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String recommendations thread


Moon Moon

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I use Elixir, because I have grimy fingers, from all the filthy riffs I play. And sweat.

 

I have 11's on my Eclipse, and 10's on my Tele.

 

I restrung the Eclipse when I got it a few months ago, and haven't changed them since. I haven't restrung the Tele in nearly a year.

 

They last for ever and ever. When the machines rise, and nuclear warfare destroys planet Earth, all that will be left is bits of old discarded Elixir strings.

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I use Elixir, because I have grimy fingers, from all the filthy riffs I play. And sweat.

I have 11's on my Eclipse, and 10's on my Tele.

I restrung the Eclipse when I got it a few months ago, and haven't changed them since. I haven't restrung the Tele in nearly a year.

They last for ever and ever. When the machines rise, and nuclear warfare destroys planet Earth, all that will be left is bits of old discarded Elixir strings.

they do last for ever but I personally don't get along with them, acoustic especially I get a lot better sound from d'daddrio phosphor bronze which are half the price. I may start going back to them when using electrics as arsed restringing guitars. Only thing is I want to try the poly webs but shops don't stock them.

anyone tried dr strings, not the neons just standard ones?

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Yeah, I've heard the acoustic Elixirs sound a bit toss. I don't play acoustics though. Acoustics are for hippies.

is that just like punk and metal are for emos?

But yeah acoustic elixirs are quite bad considering the price, I want to try the polywebs as I've heard their quite good but no where stocks them

Edited by Moon Moon
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Ernie Ball Hybrid Slinkies, 9-46 ("9" on the top 3 strings; "10s" on the bottom).

 

I've also used the equivalent D'Addario set, and not noticed any real difference (although I've never compared side-by-side; I think Ernie Balls might have a bit more metallic zing when new, which I like). I'm attached to the hybrid gauge more than the brand.

 

On electrics, ofc.

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Being completely honest I don't notice much difference between string manufacturers, certainly not enough to get involved with thinking about how tight the strings are wound or whether I get on with them or not.

 

I use Ernie Balls because that's what I first bought when I were a lad (bright packaging) and i've stuck with them since then. They get changed every month (or more often if I gig/practice a lot) I never break a string and they stay in tune fine.

 

If a shop doesn't have the ones I want I buy a different set and they're usually ok too.

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I was at a trad workshop recently and someone asked the guy (a well known trad mando player) what kind of strings he used.  I didn't get it.  They were also asking what picks he recommended.  These are completely down to personal preference and you're going to replace them that often that you can try a few different ones out until you get to a set you like so I don't understand why you'd base what you have on your instrument on what another player uses.  

 

It was almost like some of the attendees thought it was part of the secret to why he was a good player. 

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I get it to some extent (regards guitar). Lighter strings are going to make it easier (or at least more comfortable) to play fast and bend strings; but you may (if heavy gauge string proponents are correct) have a thinner tone. With picks, heavier ones again make it easier to play fast as they don't bend and thus slow you down. I recently experimented with heavier picks after using medium orange tortex for years and felt a difference. Someone like Malmsteen or Shawn Lane, who are/were both exceptionally fast and have unusual setups, these things might be part of it. Or more tone/feel related, someone like SRV might have owed something to his huge string gauge.

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I get it to some extent (regards guitar). Lighter strings are going to make it easier (or at least more comfortable) to play fast and bend strings; but you may (if heavy gauge string proponents are correct) have a thinner tone. With picks, heavier ones again make it easier to play fast as they don't bend and thus slow you down. I recently experimented with heavier picks after using medium orange tortex for years and felt a difference. Someone like Malmsteen or Shawn Lane, who are/were both exceptionally fast and have unusual setups, these things might be part of it. Or more tone/feel related, someone like SRV might have owed something to his huge string gauge.

 

I can understand a discussion on gauge, perhaps.  But not brand.  Even then I have different gauge strings on different guitars.  My tele has fender 9s and my ESP has power slinkies.

 

Then to top that off I use stainless steel strings, but that's due to an allergy not anything to do with sound or feel.  It WILL affect the sounds and feel, slightly, but I don't have a choice.

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on electric maybe so but I never really found it like that on acoustics

Disagree. Even on acoustic I find much better than martins. I'm pretty anal about strings. I would change my acoustic every 2-3 weeks with martins. I am now using the elixirs gauge 11 and find them lasting longer. Closer to 2 months. With electrics pretty much the same. Balls I would change 2-3 weeks and now using 9s and 10 elixirs and change every 2 months.

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I haven't tried them yet but speaking local my mate swears by a company called newtone strings.

http://www.newtonestrings.com/

My mate builds guitars and has around 30 repairs a week to do and recommends these strings to every customer if it's an encore guitar or a custom shop. He's started raving about them after going to them from elixirs

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I haven't tried them yet but speaking local my mate swears by a company called newtone strings.

http://www.newtonestrings.com/

My mate builds guitars and has around 30 repairs a week to do and recommends these strings to every customer if it's an encore guitar or a custom shop. He's started raving about them after going to them from elixirs

 

They make great custom sets for slide and lap players.  Highly recommended.

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Like Bigsby I'm on D'adarrio 10's on electric and Martin 12's on acoustic. I change my acoustic strings every 4 weeks or so because I play it a lot more... I only really change the strings on my electric if I know I'm gonna be using it for anything other than messing about on.

 

Has anyone used silk & steel strings on their acoustic? I fancy mellowing out the tone a bit and thought I might give them a go?!? 

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Elixirs for me personally, as any other strings rust as soon as I even look at them.   I may change my name to Rustman.  the first few times you put elixirs on they do feel a bit slippery. But you get used to them superquick.

 

Soundwise, I hear no difference from brands, and there is no way on the planet that you could identify one brand against another imo.

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