Re: What picks/stings are everybody using?
For picks, I keep to the standard Fender 351 shape. I use the same picks for acoustics and electrics. I like a heavy, stiff pick. I hate the clickety-clack of a light pick. And the stiff pick is more accurate--you don't have that latency of the pick rebounding back to neutral after it hits the strings. I don't like nylon as it warms up in my hand, and as it warms the flexibility changes.
My standard pick for many years has been the Dunlop purple Tortex in 1.14mm, but then I moved to Blue 1.14mm Gators. This is the pick that I am most likely to gig with, since I don't drop them.
Over the last few years I have also tried the Dunlop Ultex in 1.14mm (also the Clayton Ultrem). These have a slightly mellower tone. Recently I've been trying the "Sharp" version, which is just slightly brighter. The advantage of the Ultex is that they wear like iron.
Here's some others in my pocket that I play around with:
Graph-Tech Tusq, Cream, 1.0mm. Nice bright tone, but they seem to wear fast.
Dunlop Delrin 500, 1.14mm. These came out just before the Tortex. I don't like the tone as well as the Tortex--it's brighter and edgier, and they wear very fast.
Lollar. Jason gives away these promo pics when I've seen him at guitar shows. They are made out of fiberboard, the material that is used for the top of a tele pickup. Very, very stiff; slightly larger than the 351 shape. Interesting combination of warmth and brightness. Long wearing.
V-picks. I like the Tradition Lite. Very grippy and seems to hardly wear, smooth on the strings, and a nice tone, but it's a little too heavy for me. I also picked up one of his Red Rockers, and I am REALLY liking this. The guy has a full lineup of picks in every size, shape and thickness imaginable. Expensive at around $5.00, but worth a try.
There is also Stoneworks picks, and I am probably going to order something from him. He has some beautiful stuff, though they are very expensive. Agate, turquoise, jasper, jade...and he can turn them into jewelry for your girl, too.
Finally, for fingerpicking the acoustic guitar and the banjo, I will use either Golden Gate or Dunlop large celluloid plastic thumbpicks. Lately, I've been preferring the Gates. And then Dunlop Gauged fingerpicks, in the .0225 gauge, though .020 works too. I use the regular nickel ones, but the brass picks are cool too, and they have a slightly different tone. I learned to fingerpick on a nylon string classic guitar, but switched to a steel string. When I started gigging with my unamplified Martin D-18 and a Shure SM-57 to mic the guitar, I found I could get better volume and projection with the fingerpicks...and "more gain before feedback" is good thing in a small club with a tight stage. Of course, now I have acoustics with pickups, but I've never been able to go back to using just my fingertips on the acoustic.
=======================
I have 14 acoustic guitars. For most of my 6-string acoustic guitars I use Martin SP Medium Gauge .010--.056 Phoshor Bronze, SP Lifetime PB, D'Addario J-17 Series, or EXP17s. I have one guitar that uses Lights, and two that use the D'Addario -19 Bluegrass gauge (light top/medium bottoms). For the most part I am happy with uncoated strings, but in having so many guitars the coated strings have proven to be worth the extra cost. It just depends on how I'm going to use a guitar. if it sits in the case, getting only played occasionally for a month or two, then the EXP or the SP Lifetime strings make sense. If I'm playing one guitar heavily for a week or two, then the uncoated strings are more cost effective.
For my two 12-strings, I use D'Addario EXP Light Gauge PB sets.
I definitely prefer the tone and sustain of Phosphor Bronze over 80/20 brass.
I try to maintain a regimen of cleaning my strings after a gig or heavy playing session. When I get home from a gig, I loosen the strings and use a damp rag to wipe down the guitar and follow with a microfiber cloth to dry it off. I use the Dunlop 65 String Cleaner on a rag and then apply it to the strings. This removes the oil and grime, and the light coating left on the string helps prevent tarnishing. This is useful even on coated strings--I've had them retain their tone for more than six months. I do this to all my guitars.
I do not like Elixir strings. They are higher tension than the comparable Martin and D'Addario strings, and they break under my heavy strumming. And they simply don't sound as good.
The quality of the Martin and D'Addario strings is excellent, for tone, longevity, playability and consistency. The strings I buy today are so much better than what was available back in the late '60s when I was learning to play. The D'Addario Phosphor Bronze was a huge improvement in strings when it was introduced in the '70s--we take PB for granted now, but back then you were lucky to get two days out of a set of strings before they would go dead.
The strings I use are very good at keeping their tone. When I replace strings, it is usually due to the frets wearing out divots in the strings. This is also true for the electric strings I use.
On my electric guitars I use a couple of different sets. On my G&L guitars with the Dual Fulcrum Vibrato, I've found that the Fender Super Bullet strings deliver everything promised. The bullet end does seem to help with tuning stability in these guitars with a vibrato block. On these guitars with the 25.5" scale, I use 9-42 gauge. I have also experimented with the Original Bullets (pure nickel) and the Stainless Bullets, but the Super Bullets are my go-to strings on these guitars.
Everything else gets D'Addario, XL with the nickel-coated steel. On my Music Man Sabre IIs (Fender scale, hard tail), the Ibanez AS-120 Artstar and the GR-520 Ghostriders, I use the XL-120 strings in 9-42.
The Gibson ES-335s get XL-110 in 10-46.
Most of the Les Pauls get XL-110 10-46, but I have a couple that seem to play better with XL-125 9-46. This is the same gauge as the Gibson Les Paul Signature Strings, BTW.
The DanElectro 12-strings also get D'Addario XL-150 in the standard light gauge.
======================
With 55 guitars, I do a LOT of string changing!!!! And two of my favorite tools are a good string winder and a pair of SHARP side-cutting pliers. There is simply no better string winder on the market than the Shubb string winder. This is about $7.00 and worth every penny. It is so smooth; it doesn't wobble and come apart like the cheap ones. It has a precision feel to it. The side-cutters I've been using are the GrooveTech cutters from Cruz Tools. They are just excellent. Sharp as heck, and they seem very durable, and they are comfortable in the hand. Better than any Craftsman cutter I've ever bought (and I have a toolbox full of Craftsman tools and pliers. The last Craftsman I bought was not only dull but misaligned, too, and wouldn't cut the strings at all; I took it back and got the Cruz. Cruz also has some nice little guitar maintenance kits, and I suspect that the rest of their tools are just as well made.
I keep a little set of tools available whenever I do string changing. I have a little boxed set of eight Phillips and flat-head X-celite screwdrivers that I had since the early '70s--one of the best things I've ever bought for my music career. I am constantly using them. I also have a long bladed Phillips-head screwdriver that is good for adjusting Fender string-length screw--the long blade keeps the handle from marring the finish. (Lesson learned.) A set of Craftsman nut drivers have come in handy for fixing loose tuner bushing, truss rod, and jack nuts. And of course, a set of the appropriate Allen wrenches for my G&L and Music Man bridges.
Stew-Mac offers a wonderful selection of luthier tools. I have one of their steel radius gauge sets and their String Action Gauge--two "must haves" if you want your guitar to "play like buttah!" String changing is a good time to check your action and truss rod adjustment.
And of course, this is a great time to do any cleaning, oiling and polishing. Might just need a bit of fret polishing with the Dunlop 65 fret cloth. Perhaps some fret board cleaning and oiling. I use the Dunlop 65 Cleaner and oil, but lately I've been trying a new fretboard oil from F-ONE. Maple boards just get wiped down with water, and then a little bit of Carnauba Wax to protect it. The body will get wiped down with a damp rag and dried, or at the very least, a few spritzes of the Dunlop 65 spray polish. And occasionally, they might need the "full spa treatment", including the application of Carnauba Wax. Fortunately, not as painful as a Brazilian wax job!
So for me, string changing time is not just about strings, but it is also a time to do a little clean-up and maintenance. It' a little bit like spending "quality time" with your honey when she's shopping--getting to know what she likes, and then being rewarded when she's all spiffed up and ready to party. It might seem like a chore, but it's just a bit of "relationship maintenance".
Bill
