String Brands??

[RacerX]

Re: String Brands??

Wonder who makes 'em though? Cinese made possibly?

[Ace]

Re: String Brands??

The last 2 bands I worked for had Dean Markley endorsements.

[nonamemx]

Re: String Brands??

I always use 10's. IMO, anything smaller and you can forget about tone. I tried 9's, for doing some "shreddy" stuff, but I find that they flop around too much. 10's are thin enough to be fairly nimble, and thick enough to get a fat tone and stay put better when alt. picking really fast. IMO, they have the best feel.

Brands: My opinions.

DiAddario: They are decent, feel really smooth, sound is average, but they break so damn easy! My bandmate uses them, and I came to practice without an extra pair of strings (d'oh!) and so when I had some a string snap (when one breaks, I just go ahead and rack them all at the same time) had to use a set of his DiAddarios. I broke the high E when I was stretching them! and no, there are no burrs on my saddles, it just snapped!

Ernie Balls: I love the pretty packages, very appealing. You almost want to buy it because the neon green and purple packages look so appealing. They are pretty good, they are durable, above average tone, but rust overnight! (practically, it only takes about 2 days for the G string to be completely dark grey/black)

Dean Markley: IMO, nasty tone. Cant really vouch for the durability, but I was at my mate's house, and he had some Dean Markleys on his electric and his acoustic, that he had just put on fresh that day, and they sounded warm (like they were already on their way out)

GHS Boomers: The first string brand I ever used, the same one I keep coming back to. Good sound, TOUGH as nails, long lasting tone, good feel, all around great strings.

Fender Bullets: I love the bullet end, they fit excellently in my vintage trem on my Peavey. They have almost a vintage tone, a very toneful string with an excellent sound and long life, very tough as well. My second favorite brand behind GHS.

I haven't ever tried DR's, perhaps I should, but Im getting sick of getting strings and being dissapointed.

[Emthrax]

Re: String Brands??

[ QUOTE ]

...take it for what its worth to ya. and if you don't beleive that a strings tone life is only for a week, try recording your guitar after a string change. a week later record the same thing with the same settings and listed to the difference.


[/ QUOTE ]

This it TOTALLY true! I recorded an acoustic track one time-saved it for later until I decided what I wanted to do with it. Came back to it a few months later and tried to play along and the track sounded like butt. Figured out that I had recorded that take with older strings- I was playing along with shiny, new strings!

I change my strings about every two weeks and I prefer ghs Boomers on everything- including my bass. They feel so good!
For acoustic- I prefer Martin or Dean Markley. I tried several different D'addario ones and hated them all. Can't stand elixirs either. [img]/images/graemlins/sick.gif[/img]

There. That's my 2%. [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

[Twisteramps]

Re: String Brands??

I use webstrings or musician's friend and buy in bulk. If I get caught without strings and need em ASAP, I usually grab some ernie ball hybrids. If you have very many guitars, even paying $3.99 a set gets old fast...

I'd really like to do a blind taste test on strings - I bet 99% of the people here couldn't tell a difference between brands, even the ones they love/hate. BTW, if you ever have problems with the ball ends on your strings busting, solder them. This also can help keep kahler trems in tune - solder the ball end of the string to the ball. Don't goop it on, just get a good solid connection and also cover where the string 'ties' around the ball also.

Pete

[etaeniura]

Re: String Brands??

SInce we are going into details:
D'addario-my standby all purpose string. I have personally never had a problem with them. In my experience they of course sound great when brand new, lose a little brightness over the first week and then sound good from then on.

DR's-tried 'em a few times, but they sounded just like the D'addario's and were a dollar more a set.

GHS-tried them a few times because Lynch uses them. They sounded like a month old set of D'addario's on the first day.

Ernie ball SLinky's-Sounded really bright when I first put them on...and stayed that way so long I couldn't stand them. They sounded like I cranked the treble control on my amp to 13.

Gibson's Ace Frehley signature set-Bought them just to have them since they had Ace on the package (every KISS fan has bought a set just for giggles). I needed a set of strings after doing a setup on my model 4, so I busted them out. I like them alot and I like the light top-heavy bottom. I also enjoyed the black thread wrap around the end of the strings because it kept them from scratching the cam on my Kahler.

Webstrings-bought a bunch of sets just to experiment. I'm pretty sure they are the same as D'addario's. Plus they are dirt cheap-like 2.50 a set, free shipping on orders over 12 bucks, and they got here in like 4-5 days.

also my 2 pennies.

[jazzman]

Re: String Brands??

D'addario for electric. EXL110's on my strats & EXL120's on my metal guitars! Martin marquis for acoustic & Aranjuez for my classical.

[toejam]

Re: String Brands??

[ QUOTE ]
Cinese made possibly?

[/ QUOTE ]
What the hell is Cinese? Learn to spell, dumbass! [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

[Jacksonfan]

Re: String Brands??

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Cinese made possibly?

[/ QUOTE ]
What the hell is Cinese? Learn to spell, dumbass! [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

[/ QUOTE ]

[img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]
Cinese - Redneck for - Have you "Seen these" [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img] And believe me, living in Southwest Virginia, I would know [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]

EB SS 9-42

[Jester700]

Re: String Brands??

[ QUOTE ]
I use webstrings or musician's friend and buy in bulk. If I get caught without strings and need em ASAP, I usually grab some ernie ball hybrids. If you have very many guitars, even paying $3.99 a set gets old fast...

I'd really like to do a blind taste test on strings - I bet 99% of the people here couldn't tell a difference between brands, even the ones they love/hate. BTW, if you ever have problems with the ball ends on your strings busting, solder them. This also can help keep kahler trems in tune - solder the ball end of the string to the ball. Don't goop it on, just get a good solid connection and also cover where the string 'ties' around the ball also.

Pete

[/ QUOTE ]
I'm with you. There are supposedly only a few manufacturers, and most "brands" are rebadges of those. When you consider how short human auditory memory is and how long it takes to switch strings around on a guitar, you have to wonder whether you're really hearing what you think you're hearing.

Yeah, people will say "you're just tone deaf, blah, blah, blah", and I'm sure there are differences between SOME strings - certainly hex vs. round core, nickel vs. steel wrap, etc. But people have said that before and were then confronted with blind tests in which the "obvious" differences disappeared.

Also, if you have 3 strings break in a row, you swear off that brand forever. But Joe Schmoe didn't have that experience, so he swears by that same brand's longevity.

And I know I've had "the perfect sound" one day only to listen to the same exact setup the next day in the same room and wonder what I was thinking, and I know I'm not alone in this. So, with this kind of fickle ear I'm definitely not making claims as to sound differences between brands. Having yakked your ears off, I use:

Elixir Polys on my main acoustic - I like how they cut finger noise.

Elixir Nanos on my main electric - I can go a month without restringing, and I hate restringing.

Webstrings or Musicians friend on everything else - sound & last as good as D'addario, fender, or Ernie Balls IME, but are dirt cheap.

[YetAnotherOne]

Re: String Brands??

Ernie Ball Classic Slinkys on my electrics.
Adamas phosphor bronze on my acoustics.

[Zerberus]

Re: String Brands??

DR Tite Fit on my main axes, 12-52 to standard or Dropped D.

Sometimes a 7 string GHS set, 10-70, sans high e, for Dropped C. But usually I can get my DRs in that guage as well [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

[RacerX]

Re: String Brands??

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Cinese made possibly?

[/ QUOTE ]
What the hell is Cinese? Learn to spell, dumbass! [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

[/ QUOTE ]

I was testing you...yeah...that's it...testing you. [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]

[Surge]

Re: String Brands??

I use Webstrings Memphis Electrics 9-46 and 10-52.

[charvelguy]

Re: String Brands??

When you have a truckload of guitars, this becomes an issue. [img]/images/graemlins/crazy.gif[/img]

I use whatever is the cheapest, bought in bulk string that I can use at the time, but I have yet to use webstrings.. so I guess I'll try those someday soon. I saw some strings in bulk at music go round that were not in circle wrap package..but a long plastic bag like they use at shops and such and that seemed like a cool option recently. Buy a bag of non rolled strings in bulk and guage them to your liking.

I used Markleys for years, so much that I probably have enough decals to cover a car. [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img] Very durable, ok tone when new and they were consistant, so I stuck with them.
Never cared for the tension much tho so over time I started to switch to GHS.

While I was devoted to Markleys..I also liked Gibson strings..I think GHS makes them. I used to use sonomatics just because of a certain gauging many years ago and decided to give the Ace Frehley sets a try when they were 2.00-2.50/set @ a GC blowout.
I also use the Gibson classic sets sometimes..I like the fact they add an extra top E&B string to the pack, like it used to be with some manufacturers years ago.

GHS Boomers, custom lights. decent rock string, good feel and nice gauge. They'll go dead quick tho. [img]/images/graemlins/eviltongue.gif[/img]

I started to try Ernie Ball over the last 5 years and I use them off and on as they're usually cheaper than GHS.

I like D'Addarios just for the fact of they have half guage sets like .095-044..or .0105-.048. or.0115-052. cool ends. [img]/images/graemlins/headbang.gif[/img]

When Elixer came out, I was sent a set to test market them.
I selected the acoustic set and I still have yet to install em just because the price-I hope they're worth the money. [img]/images/graemlins/brow.gif[/img]

Kaman used to make a string that was very long lasting in brightness..do not recall the exact brand but the had a special winding and alloy that made them stay brighter for a longer period of time. To me, they were too bright on the whole..but a cool string overall until they oxidized-which they did quickly. They came in a blue pack.. if you recall what the name was.. please refresh my memory! [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]