Dean Markley Alchemy strings. They're really brilliant, but the low e string is too bright and I can't play the blues on em.

Ernie Ball.

Boomers Heavey gauge 10-56

String's for electric acoustic ?
 

What brand and guage of strings would you musicians suggest for an electric (active) acoustic guitar?
Thanks in advance!

I recently switched to elixir strings and I'm loving them.

Guage is personal preference. If you play jazz and have strong enough fingers, you can get sets as high as .014 guage. The benefit is a thicker tone. If you have weedy fingers or are just starting out, go for .009s

Thanks, I will check out elixer strings, I like 9s but I want to try out a set of 10s and see what happens.
I have a set of boomers 9s electric guitar strings, but I was wanting to try out a set of good acoustic strings, maybe they will last longer and sound better.

i've been a d'Addario man from the get go. i've tried other manufacturer's, Dean Markley, Ernie Ball, no names, homemade - but i've always gone back to d'Addario (although the one time i got a homemade bass string it was AWESOME).

i use .010s for regular electric action, .013s for tuning down to C, and 'Chromes' / ribbon wound for bass.

Seeing as we're giving more detail:

Right now my 7 string has Elixer 10's on it. I replace the low E and B with a .049 and a .066 respectively. Since they're low strings, I buy singles of whatever brand, and keep them on the guitar for 2 string changes whenever I replace the other 5. That keeps the low end of the gutiar nice and beefy without me shelling out lots of cash on sets of singles.

My 6 strings have a set of d'Addario 10's on them for the S2170FW, just standard 10's.
My Viper has 12-56 Ernie Balls on, since I wanted to strengthen my fingers and play some jazz.
My NEW 6 string is my 'Blues' guitar, so I have that set up with 11 guage elixers to give me more of that SRV vibe.

My acoustic 6 string has 12 guage Elixers on.
My Acoustic 12 string has 10 guage rotosounds on because they're cheap.
My classical guitar, I don't actually know what strings are on it, except I asked for regular classical strings and got whatever I got.

The other guitars in the house probably have d'addarios on, since I haven't changed the strings on those in forever, the guitars above get much more playtime.

for your 7 string, i'm just remembering an old EVH trick here - have you ever tried a light gauge bass string? since you're buying singles anyway... apparently back in the day he'd swap out his low E for bass G or A string before tuning it down to B. i think it was mostly for 'Little Guitars'.

Believe it or not, .066 guage bass strings don't exist, or at least they're not easily available from the shops round here. Its just as much to buy singles online, so may as well get the guitar ones.

it wouldn't have been the same gauge, probably way bigger, but with reduced tension due to a shorter scale. not really something i expected you to go for, just more of a sh1ts and giggles thing.

I use the gauge 10 GHS Boomers on my Gibson SG. I love those! They really sound bad-ass with the distortion up and you can really bend very good for Santana-like stuff. Really lovely!
I was thinking about getting 9 Super Slinky's on my strat once I get one :D
Is that a good idea?

Now I know why you are GuitarBizarre...because you have, at last count, 57 guitars! :p:

I just use Elixer electric guitar strings, light (0.010 - 0.046), with Nanoweb. It's the only set I have bought since I got the guitar. Not enough playtime, I guess. :( I was actually pleased the first time a string broke!

I haven't played long enough to get finicky about my strings. I will say, though, that I like these Elixers because they are so easy to press down. My electric guitar feels very delicate and responsive to me.

I just got a bass and those big ol' whomping strings don't look like they'll ever break, so maybe I'll never have to change them! :)

Don't attack me for this, but I'm still a novice when it comes to the actual sound of the guitar. When you turn on the amp, and start playing, do the strings actually change the sound. I'm talking electric guitar not acoustic. I use Ernie Ball, but I use them only because they are good on the fingers and could take some strong bends.

All I know, xEMGx, is that thicker (higher gauge) electric guitar strings are supposed to give a better tone than the thinner ones (like the ones I use). Also, I've read online that different brands of strings do affect the experience of playing...someone said somewhere that he felt his pick got caught more on d'Addarios.

And here's an interesting quote about how string structure (how they are wound) affects the sound:

That thing about the pick getting caught doesn't convince me, I've never noticed a difference there. It might be the strings feel a little more 'stiff' to the touch of the plectrum, due to either high tension or stiffer metallurgy (Stiffer metal would me a string at the same tension would be harder to bend too, compared to a softer string)

But honestly, if your technique is good, your pick catching on the strings shouldn't be a problem. If it is a problem, even when you're not digging into the note, then you're playing with an inefficient picking motion.


Also, xEMGx - Yeah, they make a big difference. Brand-to-brand, between the same guages, the differences are slight, and mostly playability is whats affected.

But if you change how thick your strings are, or the type of winding (see above), you'll notice a BIG change in sound.


Of note - Thicker strings are harder to bend but can be set to a lower action without buzzing, whereas thinner strings are easier to bend but need higher action.

Sound wise, thinner strings can sound 'tinny', whereas thicker strings can sound 'muddy'. Which is better depends on the type of music you play. If you want super defined chunky rythm guitars where the sound of a plam mute stops on a pin, you might want thinner strings, but you'll lose the nice chunky tone that comes with thicker strings.

Conversely, if you want a brutal death metal sound, and you want to avoid it sounding 'fizzy' and brittle, you'll want to use thicker strings, but your palm muting technique will have to change to compensate, since the higher mass of the strings means more momentum and thus you'll need more effective methods of muting the strings with the picking hand.

I use Ernie Ball "Not Even Slinky" (.012-.016-.024p-.032-.044-.056) custom gauge nickel wound strings. I like them as I play in D# tuning and because they feel more like acoustic strings, which I like because I started out on an acoustic guitar. They also have more bass and won't break as easy when I play live.

I recently used to use Ernie Ball "Regular Slinky" (.010-.013-.017-.026-.036-.046) custom gauge nickel wound strings, but they don't work well with D# or really any kind of lower tunings.

If im not mistaken didnt SRV use 13/14's, as well as tune down to Eb to help get that fat bluesy sound?

Yes, but I don't have fingers that strong, and I hate Eb.

Edit: Also, have you tried to find a set of 13's in electric? I can't find anything except roundwounds.

I bet your fingers are like little trains. Always moving forward and made of steel. And why dont you like Eb?

Edit Answer: Luckily my local shop has up to 15s that are just like the super slinky 9's. He told me it was because so many people were asking how to get a stronger blues tone out of there strings o that was there answer. If you looked online youd probably find some, no?

what are you looking for instead?

d'Addario Chromes are normally available in .013s if you prefer ribbonwound. not sure why you're having a hard time finding strings in this size, they seem rather common now.

as for SRV and his tone methodology. you guys are aware he used to put super glue on the tips of his left hand fingers then tear out chunks of his right forearm to replace the callouses he lost at night right? cocaine... it's one hell of a drug.

plus who needs an octaver to beef up your tone when you can replace your strings with freaking cables. :bonkhead:

sorry, I meant ribbonwounds. I want roundwounds.

I always use Ernie Ball strings, and I highly recommend it. Elixir is my only experience good if you do not play much. I usually play at least 3-4 hours a day, while Elixir increased as fast as any other string brand for me.

I probably play more than that and have noticed significantly longer life, particularly on the plain strings. On other brands, the plain strings tend to discolor and turn black after a few hours of play, and the elixers have yet to do that. The set that have been on my acoustic for a while have only just started showing even the beginning signs of wear. Thats roughly 3 times longer life than usual.

either way d'Addario and Ernie Ball have you covered if you don't mind shopping online. though some people take issue with the plain .024 G string that comes with the EB - Not Even Slinky's. my cousin described it as a 'mutant' when he tried my eclipse, it just feels weird.

Dean Markley Nickel Steel Electric - medium top heavy bottom

I'm using GHS BASS BOOMER strings since they produce 115strings.

on guitar I'm also using GHS strings...like them really much, especially on bass! :)

My cat has a ****ing blast when I change strings. Throw them across the room and sheis happy for hours.

you ever set up a strat type bridge for 14's? I wanna try it, work my way up through the guages till I get there, for tr00 SRV tone, but I need 4 springs on my claw as it is, just for 11's. Reckon 5 springs will have enough oomph to keep 14's in check on a floating wilkinson bridge? (non locking)

.014s? nope. hell my own mexican needed 5 springs in the back to keep .010s in check. i can't imagine strining .014s in there without blocking the bridge. though i have to assume you can get stronger springs.

anytime i'd go super big and low was .013s through the LP style fixed bridge on my eclipse. can't really imagine going that big with a floating bridge without LOTS of hassle.

Ernie Ball-Regular Slinky and Super Slinky.

Whatever is on sale really, I'm not too picky about strings. I do like BOOMERS 105's though.

Have you ever tried to buy Acoustic Bass Strings? What a pain in the ass.

For my electric I buy .10 DR strings. Only string on the market that doesn't have a hex-core rod for a center. For my acoustic I use .11 Elixir poly-web or nano-web strings.

Regular Slinkies