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GMC Forum _ GEAR & PRODUCTION _ What Strings Do You Use Mostly?
Posted by: sammetal92 Jul 5 2013, 01:11 PM
So which strings do you like the best and why?
When I was a noob at guitars 
I always went for those cheap Alice 9s 
then I was introduced to D'addario and have been playing D'addario since. I always keep a spare pack of D'addario nickel wound in my gig bag 
I just got my ordered strings, and this time I ordered GHS Boomers (9-42) and I haven't opened them up yet but I did read reviews and those reviews were pretty much all in favor of those strings. Even though they're cheaper than Ernie Ball strings, they were being compared to Ernie Ball.
Have you tried GHS Boomers or would you like to try them out?
Next time, on recommendation from Mertay I am going to order a pack of Ernie Ball Stainless Steel Strings (9-42) If you've tried those, do tell how you found them 
Also, what do you think of elixir strings? I personally think that they're overpriced and overrated. They might last long and their "new strings tone" probably lasts way longer than other strings, but still its very expensive here (a whopping $16), but just IMHO. If you've tried elixir, how did you find them?
Posted by: WeePee Jul 5 2013, 01:17 PM
I have used mostly DR strings but now I have changed to Elixir. I have tried EB's but from 2 sets I broke the high 6 string twice. So no more of those.
Elixir are pricey - about 13 euros but they're good
I heard a rumour that Ben Higgins uses a barbwire in his guitars 
Posted by: sammetal92 Jul 5 2013, 01:27 PM
Elixir are pricey - about 13 euros but they're good
I heard a rumour that Ben Higgins uses a barbwire in his guitars
I love your tone in the vid collabs you took part in
you think your strings played a notice-able part in making your tone crisp? Elixir ones?Hahahahahah he probably does, nice catch
Posted by: Dieterle Jul 5 2013, 01:46 PM
On Diego Strat i use Ernie Ball 9 to 42 sound for me typical Strat like 
and on Duesenberg -- Duesenberg DSA10 10 to 50 full heavy sound for me 
on Ovation i use Adamas 1717 10 to 47 for me a more full tone then others i did try out
Bens barbwire String's i did not try yet but actually they sound good on his guitar`s
Posted by: sammetal92 Jul 5 2013, 01:55 PM
and on Duesenberg -- Duesenberg DSA10 10 to 50 full heavy sound for me
on Ovation i use Adamas 1717 10 to 47 for me a more full tone then others i did try out
Bens barbwire String's i did not try yet but actually they sound good on his guitar`s
Adamas 1717 strings seem to be pretty good
if I find them here, I will definitely try them out Ben's secret ninja weapon
Posted by: WeePee Jul 5 2013, 03:58 PM
you think your strings played a notice-able part in making your tone crisp? Elixir ones?Thanks man, but I haven't analysed my tone so much. So maybe
Posted by: Headbanger Jul 5 2013, 04:37 PM
D'addario 11-49 Nickel wound..I buy them in packets of three sets on ebay as its cheaper that way. I also like the fact that you can check the serial numbers on the packets on the D'addario website to check their authenticity.
Posted by: sammetal92 Jul 5 2013, 04:54 PM
Fair enough
Exactly! The authenticity check is a big plus IMO, and its simple too
Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi Jul 5 2013, 05:48 PM
I have used D'addario 010 for many years, however I'm now starting to experiment with hybrid gauges that start like with 010 but ends with 052. Ernie ball will be my next choice.
Posted by: AK Rich Jul 6 2013, 08:45 AM
All I have used for many years are Ernie Ball Super Slinkys. They do the trick for me just fine. I break them every now and then but that's usually after they have been on the guitar for a while and I have been too lazy to change them. I have tried GHS Boomers but that was back in the 90's so I am afraid I wouldn't be of much help there. I know I didn't use them long. I have tried a few other brands but always go back to the old faithful pink pack of Ernie Balls.
Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jul 6 2013, 08:50 AM
Since 2009 - 2010 I only use Elixir strings
09 - 46 for standard tuning
10-52 for standard D/ drop C
12-68 for standard B/ drop A
At a first glance, they might seem pricey, but if you look on the long run, they are cheap The maths is simple: A pack of Elixir 10-52 costs as much as to Ernie Ball normal strings packs but it outlasts them so, it is actually cheaper
Posted by: sammetal92 Jul 6 2013, 09:06 AM
I'll be trying Ernie Ball for the first time next time I need to buy strings
hoping they'll do good for me 09 - 46 for standard tuning
10-52 for standard D/ drop C
12-68 for standard B/ drop A
At a first glance, they might seem pricey, but if you look on the long run, they are cheap
The maths is simple: A pack of Elixir 10-52 costs as much as to Ernie Ball normal strings packs but it outlasts them so, it is actually cheaper I have one of my three guitars in standard C and 9-42 strings seem very slack, so I think the next time I need to put on new strings on that guitar, I'll give Elixir a go
Posted by: AK Rich Jul 6 2013, 09:27 AM
hoping they'll do good for me I have one of my three guitars in standard C and 9-42 strings seem very slack, so I think the next time I need to put on new strings on that guitar, I'll give Elixir a go
Whoa! 9-42 for a C standard tuning? That has gotta be close to playing with rubber bands for strings!
Yeah, whatever brand you choose you should definitely go with a bigger gauge.
Posted by: sammetal92 Jul 6 2013, 09:36 AM
Yeah, whatever brand you choose you should definitely go with a bigger gauge. hahahah yeah, I wanted low action and less tension, so I fixed the guitar and neck for micro action (you can just touch a string to get a note and its even across
) and got it in C standard , adjusted the truss rod a bit EDIT: I just did that though, I mostly keep it in Drop C, I just tuned down to C Standard to play a few songs from Edge of Sanity
going back to Drop C
Posted by: HungryForHeaven Jul 6 2013, 09:47 AM
D'Addario 9-42 for E standard (which is what I do).
I used to play Elixir, but tried D'Addario by coincidence and I liked them, a little softer than Elixir but keeps tuning as well.
Posted by: PosterBoy Jul 6 2013, 10:19 AM
D'Addario 10's
9's are too light for my heavyhandedness
Posted by: The Professor Jul 6 2013, 10:45 AM
I'm a bit strange, since I use my fingers but play electric guitar, I use D'Addario Chromes .11, Flat Wounds. These are mostly used by jazzers on big Archtop guitars, but since they are wound so tight they don't shred my nails like normal strings do. So I've found they work great, even on my Tele, for fingerstyle electric guitar playing.
Posted by: Darius Wave Jul 6 2013, 11:33 AM
I use Ernie Balls 10-46 Regular Slinky or a custom packs like 13-72 or 12-54 for some drop tuning. My expierience with strings is different and exactly opposite to what was mentioned before - I did break strings like D'addario more often that Ernie Balls. Also...they seems to last longer. At least the ones that can be bought in Poland. I did some tests on the guitars that I use rarely and after 3 months of hanging on the wall,Ernie balls were still enough usable - just cleand the dirt but the weren't rusty and cutting finger like a chainsaw.
Posted by: dark dude Jul 6 2013, 12:14 PM
Ernie Ball nickel wound 10-52 skinny top, heavy bottom for E standard, Eb, drop D on the LTD EC-1000.
Ernie Ball nickel wound 10-46 for E standard on the Ibanez RG.
Used EB strings for 8+ years and am happy with them, they last me a while.
Posted by: DeGroot Jul 6 2013, 02:03 PM
For my Fender guitar I use Fender Bullets 9-42. Keeps tune better with the tremelo cause of the bullet heads. I notice a big difference when I'm not using bullet strings and always re-tuning when using the tremelo... very annoying.
I'm not to fussy I'll use Ernie Ball, D'Addario, or cheaper Fender strings on other guitars. I usually play in just E standard tuning last couple years and stick with 9-42 or 9-46. I sometimes play in drop tunings and use Ernie Ball slinky's 11- 52 gauge on my Les paul for that.
Posted by: TreyDeschamp Jul 6 2013, 02:10 PM
I've always used Ernie Ball super slinky for E standard and DR strings for dropped tunings.
Posted by: sammetal92 Jul 6 2013, 02:57 PM
Wow, so Ernie Ball is more preferred than D'addario, never knew that
@DeGroot: Fender bullets, maan I'd like those strings but they're very expensive 
they're something like $20 here, you always use those on your fender?
Posted by: Fran Jul 6 2013, 03:07 PM
Elixirs. They never get rusty
Posted by: sammetal92 Jul 6 2013, 03:14 PM
Hahah Elixir got more votes than I was expecting, definitely gonna try them soon
Posted by: DeGroot Jul 6 2013, 03:17 PM
they're something like $20 here, you always use those on your fender?Ouch, that is too expensive! I think there are few different styles of Bullets. I order mine off Amazon... Original Bullets for like $5 a pack. But yeah, I use them just cause the tuning stability is really solid. The sound is decent enough and they do seem to last a while before getting that flat sound.
Posted by: sammetal92 Jul 6 2013, 04:09 PM
Oh they were telling me the price of multiple packs on sale for $20 (discounted) typical salesmen, I just called them 
but still they sell single packs for $10 Nickel plated.
Posted by: Mertay Jul 6 2013, 04:59 PM
The only bad thing about elixir's are they really melt the frets on the long run. My student owned an ibanez gio for about 2 year, first year was ok but the second year he started using elixir's and on the second set the guitar went to a luthier for fret change...the reason is the stuff they use for anti-rust makes the string harder than the fret so bending melts it.
Keep in mind though cheap guitars use really soft frets. My guitar (again an ibanez) has stanless steel an after 15 years it needs very minor fretwork (which I keep delaying ).
Posted by: sammetal92 Jul 6 2013, 05:07 PM
So you can use Ernie Ball Cobalt strings?
Posted by: Mertay Jul 6 2013, 05:30 PM
Actually I heard very positive things about them, the cobalt is on the wound stings so I don't expect it to be a similar problem. The local guitar store where I use sold the first party pretty fast.
Posted by: sammetal92 Jul 6 2013, 05:42 PM
I always hear people worrying about the frets wearing off, if its only on the wound strings, it might not be that much of a problem I guess
Posted by: thefireball Jul 7 2013, 02:42 AM
I use these for my Ibanez RG8.
Posted by: sammetal92 Jul 7 2013, 06:28 AM
Awesome, 8 stringers man, trying to get my hands on one too Ernie ball got the most votes hahah wasn't expecting that.
Posted by: Darius Wave Jul 7 2013, 12:02 PM
I'm not to fussy I'll use Ernie Ball, D'Addario, or cheaper Fender strings on other guitars. I usually play in just E standard tuning last couple years and stick with 9-42 or 9-46. I sometimes play in drop tunings and use Ernie Ball slinky's 11- 52 gauge on my Les paul for that.
DeGroot - You've just reminded me of the last thing I didn't check with my floating tremolo in the strat 0 the bullet ended strings.
I almost made my bridge working perfect. Only problems with G string losing pitch after making beds (always go back tu tune after pressing and loosing the whammy bar) I tried some lubricant and it worked perfect in case of the tuning stability but...muted the open strings tone :/
Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jul 7 2013, 02:12 PM
Wow, I had no clue they were making 8 string packs
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