What strings and picks are y'all using?

uOpt

uOpt

Something Cool
With the demise of Dean Markley, inavailability of my bass picks and safety (for the guitar) concerns about my guitar picks I need to choose a new standard set.

What are you using? Did you "standardize" on something or is it guitar and use dependent?

I tend to look at DR strings now (round core, nickel plated) and I ordered a variety of Dunlop Tortex. A long time ago I was using 0.73 Dunlop Nylons, but I found them too soft in the attack. I already use DR strings on bass.

Related question: why are popular sets not including a 0.012" H/B string? 0.011" is too waffly for me.
 
Regular D'Addario XLs here...9-42 on all 25.5" scales. I will go slightly higher on 24.75" scales, maybe 9.5-44. My Gibson gets a 10-46 set, though.
 
dr strings 11-50 on basically all my electrics, all in std tuning. elixers on my acoustics, rotosound or dr on the bass. ive used tortex picks, or more recently (five years?) ultex as well. .73 to 1mm but around .88 or .90 almost all the time
 
The last time I changed guitar strings was 1983. I went through a lot of trouble of stringing up an Ibanez Blazer with multiple A strings to compare directly. The Dean Markley Nickelsteel custom lite won. I liked the sound of the GHS boomers when they were brand new better, but they faded after a couple of hours playing.

The last time I changed guitar picks was in 2007, but I ended up with some Jazz III variant that is very hard with a sharp tip. I don't want to use those anymore except for carving steaks.
 
Strings are mostly D'Addario XL in a variety of gauges depending on the tuning:

25.5" Charvel DK24 in E standard: 9-42
25.5" Sterling Cutlass in E standard: 9-46
24.75" Epiphone Les Paul in E standard but frequently in drop D or even Eb with drop Db: 11-52
24.75" Schecter in Eb: 11-50
24.75" LTD EC-1000 in Db: 12-56 (Ernie Ball)

As for picks, it's Dunlop Max Grip Jazz III Carbon Fiber picks most of the time, though I will swap to Dunlop Nylon .60 picks for funk.
 
D'Addario EXL110, 10-46 for decades. Every several years I try something different and keep going back to them.

Picks are Tortex 1.0 Jazz XL. About every year I try a bunch of different picks and keep going back to these.
 
Use 9s on everything, whether G or F scale, standard or Eb.

I did put 8s on my SG recently and have been enjoying them a lot, they seem to suit that particular guitar. Of course, you can't be a ham fist with them 😄.

Picks - red or black Jazz III.
 
uOpt said:
With the demise of Dean Markley, inavailability of my bass picks and safety (for the guitar) concerns about my guitar picks I need to choose a new standard set.

What are you using? Did you "standardize" on something or is it guitar and use dependent?

I tend to look at DR strings now (round core, nickel plated) and I ordered a variety of Dunlop Tortex. A long time ago I was using 0.73 Dunlop Nylons, but I found them too soft in the attack. I already use DR strings on bass.

Related question: why are popular sets not including a 0.012" H/B string? 0.011" is too waffly for me.
Click to expand...
For years I used Clayton eagle 1mm teardrops. Recently I switched to these:


I use no name thin picks for recording strummy acoustic playing


D'Addario or Ernie Ball strings. 10-46 for electric / 12-54 Acoustics
 
Acoustic:
12-54 GHS Silk and Bronze on my Fender Del Mar.
I would have to pull my other acoustics from storage and look at spares in the case to know what is on them.

For acoustic I have, and use, every thickness Standard Tortex in the cases except the Green 0.88mm. Have not yet tried much Jazz III picking on acoustic.

Electric:
9-42 GHS Tremolo Boomers on my Fenders with Kahlers.
10-46 JTDGM Electric Strings on my Fender Lead II.
10-46 JTDGM Electric Strings on all Edwards, Epiphones, Gibsons, Heritages and Ibanez, except one Les Paul with 11-50.
9-42 D'Addario XL NW on my Peavey Wolfgang.
Anything I have purchased since 2019 has OEM brand sets; Fender NPS 9-42 & Gibson LP 10-46. My Epi Jack Casady and Fender AO 60's Jazz Basses are also in this category, but another pull and look at the spares in the case to know what size.

For guitar picks I had been using Standard Tortex Yellow 0.73mm since the 80's, but recently switched to the Jazz III Pitch Black Tortex 1.35mm.
For bass I was using the Standard Tortex Purple 1.14mm. I did get some Jazz III shaped Tortex Purple to try out for when I get back to bass.
 
I am trying out some D'Addario XS coated Phospher Bronze acoustic strings 12-53. I got a bunch of sets from them when I won a contest they had with Taylor guitars. I like them, and the coating doesn't seem to fall off as fast as on Elixers. They are about $15-$20 retail, so I don't know if they are worth it yet.
 
I currently have 8s on my Mustang, wound g 11s on my Strat and ES-175, 10s on my C# Strat, 12s on my Les Paul and Wolfgang. My classical is wound with fishing line for the time being. My basses have what they came with Beyond that I don't know.
 
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