What Brand of strings do YOU like best ? ( include guitar type )

Ernie Ball here. I've tried other strings but EBs just have the feel that I'm used to so everything else kind of sounds weird in comparison. I think it's all about what you're used to in the end if we develop our playing style using strings by one manufacturer.
 
pauliusmm said:
Curious to try new Elixir Optiweb- anyone tried these?
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Looks like I've been living under a rock. Hadn't heard about these until your post. Looks promising. I'm slowly switching most of my guitars to Nanowebs, but was on the fence with my Strats. Optiwebs may be a better choice for the Strats.

edit:
I wish they would make classical strings.
 
ML SOUND LAB said:
Ernie Ball here. I've tried other strings but EBs just have the feel that I'm used to so everything else kind of sounds weird in comparison. I think it's all about what you're used to in the end if we develop our playing style using strings by one manufacturer.
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This was kind of my point. I've been using EB strings for decades. You try something , you like it , you stick with it.
I'm digging these BOOMERS right now. When I got 4 bad packs of rusty EBs at a local music store , the owner offered to give me new EB sets. But , since I was kinda turned off by the rust ( from likely just a bad batch ) and didn't want to deal with more bad strings , I said "What the heck , I'll try some ghs. Gilmour uses them I think , and he doesn't suck."
I kind of got forced to try something..... DIFFERENT.
I think I like them better. ( So far ). If this hadn't happened , I would probably never have bought anything but EBs.

I plan on trying some others listed in this thread. After thinking I had my favorite strings ( for life ) , the idea of liking something else MORE ; after all this time , is very interesting.
 
Winther said:
But did you need to change the gauge? They are supposed to have higher tension. When I haven't tried yet it's only because I need to pick each gauge individually.
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Nope, i stayed on 10-46. But now you mentioned a different tension i noticed my string action has rised slightly. I thought it was due to spring season, but maybe string tension has to do with it.
 
pauliusmm said:
Nope, i stayed on 10-46. But now you mentioned a different tension i noticed my string action has rised slightly. I thought it was due to spring season, but maybe string tension has to do with it.
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I makes sense. I believe the tension you need is closer to 09-42's but I need to test it string by string. I really think D'Addario needs to make an NYXL replacement chart.
 
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iaresee said:
For those of you using NYXLs -- how do they differ from the EXLs?
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The marketing hype is pretty spot on for the NYXLs. They last longer, stay in tune better, you really don't need to stretch a new set, and they're a little brighter sounding. I have a hard time breaking them too. They give me the confidence to do wide, Gilmour-like compound bends and crazy vibrato because I know they're not going to snap on me. To me they're worth the extra cash.
 
1poorplayer said:
I've been an Ernie Ball regular slinky 10's user for a long time , until I recently got 4 packs that had rust on them ( inside their vacuum sealed package )
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I have noticed that Ernie Ball's (haha) packaging has become regressive in preventing rust or other environmental extremes into their packaging. With that, I only play EB Regular/Super Slinky Cobalts because of the longevity the string gives as well as the tone. I play a PRS Studio, Hollowbody II and 513 as well as a Squire Japanese Strat. Sounds great on all of them, I would highly suggest the switch to their cobalt line since I can go 2-3 months without changing strings at about 2-4 hours per week of playtime.
 
Winther said:
But did you need to change the gauge? They are supposed to have higher tension. When I haven't tried yet it's only because I need to pick each gauge individually.
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Interesting... I tune a half step down and have been feeling like I want somthing with more tension. Maybe I'll have to give them a try.
 
Ive been buying Daddario 10's since I started. I had a phase where I bought the Zakk Wylde by GHS for a guitar when I was like 16 and thought I needed it to play metal.

I dont even buy into the NYXL stuff. I buy a 10 pack of 10's every month off amazon for 30 bucks on subscription. I change before every show, they just feel right. As for tuning, Im normally E Flat lately or Drop D in half step down. But I had many years playing E standard on a PRS Custom 22. Now I play a tele and a strat.
 
I used GHS Boomers from the '70s into the '90s, but at one point they became harder to find locally in the gauge I liked, so I went through several trail periods with other brands. These days I'm running Ernie Ball Hybrid Slinkies (9 to 46) on everything (Strats, Teles, PRS SE Custom 24 and Custom 22) except the PRS SE 245, where I use the same D'Addario Light (009) gauge that it came from the factory with. The SE 245 has a fixed bridge, and the intonation was spot on from the factory, so I figured why change anything? When I was gigging 6 nights a week and using one main guitar, it got new strings every other night. These days I gig once or twice a month, and I rotate among about 7 different guitars (I take 5 most gigs), so the strings just get changed when they start to go dead on me. I've got a couple sets in use right now that are over a year old, and others that are just a few weeks old.
 
I use Thomastik-Infeld Power Brights, 9's on Jems, 10's on Tele and Les Paul.
Started using these Sept. last year, won't string my geetars with anything else now.
 
Back in the day all good American guitar strings were made with Mapes wire. Those can be bought direct now at a good discount
 
I have been a DR guy for so long, and I stand so firmly behind their "Tite-Fit" strings that they actually want to use me in an ad!
 
1poorplayer said:
Seems like a lot of love for Daddario on this thread.
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The guitar shop I use recommends them. They say they are so consistent from set to set that you don't need to tweak your setup if you replace with the same strings.

So for them, its more about consistency from set to set.

I find all the major players in the string game stay in tune the same and last me just about as long.

I have tried coated strings but can't even begin to bond with them. I can afford to change my strings after every show if I want to. So long life is not my #1 priority.

During the sweaty summer months here in Alabama I put a new set on after every show. If the weather is mild, I change after about every 3-5 shows.
 
D'Addario XL110 or Ernie Ball Slinky on my Strat, Ernie Ball Slinky or GHS on my Tele, GHS Boomers on my Lp and Ernie Ball Custom 010, 013, 017, 028, 038,048 set on my ES-335.
 
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