I hate old dead strings... So I buy D'Addario strings in packs of ten sets when I see them go onsale
for less than $39.00. I've done that a few times, so I've got a box with lots of string sets inside,
and I don't have to buy strings for a long time.
My group, Mustard's Retreat was sponsored by Elixir strings for a while. They gave us some sets free
and allowed us to buy more at lower prices than everybody else got. We gave them our endorsement and
put their logo on one of our recordings. What ever that was worth... So I'm very familiar with the coated
strings and I have this to say: They really do last longer. Maybe three times as long. So if they cost three
times as much for the average Joe, then they justify it.
Do I buy them now? Not often. If I see them onsale, I'll pounce. Because if they're only twice as expensive
but last three times as long, then the guitarist is ahead. They cancelled our sponsorship after about three years,
probably because they noticed that we ain't big stars, and weren't traveling enough to do them much good.
I don't resent that. I was grateful for the opportunity to use their strings.
I've never understood why some players think they sound dead. They never sound like that to me.
I've heard others play them (especially on Taylor guitars) and from the front they sound great to
my ear. What I did notice was that they didn't seem to sound any better than D'Addarios on an Electric
guitar. On Acoustics, the coated strings seem more than worth it.
But I'm a string changer. I'll change strings if I think a gig is important, or if I'm going into the studio...
or at the end of a long sweaty summer trip, or at the beginning of one. In the old days, I bought the cheapest
strings, because we played a lot of bars and taverns, and I played hard on my poorly set up instruments, and
broke a lot of strings. I broke them whether they were cheap or expensive, so I bought the cheap ones.
Whatever was onsale.
Now all my instruments are setup much better, and I lube my nut slots and bridge saddles and under the string
trees on my Tele, and I break zero strings. Or very few. I use 11-49 D'Addario Nickel wound EXL-115 Blues-Jazz
strings on my Gibsons. These give me everything I ask from a set of guitar strings. Great tone, lots of
sustain, reasonably long life, excellent price, tuning stability and zero breakage. Hard to beat.
My Telecaster seems to be happier with D'Addario Nickel Wound EXL-110s, .010-.046, and my Epiphones
like those too. They never break either, on my guitars. I put 'em on and take 'em off
in sets.
On my dreadnought acoustic I use D'Addario "Bluegrass" strings with light top and medium bottom 12-55...
On my Martin XC1T I use Martin SP light gauge .012-.054.
All these strings go onsale sometimes, and I pounce when somebody marks them down. I've tried GHS, and Gibson Brite Wires, and Fender Bullet strings, and those all work fine but don't seem to sound any better than the D'Addarios I find on
sale. I know nothing about Ernie Balls, or DR, and haven't used Black Diamond strings since I was in High School
(there were still dinosaurs slithering around then, I'm sure...).
So now what kind of strings do I hate, besides the old dead ones? I guess I hate expensive strings...
So I get 'em on sale, and change 'em often, and get great tone. There it is.
