Strings For Electric Guitar?

DrumBob

Senior Member
Joined
Sep 11, 2014
Messages
1,114
Reaction score
1,138
Location
northwest NJ
The biggest mistake you can make is asking anybody at a Guitar Center for advice, as perhaps 98% of the kids working there are the biggest idiots imaginable, usually with zero product knowledge. I'm a D'Addario guy, but that's just me. Keep in mind that D'Addario makes strings under varying product names for something like 75% of the the string companies out there. Huge operation.

Try different brands until you're happy. If you come here and ask for opinions, you'll get more confused than ever.
 

marcellis

Senior Member
Joined
Jun 16, 2007
Messages
1,734
Reaction score
3
Location
redneck riviera
Wow, thanks for the advice. Already I can see one pitfall with using my 9-42's is that of unintentional string bending. I should have been able to conclude it already. This is OK since I only have 2 sets of these to use on a practice guitar, then I'll try 10-46's and 11's. But I can see already from stringsandbeyond that the 10's are the most available in stock.

When I ask most electric guitar players anything about what they are using, I often get an answer where they get lost in the explanation and I find it sometimes amusing, but often never get the desired data. It only goes to show that you can get some great stuff right here on LTG, that you can't find out in most other places. This is one of mine, the pic is from the dealer before sending it. Who could resist playing one?

Beautiful Deuce I.A.

As for me:
(all coated -- all wound 3rd strings)

009-.46 on my Gibsons
10-46 on my Fender JM & my archtop.

.10-046 coated Elixirs or EXP's on my F65ce.
 
Last edited:

idealassets

Senior Member
Joined
Nov 15, 2010
Messages
2,517
Reaction score
1
Location
Northern Michigan
The biggest mistake you can make is asking anybody at a Guitar Center for advice, as perhaps 98% of the kids working there are the biggest idiots imaginable, usually with zero product knowledge. I'm a D'Addario guy, but that's just me. Keep in mind that D'Addario makes strings under varying product names for something like 75% of the the string companies out there. Huge operation.

Try different brands until you're happy. If you come here and ask for opinions, you'll get more confused than ever.
Oh yes, I'm well aware of the level of knowledge at G.C., however many of them are not actually "kids", unless you're like me and call anyone a kid that might be younger than myself.

Then again one might be surprised at the incredibly stupid-good deals that might be lurking there (other than the topic of guitar strings).

Not too long ago I recall an extremely happy fellow that had just purchased a mint condition early 1980's Gretsch hollow body electric guitar for a stupid cheap buy. It was a "real" Gretsch and not an Electromat model. I had to grin when the new owner said "he had been thinking about getting back into playing again..." (I would be thinking about grabbing that guitar for about 1/2 price, just like he was in process of doing)

All I can say is that here on LTG folks can feel free to just confuse away and tell me what they want to share. By the way, do you play drums or guitar?
 
Last edited:

kakerlak

Senior Member
Joined
Apr 6, 2009
Messages
2,354
Reaction score
128
Location
Oklahoma
I've used these since the early 2000s: https://www.webstrings.com/products/electric-guitar-strings-nickel?variant=19628935363

10-52 on basically all my electrics -- I tend to hit the lower strings pretty hard, especially playing live (not that I do any of that these days). Good uniform quality, the price can't be beat, except by bulk strings that don't come in handy individual packs that are useful for keeping the tarnish off your own inventory and fit in a case pocket for backup.

I always felt D'Addarios played stiff for their respective gauges and DRs played soft for theirs.
 

idealassets

Senior Member
Joined
Nov 15, 2010
Messages
2,517
Reaction score
1
Location
Northern Michigan
I've used these since the early 2000s: https://www.webstrings.com/products/electric-guitar-strings-nickel?variant=19628935363

10-52 on basically all my electrics -- I tend to hit the lower strings pretty hard, especially playing live (not that I do any of that these days). Good uniform quality, the price can't be beat, except by bulk strings that don't come in handy individual packs that are useful for keeping the tarnish off your own inventory and fit in a case pocket for backup.

I always felt D'Addarios played stiff for their respective gauges and DRs played soft for theirs.
Wow, I'll have to try a set of these.
 

DrumBob

Senior Member
Joined
Sep 11, 2014
Messages
1,114
Reaction score
1,138
Location
northwest NJ
Oh yes, I'm well aware of the level of knowledge at G.C., however many of them are not actually "kids", unless you're like me and call anyone a kid that might be younger than myself.

Then again one might be surprised at the incredibly stupid-good deals that might be lurking there (other than the topic of guitar strings).

Not too long ago I recall an extremely happy fellow that had just purchased a mint condition early 1980's Gretsch hollow body electric guitar for a stupid cheap buy. It was a "real" Gretsch and not an Electromat model. I had to grin when the new owner said "he had been thinking about getting back into playing again..." (I would be thinking about grabbing that guitar for about 1/2 price, just like he was in process of doing)

All I can say is that here on LTG folks can feel free to just confuse away and tell me what they want to share. By the way, do you play drums or guitar?

I play drums and guitar, plus percussion, blues harp, bass, dulcimer, and just enough mandolin to get in trouble. I'm in four bands; drums in three and guitar, harp and percussion in another. Occasionally, our drummer gets up and plays rhythm guitar, so I take over drums in that band when he does. Been playing both drums and guitar pretty much forever, professionally since the late 70's, although I gigged all through high school and college as well.
 

Gorgar

Junior Member
Joined
Oct 12, 2007
Messages
49
Reaction score
12
I pretty much run 11s on my Guilds. I had an S-100 warp its neck (no humidification, my fault) so I don't like to run higher, and I also don't want to have to modify nuts on Guilds. Gibsons, those can get abused more. I've got some Flying Vs that get 13s. Pretty much always D'Addario, and none of that heavy bottom/light top stuff; I don't really bend anyway. Plain Gs sound terrible to me.

Lately I've been getting into flatwounds. They're a lot better balanced across the gauges. I almost don't feel a difference as I go from the wound to the unwound strings. D'Addario Chromes feel stiff and sound a bit cold to me, which I like on the one Strat I have them on. Thomastik-Infeld are a lot warmer and easier to play, have those on a V. I love the sound of my S-100 and M-80 as they are with the roundwounds, but am hoping to get another S-100 for flats someday. You give up some expressiveness, but there's a really nice subtle sound instead, and all the clank of roundwounds is just gone. Wish I'd given flats a more serious try years ago.
 

Quantum Strummer

Senior Member
Joined
May 26, 2015
Messages
2,382
Reaction score
118
Location
Michigan
I love flatwounds on certain guitars, mostly older ones with single coil pickups. Jazzmasters & Jaguars love 'em: the metallic-y character in their sound gets rounded off, especially with Jags. The low strings on the Jazzer twang in a Gretschy way. Thomastik Jazz Swings, 12s on the Jag and 11s on the Jazzer. My old Tele gets Pyramid Gold 10s but I'm gonna try a set of 11s with the next string change. Could be awhile as these things last. My Rickie 450 adores the Thomastik 12s I put on awhile back. They turned that guitar from "I dunno…" into "Wow!"

-Dave-
 
Top