string choice

[martintj]

  This topic hasn't been dicussed here lately. What are your favorite choices of strings for a 535/550 semi hollow. I have favored D'addario for years and my guitars sound great.....for a few days,then slowly fade. I change strings about every three weeks and play two of my guitars for several hours daily. I know about Elixir Nano;have used them and they do last a long time but in my opinion don't sound as good as other strings. So what are your favorites? How are DR ,nickle?  Thanks for your interest.....Tom

[Dick Seacup]

I am convinced that the reason Elixir strings maintain such a consistent tone over their admittedly long life span is because they start out dead. Had them on my Ovation and Adamas for a couple of string changes and just couldn't get with the 'muffled' sound I was hearing. Others may disagree. Screw them, they're wrong.

 

I have lately been enamored of GHS Burnished Nickel in .011 or .010 (whichever is available, although I prefer the .011). Pure nickel, slightly polished for smooveness. Previously, I was smitten with the GHS Nickel Rockers, also in .011 or .010 depending on availablity; they are pure nickel, but have a "rollerwound" cover...almost flat, but not really. Before that, it was flatwound .012s or .013s. I like the GHS because they're made in Battle Creek, MI, just down the highway from Kalamazoo, and an easy drive from my house (if I wanted to make it).

[JeffB]

I am convinced that the reason Elixir strings maintain such a consistent tone over their admittedly long life span is because they start out dead. Had them on my Ovation and Adamas for a couple of string changes and just couldn't get with the 'muffled' sound I was hearing. Others may disagree. Screw them, they're wrong.

You are right. I dislike them on electric and acoustic guitars. Having said that...... I like them on Tom Andersons and Taylor's ???

They are their strings of choice. All their guitars come fitted with them. They both swear buy them and it seems to work for them.

They lasted about an hour on my strat and 10 mins on my PRS SAS. Yeeeech. I cant see any good resulting in me putting them on my H150. I left them on my Takamine because I dont care about that guitar. Its never sounded good.

They seem to break just as regularly as any other string.

[slider313]

I use D'Addario .010's on my guitars. I feel they have great tone and, if you wipe them down after playing, they last a while. They're cheap enough to change every 3-4 weeks. You may find a more expensive string could last another week or two, but for $3.90 a set I'll change them. BTW, I've tried GHS, Ernie Ball, Everly, Darco, D'Aquisto, Snake Oil, DR,etc. and the D'Addario's just seem to be "the ones".

[gopeteygo]

I use D'Addario .010's on my guitars. I feel they have great tone and, if you wipe them down after playing, they last a while. They're cheap enough to change every 3-4 weeks. You may find a more expensive string could last another week or two, but for $3.90 a set I'll change them. BTW, I've tried GHS, Ernie Ball, Everly, Darco, D'Aquisto, Snake Oil, DR,etc. and the D'Addario's just seem to be "the ones".

 

I'm in total agreement here.  I buy them by the 10 pack.

[Spectrum13]

D'Addario by the 10 pack for me three. Mostly 10s. I would not suggest their flat chromes. S.I.T.s are also nice.

[tulk1]

Pyramid Guitar Strings. If you haven't used them you owe it to yourself to try them once, at least. No joke.

[111518]

The only application for Elixers that I have found that works for me is their bass strings.  I see them as a midpoint between Flatwounds and Roundwounds ...not quite as dead as the former, not quite as hard on the fingers or short-lived as the latter.  The bass Elixers have a ridiculous list price, so I only buy them when the MF'ers put them on sale, and I leave them on my bass for 6-9 months.  

 

I also tend to use GHS Nickel Rockers on most of my guitars.  11's.  Tried the burnished nickel strings, and they didn't feel quite right to me, but probably just because I've used the Nickel Rockers for 30+ years.  Sometimes I use true roundwounds --GHS Boomers, D'Addario, whatever I can find cheap-- on my Fenders, to accentuate the difference in sound from the semi-hollows with rollerwounds (or, as GHS used to  market them, "semi-flats.")  

 

Talk about a string that didn't last ...anybody remember D'Angelico acoustic strings, before the advent of phosphor bronze.  Sounded like a choir of angels for about 8 hours, and then they were dead, and the long wait began until you could afford the next fix.  

[yoslate]

I bounce back and forth between GHS Boomers (.011's) and DR Pure Blues (also.011's).  Boomers, a little less bright than the DR's, but the DR's seem to last longer ("longer," a relative term) for me when I'm playing much...I have some kind of body chemistry that should qualify me for the EPA Superfund!

[fxdx99]

Another D'Addario fan for the same reasons listed - 11s on all the electrics.  Use John Pearse phos bronze 12s on the acoustic.

[GuitArtMan]

I am convinced that the reason Elixir strings maintain such a consistent tone over their admittedly long life span is because they start out dead. Had them on my Ovation and Adamas for a couple of string changes and just couldn't get with the 'muffled' sound I was hearing. Others may disagree. Screw them, they're wrong.

 

I have lately been enamored of GHS Burnished Nickel in .011 or .010 (whichever is available, although I prefer the .011). Pure nickel, slightly polished for smooveness. Previously, I was smitten with the GHS Nickel Rockers, also in .011 or .010 depending on availablity; they are pure nickel, but have a "rollerwound" cover...almost flat, but not really. Before that, it was flatwound .012s or .013s. I like the GHS because they're made in Battle Creek, MI, just down the highway from Kalamazoo, and an easy drive from my house (if I wanted to make it).

Elixr's suck.  That's my story and I'm stickin' to it!

[GuitArtMan]

D'Addario by the 10 pack for me three. Mostly 10s. I would not suggest their flat chromes. S.I.T.s are also nice.

+1 

I buy the D'Addario by the box, but would probably buy S.I.T. if I could find them locally.

[SouthpawGuy]

D'Addario 9-42 or 10-46 on electrics.

[Gitfiddler]

DR Pure Nickel Blues 10's or 11's on electrics (24.75 scale and 25.5 scale respectively)

 

D'Addario Half Rounds or Flats 11's or 12's on archtops.

 

Tomastik Intfeld (sp) Bensons 12's or 13's if I wanna splurge for the archtops.

 

Peavey Cirrus (No Joke!) bass strings.  Best ever for my taste.

 

Elixer Bass Strings are nice, but tend to 'shred' apart their outer coating if you get too slap-happy.

[High Flying Bird]

I use DR Pure Blues 10's on my electrics and DR Phosphor Bronze on Acoustics.

[DC Ron]

For semi-hollowbodies, D'Addario half round .010s.  Magic for me.

For solid bodies, D'Addario .010s.  Exactly the right sound, feel and life. (and only $35 for 10 packs at GC w free planet waves tuner)

For acoustic archtops, TI Swing .013s.  Ooomph!

;D

[golferwave]

 D'Addario and S.I.T. 10's for me.  Wipe em down before you install and after you're done playing.  They'll last longer.

[slider313]

Just got the May Musicians Friend flyer. this month it's a D'Addario 10 pack for $39.99 and a free 20' Planet waves Custom Pro cable.

[backline]

Bit off topic for me, as I don't have a 535 etc., but on my H-575 I use Thomastik-Infeld "Be-Bops" in 0.013" - 0.053" usually.

On a solidbody I like GHS Nickel Rockers in 10's, if it's Fender scale: 11's on Gibson scale.

[barrymclark]

For Solid Bodies: D'Addario EXL110w (10's with a wound 3rd)

 

For Hollow Bodies: D'Addario EXL115w (11's with a wound 3rd)

[Kuz]

Curt Mangan strings (nickel plated) is what I am currently using.

 

I used the Ernie Ball Classic Slinkys for years.

 

I recently talked a couple hours with Terry Mcinturff and he said that D'addrio was like the Budweiser of strings... "Not the best strings but very consistent and you always know what you are getting".

[Dick Seacup]

D'addrio was like the Budweiser of strings...

 

I thought you were going to say, "Painfully pedestrian, but you don't care because you understand that you're only renting them."

 

>

[martintj]

I use D'addario XL 115 on my 535 and  on my tele;like I said they sound great for "a Few days"  I will try some of the suggested sets ;DR's on my next Heritage change.  Additional question....many Heritage owners change their bridges?  If so to what?

[barrymclark]

Curt Mangan strings (nickel plated) is what I am currently using.

 

I used the Ernie Ball Classic Slinkys for years.

 

I recently talked a couple hours with Terry Mcinturff and he said that D'addrio was like the Budweiser of strings... "Not the best strings but very consistent and you always know what you are getting".

Yep. That and you can get them ANYWHERE! haha. For a number of years I used Ernie Ball. Decent enough strings. No better or worse than D'Addario. Used DRs for a couple of years too. Not bad. At the time, though, they were kinda hard to find so I abandoned that.

[smurph1]

I use Elixirs on my Taylor, but DiAddarios on the 140..(10s) I used to use GHS because they are made in Michigan, but then I ran into a whole string of bad sets..They seemed to break all the time, so I switched...