String Choice: Ernie Ball or D'addario?

Greg Ferguson said:
I saw that also, and that was the final straw.

Years ago we'd buy Ernie Ball Slinkies, and they'd last about a week, then start rusting. But, back then, we were playing, practicing and storing our guitars in buildings that used evaporative cooling, which might have contributed to the problem.
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Same deal with GHS strings when I was in H.S. and college, and working at a music store part time. They were the cheapest, and we sold single strings that were GHS. Sometimes I'd get a bad string in a pack though.
 
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Joe Bfstplk said:
Used EB 9-46 hybrid slinkies (#2222) since the '90s. Discovered Stringjoy's 9-46 set and really like them. They have a super smooth, polished feel on the plain strings, and seem to last a long time. A couple strings' gauges are a bit different, but the balance is great....
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I have some pure nickel, bottom heavy .010 packs on the way from Stringjoy to try.
 
I generally use D'adarrio 10-46, 10-52, 11-48 depending on the tuning. I was using NYXL's and then went to the XT's, either works for me, going to be using the NYXL's as I bought the 25 set box. keep an eye on it I got mine for 142.00
Amazon product ASIN B07SQZ7JRJ
I also use EB Paradigm's but those are only on my Majesty's, psychosomatic maybe but I tried the XT's and they didn't feel right put EB's on and it just worked.
 
Ernie Ball Slinky’s. Was 10s or 11s for most of my playing until a hand injury made 09s much more enjoyable. Tried other brands but they feel tighter with the same gauge. Tried coated strings briefly, but hate when the coating starts to wear off. Also found “stronger strings” tougher on frets. For me I’d rather strings last a little less time and my frets last longer. I also don’t have very corrosive sweat and wipe down after every-time I play. Can’t remember the last time I broke a string (even with heavy trem use) knocks on wood
 
I used EB Regular Slinkies basically from when I started playing until last year. They always sounded, felt, and lasted pretty well for me, and the huge list of names on the package made me feel good enough about it that I just didn't really bother looking for other strings much at all.

Last year, I ended up getting several sets that just didn't last. They were a pain to keep in tune within a week of my casual, at home, "distraction from life" playing. They still sounded okay for another couple weeks, but I'd be out of tune by the end of a song. And it kind of happened all at once....they'd be totally fine and then the next day the tuning would drift.

My guitar tech suggested D'addario NYXLs. I also tried XLs, ghs, rotosound, DR, Kurt Mangen(sp?), and a couple others I don't remember that had cool-looking packaging. Now, my guitars have NYXLs.

They last more like 6 weeks, don't seem to need any break-in, and they generally hold tuning well even as they're dying. Instead, they lose their high end after a while, so I end up changing them when I start wanting to turn up the treble on my output EQ....but they stay in tune, and if I needed to, the EQ can get me another couple days. I like them a lot better.
 
I've found that Slinky's and D'Addarios are about the same in terms of feel and durability. Between the two I prefer the D'Addarios only because they are color-coded, which makes it a bit easier to restring. However, after trying coated Elixirs I will be using them because they last much, much longer than the cheaper brands. The cost of the Elixirs, IMO, is about the same when you factor in their longevity.
 
vika12 said:
I've found that Slinky's and D'Addarios are about the same in terms of feel and durability. Between the two I prefer the D'Addarios only because they are color-coded, which makes it a bit easier to restring. However, after trying coated Elixirs I will be using them because they last much, much longer than the cheaper brands. The cost of the Elixirs, IMO, is about the same when you factor in their longevity.
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Never had an issue with longevity, even with the Ernie Balls, but these Stringjoy strings I have been using lately seem to last very long and feel great. I guess my hands don't emit anything particularly corrosive....
 
Joe Bfstplk said:
Never had an issue with longevity, even with the Ernie Balls, but these Stringjoy strings I have been using lately seem to last very long and feel great. I guess my hands don't emit anything particularly corrosive....
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I don't know what it is but the less expensive ones just feel dull and lose their tone much quicker. It's like the difference between those cheap blue disposable razors that always nick my face and the pricier ones that come in a set of 5 or more. They are worth the price because they last so much longer.
 
Used EB Slinkys (both reg and ss) for many years when gigging heavily. However it should be noted I changed strings at least once per week on my main guitar then.

I took a long break and then reduced my gigging when starting again a few years back. EBs (9's and 10's) seemed to snap the little strings quite quickly even when still young and they also 'squeaked' when I moved my hand up and down on them. Definitely seemed changed from my previous experience with them.

Gave D'Addario EXL strings a go and haven't changed from them since. They seem more robust and quieter as far as finger noise goes.

Got a set of GHS once ...... thought I'd got leprosy as my fingertips went black with the amount of oxide that came off them

So - D'Addario gets my vote.

I remember reading on the EB forum where someone said they had replaced the frets on their EBMM guitar with SS ones ..... then 'da boss' Sterling Ball who was defending the choice of nickel fret wire on all his guitars at that time joined in and said "Great .... your SS frets will mean more string breakage which means more string sales for me".

Then a reply came something like "But you also sell SS strings don't you .... would they not be ideal to use on SS frets?" ........ no more posts from the boss after that ....
 
I switched from NYXL to Stringjoy last year, I really like their 10/50 husky light set but I do think the NYXL last just a little bit longer.
 
maxdown said:
Used EB Slinkys (both reg and ss) for many years when gigging heavily. However it should be noted I changed strings at least once per week on my main guitar then.

I took a long break and then reduced my gigging when starting again a few years back. EBs (9's and 10's) seemed to snap the little strings quite quickly even when still young and they also 'squeaked' when I moved my hand up and down on them. Definitely seemed changed from my previous experience with them.

Gave D'Addario EXL strings a go and haven't changed from them since. They seem more robust and quieter as far as finger noise goes.

Got a set of GHS once ...... thought I'd got leprosy as my fingertips went black with the amount of oxide that came off them

So - D'Addario gets my vote.

I remember reading on the EB forum where someone said they had replaced the frets on their EBMM guitar with SS ones ..... then 'da boss' Sterling Ball who was defending the choice of nickel fret wire on all his guitars at that time joined in and said "Great .... your SS frets will mean more string breakage which means more string sales for me".

Then a reply came something like "But you also sell SS strings don't you .... would they not be ideal to use on SS frets?" ........ no more posts from the boss after that ....
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Yes, the Cutlass has SS frets. So does the Stingray, which I have and love. I have SS frets on other guitars. They are smooth. No more string wear or breakage than nickel.
 
I had been using D'Addario strings for decades before switching to Stringjoy a few years ago. They are more expensive, but I've found them to be very consistent in response, and they retain their tone / clarity for a long time. Back in the late 80s-early 2000s, I was playing a lot of shows, and my routine was to change strings every other gig, so at least twice a week. Yes, I went through a lot of strings... used to buy them by the gross of sets. I found the even with post-gig wipedown, my strings were noticeably less responsive after a few shows. The Stringjoys sound and play great for at least 5+ shows before I notice any degradation. That means I get up to a month on a set, which offsets their cost.
FYI: By "tone / clarity", I am not referring to that super bright characteristic of brand-new stings. It always takes a little tuning / stretching / break-in on a new set to get them settled into good tone. Warm up and soundcheck are good opportunities for doing that. What I mean by that sound is the way a good non-oxidized string delivers focused response and vibration up and down its length. This is especially evident on pure nickel strings, which oxidize pretty quickly. You might not notice this on single notes, but as the string develops less responsive in various places on its length, more complex chords start to sound discordant (no matter how much "in tune" the open string might be). I suspect the oxidation makes the string's vibrations inconsistent, which is altering the emphasis on various harmonics above the fundamental.

YMMV, but I find Stringjoys to be somewhat resistant to that phenomenon. Also, it allows to avoid the debate of how to pronounce "D'Addario" correctly.
 
vika12 said:
I've found that Slinky's and D'Addarios are about the same in terms of feel and durability. Between the two I prefer the D'Addarios only because they are color-coded,
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Slinky's are color-coded also.
Edit: No you're right.
 
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I had a problem with the D string on a set of Stringjoys pure Nickel, the end felt like there was no core string and when I strung it it was just totally dead..anyway emailled Stringjoy about it & got this reply..nice response & post as its worth knowing that u need a bit more care stringing with the Nickels..video at the botttom


Hi Chris,

Thank you for reaching out and for your support - Sorry you had a bad experience with one of our Broadways. Our Broadways feature pure-nickel wrap wire with a round core. This unique, vintage-style construction results in a unique installation process as well - just in case you weren't aware. Here is a video we made about it! This kind of thing can happen when the string gets trimmed before it gets installed on the tuners.

Broadways: History and Installation

Fear not, we've got your back on this one. I'd be glad to have the production team send a couple replacement strings along to you with your next order, or we can ship it on its own, we'd just ask that you pay shipping ($4.95) since this was an international order. Please let me know how you'd like to proceed..

Please let me know if there are any questions I can answer, or anything else I can help with in the meantime.


 
chris5150 said:
I had a problem with the D string on a set of Stringjoys pure Nickel, the end felt like there was no core string and when I strung it it was just totally dead..anyway emailled Stringjoy about it & got this reply..nice response & post as its worth knowing that u need a bit more care stringing with the Nickels..video at the botttom


Hi Chris,

Thank you for reaching out and for your support - Sorry you had a bad experience with one of our Broadways. Our Broadways feature pure-nickel wrap wire with a round core. This unique, vintage-style construction results in a unique installation process as well - just in case you weren't aware. Here is a video we made about it! This kind of thing can happen when the string gets trimmed before it gets installed on the tuners.

Broadways: History and Installation

Fear not, we've got your back on this one. I'd be glad to have the production team send a couple replacement strings along to you with your next order, or we can ship it on its own, we'd just ask that you pay shipping ($4.95) since this was an international order. Please let me know how you'd like to proceed..

Please let me know if there are any questions I can answer, or anything else I can help with in the meantime.


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Dude, THANK YOU, I would have totally messed it up as I am just waiting on some pure nickel StringJoys. Thanks for the heads up.
 
Dr. Faustus said:
I'm still playing JH-10s. I've been using them since the mid-90s and have never considered switching. I just took delivery of another 12 packs today.

What should I be looking for in terms of QC issues, please?
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Sorry I missed this.
I had an issue with LOTS of dead strings, as well as the wrong gauges being put in the sets. And by dead string I mean a string that just thuds and barely gets to pitch. They likely were having trouble with the wrap staying tight to the core, but the fact they were having trouble identifying the issue, as well as struggling with very basic stuff like putti g the right gauge string in a pack, I just couldn't waste any more time with them. 25 years on DRs, but I'm just as happy with the performance of the NYXLS, just don't live the price.
I talked with them for months, sending strings back and forth, and finally threw in the towel and found the NYXLs as an acceptable if expensive alternative.
 
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