going very dull very quickly and/or snapping easily, but I've experienced neither of these problems in about 3/4 years, unlike other brands I've tried.

The Elixirs are just amazing. I hardly ever change my acoustic strings because I don't gig with it, so I figured I'd shell out on a set, and I'm glad I did; the strings are expensive but they last and sound fresh for long enough for it not to be an issue...
 
Okay, I use Elixirs (because they sound good as far as I'm concerned), and Fender Nickel Wound Originals. Both are fine, but then a string is a string at the end of the day.

On my classicsal I use D'addarios, and they're okay too. So is everything else, though.
 
I really like gibson/elgin strings.

the shop I buy most my gear at had a whole bunch of elgin brand strings but I never really looked into them.....they look super generic, so I figured they were. For some reason they came up in conversation one day, and the guys at the store informed me that they made the gibson strings that I love so much.

The store no longer carries the generic looking elgin brand. I wish I had tried them while they had them.
 
I think it varies by guitar.

On my electric I use PRS strings (I know, I know.. but they last and sound good).

On one acoustic guitar, Dean Markley Bronze just work better than others I have tried, while I use Phosphor Bronze Elixir Lites on the other.
 
I use Ernie Ball Super Slinkys on my electric, and for my accousitc...well i would use martin strings, but i havent had to replace mine for a while.
 
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