Electric Guitar Strings

[The New Steve H]

I gave up on stores. Juststrings.com.

[NickC]

I gave up on stores. Juststrings.com.

+1

When I was gigging heavily I ordered from them in bulk. Great service.

[Structo]

I've bought strings from a lot of places.
Just Strings is good.

I like to support the brick and mortar stores local to me but when they charge $7 for a set of D'Addario EXL110's then I won't but them.

As mentioned every once in a while a place like Musician's Friend will have a special where you can buy a 10 pack for $30 or less and you can stock up on your favorite strings.

I haven't gigged in a while so I don't change my strings that often.

When I notice they are flat or I see divots in the wound strings I know it's time to replace them.

[The New Steve H]

It's very frustrating, trying to support local businesses when they don't even try. It's like they have no idea the Internet exists. Bad prices, bad selection, bad service...and they don't seem to realize they're driving people to their online competitors. I'd be happy if they would just come close to giving what the Internet gives, but sometimes that's too much to ask.

[gary sanders]

It's very frustrating, trying to support local businesses when they don't even try. It's like they have no idea the Internet exists. Bad prices, bad selection, bad service...and they don't seem to realize they're driving people to their online competitors. I'd be happy if they would just come close to giving what the Internet gives, but sometimes that's too much to ask.

I totally agree.I try NOT to use the net for music stuff.They just opened a GC in Huntsville and that dude is gonna wish he had those 008s before long.A few good stores in Hville and Birmingham and GC is BAD news to them.Not many left in Bham now.I always go to Bailey bros but got ticked off when they were gonna charge me 15$ for a guitar box they would just throw away.I still bought my strings there after the box quote.Hell,I needed them.

A few years ago they were selling GHS boomers at WAL MART!!!! What happened to that?!?!?! They were like 3.80$ a pack!!!!! NO BS,I got a handful once or twice a month

[Structo]

I forgot about that, I think Best Buy is some towns carry musical stuff.

$15 for a guitar box that they are going to crush anyway?

Probably because a lot of guys want them to sell guitars on ebay and they figure they might as well cash in.

I understand why small shops can't sell at prices due to overhead and smaller order sizes but come on.
I would be willing to spend $4-5 on a set of D'Addario's just to have them in hand but not double that, no way.

I was at a guitar shop local to me that I was in the process of buying an American strat from, I asked him to throw in a set of strings, a cheap strap and handful of picks.

This was a $900 (then) along with a tweed G&G hard case and he would not even throw in a set of strings.
He said he didn't have any wiggle room on the price and that he was hardly making any money on the guitar......

I said, so let me understand this, you are going to blow a deal on a $900 Strat over a $3 set of strings?
He said, no man I just can't do it.

As I was walking out the door I said, I sure hope you think about how silly that really was.

I went across town and bought the same guitar for $50 less and the guy threw in two sets of strings and a strap.

[TUBEDUDE]

Thomastic infeld jazz bebop 14-56's if I'm feeling flush. They last forever but a bit pricey. Otherwise D'addario XL's. 13-56. I use the same strings on all my electrics, single coils, mudbuckers or P90's. I have big hands and just laying my hands on the neck pulls 9's or 10's off pitch.
I think all strings sound better after the brightness wears off. It seems to let the complexities in the mids develop without the ice pickiness and excessive attack that wears on the ears after a short while.

[Andy Le Blanc]

goodies with a sale are nice, but a lot businesses cant see past the margin on the sale
too bad... the market is saturated, and online sales give you the chance to not risk
the bother of building a client relationship with anybody

I play heavier gauges until they wont hold a tune, just dont go through a lot of strings no more.

Bulk strings are great if you go thru them, but not if they sit for a long while

I'd rather be be a nuisance at a store I despise, if only for a pack of strings
its more fun

[rp]

On the round core strings the winding can slip on the core because the winding does not lock down on the round wire

This brings to mind a tip from Richard Hoover of Santa Cruz Guitars to keep the windings from slipping. IIRC he got it from an old piano tuner and it's on the SCGC site: After loosely stringing up the guitar, totally loosen each wound string, pull the peg give the string at the ball 2-3 turns and re-insert into the bridge and tighten up. I tried it, it's a bit of a PITA, I used a capo to keep the windings steady and tight on the tuners. After reading here, I now think this tip might be old school from the round core days, but with J-17s I think I hear a touch of extra pop. I can't think of an electric with a bridge that you could do this.

BTW anyone know of any Phosphorus Bronze round core acoustic strings to try?

[Kazooman]

Pyramids. Here you go.

http://www.stringsandbeyond.com/pyr-ac-pb-rnd.html

[BarryW]

I'll add my preference to the pile - D'Addario XL 10-46. I use new strings for any show. I'm an aggressive player with sweaty hands, anything less than new will break and will not sound worth a !#%)(*&. I've been playing for 40 years -

[Structo]

On the round core strings the winding can slip on the core because the winding does not lock down on the round wire

This brings to mind a tip from Richard Hoover of Santa Cruz Guitars to keep the windings from slipping. IIRC he got it from an old piano tuner and it's on the SCGC site: After loosely stringing up the guitar, totally loosen each wound string, pull the peg give the string at the ball 2-3 turns and re-insert into the bridge and tighten up. I tried it, it's a bit of a PITA, I used a capo to keep the windings steady and tight on the tuners. After reading here, I now think this tip might be old school from the round core days, but with J-17s I think I hear a touch of extra pop. I can't think of an electric with a bridge that you could do this.

BTW anyone know of any Phosphorus Bronze round core acoustic strings to try?

How do you do that if the guitar is a string through?

I've heard about that before but I thought it pertained to acoustic guitars with the anchor/ retaining pins.

How about this, once strung up, use just a touch of liquid flux and then solder the cut end of the string that is left sticking out of the tuner peg.
That way the core could not pull free of the winding.
I know some guys solder the ball end on tremolo guitars (Strat).

For tuners with just a hole in the peg I like to do the anchor wrap where you do the first wrap over the top of the hole then the rest of the wraps under the hole. (hope that makes sense)

[NickC]

I use locking tuning machines. Once locked down I leave about 1 inch of string exiting the post and bend that in half for the wound strings, at a 45 degree angle to prevent unraveling.

[ChrisM]

Ernie Ball 11's for my electrics
D'addario or Elixer 12's for my acoustic (which I use way more than electric).

I work as a tech at a music store so I get a little discount on strings so I don't mind buying them locally, though I do still buy them in bulk.

[boots]

I've settled on the Ernie Ball Skinny Top/Heavy Bottoms (10-52). I used to use .009-.042) but have been much happier with the fatter sound of the heavier strings. I used to like the Dean Markley strings, but went back to Ernie Balls - they just feel comfortable.

I always wanted to be like SRV when I grow up, so I tried heavier & heavier strings until I settled on the 10-52 set. I would use heavier bass strings, but it would require filing out the nut on my Strat more than I already have.

I also can't handle the coated Elixir strings, on either acoustic or electric - they are like wearing a condom.