Electric guitar strings

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stef89

New member
What are your favorite electric guitar strings and why?

Mine are elixir nanoweb 10-46. I like them because they are stiffer then other strings I've used, wich in my experience gives better sustain and dont get softer over time and lose tone and sustain. They also last forever it seems.
 
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Re: Electric guitar strings

Main are GHS Burnished Nickels.

For a treat, I use OPTIMA Gold Strings... they last forever (for example, I have a set from October on my Firebird and they're still good)
and the tone is good.

Why?

Number one: tone (slight nod to the Burnished Nickels vs OPTIMAs)
Number two: long lasting (in the case of the OPTIMAs)
 
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Re: Electric guitar strings

Electric strings... I use Ernie Ball slinkys (10-46 95% of the time).. I dig em and you can get 12 sets for like $40.

Acoustic... Elixir (12's) poly or nano... They last long enough, I cant remember between string changes which I like.
 
Re: Electric guitar strings

Most of the time I use Elixers. 10-46 on 25.5 scale and 11-48 on my Gibsons.
 
Re: Electric guitar strings

stef89 said:
What are your favorite electric guitar strings and why?

Mine are elixir nanoweb 10-46. I like them because they are stiffer then other strings I've used, wich in my experience gives better sustain and dont get softer over time and lose tone and sustain. They also last forever it seems.
Click to expand...

I'm with you all the way here. I love Elixir Nanoweb strings. I also use 10-46's. I've been using these for 6 years now and I love them. Before them I used DR strings but I like the Elixirs more.
 
Re: Electric guitar strings

I like Daddario EXP coated because they last as long as Elixirs but I can get them for much cheaper. 10-52 on fender scale and 11-49 on Gibson scale guitars. Uncoated strings go dead on me very fast, usually less than ten hours of play. I can get months out of the coated ones.
 
Re: Electric guitar strings

Rotosound's 10-52, but I haven't used them for a while. They're good, but not worth going out of my way to get them. A conveniently located store has both Ernie Ball and D'Addario strings, so I use either depending on my mood.
 
Re: Electric guitar strings

my faves are ernie ball's, sometimes I use 10-46 and sometimes 10-52. now I'm kinda moving towards elixirs since I hardly ever break strings and the eb's just rust so fast making them uncomfortable to play after a short while. love the eb's tone though.
 
Re: Electric guitar strings

Blues set up: Ernie Ball Super Slinky's (.009's)
Rock set up: GHS Boomers (.009's)
 
Re: Electric guitar strings

G&L guitars with the 25.5" scale and the DF Vibrato get 9-42 Fender Super Bullets.

Virtually everything else gets D'Addario XL. Again, 9-42 for Fender scale instruments. Most of everything else will get 10-46, but I have a couple of Pauls that seem to be happier with 9-46.

The acoustics are all dreads. Most get mediums, one gets lights, and a couple get the hybrid D'Addario Bluegrass gauge. I'll use D'Addario J-Series, EXP, Martin SP or Martin Lifespan strings, depending on my mood and intended usage.

It's complicated, lol!

Bill
 
Re: Electric guitar strings

Dean Markley Blue Steel. I don't break 'em and they stay bright longer than some others. My second choice is D'addario, because they are also durable, but they don't seem to stay bright as long as the Dean Markleys I like.

Other strings I've tried have ranged from total and complete junk to fairly decent but didn't hold up like the ones mentioned above.
 
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Re: Electric guitar strings

These days Ernie Ball Cobalt usually 9-46, but put a set of 10-52 on one of my Les Pauls and I'm starting to really like them. Combination of tone feel and longevity. Used to use Blue Steels and still like them but I now prefer the hybrid sets and EBs are easier to find
 
Re: Electric guitar strings

I'm just starting to try out D'Addario NYXL's. But I've always loved Everly B52's. (Named for the alloy. Not the band.)
They have a distinctive "snap" to them. Especially when used with Duncan Cool Rails.
 
Re: Electric guitar strings

I've been using D'Addario NYXLs for a while now. I love them for longevity, but I had to go down from a 52 to a 46 on the low E because the tension felt too high compared to the old Cobalt Slinkies I was using. Great strings though.
 
Re: Electric guitar strings

on a strat?
Fender Bullets. Maybe it's psychological but I could swear the first time putting bullets back on after using regular Fender, D'Addario, EB, GHS, Elixir, Cleartone, and DR, I noticed a small improvement in sustain and a bit "bigger" sound. To me it makes some sense, the bullet end really does fit snuggly in the trem block with increased surface area and much more mass in direct contact with that block. I dunno. Maybe I just bought the marketing idea behind bullets and I know I always enjoy that "new string sound". But if you find something you feel works for you, do you change it, or experiment? For a while I'm done experimenting.

on my jazzmaster?
I've been switching between Fender regular 10s and D'addario 10s (whatever's cheaper or in stock at the shop, with a slight preference for Fender) For a while I used EB Beefy Slinky but bending the .022 unwound G was still a pain on a 25.5" scale. It sounded huge but it made my hands hurt on barre chords after about 20 min of playing. Now I'm back to 10s and they feel just right after the hand-strengthening workout of the Beefy Slinky set.

Fender Strings on a Fender Guitar is an addicting combo for me. Again, psychological? Dunno. But if it ain't broken, don't fix it.

Sometimes the mood strikes for Pure Nickel strings. They are real nice on a Les Paul for blues but I no longer own any LPs or even any humbucker guitars. They kick butt on a strat with 57/62 pickups or anywhere you find you want to take the edge off for a more 60s/70s rick vibe, but playing modern pop or heavy rock styles they just don't kill it on the power chords like NPS. I need more guitars so I can have one that always pure nickel string on it :)
 
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