Expensive strings, to buy or not to buy

[stratman_dup1]

I recently purchased a G&L from a guy I know and when I went to pick it up he restrung it with some expensive strings. He swears by these strings and claims he gets several gigs per set instead of replacing strings every gig, btw they cost $12-15 a set. I got the guitar home and proceeded to break it in, about 1 hr into break-in I broke the high E, needless to say I never bought any of these expensive strings after this experience.

 

This is no better, actually worse than the life I get outta my usual $5.00 set of strings. Keep in mind I snap and pull, pop and bend the crap outta the high E.

 

Just curious what everyone's thoughts, experiences are with the more expensive strings. Did I not give them enough of a chance? Are they really worth the considerable extra expense??

 

What do you think.

 

 

[This message has been edited by Stratman (edited 12-05-2000).]

[Tedster]

I say, if you're curious enough, give 'em a try (sounds like you did). If you find yourself saying "My old strings were just as good"...then go back.

 

Are you what's called an "acidhand"? I know people whose hands sweat so badly that they can funkify a brand new set of strings in minutes. The bridges on their guitars turn green and corrode. Those sort of folks need expensive strings, I'd wager, but the rest of us can probably make do with what we usually use...

 

My two cents...

 

Ted

[tonemonkeyyahoo.com]

I use Elixirs on instruments that tend to not get played very often (like my steel guitar and dobro) and on my acoustic guitar. My body chemistry can completely kill a set of acoustic strings in minutes. Elixirs are a godsend for these situations.

 

However, on my electrics I use Ernie Ball 009s. They're cheap enough to change often which is the BEST way to do it. Change them at least weekly.

 

I've been using Elixirs on my bass but think I'll go back to EBs so I can change them more often as well.

 

My .02 - YMMV!

[Lee Flier]

I use GHS Boomers, they're cheap and they do fine. I don't even have to change them every gig. Then again, I don't sweat too badly like a lot of people I know. Also I have a pretty good right hand technique where I can get a lot of dynamics and volume without actually hitting the strings hard enough to break them much. I really hardly ever break strings, although I have a fairly aggressive attack - I can get loud without killing the strings.

 

LOL that makes me think of something funny, I went to see the Who a couple of months ago - great show! - and Pete reeled off a few of his trademark windmills, and in between songs, he was teasing the audience in the first few rows: "I notice some of you down front are holding your hands over your ears. Trust me people, this is NOT loud! And you REALLY hold your ears when I do this - [does vigorous windmills] = look, it doesn't actually get any louder when I do that, it just LOOKS louder!"

 

--Lee

[Tedster]

From what I hear, nothing much is loud to ol' Pete anymore. I've heard he has quite a bit of hearing loss.

[alphajerk]

been playing d'addarios for years now [10-52's] and havent a reason to change. i bought some DR's once since the store was out of stock on my D'ad's and they blew chunks, a dollar more a pack and a tenth of the lifespan. what a rip off, never again.

[Tedster]

D'Addarios are usually what I use. I mentioned that I use Martins on my acoustic. But I hate their new packaging.

[stratman_dup1]

I use D'Addarios too, I was just curious what some other guitar players opinions were on the subject. The more expensive set's really don't do me much good because I have a seriously hard attack on the strings when I start getting into it, so I break them fairly often anyway. At the very least I put a new high E on before every gig.

 

I know I know, you don't have to hit strings that hard to get volume but it's not about volume, it's about a feeling and I can't get that feeling playing any softer. On upbeat portions of solos and rythym anyway, I can play softly when the moment calls for it. I had to buy a backup guitar just for when I break strings in the middle of a set.

 

I used to be really terrible about breaking strings till I had a graphite nut and saddle put on my Strat. The strings were eating into the saddle and kicking up burrs, no matter how much I filed them off I was still breaking strings on them.

[alphajerk]

i put on graphite too. and why i moved to 10's. i was breaking 20 strings a week, even low E's [why i use 52's on bottom, plus its a heavier sound]

[lrbreez]

I rarely break strings. When I play 5-6 nights a week I change sets every other week and change the high E, B and G every week. I use Fender strings (pure nickel wrap-usually Super bullets)

Buddy

[Fletcher]

I've never worried about "brand" as much as guage/size. I've never heard enough of a difference between string manufacturers to make it worth stressing over, and I've rarely seen a set of strings live over 6 hours of use.

 

6 hours of use is a long time...in the studio, it's 6 hours of continual playing...in a 'touring situation' where there are a bunch of guitars...usually strings get changed with only 2-3 hours of actual use, if that.

 

When I used to "guitar tech", I always worked on "once a week"...often under an hour's worth of use if the player has too many damn guitars out with them. If they had too many guitars, I adopted a "3 a day" policy with string changes...if you restring 3 guitars every day, you'll be fine in the 'staying in tune' realm.

 

I have always held a special piece of pity in my heart for Rick Neilson's guitar tech...poor bastard, I don't think they've ever made enough money to make that gig worth it. The dude carries like 40-50 instruments...some of them 12 strings!! [i hate fuckin' 12 strings...especially Rickenbackers].

 

If possible, I'd also try and get the LD to give me a 'floor light' near 'guitar world', or good spill from the grid...the idea was to try to keep the instruments at 'stage temperature'.

 

-----

 

Fletcher

Mercenary Audio http://www.mercenary.com

[p-cock]

Personally I love DR strings, I've tried everything under the sun. Boomers used to be my string of choice, but they don't last. As far as D'addarios, nice tone, last a long time, but if you use heavier gauged strings and do a lot of bending, I really think you can't go wrong with DRs. I tried D'addario 12's on my strat, after being laughed at by a FORMER tech, who claimed DRs are all hype and marketing. I couldn't bend them nearly as easily and as far as I could DRs. Plus the tone and durability are there.

[jef5f]

I have recently switched to Gibson Les Paul tone tempered strings. 9s on my Hamer and 10s on my Les Paul. I've used D'addarios for years. Before that, Dean Markleys. I tried the Gibsons out on a wim. They are fantastic. They last for me and my tone is full and strong. they cost $8-12 a set, depending on where and when you buy them, but the tone is everything isn't it!? Gibson has acoustic strings for a jumbo. They are call S-200. I think I'll try these on my jumbo.

[nrg music]

Hey Jef5f

Just got me a couple of packs of the Les Paul tone tempered thingys and you right they are fantastic!!!!

 

Simon http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/smile.gif

[DC]

I could never tell a lot of difference in brands for electric. As long as they're stainless steel, they last well. Been using those generic 10-46 strings from musiciansfriend for years.

 

On acoustic I use Martin Silk & Steel and for bronze, the John Pierce strings really do seem to last longer than other brands.

 

You guys and your weekly or daily string changing just bewilders me. I don't change strings unless they break or go completely dead. Sometimes it's a week and sometimes it's months. I don't have tuning problems either.

[jMickel]

Personally I started playing with elixer's and not because of the way they sounded either! In fact,I probably could've jammed on coathangers and not known the differnce as long as the noise wasn't me butchering the opening lick to nothing else matters. But seriously, the nanoweb coating let me play my guitar without my fingertips feeling they were get sawed off. Especially acoustics, man two attempts any bhare chord and that was it. However, since then I've tried everything in the attempt to find my own sound and I still go back to them. I use .10 gauge strings on my paul and I honestley beleive the coating gives them a "thicker" sound,not a muffled one. And because they're much more comfortable my speed and transitions are noticeably faster and smoother, letting me concentrate on my finesse and right hand technique. which at the 18 month stage is important.

[Sir Bob]

My $0.02:

 

I was very happy with Boomers (.10's) but tried the Ernie Balls. I hear less hi fi but maybe more rock and roll. The Balls definately are easier to play. They do seem to lose their life quiker.

[fantasticsound]

Originally posted by Sir Bob:

My $0.02:

 

I was very happy with Boomers (.10's) but tried the Ernie Balls. I hear less hi fi but maybe more rock and roll. The Balls definately are easier to play. They do seem to lose their life quiker.

 

 

C'mon Bob... we don't want to know that much about you and your Balls... http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/biggrin.gif

 

 

Personally, I find the Elixir's DO last longer, and being the aforementioned acid handed type, this translates to great timbre over a month, not a week. Definately pay for themselves on my acoustic. Otherwise the D'Addarios.

 

I want to know about the tempered Gibsons someone mentioned. Gibson has long been known as the worst strings under the sky. When I worked at Opryland, they were endorsed by Gibson. Most of the musicians PASSED on the FREE strings because they were often dead out of the package!

 

Neil

[Mile]

I used to play on every single set of stings that got advertised. But when I put set of DR's it blew my head of! My Strat never sounded like that before. The only problem is that I bought them at friends store (he imported few sets). I haven't found them since then and that sound as well..

[Chip McDonald]

Just tried the D'Addario EXP's on my acoustic, 12's. Ridiculously expensive - they were a demo pack, so I didn't have to pay for them (otherwise I would never have tried them).

 

They sound great. They have the coating on them like Elixers, but maybe not as much - a little brighter. The unwound strings have a gold tinge to them - I don't know if this is like the old Maximas (which *did* last longer, but felt stiff and were expensive), or if it's just some sort of coating.

 

They have about ... 5 hours on them and still sound relatively fresh. For the way I play, strings usually start to die within an hour, so that is really saying something. How long they last after they start dying I don't know. I've prefered D'Addarios in the past for how slow the deadening process is, I'll have to consider whether this offsets the costs.

 

However, one thing that's signicant is that their pitch is very solid.

 

This is something NO ONE ever talks about, and it's important!! These strings are very stable, pitch wise. The note doesn't waver much, and the attack is in tune with the rest of the note. DR's are good this way as well, I assume because they're overwound... This makes chords sound much nicer IMO, makes the overtones sound prettier. A subtle thing, but if you use chords with a lot of close intervals or voice doublings it makes a difference. Well, at least to me....

 

$.10

 

------------------

New and Improved Music Soon: http://www.mp3.com/chipmcdonald

[strat0124]

I use the GHS Boomers on electric and Elixers on acoustic...just cause they ring. The Boomers are just good ole strings, I swap out at least once or week or more depending on the amount of sweat I bleed on them. I've been using them for years, before that it was the Gibson extra lights....I don't know if they make them the same. I broke alot of strings back then. Before that it was Black Diamonds...so that tells you how long I've been using these brands. I tend to find one that works and stick with them. On acoustic I think the strings make alot of difference in tone, I don't think it matters as much on electric. At least not to me.

[Scott from MA]

I've been using GHS (10s) for about 15 years now. I almost never break strings, and I can get a few shows out of them before they start to sound dead. Before GHS, I tried a bunch of different brands, but nothing else seemed to hold up this well.

[gizmohis.com]

I used to use D'Addarios on my electrics and Pearce on my acoustics. I've been using Thomastik-Infelds for a couple of years now. I like 'em a lot. They last a bit longer, they sound a bit different. It's the sound I use them for. Lasting a little longer mitigates the cost somewhat, but they definitely sound different and I like it. I became a "dealer" to get a break on price, but they're still expensive...