STRING NIGHTMARE! d'addarios!

[midnite_man]

Re: STRING NIGHTMARE! d'addarios!

OK this is really not a who likes em who dont,i would like someone if they can explain what the heck was wrong with em? all three packs had the same problems and it was not the guitar trust me :yell:

FWIW, I've used D'Addario strings for years on my humbucker guitars and have always noticed that they sound a little weird for the first 3 or 4 times I play them heavily. But strings do break in, and the D's have always settled down after giving them some good workouts. I don't like D's on a Strat, though, and prefer Fender Bullets over anything else. For me, they deliver the best Strat tone for my ears and although they come out of the package just a hair bright, it only takes one playing session for them to get it together.
I read a bio about Neil Young and what strings he uses in his "Blackie" Les Paul
and although I can't remember exactly what brand name he uses, I do know that he doesn't like to ever change any strings on that axe at all! He says that's part of his sound and he likes the way old strings play.

 

[Fresno Bob]

Re: STRING NIGHTMARE! d'addarios!

I read a bio about Neil Young and what strings he uses in his "Blackie" Les Paul
and although I can't remember exactly what brand name he uses, I do know that he doesn't like to ever change any strings on that axe at all! He says that's part of his sound and he likes the way old strings play.

That's exactly how i feel. There's just something I love about the tone of old guitar strings that have oxidized and gone black and crusty...to me it has a much darker overall tone.

 

[Bones]

Re: STRING NIGHTMARE! d'addarios!

I used to use Daddarios, but now i use Dean Markley blue steels. they just last longer. If you guys know of a brand that lasts longer, let me know.

 

[telerifik]

Re: STRING NIGHTMARE! d'addarios!

:dance: Props for ernie ball reg. slinky 10-46 on my teles :dance:

 

[Dime59hum]

Re: STRING NIGHTMARE! d'addarios!

Just goes to show, if it aint broke, dont fix it. You never should have strayed from the Fender strings.

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: STRING NIGHTMARE! d'addarios!

Today, I'm going to buy buy some sets of strings. This thread got me thinking about trying some other brands. I usually go cheap and opt for D'Addarios or Ernie Ball,
but I think I'm going to try a different formula this time. Gibson strings for the LP's, Fender strings for the strats n teles, and my usual Martin Phosphors for the D-28.

Maybe it's time to find out what strings I really love, not just "whatever." It's funny that a person will be anal about what strings sound the best, then we put on earplugs to keep from going deaf. Kinda silly, actually.

 

[STRATDELUXER97]

Re: STRING NIGHTMARE! d'addarios!

Let me start out by explaining what happened,
OK normally i use fender XL-150 becuase they are pure nickle strings.
anyway i am at the store and they have the d'addario's 3 pack for $9.99 so i fugure hey joe satriani uses these and so does a lot of other guys let me give em a go. they are inexpensive and may be real good and i can change my strings more often
so i buy the 3 pack and get home put a set on, :smack: first off the sound VERY clanky,thin?
secondly there is a overtone, like a chirp on the open A and B strings?
so i figure i never had this problem before so its the pack it had to be a bad pack right? WRONG! :saeek:
took off the brand new set put on the second brand new set and the same results! oed: oed: oed:
two bad packs in a row?
so now i am furious and put on the last of the 3 pack,guess what?
thats right same problems :damnit:
OK now i am starting to BLAME my guitar, i run out to the music store and buy ONE set of my normal brand fender XL 150's put them on and all is well :bigthumb:
you mean to tell me that the d'addario's are that bad? how does guys like satch use them?
please someone else here tell me they have had a NIGHTMARE with d'addario's?
:smack:

I've been using the EXL D'Addarios for many years and there are some important factors that you aren't realizing...The Fender 150s have more string tension...The EXLs are "slinkier" in their feel and therefore put less tension on your guitar's neck...It's quite possible that you'd have to tweak the truss rod a bit and for sure,the vibrato on a strat after switching from Fender to the D'Addario strings...I do know this from using several brands over the many years of playing...The D'addarios are nickel plated steel and are brighter than the Pure Nickel 150s you're used to...A closer string in the Fender line then would actually be the 250 series compared to the EXLs..

The same gauge Fender strings are tighter in tension than the D'Addarios...Fender just released a new line of their strings that have less tension.
The D'addarios I have found to be the least expensive and most consistent strings I have ever used..
I always wipe my strings down before and after playing and get alot of string life from the D'Addarios...
As far as brightness of strings from some I remember in order would go like this....

GHS Boomers
D'Addario EXLs
Ernie Ball Slinkys
GHS Nickel Rockers
Fender 150s
DR Pure Blues

If you're happy with the 150s,then by all means stick with those strings....

John

 

[tone4days]

Re: STRING NIGHTMARE! d'addarios!

have any of you tried the webstrings yet? ... i am curious about them as a way to save money and always have a fresh set on hand without needing to drive to the music store ... it makes me wonder if some other 'name' manufacturer actually makes them and offers them cheaper due to no advertising and bulk sales and as a way of realising an economy of scale in their production ops ...

i have been a d'addario player for almost 25 yrs with very few episodes of 'straying' to other brands .. i tried elixers and didnt see the point .. i tried the cryo-steel, but didnt feel wowed by em ... if the webstrings sound good and last reasonably, i am prone to trying em ...

btw, put me down as a guy who likes the sound of 'old' strings ... nicely rounded quality that suits my taste ... i am a 10-46 kinda guys

cheers,
t4d

 

[\m/(00)\m/]

Re: STRING NIGHTMARE! d'addarios!

thats why i never use d'addarios, i used to use GHS boomers 8's and i recently switched to ernie ball 9-42's. i never liked d'addario, dont knbow why. ernie ball just fites me.
hey! Vai uses them, so they must be good

 

[kill your scene]

Re: STRING NIGHTMARE! d'addarios!

Wow, a lot of love for Ernie Ball on this thread.:beerchug:

I've been using Hybrid Slinkies for years and I love them. I started out on Fenders, but they didn't really last as long as I had hoped, so I gave EB a shot and never looked back. I don't care about D'Addario at all, but I've been thinking about giving Dean Markley's a try. Does anyone have good experience with their NickelSteel strings? Nickel-plated steel is my absolute favorite.

 

[Pandemonium]

Re: STRING NIGHTMARE! d'addarios!

I love their phosphor bronze strings for my acoustic lap guitar and my dobro, but I like Ernie Ball Slinkys and GHS Boomers for my electrics. No knock, it's just what I'm used to. I would figure 8 or 9 out of 10 dobro players use D'Addario strings, they'll do a better job of taming the overtones on the B strings in G tuning and give you a sweeter sound than anything I've tried.

 

[midnite_man]

Re: STRING NIGHTMARE! d'addarios!

I bought a bunch of strings off the webstrings.com site, in particular the "Memphis Lights" .10 - .46 ga. They're not bad for inexpensive strings, but I found them not to be as flexible as, say, D'Addarios. I tried ML's on my Strat but didn't like 'em, but on my Les Paul they felt okay. I mainly keep them on hand in case of a single string break, but I also bought a bunch of Rogue singles from Musician's F. for that purpose. Not too impressed with that line, but they'll get you buy until you do a complete restring.
I've been told, don't know if it's entirely true, that D'Addario is one of the few string companies that actually manufacture their own. Supposedly there are many companies out there who sell strings under their name that are actually made by independent companies who distribute for other "brand name" companies as well.
I'm wondering if anyone here has ever experienced any abrupt change in a certain brand and gauge of strings that they religiously used for a long time, due to that possible theory?

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: STRING NIGHTMARE! d'addarios!

I love their phosphor bronze strings for my acoustic lap guitar and my dobro, but I like Ernie Ball Slinkys and GHS Boomers for my electrics. No knock, it's just what I'm used to. I would figure 8 or 9 out of 10 dobro players use D'Addario strings, they'll do a better job of taming the overtones on the B strings in G tuning and give you a sweeter sound than anything I've tried.

Interesting that you use Phosphor Bronze for Dobros and lapsteels. I agree that they sound better. I never understood why Dobros and slide guitars are supposed to be stainless steel? or nickel wound?

I just use one gauge higher on the Dobro than the reg. acoustic.
I think I use 12's on acoustic and 13's on the Dobro or lapsteel.

 

[B2D]

Re: STRING NIGHTMARE! d'addarios!

Ernie Balls and DR's sound like ass, to me. The EB's break more and are sterile sounding and the DR's have no balls. I've always used D'addario EXL120s and I've never had a problem. They last a long time and they're very durable... they never seem to break.

I've been experimenting with Fender strings because they play easier... but I've never had a problem with D's. The D's seem to have more tension in them than regular 9-guage strings, so maybe the guitar was reacting to that.

BTW, RG2570.... nice avatar.

 

[KoreanGuitarMan]

Re: STRING NIGHTMARE! d'addarios!

It's not surprising that you don't like the sound of strings that are of a different material and tension on a guitar that's not set up for them.

There isn't anything wrong with D'Addario strings. You just don't like them.

 

[Kent S.]

Re: STRING NIGHTMARE! d'addarios!

I used to use GHS Boomers. The store was out, so I tried some D'Addarios. I thought they sounded clanky. I then went back and the store recommended DR Tite-fits. I've been using the DR's ever since.

Yeah man DR's are nice, not quite my thing but nice, there definately is something to that compression winding process.

 

[Kent S.]

Re: STRING NIGHTMARE! d'addarios!

you know it is funny cause i originally tried these for the cash savings but you and other have told me that they last for crap?
so even if i had no technical probs i still would have been better off stickin to my normal brand :smack:
I want to give the DR's a go as well as elixers? but am sceptical now after the D' adreadio experience :laugh2:

Most people I talk to loved the elixers for acoustic, but didn't like them for electric ... also price wise they were a bit steep, but for the acoustic they lasted much longer, so you got your money's worth ... plus the acoustic feel really good.

 

[Kent S.]

Re: STRING NIGHTMARE! d'addarios!

OK this is really not a who likes em who dont,i would like someone if they can explain what the heck was wrong with em? all three packs had the same problems and it was not the guitar trust me :yell:

Man, guy I couldn't tell ya, to me i don't know that there manufacturing process is any different than anyone elses ... But a friend of mine joked that the strings themselves sound *electric*. I don't know if it's there alloy, there wind compression, there core (DR is famous for offering a round core, and a hex core as a tonal alternative), couldn't tell yeah, sorry.

 

[Kent S.]

Re: STRING NIGHTMARE! d'addarios!

.....
...... It's funny that a person will be anal about what strings sound the best, then we put on earplugs to keep from going deaf. Kinda silly, actually.

Now that's funny .... :laugh2:

 

[Kent S.]

Re: STRING NIGHTMARE! d'addarios!

I've been using the EXL D'Addarios for many years and there are some important factors that you aren't realizing...The Fender 150s have more string tension...The EXLs are "slinkier" in their feel and therefore put less tension on your guitar's neck...It's quite possible that you'd have to tweak the truss rod a bit and for sure,the vibrato on a strat after switching from Fender to the D'Addario strings...I do know this from using several brands over the many years of playing...The D'addarios are nickel plated steel and are brighter than the Pure Nickel 150s you're used to...A closer string in the Fender line then would actually be the 250 series compared to the EXLs..

The same gauge Fender strings are tighter in tension than the D'Addarios...Fender just released a new line of their strings that have less tension.
The D'addarios I have found to be the least expensive and most consistent strings I have ever used..
I always wipe my strings down before and after playing and get alot of string life from the D'Addarios...
As far as brightness of strings from some I remember in order would go like this....

GHS Boomers
D'Addario EXLs
Ernie Ball Slinkys
GHS Nickel Rockers
Fender 150s
DR Pure Blues

If you're happy with the 150s,then by all means stick with those strings....

John

This is an excellent point all across the board ... a lot of people assume that if the gauge of string is the same (each string the same) that the intonation will be the same also, many times it's true, sometimes it isn't. When one factors in the pups(mainly referring the single coil magnetic pull, but HB can apply also), the neck relief, string tension, and the type of guitar (woods, hardware, solid, semi-hollow, hollow) you can wind up with a whole host of factors. Nice point John.