Guitar strings? Brand and Gauge

[LeftyStrat]

Thanks guys, I'll going to have to do a taste test. That was a typo in my post, should be 11-48.

I see Curt Mangan carries that exact gauge. I'm curious about the Ernie Ball Skinny Top/Heavy Bottom also. There are quite a few disadvantages to the heavier gauges.

[boots]

Curt Mangan strings are made in Cortez, about an hour from here, so the local stores push them.

I've tried them on my bass and my acoustic, and I can't say I liked them one bit. Just my .02. I used to like Dean Markleys, but I keep coming back to Ernie Ball. Guess I'm just used to how they feel.

[sepulchre]

Btw, the local stores here (all 3 of them) say they have had problems with Elixir Nano Webs for acoustics. I bought a set and the G string broke after about 4 days. When I went back to tell them about it they said, "It lasted that long?" They also told me that they has contacted Elixir several times but they (Elixir) claimed there was nothing wrong with the strings. So why is it that everyone around here breaks a G string in a few days? Hmm. I don't think they're counterfeit; they do have the plastic coating and all.

That's why I went to Martin Cleartones which are also coated . . . supposedly. I can't see the coating, but they sound good. I might try Earthwoods.

[ddawson2014]

Don from D'Addario here - wanted to share our Counterfeit page with you. We're not the only string brand that's being pirated out there so try to buy from reliable sources. We haven't seen a ton a fakes in the US but enough that it's still a concern.

You can always go to this site and enter the code on the baggie to verify - www.daddario.com/playreal

And as far as Nashville Straights are concerned, we used to make those way back in the proverbial day. I think they went out in 79 or 80 - could be wrong on that.

[Leo_Gnardo]

Don from D'Addario here - wanted to share our Counterfeit page with you. We're not the only string brand that's being pirated out there so try to buy from reliable sources. We haven't seen a ton a fakes in the US but enough that it's still a concern.

And as far as Nashville Straights are concerned, we used to make those way back in the proverbial day. I think they went out in 79 or 80 - could be wrong on that.

Hi Don! Wow I'm absolutely chuffed! (That's a good thing BTW.) Great to get the "inside word" right from a top class manufacturer. I'm sure you can guide us to the truth and dispel negative rumors. Keep your rain hat handy because TAG correspondents will tell you what they've experienced both good and bad. Mostly good, darn near 100% with D'Addario as I'm sure you have read.

Two things I'll ask about right away. First there was a question early on about who's really making strings at least in the USA. I have a feeling you have the correct answers on that. Also, can the "manufacturers paks" of D'Addario individual straight strings be ordered. I saw them on the guitar workbench of a local music store so it wasn't my imagination.

It gave me the willies to hear about counterfeits. Hope you can put the kibosh on them. Thanks for the info on that one.

Thanks Don for joining up. Some other top flight manufacturers are present on TAG (John Suhr, Jim Kelley, maybe more.) As well as a brain trust of amp & guitar builders repairers & tinkerers. What a great way to start the week! LG

[ddawson2014]

Hi Don! Wow I'm absoulelty chuffed! (That's a good thing BTW.) Great to get the "inside word" right from a top class manufacturer. I'm sure you can guide us to the truth and dispel negative rumors. Keep your rain hat handy because TAG correspondents will tell you what they've experienced both good and bad. Mostly good, darn near 100% with D'Addario as I'm sure you have read.

Two things I'll ask about right away. First there was a question early on about who's really making strings at least in the USA. I have a feeling you have the correct answers on that. Also, can the "manufacturers paks" of D'Addario individual straight strings be ordered. I saw them on the guitar workbench of a local music store so it wasn't my imagination.

It gave me the willies to hear about counterfeits. Hope you can put the kibosh on them. Thanks for the info on that one. Thanks Don for joining up. Some other top flight manufacturers are present on TAG (John Suhr, Jim Kelley, maybe more.) As well as a brain trust of amp & guitar builders repairers & tinkerers. What a great way to start the week! LG

There are still a good number of US string manufacturers. I'm not sure I have an official count to be honest. But as was mentioned here, there are companies that make strings for others. And part of our agreement is that we aren't allowed to say who we make strings for. But D'Addario, Ernie Ball and GHS are the largest of the lot.

As far as the counterfeits go - 8 out of 10 sets that were sold as "D'Addario" in China last year - were fake. We just opened an office in China in an effort to try and squash that. It's not easy. We've shut down warehouses and then a few days later, they pop up somewhere else. The printing on the packages is stunning - its so incredibly well done. Ebay and other auction sites have propagated fakes unwittingly. You don't know they're fake until you put them on the guitar and they sound horrible or break. And if you've never played the brand before, you just think they're terrible. You'd never think that they were counterfeits.

Strings in straight lengths - this is largely done for OEM accounts or artists/guitar techs. It's not something that we do generally speaking. If someone was interested, i'm sure we could put you in touch with someone on our staff to see what the costs were and if it were of interest. It's great for builders who need to store them and have an environment that's controlled. It's not so great for players who just want them straight for the benches - as they aren't sealed and as we all know, humidity and the like can wear out strings might fast.

[Turret]

Damn

Looks like D'Addario's are not only my strings of choice

[malt]

My favorite strings is dean markley SLP LTHB, sadly they are no longer made. Still have some left, when they are gone guess I go whit d'addario.

[NickC]

Btw, the local stores here (all 3 of them) say they have had problems with Elixir Nano Webs for acoustics. I bought a set and the G string broke after about 4 days. When I went back to tell them about it they said, "It lasted that long?" They also told me that they has contacted Elixir several times but they (Elixir) claimed there was nothing wrong with the strings. So why is it that everyone around here breaks a G string in a few days? Hmm. I don't think they're counterfeit; they do have the plastic coating and all.

That's why I went to Martin Cleartones which are also coated . . . supposedly. I can't see the coating, but they sound good. I might try Earthwoods.

Indeed there have been problems with the G strings breaking with Elixer acoustic sets. My brother-in-law told me the other day he has 17 sets of Elixers with no G strings (he robbed G strings from the sets). He contacted the company to get replacement G strings and was told they are on backorder.

[ddawson2014]

Btw, the local stores here (all 3 of them) say they have had problems with Elixir Nano Webs for acoustics. I bought a set and the G string broke after about 4 days. When I went back to tell them about it they said, "It lasted that long?" They also told me that they has contacted Elixir several times but they (Elixir) claimed there was nothing wrong with the strings. So why is it that everyone around here breaks a G string in a few days? Hmm. I don't think they're counterfeit; they do have the plastic coating and all.

That's why I went to Martin Cleartones which are also coated . . . supposedly. I can't see the coating, but they sound good. I might try Earthwoods.

Indeed there have been problems with the G strings breaking with Elixer acoustic sets. My brother-in-law told me the other day he has 17 sets of Elixers with no G strings (he robbed G strings from the sets). He contacted the company to get replacement G strings and was told they are on backorder.

Sorry gents - my intent was not to intimate that Elixir in this specific case was counterfeited. I was referring to another poster mentioning that our strings were found to be fakes. And clearly we're not the only brand that is being affected by this. Sorry if my post caused any additional confusion.

[Teleguy61]

Welcome Don!
Thanks for stepping up.

Leo- +1 on Just Strings. http://www.juststrings.com/

Great selection, excellent service.

My choice for Strat and Tele is D'Addario ProSteel 10s, EPS510.
They work, they sound good, they last.

Great product Don.
Very consistent quality.
Thanks.

[Zippy]

EB .010-.046 "Slinkie" sets on my electrics (Hamer, Tokai, G&L; all 25.5" scale length) and John Pearse lights on my acoustics.

[tubeswell]

9-42 rounds on my SG for fancy finger work

10-46 rounds on my strat for rock and blues

11-50 stainless flats on my jazzie for that authentic surf sound

11-52 on my arch-top

mega thick flats on my jazz bass

[Structo]

I've tried a lot of brands of strings over the years and always seem to come back to D'Addario.
Good value and excellent quality.

For the last couple of years I have been using the D'Addario Pure Nickel EPN110 10-45.

I like them a lot because they are less shrill or bright when new than the nickel wound ones.

They really shine on a couple of dual humbucker guitars I have.
Both are 25.5" scale.

I used to use .009-42 sets on my strats, but for the fixed bridge guitars the 10's sound better even though they are a bit stiffer.

[Bob Simpson]

S.I.T. .0095 - .044 nickel powerwound for a strat...

$3.54 / set at Juststrings.com.

http://www.juststrings.com/sit-s9-544.html

Ernie Ball Cobalt .010 on the Hamer...

Bob Simpson