Stringjoy vs DR Pure Blues strings.

[surfergirl]

Are Stringjoy worth $7. more than DR Pure Blues, which I use.

https://youtu.be/4gtmUuYCarc

https://youtu.be/jQA7lOKC4wo

 

[KuruPrionz]

I think fussing about strings is highly over-rated.

FWIW, I've played guitar for over 50 years and been a guitar tech for most of that time. 

I've restrung every type of guitar you can name with just about every type of string you can name. 

 

When I play guitars that I've restrung after a set up, I sound like me. When the owner plays that same guitar, they sound like them. While some strings do sound a bit different for the first few hours, they all sound pretty much the same for the majority of time they are on the guitar. 

 

Variables include humidity and temperature conditions in specific locations, although those factors tend to bring more change to the woods that most guitars are made from than the strings. The level of corrosives in sweat is a HUGE factor, I had 2 customers who HAD to put new strings on after every gig, the next morning the strings would be crusted over with funk and corrosion. I've seen that in person when they brought their guitars in for work. Maybe they eat too much McDonalds?

 

On the other hand, lots of players are more like myself, I can only get that "new string sound" for a week or two but I can easily get good use out of strings that are six months old and have been played hard many times in those six months. I never "wipe down" after a gig.

 

For my tastes, I wait until there is a sale on D'Addario strings and if the sets on offer will work for me, I buy them by the dozen (or two) since they are sealed and will last forever until you open the plastic pouch. It's more about the packaging and availability than any other factors. Other strings work fine, you may not see them available in a small city with a small Guitar Center and not much else. Convenience, it's a factor. I used to use Ernie Ball strings, D'Addario has superior packaging and their Players Circle Points program, both nice options. 

 

I do know some players who get all "foofy food" over strings that must be "just so and no other way." I'm OK with that, it has nothing to do with me or what I do, nor does it make any sense to me but I have better ways to spend my time than to try and dissuade somebody who is convinced of their convictions. Foof...

[surfergirl]

Personally I wound never pay $15 for strings. I've used Fender, D'addario, Ernie Ball and DR. If my local music store doesn't carry I buy something else.

[KuruPrionz]

4 minutes ago, surfergirl said:

Personally I wound never pay $15 for strings. I've used Fender, D'addario, Ernie Ball and DR. If my local music store doesn't carry I buy something else.

I do pay $15 sometimes, for my 12 string guitar!!!! 😇

Bass strings can be a bit spendy too but they last a LONG time. I've gone with D'Addario Chromes, they are flat wound so much less string noise but they are brighter than most flatwounds, a good compromise. 

[desertbluesman]

I use D'addario XL 110's, and I have been using those same strings for 40+ years. I even used the D'addario XL 110's on my acoustic guitars when I had acoustic guitars. I tried others from time to time but I always went back to the D'addario XL 110's.

[Caevan O’Shite]

6 hours ago, surfergirl said:

Are Stringjoy worth $7. more than DR Pure Blues, which I use.

https://youtu.be/4gtmUuYCarc

https://youtu.be/jQA7lOKC4wo

 

I have my doubts that they are worth $7 more than the DR Pure Blues that you use.

That is, I already know what I like and even love about DR Pure Blues strings, and their reasonable price is icing on the cake. DR Pure Blues 11's are the ONLY strings I'll put on my Les Paul!

There are specific brands and type of strings that I will pay a high price for, for very specific uses on specific guitars- those being a couple of types of Thomastik-Infeld strings that are very uncommon and even genuinely unique- and they also happen to hold their tone for so long that their high price is offset by not needing to replace them as often as usual.

I would consider trying Stringjoy, if I ran across a type they made that seemed different and unique enough in ways that particularly suited certain guitars and uses for me.

[Mark Schmieder]

I'm the exact opposite: I feel that fussing over pickups can be money not well spent (comparatively speaking), but strings can make the biggest difference of anything you do, and they're cheap (come on, I'm a bass player so even "expensive" guitar strings are cheap compared to my main ax's upkeep!).

 

I try to have different strings on every instrument, and I do a lot of research, listening, analysis, and experimenting, before I settle on which strings to mate with what, and related to that, what I target that guitar for (electric or acoustic), as its main role and unique flavor.

 

I have Stringjoy on my list, specifically for some hard to find strings such as Bass VI that specifically fit the current rev of the Schecter Hellcat. La Bella stopped making theirs, and the other ones don't hit the post in the right place. I also plan to try their Nashville electric set if I get around to buying a Dano to dedicate to Nashville tuning.

 

I have discovered so many wonderful strings these past few years since opening my mind to older styles and technologies as well as more expensive vendors, all of whom turned out to be well worth the switch away from the mainstream brands, not that I mind D'addario as a starting point for judging an instrument and deciding on next strings.

 

For acoustic guitars, I now mostly use Martin and John Pearse (similarly with appalachian dulcimer and other acoustic instruments); whereas for electric, I now use mostly Pyramids, a different type on each instrument (they probably make a wider variety of string types than anyone). I am really loving the round core strings that I only recently discovered, and have several variations of them, especially on thin hollows. 

 

I especially like monels on acoustic guitar (and am about to try them on electric). They last a really long time, so they're probably cheaper in the long run.

 

GHS and Ernie Ball always feel sticky and slimy to me, so I don't find them at all comfortable. I like DR's OK but find their production runs inconsistent.

[surfergirl]

I guess I'm naive about strings, I didn't realize that there such a price range. I've always just went in store bought what I was using at the time and never thought about. I've used Fender, D'addario and DR, anywhere from 5 to 8 dollars. I bought 3 sets of Ernie Balls (cobalt, titanium and nickel)just to try. 

[Larryz]

I use Magma 10-48 acoustic Flats on my acoustics and their electric 10-46 flats on my electric guitars, with the 3rd string wound not plain (shaken not stirred LoL!). They are brighter than any flat wounds I have ever used. They do not squeak which is one of my main concerns. They are round wound polished down to smooth and called "Flats." I like 10's and string gage is a very important consideration IMHO.  😎

[Mark Schmieder]

String gauge can vary quite a bit based on the core and other factors, in terms of what feels "normal", not to mention that scale length has a big impact on what gives you consistent tension across your collection, if that's the goal (otherwise it's just numbers on paper).

 

It's interesting how many "flat" sets are actually closer to what should be considered "half-round". I don't notice much difference, frankly -- the bigger difference for me is between modern hex core round wounds and everything else. I like them all as they have different personalities, but I'm glad to finally have some electric guitars with flats. I especially like flats on ANYTHING from Danelectro.

 

Off-hand, I don't think I've yet tried flats on acoustic guitar, but I love them on mandolin! Most people hate them on that instrument, saying they're too dull, but I don't find that to be the case at all. I am using D'addario, and for mandola they only offer half-rounds but they're about the same. I'd try Thomastik if I was confident they would work, but the Europeans use such different terminology (and construction) for their mandolin family that I get gun shy every time I think of trying them, as they are ultra expensive.

[KuruPrionz]

4 hours ago, Mark Schmieder said:

I'm the exact opposite: I feel that fussing over pickups can be money not well spent (comparatively speaking), but strings can make the biggest difference of anything you do, and they're cheap (come on, I'm a bass player so even "expensive" guitar strings are cheap compared to my main ax's upkeep!).

 

I try to have different strings on every instrument, and I do a lot of research, listening, analysis, and experimenting, before I settle on which strings to mate with what, and related to that, what I target that guitar for (electric or acoustic), as its main role and unique flavor.

 

I have Stringjoy on my list, specifically for some hard to find strings such as Bass VI that specifically fit the current rev of the Schecter Hellcat. La Bella stopped making theirs, and the other ones don't hit the post in the right place. I also plan to try their Nashville electric set if I get around to buying a Dano to dedicate to Nashville tuning.

 

I have discovered so many wonderful strings these past few years since opening my mind to older styles and technologies as well as more expensive vendors, all of whom turned out to be well worth the switch away from the mainstream brands, not that I mind D'addario as a starting point for judging an instrument and deciding on next strings.

 

For acoustic guitars, I now mostly use Martin and John Pearse (similarly with mandolin and other acoustic instruments); whereas for electric, I now use mostly Pyramids, different type on each instrument. I am really loving the round core strings that I only recently discovered, and have several variations of them, especially on thin hollows. 

 

I especially like monels on electric (and am about to try them on electric). They last a really long time, so they're probably cheaper in the long run.

 

GHS and Ernie Ball always feel sticky and slimy to me, so I don't find them at all comfortable.

I got to where I am through process. For a 15-20 year period I was one of Fresno's busiest guitar techs. Most of them were friends and we shared knowledge, tools and ideas. I chose to be independent and use my dad's fabulous tool shop to work on guitars. Everybody else took a station at a specific music store. I had up to 4 music stores I worked for at once and private personal customers as well. One thing that means is that I've had LOTS of different guitars in my shop and put LOTS of different strings on those guitars. Quite a few guitarists brought their guitars in with a new set of their preferred strings, others would ask for specific strings and I'd have to order them and wait. 

 

Here's my spin on tone. First and foremost is how you pluck the string. Fingers? Fingers with nails? Fingers with fingerpicks? Thumb pick? "Regular" picks? (which size, thickness and material?) is one factor. WHERE you pluck the string is even more important and so is how much force do you use? Are you relaxed or tense? Do you strike briskly or more at ease. ALL of those factors affect tone the most. Try the variations on a nice acoustic guitar and record every one of them with the same mic setup and you will see what I mean. 

 

Second thing that matters is your set up - intonation and action. Some like heavy strings and high action, some like light strings and low action and every possible variation or extreme of those setups makes a difference as well. 

 

Pickups are a mixed bag, lots of variables. If your guitar has pretty good pickups they might just be good enough. Strong magnets can affect intonation (badly in some cases), overwound pickups can sound muddy and underwound pickups may sound thin and harsh. Long ago, I went up to a microphone to sing and got shocked. It was the third time in 10 years or so that it happened and I was done with it. I switched to EMG active pickups because they did not require a string ground so if you didn't touch your cord or metal jack plate (or metal knobs) you would never get shocked. Over time, I realized they had other valid benefits. I can raise the passive pickups on your Strat closer to the strings and cause intonation and sustain problems, serious ones. A set of EMG SA pickups will not do either of those things regardless of how you adjust them. I happen to prefer the tone if they are lowered down a bit anyway but my Strats and Teles have superior clarity and sustain compared to many I've worked on. Many "hot rod" hum buckers will cause intonation and sustain problems as well. And, unlike the single coil pickups that came with Strats for decades and are still put on many of them, the active pickups do not hum. 

 

I had players who thought leaving the funk on their neck gave their guitar "mojo" and they did not want me to clean it off (I found this out the hard way). That accumulation will simply reduce the life of the strings to zero benefit, at least that's how I feel about fingerboard funk. 

 

All of those factors can notably affect tone. I will agree that strings do sound different and obviously a set of flat wounds will sound very different than a set of round wounds. Round core vs hex core may sound a bit different but not enough for me to care. I've noted that hex core strings do tend to last a bit longer and are far less likely to have "wind nudge" from being pressed to fretwire but I am a relaxed player and use enough force to get the job done and no more so I don't have that problem. 

Everybody can use what ever strings they like to use, I don't care. I know what works for me and once I've got a guitar playing the way I like it I keep the same brand/gauge of strings on it. 

 

A blindfold test would be fun. I suspect some might find it disturbing. 

[Caevan O’Shite]

19 hours ago, surfergirl said:

Are Stringjoy worth $7. more than DR Pure Blues, which I use.

https://youtu.be/4gtmUuYCarc

https://youtu.be/jQA7lOKC4wo

 

By the way- isn't the total (your cost for DR PB's plus $7) double the price of the DR PB's, or even more?

[CEB]

I don’t know about today but …,when I worked in MI retail in the 80s there were a ton of string brands but only 4 companies made all the string wire. 

[Mark Schmieder]

Well, as everyone knows, every expert has their own opinion and few of them match. 🙂 Is one right and the other wrong, or perhaps truth has many facets and is contextual or situational to purpose and individual.

 

The guitar tech I used in Berkeley CA for man y years did work for famous people regularly, so his credentials were definitely gold. I don't want to get into a GS-style argument. I'll simply say that my own 40 year experience and that of my techie have been very different, and that I find it surprising that anyone could think string tension, material, and surface don't matter.

 

Certainly the fingers matter the most, but the very next thing in the equation (unless you use a plectrum) is the string choice, how that translates the movement, the energy, the security of fingering, and of course all of that will be specific to each person anyway as some of us (like me) don't sweat and others are gushing buckets non-stop.

 

As for "who makes the string wire", my guitar tech told me that fact many years ago, but it began to change a while back (I don't remember when). Even so, the actual core wire may still have fewer manufacturers than the windings and the finishing, but then, how many people cut wood to supply downstream finishers of furniture? Sometimes you'll see a collaboration noted on a string packet, but usually not. And even so, the specifications may be unique to the downstream client of the origin wire producer.

[KuruPrionz]

18 minutes ago, Mark Schmieder said:

I'll simply say that my own 40 year experience and that of my techie have been very different, and that I find it surprising that anyone could think string tension, material, and surface don't matter.

 

Certainly the fingers matter the most, but the very next thing in the equation (unless you use a plectrum) is the string choice, how that translates the movement, the energy, the security of fingering, and of course all of that will be specific to each person anyway as some of us (like me) don't sweat and others are gushing buckets non-stop.

I never said the first thing above, that string tension (what you need to be aware of to adjust the truss rod, if the guitar has one), material (obviously even if the core is the same, bronze, brass, nickel or alloys all sound and wear differently), and surface (I noted flat wound vs round wound as a set of extremes) didn't matter. All of it does matter, all of it changes how the guitar is set up, how it responds, etc. When I say that strings have more similarities than differences, I am talking about similar sets from different manufacturers, for instance a set of 10-46 round wound electric guitar strings with a hex center wire wrapped in a nickel alloy. Any decent brand will yield similar results. 

"Flat" wound is an all-encompassing generic description for a variety of different strings. Some are wound with flat wire, some have round inner wrappings and some are "ground wound" to be flat on the surface. My favorite bass string is the D'Addario Chrome set, which (I'm guessing here) has a round wound covered by a flat wound. I say that because they are brighter than the LaBella Flat wounds I've used in the past (I peeled one of those open and it was fully flat wound). 

 

The variations are endless and constantly changing as companies purchase new equipment or try new things. Remember the Poly strings by Elixir? They had an overly coated wound string concept and sounded somewhere in-between round and flat wound strings or maybe more like filthy round wounds. I put some sets on for customers and vowed to myself to never use them. Then, D'Addario (and probably others) started coating their wrap wire with a microscopically thin coating and then wrapping the strings. Still good protection from corrosion, much better sounding strings in my opinion. They sound like they are 4 days old when you put them on and they keep sounding like they are 4 days old for several weeks. That is good technology and relatively speaking, fairly new to the marketplace. 

 

As to your second statement, that is pretty easy to dispute. Just for one thing, the height and size of your fretwork is more important to "security of fingering" than string choice within a similar realm of string gauges, much more important. Extreme there would be one of the Les Paul Customs that came with the "fretless wonder" frets. A jazzer might like those, a bender like me hates them and hugely prefers super jumbo frets and or a scalloped fret board. 

 

I said everybody can use what they like for a reason. As a guitar tech for decades, I've noted that there are LOTS of approaches to playing the guitar used by a variety of musicians who have different concepts, abilities and inclinations. For instance, some guitarists like a bit higher action so they can play chords and slide, some like higher action because somehow they have the concept that playing the guitar is similar to killing chickens and use tension to pummel their guitar into submission and then there are outliers like Jeff Healey who played monstrous post-Hendrix blues rock with a guitar in his lap and fretting many of the notes with his left thumb. 

 

Mark, I think we probably agree on more things than disagree and I doubt your tech would dispute much that I've posted here. You've mentioned that reading on the computer is a bit difficult with cataracts and I fully understand that. I'm not here to ding ya! I've had my own challenges with vision, it's not easy. Thanks, Kuru

[surfergirl]

5 hours ago, Caevan O’Shite said:

By the way- isn't the total (your cost for DR PB's plus $7) double the price of the DR PB's, or even more?

The difference is a little less $8.49 to $14.90.

I think I may go back to nickel wound. Then the difference is about $5 for DRs or $7 if I go to D'addarios. String joy wound are $11.90. Before started looking for singles I thought all strings were about the same price, maybe a dollar or 2 difference. I didn't realize strings could be such an interesting topic. Maybe I'll try picks next and see what happens.🙂

I may also try D'addario pro steels. 

[Mark Schmieder]

Just remember that the main differences in strings are the wound ones. For the high strings, which are plain, there are far fewer differences other than gauge.

 

There's nothing wrong with mixing string types either. This is common with members of the charango family, and 'ukuleles as well (especially when using non-reentrant tuning on the latter). I'm not a big fan of that approach, but it can also serve as a more cautious approach when experimenting.

 

One thing to keep in mind is that some guitars handle a wound third string better than others, and also the nut may not accommodate a wound string for the third in some cases, so once you commit and cut the nut slot wider, it's a bit trickier to go back.

 

Along those lines, the third string is often the one that people choose when they want to test the waters with a different string type or formulation before committing to a full six-pack. Across chords and even lead playing, it probably is the most consistently in-play string.

[Larryz]

@Mark Schmieder One difference on the high strings (plain) that I have found in Thomastik and Elixir is an anti-rust alloy string.  The Elixirs' cost less so I order Elixir singles from Juststrings.com.  Only adds a couple of bucks to have a custom set for the 1st and 2nd strings, as I always use a wound 3rd on both acoustic and electric guitars. The alloy plain strings last longer from rust and fret wear and don't wear thin and rusty before it's time to change the wound strings.  Those with acid hands should like the alloy concept... 😎

[Mark Schmieder]

Luckily, I don't sweat, and I don't have acid hands. I need to check whether my monel strings are different across the board or just the wound strings. A lot of times when a string breaks and I'm nowhere near a string change, I just get a plain string of the right gauge as a single, and sometimes I have several of those at hand, as the high strings tend to break the most anyway, when bending a lot on leads.

 

My Thomastiks are quite different from each other, and I use the brand far less than I used to, so I'd have to check each set on bass and guitar to see what's up with any anti-rust. I used to use Blues Sliders on Tele and LP but don't anymore. I use Power Brights on my LP currently, and Power Bass on my Geddy Lee Jazz Bass.

 

I use Thomastiks on some basses (but mostly LaBellas's), but do use Thomastiks on my D'angelico L5-style archtop and my Pat Metheny (Ibanez) archtop (George Benson flats on the latter, and Be-Bop rounds for the former). I absolutely love the feel of those strings but it hadn't occurred to me that the reason I like the plains so much as well as the wounds is due to an anti-rust alloy. I'll have to check that out and see if it pertains to my sets.

[KuruPrionz]

37 minutes ago, Mark Schmieder said:

A lot of times when a string breaks and I'm nowhere near a string change, I just get a plain string of the right gauge as a single, and sometimes I have several of those at hand, as the high strings tend to break the most anyway, when bending a lot on leads.

 

I hardly ever break strings but there was a period of time where I kept breaking the D string, which is kind of weird. I broke quite a few of them and then I stopped using Ernie Ball strings and things got better in that regard. I've tried quite a few different sets, used Dean Markley Blue Steels for a good while. Also GHS and probably some other brands that I don't recall right now. 

 

Bass is a different animal, I agree. I used to get bass gigs in Fresno often, up here almost never so now bass is for recording. I also used to use round would bass strings, including Rotosound and now I'm using flat wounds on bass because it's easier to get clean tracks on a recording with flat wounds. I learned a trick to bring some brightness into the recording, I copy and paste the bass track so I have two identical tracks. Then I put a high pass filter on one track rolling off below about 300 hz and drop a guitar amp plugin on that track with a fair bit of grind to it. I usually only mix just a dab of that back into the bass but it really perks it up while leaving the low end solid. 

[Mark Schmieder]

I actually never break strings, except on members of the charango family, so I went out and bought some fishing lead line (my notes are elsewhere; the term is very specific and you have to get exactly the right type of fishing line).

 

In the interest of "relative brevity", I simply didn't mention that I hand out instruments to people at rehearsals and recording sessions. Other people break my strings. 🙂 I'm always surprised, as I think of myself as having a heavy hand while playing (I tried to switch but didn't like the sound -- especially when listening back during mix-down -- even though supposedly you're supposed to use a super light touch). I think the main thing is that others bend several semi-tones and I'm too scared to go past one. 🙂

 

When a specific string breaks consistently, sometimes it indicates a neck out of alignment, or a non-ideal gauge or winding for the particular instrument. Years ago, I had a bass whose "A" string kept breaking. I think that was what got my Berkeley guitar tech to get me onto Thomastiks, but I eventually moved away from those strings as I just don't like the "light touch" approach on bass, just as I also dislike compression. I'm very careful about my dynamics, my muting, and getting a solid and deep attack, and that matters a great deal for emphasis and groove.

 

Interestingly, I find plenty of brightness in the flats I use now that I've moved away from D'addario, but it's a warm sound vs. harsh (I use LaBellas and Pyramids).

 

I'm not sure this is a universal factual statement, but my understanding is that flatwound strings have to be round core vs. hex core, which may be why Pyramid round core round wound strings sound and feel to me a bit more like flats than "modern" rounds, and perhaps certain "half-round" strings are of this type as well? Not every string pack is thoroughly documented regarding its core.

[Larryz]

@Mark Schmieder My Magma Flats are on Hex cores.  They use a non-traditional process of winding a round wound on a hex core and then they are flattened.  😎

[KuruPrionz]

1 hour ago, Mark Schmieder said:

I actually never break strings, except on members of the charango family, so I went out and bought some fishing lead line (my notes are elsewhere; the term is very specific and you have to get exactly the right type of fishing line).

 

In the interest of "relative brevity", I simply didn't mention that I hand out instruments to people at rehearsals and recording sessions. Other people break my strings. 🙂 I'm always surprised, as I think of myself as having a heavy hand while playing (I tried to switch but didn't like the sound -- especially when listening back during mix-down -- even though supposedly you're supposed to use a super light touch). I think the main thing is that others bend several semi-tones and I'm too scared to go past one. 🙂

 

When a specific string breaks consistently, sometimes it indicates a neck out of alignment, or a non-ideal gauge or winding for the particular instrument. Years ago, I had a bass whose "A" string kept breaking. I think that was what got my Berkeley guitar tech to get me onto Thomastiks, but I eventually moved away from those strings as I just don't like the "light touch" approach on bass, just as I also dislike compression. I'm very careful about my dynamics, my muting, and getting a solid and deep attack, and that matters a great deal for emphasis and groove.

 

Interestingly, I find plenty of brightness in the flats I use now that I've moved away from D'addario, but it's a warm sound vs. harsh (I use LaBellas and Pyramids).

 

I'm not sure this is a universal factual statement, but my understanding is that flatwound strings have to be round core vs. hex core, which may be why Pyramid round core round wound strings sound and feel to me a bit more like flats than "modern" rounds, and perhaps certain "half-round" strings are of this type as well? Not every string pack is thoroughly documented regarding its core.

I guess the only way to find out is to unwrap a string. I've done that a few times in the past, usually to make a "tool" out of the core. 

I suspect the D'Addario Chromes are only flat wound on the last wrap and that there could be a round wrap underneath it, which would make the string brighter and more flexible. Usually all I use on bass for recording is a Tech 21 Q Strip going in. I boost the low end a bit, and set the low mid to about 300hz and take that curve way down. It really makes the bass fit right into the mix without cluttering up. Always a medium or thinner pick for recording and I play hard most of the time. I want it punchy. I started on bass and have always known it was completely different than lead guitar, bass is about open, simple, hard hitting groove. Lead guitar is "decorating" totally different. 

 

I usually don't let other people play my instruments. One workaround I have is I only bring one Strat to electric gigs and it has the widest Warmoth neck - 1 7/8ths wide at the nut. It's a fatback too, I have large hands and it's very comfortable for me. I tried using super jumbo frets and then I went ahead and scalloped it. I had one guitarist actually play on it once. I knew him and he was really good plus I thought I might get a customer for a scallop job. I didn't but it was cool to hear him blaze away!

Everybody else I've handed it to just hold it for a minute and hand it back. Perfect!

[surfergirl]

Picked up 1 set of D'addario NYXL and 1 XTE at my local music store today. More than I thought I would ever pay for strings. I decided to pass on the ProSteels.