Any troubles with Ernie Ball strings lately? Breaking that is...

[paul-e-mann]

You also remove the pickgurds from your Les Pauls don't you. Ahhhh... c'mon, you can't fool a Corleone with that fake gold top avatar.

Nope pick guards are a must! And that there is a 2007 Gibson 57 reissue goldtop, bought new from Southpaw Guitars in Houston. As long as strings aren't rusty I'm keeping them!

 

[Matt G Murphy]

I used EB Rock n Roll Slinkys 9-46 from 1999 to last year. I purchased them by the 12 pack case from reliable authorized suppliers. Last year I started having QC issues. Breaks in the winding over frets, uncharacteristic breaking with Graphtech saddles etc. The final straw was the last case I ordered. Each pack had the incorrect strings in them. Meaning, three .26s and no .36 or .46. Or, two .46s but no .36.

I contacted their customer service. They were not aware of any problems but requested photos of the problems and the "run number" which is printed inside the packs. I submitted all of the required info and they shipped me six sets of replacement strings???

Only, I purchased 12 sealed sets that I cannot trust. You have to cut them open to see what you have or don't have and then they are no longer sealed. Also, the winding failures pop up out of nowhere.

Unfortunately, I had to break my long standing relationship with EB and switched to Labella Benders 9-46. I like them alot. Even though they are not "pure nickel" like the Rn'R Slinkys, they have a good feel and the warm tone that I am after. They are not available locally so I order them by the 12 pack now.

 

[Deftone]

Never heard of them. I might try 'em out though.

 

[Dirty-D]

l've used D'Addarrio strings sincethr 90's with no problems l can remember. Ernie Ball is to guitar strings as Top Flight is to golf balls

 

[Im247frogs]

I stopped using EB strings because I thought they were garbage in High School (80's).
I recently got 2 sets because they were on sale when I went into GC, and I came to the immediate conclusion that they still suck. Gummy feeling, toneless dogshit. I still refuse to believe Jimmy Page uses them.

At any rate, after years of trying different strings I've settled on D'addarios. I'm not sure why I started using them (has to be over 20 years now) but every time I do try anything else just for the hell of it, they don't sound as good, they break, and they don't keep what little tone they do have for anywhere near as long as D'addarios seem to do.

I really don't like raving about gear, but things like strings, drumsticks, and drumheads are expensive, totally disposable, and I use a lot of them, so I try to use the stuff that sounds the best and doesn't break as soon as I start playing it.

 

[Lo-Tek]

Never heard of them. I might try 'em out though.

I use the Benders from time to time. I like the tone and they are fairly cheap but it is kind of a mellower tone. IMO.
Supposedly they are a recreation of a 60s set and are called "vintage sounding" by LaBella

 

[shredless]

I used EB Rock n Roll Slinkys 9-46 from 1999 to last year. I purchased them by the 12 pack case from reliable authorized suppliers. Last year I started having QC issues. Breaks in the winding over frets, uncharacteristic breaking with Graphtech saddles etc. The final straw was the last case I ordered. Each pack had the incorrect strings in them. Meaning, three .26s and no .36 or .46. Or, two .46s but no .36.

I contacted their customer service. They were not aware of any problems but requested photos of the problems and the "run number" which is printed inside the packs. I submitted all of the required info and they shipped me six sets of replacement strings???

Only, I purchased 12 sealed sets that I cannot trust. You have to cut them open to see what you have or don't have and then they are no longer sealed. Also, the winding failures pop up out of nowhere.

Unfortunately, I had to break my long standing relationship with EB and switched to Labella Benders 9-46. I like them alot. Even though they are not "pure nickel" like the Rn'R Slinkys, they have a good feel and the warm tone that I am after. They are not available locally so I order them by the 12 pack now.

So it appears to be a thing with the nickel strings

 

[Matt G Murphy]

I use the Benders from time to time. I like the tone and they are fairly cheap but it is kind of a mellower tone. IMO.
Supposedly they are a recreation of a 60s set and are called "vintage sounding" by LaBella

That mellow warm tone is exactly what i'm going for. Back in the late 80s, I used Dean Markley strings. Both the regular DMs, the Magnums, and the Blue Steel. I loved the fresh-string bright crisp tone that I got out of them the day of, and the day after changing. It was really great for shows and the harmonics just lept from my fingers. However, two days afterward they died quickly and lost all that spectacular brightness. I found the pure nickel RnR Slinky's had a consistent warm tone which did not degrade rapidly. I basically gave up the brand new string brightness for a more consistent warm tone that I got used to over time and now that's what I go for.

 

[Jethro Rocker]

Had no issues. Tried the Elixer and various others, the Paradigm EBs seem really good to me.
Maybe I am not that picky but no breakage issues.

 

[Kinkless Tetrode]

I have never had problems with EB, although I usually prefer D'Addario. I will use both, no problem. I haven't used a third brand like GHS or DM in years, though. I think I would need to go back to the 80s, or at least 90's, to have used an OEM like Fender or Gibson.

 

[Lo-Tek]

That mellow warm tone is exactly what i'm going for. Back in the late 80s, I used Dean Markley strings. Both the regular DMs, the Magnums, and the Blue Steel. I loved the fresh-string bright crisp tone that I got out of them the day of, and the day after changing. It was really great for shows and the harmonics just lept from my fingers. However, two days afterward they died quickly and lost all that spectacular brightness. I found the pure nickel RnR Slinky's had a consistent warm tone which did not degrade rapidly. I basically gave up the brand new string brightness for a more consistent warm tone that I got used to over time and now that's what I go for.

I tried some acoustic sets from LaBella that I didn't care for but I have one guitar that likes the Benders. To me Dunlop Billy Gibbons strings are similar sounding.

Had no issues. Tried the Elixer and various others, the Paradigm EBs seem really good to me.
Maybe I am not that picky but no breakage issues.

I have used lots of brands and have never had breakge problems either but playing styles vary.
I have run into once in a blue moon intonation problems or dead strings- usually on round cores.

 

[Jethro Rocker]

I tried some acoustic sets from LaBella that I didn't care for but I have one guitar that likes the Benders. To me Dunlop Billy Gibbons strings are similar sounding.

I have used lots of brands and have never had breakge problems either but playing styles vary.
I have run into once in a blue moon intonation problems or dead strings- usually on round cores.

I play fairly hard with heavy picks but limited breakage. The EB seem fine to me?

Here I am gently caressing the 1960 Reissue....

 

[DirtySteve]

The few times I have used D'Addario, they also feel much stiffer to my hand than EB strings. I simply cannot bend them as easily.

That's actually one of the main reasons I don't like EBs. I like the "stiffer" feel, but I'm used to it.

 

[anitoli]

That's actually one of the main reasons I don't like EBs. I like the "stiffer" feel, but I'm used to it.

Perception is definately at play here. I think EBs are way too stiff feeling, and they onlybfeel playable when totally worn out. Lol.

 

[TheLoudness!!]

Ok. But you're certainly not squeezing every last drop of tone out of your guitar. Players spend hundreds and thousands of hard-earned dollars on gear, put in the effort to learn, craft, and hone their skill, and then some of them forfeit all of that over a $6 pack of strings.

This is why the entire music industry is failing today. If this keeps up, eventually there will be no more music, ever.

I don't want to even know what I've spent over the years on gear. As a matter of fact, I just don't think about it.

There are still some pieces of gear I will not pony up that kind of dough for. As in..
Not happening!

With that said, I try to look for the best value for my dollars. Often going for the cheapest option is not a winning strategy because spending money twice is not very smart in my opinion.

I look at what I have in my guitar and amp stash (95% of it was bought used) and realize that even say ...$12 to $15 isn't that much for a pack of strings really by comparison. I do tend to go with the $8 to $10 Ernie Ball sets because I've had good luck so far.

I even read comments on a YouTube video where a guy reviews some offshore made "Orphee" strings. They won't stay in tune and feel very sharp.
There are literally people on there saying they can't afford $7 for a decent pack of strings and the $3 Chinese strings are plenty good enough. In fact they considered the regular EB strings to be on the finer things in life. What???

I'm the furtherest person from a corksniffer ever but that mentality just blows my mind to defend pure out terrible quality. If someone is that cheap, they should take up a new hobby. I still say $3 more is not the apocalypse on something that most likely isn't a gamble.

 

[Vinsanitizer]

I don't want to even know what I've spent over the years on gear. As a matter of fact, I just don't think about it.

There are still some pieces of gear I will not pony up that kind of dough for. As in..
Not happening!

With that said, I try to look for the best value for my dollars. Often going for the cheapest option is not a winning strategy because spending money twice is not very smart in my opinion.

I look at what I have in my guitar and amp stash (95% of it was bought used) and realize that even say ...$12 to $15 isn't that much for a pack of strings really by comparison. I do tend to go with the $8 to $10 Ernie Ball sets because I've had good luck so far.

I even read comments on a YouTube video where a guy reviews some offshore made "Orphee" strings. They won't stay in tune and feel very sharp.
There are literally people on there saying they can't afford $7 for a decent pack of strings and the $3 Chinese strings are plenty good enough. In fact they considered the regular EB strings to be on the finer things in life. What???

I'm the furtherest person from a corksniffer ever but that mentality just blows my mind to defend pure out terrible quality. If someone is that cheap, they should take up a new hobby. I still say $3 more is not the apocalypse on something that most likely isn't a gamble.

There are also players who use the same pick as long as there's still use left in it.

I don't want to know what I've spent over the last 46 years on picks and strings, let alone what I've spent on guitars, amps, and effects.

 

[Kinkless Tetrode]

There are also players who use the same pick as long as there's still use left in it.

I don't want to know what I've spent over the last 46 years on picks and strings, let alone what I've spent on guitars, amps, and effects.

I don't think I have had a pick long enough to wear it out, before losing it.

 

[Vinsanitizer]

I don't think I have had a pick long enough to wear it out, before losing it.

I throw mine out after maybe 2 hrs. use. Once they lose their edge, I have no more use for them except for bass guitar.

 

[Derrick111]

I don't want to even know what I've spent over the years on gear. As a matter of fact, I just don't think about it.

There are still some pieces of gear I will not pony up that kind of dough for. As in..
Not happening!

With that said, I try to look for the best value for my dollars. Often going for the cheapest option is not a winning strategy because spending money twice is not very smart in my opinion.

I look at what I have in my guitar and amp stash (95% of it was bought used) and realize that even say ...$12 to $15 isn't that much for a pack of strings really by comparison. I do tend to go with the $8 to $10 Ernie Ball sets because I've had good luck so far.

I even read comments on a YouTube video where a guy reviews some offshore made "Orphee" strings. They won't stay in tune and feel very sharp.
There are literally people on there saying they can't afford $7 for a decent pack of strings and the $3 Chinese strings are plenty good enough. In fact they considered the regular EB strings to be on the finer things in life. What???

I'm the furtherest person from a corksniffer ever but that mentality just blows my mind to defend pure out terrible quality. If someone is that cheap, they should take up a new hobby. I still say $3 more is not the apocalypse on something that most likely isn't a gamble.

Who is spending $8 to $10 on EBs?!?! They are routinely found for half of that... around $3.50 or so a set.

As for cheap... I feel like you might be missing the mark with such a judgement. Cheap and poor are not the same thing. When I was in my late teens/early 20s in college, I couldn't afford to buy strings for every show, but I had to replace strings for every show or I would break them. I would use what I could afford sometimes, including dollar bin no name strings. A far cry from my means today, but I wasn't being cheap. I also wasn't spending my money on beer because I didn't haven any money for anything except gas to get to class and insurance payments. Surely you remember what it was like being a college kid with no money? I bet some of the things Robert Johnson did just to keep all 6 strings on his guitar would surely amaze us. There are other valid reasons for people making such decisions that don't make them cheap...

 

[TheLoudness!!]

Who is spending $8 to $10 on EBs?!?! They are routinely found for half of that... around $3.50 or so a set.

As for cheap... I feel like you might be missing the mark with such a judgement. Cheap and poor are not the same thing. When I was in my late teens/early 20s in college, I couldn't afford to buy strings for every show, but I had to replace strings for every show or I would break them. I would use what I could afford sometimes, including dollar bin no name strings. A far cry from my means today, but I wasn't being cheap. I also wasn't spending my money on beer because I didn't haven any money for anything except gas to get to class and insurance payments. Surely you remember what it was like being a college kid with no money? I bet some of the things Robert Johnson did just to keep all 6 strings on his guitar would surely amaze us. There are other valid reasons for people making such decisions that don't make them cheap...

I've been in that situation more than one time. Several actually. I started with stuff like most people that was terrible. I didn't know enough in those days to know what was good or bad, I just played it.

I'm not going to judge anyone for what gear they are using. As long as they are enjoying it...its a great piece of gear.

As for $3.50 for a set of Ernie Ball strings...I haven't seen any that cheap in a long time. One of the local shops does in fact sell regular EB strings for $8.99. No joke. Cheapest I've seen locally is $6.

I bought some Mapes strings online which are USA made and around $3.50 a set. I like them for a budget option on my electrics. I don't care for the Mapes acoustic strings as they seem to go dead very quickly.

I been trying all kinds of strings in the last couple of months.