String Thread...Not the G-String

Sp8ctre

Sp8ctre

Ambassador of Steel
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Since we've been filling up GBall's thread with string preferences I thought we should start a thread...

What do you use? Brand? Gauge?

What type of guitar and music do you play to help us all understand your string choice?

I've been jumping around myself. I like to use a Hybrid set. The Fender Hendrix set with 10, 13, 15, 26, 32 and 38. I often swap the 38 out for a 40.

Here's a video to watch as well...

 
Not particularly loyal to one brand I dont suppose, but I do like the Daddario NYXLs these days. Longest lasting, that didnt corrode or lose its sound ( full disclosure? The ones on my Explorer have been there almost a year now and ive played the living hell out of them, as videos will prove lol).

The gauges i use are now, 10-52 because it gives you more thump and pop on the lower 3 like 11s but the higher 3 are standard 10s, sort of a hybrid that lets you still do bends pretty easy. I use them on my SG Standard and Explorer Pro. Normally i play classic rock, hard rock, older heavy metal and melodic metal if that helps

I am naturally heavy handed since the beginning, kinda beat the hell out of strings, so that gauge holds up well lol

When i change strings anymore? I loosen them, cut them all, rip em off and start from the 1st and up to the 6th one by one
 
Only guitar I’m particular about is my Ovation acoustic. It gets Elixer’s. .012-.053. The electrics I’m not obsessed with brand. The Hagstrom Viking and Epi G400 gets .010s and the Strat and Tele clone gets .009s.

I’ll loosen tuners. Cut the strings and strip them all off. Always use that as an excuse to thoroughly clean the guitar. Restring starting with the low E working to the high E. Once I get all strings on I start bringing them up to tune.
 
I mostly play hard rock and some metal. I've used D'Addario XL 10-46 for over 30 years now. I change my strings about every 1-3 months depending on how much I play. My go to back ups if I can't find D'Addarios are GHS Boomers, but it's not very often I have to go there.

I pull all the strings to change them (unless it's a floating trem), no certain order putting new ones on.
 
RVA said:
.09-.11-.16.-.26-.36-.46

I buy individual strings and make the set myself. I would like to use .15s instead of .16s, but can't find quality .15s in bulk. I play blues with light breakup and popular classics clean.
Click to expand...

I just ordered a set of individual strings with 9/12/15/24/32/42 from Stringjoy.

I'm still experimenting...
 
Tried a few differing types, 10 46, 10 52s and now am using the daddario long life things 11 to 49. They seem to go alright.
Might go lighter on the standard if I ever start playing it regularly. Think I've given it two good thrashings since October, due for another one a few weeks ago but Xmas etc....
 
Posted over there, but: I loosen , cut em all off and restring low e to hi e, first cleaning and / or oiling rosewood fretboards and dusting around bridge as needed.
25-1/2" scale gets plain old 9-42, 24-3/4" scale and the one 25" scale get 10-46.
Never felt the need to experiment with individual string gauges.

D'Addario EXL / XL, Martin DArco, GHS Boomers equally.
Maybe I'm blissfully ignorant they feel and sound about the same to me.

Tone wise, they all start off a little bright then settle in.
They get fret divots, but no gunk, and the tone doesnt really change unless it is so gradual I dont notice, until i notice the new set is brighter.

I change when the divots get pretty apparent and / or tuning stability begins to suffer.
 
I've been using Ernie Ball for years.

On the Les Paul and 6 string side of my DoubleNeck, I use. 010" x .046" exclusively.

On Stratocasters I prefer .009" x .046" respectively.

On Floyd Rose equipped guitars, I will generally change one string at a time. On fixed bridge or Traditional Stratocaster Tremolo Bridges, I'll change them all in one shot.

I've started using Paradigms and I'm getting much, much more life out of them.
 
I've used D'Addario XL110s on all my electrics since the 70s.
Have heard good reports on the NYXLs; have a set of those that I haven't tried out yet.

A few years ago I tried a .0095 set on one guitar and found it wasn't much of a sacrifice tonally or output-wise. So earlier this year I resolved to give my hands a bit of a break and switch to .0095s on all my 24¾" & 25" scale guitars, and .009s on all the 25½" scale ones.

Haven't implemented the switchover yet - that's a lot of strings.

~

When I change strings on a trem guitar I do it one at a time to keep the tension pretty steady. Usually go straight across, low to high. This is especially true for Floyd Roses, PRSi, and two-post trems. But generally for floating 6-screw trems too.

Once a year or so I'll take all the strings off to clean & oil rosewood boards (ebony only gets treated every two years or so).

For non-trem axes I'm in the habit of taking them all off at once. Not sure why. This isn't logical - especially since some bridges will fall off without strings to hold 'em down - but somehow that's how I've always done it.
 
EB Power Slinky. 11-48. Forever and always. I take em off all at once so I can clean the fingerboard and everything. FR guitars would be changed one at a time except I don't play those anymore much. Can't remember the last time I put fresh strings on one of those..
 
I really like hearing what people use and how they maintain their guitars!

I do take all six off at once occasionally to clean the fret board.
 
Started out trying several different brands in the early 80's. Settled on D'Addario XLs. Started with 9-42 and ended up with 10-46 because of better tuning stability. Switched to NYXLs in the mid 2000s and haven't looked back. They last longer. I change strings when I start to have tuning problems. I change one string at a time unless the guitar needs a good cleaning. Then it all comes apart. I play hard rock typically with Gibsons.
 
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