What's the difference between strings/brands

moog1000

moog1000

New member
I've just taken a set of my trusty old Ernie Ball .10's off my Tele and stuck a set of D'addario .10's on for a change. My first impressions are that they seem very light in comparision, almost like Ernie Ball .09's, which got me thinking -

What are the difference in equivalent string gauges by different companies? Obviously the size of the string is the same, but what else is different? How can the D'addarios be lighter if they are the same gauge?

Your ideas please.
 
Re: What's the difference between strings/brands

because D'addarios are the wussy strings. :p
 
Re: What's the difference between strings/brands

Nate said:
because D'addarios are the wussy strings. :p
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lol, you get all these shredder guys going 'I play D'addario .11's' when actually they're rubber bands anyway!
 
Re: What's the difference between strings/brands

those shredder guys are wussies. just look at vai, petrucci, gilbert...those guys are serious ****in' business. ;)
 
Re: What's the difference between strings/brands

can't argue with the brawny guy, he makes the manliest paper towels around
 
Re: What's the difference between strings/brands

i do it for all the manly guitar players out there. god knows even they spill their **** every now and again. ;)
 
Re: What's the difference between strings/brands

lol. I suppose. Anyways, D'Addario has steel strings that feel.. sturdier than their nickel strings.
 
Re: What's the difference between strings/brands

are we talking about strings or paper towels, although they are useful for string clear when you don´t have a string cleaner towel...
anyway, recently i´ve make a change of strings from D´addario 09´s to Ernie Ball´s 09´s, and it seems that they are quite similar in feeling but the EB´s are better dealing with rust than the D´addario´s...
someone said to me that the GHS string rusted way faster than the d´addario is it true, sincerly i haven´t try GHS strings...
JJ
 
Re: What's the difference between strings/brands

I use to use D'addario but they felt odd to me. I use GHS nickel rockers and I like them. No rust yet, but then again I don't sweat a lot or play in the rain.

Anybody use the cryogenic Blue Steel strings and have an opinion?
 
Re: What's the difference between strings/brands

Majority of the string brands out there are made in two or three factories. D'Addario being one of those factories. They then make strings for other brands.

So, for the most part, whats the main difference between string brands?
The packaging.

Kent
 
Re: What's the difference between strings/brands

Actually there are maybe 10 companies that makes strings, and they make strings to spec for everyone else. The major differences are in material composition as well as some manufacturing differences like hex cores, different ball ends and wraps and the tension the wound strings are wrapped at.

Different materials have different tensil strengths and thats part of the reason some strings feel "looser".
 
Re: What's the difference between strings/brands

Some of my impressions on strings:

Ernie Ball: Tough, very very good fresh-out-of-pack sound. Lose that sound relatively quickly IMHO.

D'Addario: A touch lighter feel that EB, but seem to retain tone a little longer. Also (strangly) even seem to sound OK when they're completely dead.

GHS: Bright

DR: The tite-fit strings that they make are the best strings I've ever used. Great vintage tone from them. The core is round like in the old days, instead of hexagonal like everyone else. Roundwound means round winding, not round core. Smoother tone. Need less stretching. Not really bright tho for heavy metal. My Jacksons get Elixers ;)
 
Re: What's the difference between strings/brands

i tried a ton of brands years ago, and GHS always ended up having best tone, feel, and string life
 
Re: What's the difference between strings/brands

Single cut dude has a great point i do agree with him D´addario strings, and one more thing GHS strings eats up the frets because they´re stainless steel they sound big and brigth but... i dont have that much money to re-fret my axes...
 
Re: What's the difference between strings/brands

SingleCutDude said:
Some of my impressions on strings:

Ernie Ball: Tough, very very good fresh-out-of-pack sound. Lose that sound relatively quickly IMHO.

D'Addario: A touch lighter feel that EB, but seem to retain tone a little longer. Also (strangly) even seem to sound OK when they're completely dead.
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totaly agree!
I recently changed around Ernie ball, D'addari and Dean Markley to gain some experience. I felt exactly the same about EB and D'addario. Dean Markley is interesting. the regular type (signature series) lasts as long as D'addario but sounds bigger and stronger. it's more suited for distorted sound than DD but the clean sound is blunt. DD always sounds smooth and sweet to me. The blue steel Dean Markley is my current favourate. they last super long and generate alot of overtones but they take much longer time to get their tension settled. when you put them on and tune them they drop flat and you tune and stretch again and they drop again. it took me like 5 times to get them stabalized.
 
Re: What's the difference between strings/brands

Ironjose said:
... and one more thing GHS strings eats up the frets because they´re stainless steel they sound big and brigth but... i dont have that much money to re-fret my axes...
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Dude, if you think GHS eat up frets, stay the hell away from Dean Markley Blue Steels, or any cryogenic strings for that matter.
 
Re: What's the difference between strings/brands

Best strings ive ever used, have to be IRC music store brand.

Very very cheap, But, ive had them on the guitar for months, no rust, no dead tones, and they still look shiney.
They are the perfect blend of hard and soft too.


Go figure, the cheapest strings you can buy end up being the best. Btw, i have a set of D'Ardario's on my other guitar, and they feel like crap, and cost $10.
 
Re: What's the difference between strings/brands

Nate said:
because D'addarios are the wussy strings. :p
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Try their 12's. D'addario 12's to me are stiffer than Ernie Ball 12's. The Ernie Balls also break on me much sooner.


I think the next box I buy will by DR though.
 
Re: What's the difference between strings/brands

TeleJr24 said:
I use to use D'addario but they felt odd to me. I use GHS nickel rockers and I like them. No rust yet, but then again I don't sweat a lot or play in the rain.

Anybody use the cryogenic Blue Steel strings and have an opinion?
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oo my firsdt post yeah i use the blue steal strings and they are AWESOME... for about three days before they go to hell and lose most of their tone. I am in the process of switching to d'addario's... am i a wuss?
 
Re: What's the difference between strings/brands

Dean Markley Blue Steel's rock me in the pants. I need to switch to back to them.
 
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