Electric Guitar Strings

[rp]

Tom, for 30 years Slinkys or Daddarios but now pure nickel all the way! Recently converted, noticeably improved tone on my older G&ls, softer on my aging fingers - The soft slinkyness takes a bit to get used too. Got a cheap friend to shell out hesitantly for a pack and he called me back raving. Think I had a post on strings before and Cliff S explained the modern corporate cop-out of hex-core nickel plated strings, so I tried Fender Pure Nickels as the local mom & pop had only them. (Are there better brands than the Fenders?)

10s now as I play more electric, used to do 11s. Of course, J17s on the D18 and SCGC for Bluegrass.

Tried Flat Brites (GHS?) on my old Epi Granada, really brought out that dinky early sixties sound, just loving it. Need to try some slide on it.

EB .008s on every electric

Wow, you really are reeltarted Just an affectionate jibe

Daddario fans of EXL-XXX or J-XX should check the big web-sellers and GG often, once or twice a year these will show up 10 packs for $30. Now if I could only get get 10 packs of Pure Nickels for $30.

[Reeltarded]

EB .008s on every electric

Wow, you really are reeltarted Just an affectionate jibe

I will still be able to zip along whan I am 70, and my vintage stuff will still have original frets. Why would I want a string to dictate what is possible? You need a little resistance.. that's all.

Meenie!

[Structo]

RP,
Do you know if the D'Addario Pure Nickel (EPN110) are a round core or hex core?

I can't seem to find anywhere that says what the use.

It is my understanding that a round core will bend easier than a hex core.
But you have to be careful and bend the end of the string sharply to avoid slippage of the core.

[vibratoking]

The DR Pure Blues are definitely easier to bend and I find I can go up at least one gauge or maybe even two and have the same feel as D'Addario nickel wounds.

[Masco]

Pyramid Nickel Classics Medium, .011-.050, round wound, round core, wound G. Old school tone. I am a recalcitrant old fart.

+1 but use the lighter 10's. Round cores rule!

[David Root]

I also have a set of Pyramid Classic Nickel 10s, which I haven't tried yet, called the "regular special" (sic). It is the regular 10-46 set but the EAD strings are between the regular and the medium, bottom E is 48.

[rp]

RP,
Do you know if the D'Addario Pure Nickel (EPN110) are a round core or hex core?
But you have to be careful and bend the end of the string sharply to avoid slippage of the core.

No, but I'm curious too and intend to try these next. Maybe you should email them and report back. I wonder about the Fenders too, and I assume they are just re-branded strings from one of the big manufactures. The fenders are so noticeably softer that I'd guess these are round-core, if the daddarios feels sofetr I'd say round core too.

What do you mean by bending the end - do you mean at the tuner, bridge?

Anyone tried pure nickels on a trem guitar? What did you think? I tried them on a G&L SC3 and found it all to soft and swapped them onto an other guitar after half a day. I should have given myself more time to get used to the feel, however.

Pyramid Nickel Classics Medium, .011-.050, round wound, round core, wound G. Old school tone. I am a recalcitrant old fart.

I've been meaning to try Pyramids for years. I'll avoid the wound G, I had a 1956 LP Special I had to play this way to get the intonation right (this is the trick for old archtops too) but I found that the windings on the thin Gs failed pretty quick and I never liked the feel of the wound G when bending. Intonation was dead on though.

Reeltarded: 8s on vintage guitars What do I have to do to convince you to up them to at least 9s? When these guitars left the shop they likely had 12s on them. Heavier strings have more tone and they drive the pickups and amps right. Of course you must be practical and compromise but .008 is raising the white flag. How are your necks, have you had a luthier check them? At least try pure nickel round core 9s. Pretty please.

[Structo]

After more research and reading between the lines I believe that all D'Addario strings are wound on a hex core.
The reason a lot of manufacturers went to the hex core is to lock the winding to the core so it can't slip when you bend the string while playing.


On the round core strings the winding can slip on the core because the winding does not lock down on the round wire, so to help prevent that you take the little bit of string that is poking out of the other side of the tuner, (that is if the tuner is the type to have the end of the string poking out) and bend a sharp angle over 90 degrees on the free end of the string.
Kind of a crimp if you will.

This helps prevent the core wire from pulling through when you bend the string while playing.

[Reeltarded]

Reeltarded: 8s on vintage guitars What do I have to do to convince you to up them to at least 9s? When these guitars left the shop they likely had 12s on them. Heavier strings have more tone and they drive the pickups and amps right. Of course you must be practical and compromise but .008 is raising the white flag. How are your necks, have you had a luthier check them? At least try pure nickel round core 9s. Pretty please.

I am my luthier.

I have been playing for 42 years, and I went to jazz school on .013s. BB, Billy, YingYang, and a couple other people use .008s.. it's 'ok'.

I think if you heard it, you wouldn't know I was using them.

[rsalinger]

On Strats and Teles I really like Fender Bullets, 9's

On Humbucker-equiped guitars: D'Addario XL's, 9's

Cheers,
Rob

[amplifiednation]

Funny this thread just popped up because I think I am in the midst of a gauge change...

I've been using the Ernie Ball 2215 Nickel Skinny Top/Heavy Bottom for a few years now. They are 10-52 and I've been pretty happy with them, especially they heavier bottom gauge strings. I feel like I'm still wanting something heavier for the lighter gauge strings just to give some more resistance and girth to my sound.

So I just put a pair of GHS Boomer 11's (11-50) that someone gave me and I'm not really happy with those either as they seem too light on the bass end..

I kinda want to try to find a set of like 11-52 or something a tiny bit heavier.

I had to raise the bridge a little bit too when I put the 11's on.

[The New Steve H]

When I read string reviews, I always have to remind myself that 95% of the people writing them are 14-year-old kids playing three-month-old metal tunes at 300 dB on a $200 Jackson guitar and a solid-state amp, so what they like will not be what I like.

My two favorite guitars are an American Standard Telecaster and an Epiphone P93 Riviera with Lollars, and I'm learning the blues, so I don't like a bright, obnoxious tone. So far, Pure Blues elevens are the best things I've tried. They last forever and the tone is sweet but not dull.

I have tried everything from nines to elevens, including half-sizes, and I find the thicker strings are easier to work with because they give my fingers more feedback.

[Structo]

Ever hear of Albert Collins?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Collins

He wasn't called the "Ice Man" for nothing.

But sure, most blues players have a more throaty or mid heavy tone.

[The New Steve H]

Sounds vaguely familiar...

[gary sanders]

D'addarios dont last long for me.Im into GHS or SIT.I have hand trouble from a spinal injury so I have to play .008s.009s on a good day.010,no way.Stainless are my favorite but I have to order them because NO ONE stocks them. Hardly anyone stocks .008s either,I was on the way to a studio session in Huntsville and popped in a music store and the guy said he hasnt sold a set of 8s in 5 years.HANDICAP DISCRIMINATION!