Musician Gear & Tech Discussion

I've used just about everything mentioned above - D'Ad, Markley, DR, GHS, EB and the most I could get out of them was 1 or 2 weeks even with wiping and chemicals and all that. About 3 years ago I switched to Thomastik and LaBella (after using them on mando and viola) and they average about 2 months for me... PLUS LaBella includes doubles of the unwound strings so you can go even longer! They may be more expensive, but I've found they last longer and sound a heck of a lot better.

I've also used just about every string mentioned, including the super slinky eights for my Mosrite Avatar.
Now, 20 years later, I prefer acoustic guitar, and I still prefer lightweight strings.
Heavier guage strings will, indeed, produce a louder, fuller sound. But the action isn't as good, and after an hour or two of playing quick songs with many fast chord-changes, it's like playing on knives, instead of strings.
I like Martin Extra Light (10 to 47), and I also use Martin Custom Light (11-52). Martin Light's (12-54) are a little heavy.
I'll get back to Elixirs, in a moment (humor an old geezer).
None of my strings ever go bad due to finger oil or the like; I wear notches in them where they hit the frets.
I change strings on my 2 acoustics about every every month, or about 2 weeks of playing per guitar, and if you flip the strings over over & hold them to the light, you can count 14 notches, all the way up the strings.
The E & B strings are a little different - they come off 'rippled,' where they've formed troughs between the frets.
I wear out (and sometimes replace) G & D strings twice as fast as the others.
I NEVER break strings, either . . still got the extra E & B strings that came w/ the guitars . . .
I do songs about 70% strumming, and 30% finger-picking
.
I put on a set of Elixirs about a week back, but not because of their longer-lasting properties, but for their surface texture.
The Elixirs feel like teflon, with their 'Polyweb Coating.'
I do a lot of sliding, and these slippery strings help reduce the slicing effect of the strings, although on some chords, in some places, I still get a tearing effect on my fingertips, from sliding over the frets.
The slippery strings took some gettinging used to . . .
These strings changed my rhythm a tiny amount, too. After about a week, I was surprised to note that what I though was a rhythm problem with my playing was actually due to the fact that the strings slipped off the pick (and my fingertips) just a little bit sooner.
Interesting . . .
The lightest Elixirs I found were .012 to .053 - pretty heavy for my preference . . . .
But, they do seem to cut down on the fingertip erosion.
For me - it's a trade off. Fat strings, but longer-lasting fingertips.
I'm kind of leaning towards going back to thinner strings - don't know yet . . .
Now, we'll see if these strings last any longer for me . . .

I like those strings on my 12 string but when I put the on my electrics ( I use stainless steel picks) , I tend to rip apart the webbing when I get in to Yngwie mode. The sound is awesome but they can't take too well to my picks

I use D'Addario Chromes, 11 gauge. Nice strong tone, can take a pounding. Higher gauge strings will bring out the tones in your guitar more, especially if it's got a good solid sound in the low-mids ( I play a fender Jag HH, so it's perfect for them).

But it really depends on what you're looking to do musically. If you're doing a lot of lead work, and you need the flexibilty you don't want to go too high (though Matt Bellamy uses 10s and he doesn't seem to do too bad). A thicker gauge will likely give you more of a crisp sound, but you may lose some of the screech in the more screamier parts of the treble.

I tend to play more rhythm style than lead though, and will rarely bend a strng. Plu I don't like the thinner, screamier sounding sctrings. So 11's are good for me.

(I put Elixirs on my acoustic and I hate them).

I'm not too crazy about them either. What do you hate about them?

Stevie Ray Vaughn used .12's on his Strat, and as mentioned before Eddie Van Halen runs .008's on his axes and both got a fabulous tone. Alot depends on what type of guitar and pick-ups you use. Your amp rig plays a very large role as well. "I run .10's on my guitars and have had really good luck with DR strings. They can take some pretty radical bends and not break. If you're having string breakage problems, check your bridge saddles and nut. These parts are generally made on a production line and can have burrs, peaks, or other imperfections that will cause extra friction on the string. Wiping your strings, one by one, after you play will go a long way in preserving your tone and increasing string life.

try d'addario 10's the best.....

Old Standby, D'Addario.

Try to keep the strings dry.

Plain old E. Ball Super Slinky, No breakage, lots of bending and whamy bar, only use one finger when I bend (I know they say always use two)
Aftre 20 years of finger tip push ups, no big deal. Change about every two months or so. Always use new strings when I have a show (after a couple of days breakin) Wipe entire neck with Fast fret stick when I put her up for the day. Wipe down with clean cloth before I play. Scrub the build up off the board when I change strings.

GHS Superboomers 10-46, Ive pretty much used these for 25 yrs.

In the early 90s when I played a lot and bought huge amounts of strings, Elixir kept sending me free sets of their strings with the coating. I couldnt stand them, they sounded dead from the time you put them on til they all broke. I gave most of the free samples away. These days I pretty much play strings until they fall off the guitar, doesnt seem to make any difference to me.

I replaced my elixers after one week, for the reasons in my previous posts.
No matter the brand, my strings get worn down within 2 weeks, from fret abrasion, - and I didn't want the elixers to last any longer . . . .

Dude with those fingers who could blame you. Shoot mine are kinda ragged today as well.

I use Martin mediums on my acoustic, & when I played out I changed them every week. I figure it's just a cost of being a musician.

On my Strat, d'Addarios, also medium.

I don't care for elixirs, cuz they sound nearly dead to me brand new.

I rarely break a string, but I keep them in a fairly new condition, both for my audience & myself. Just a personal preference. I know it isn't for everyone.

I do wipe them down after every show or practice, though.

When I'm not playing out, I'm much more liberal about keeping old strings on my axe, if only for the cost factor. I can't justify buying new ones all the time when my axe isn't making me $.

For the past 5-years I've been using Gibson Powerlines.. 13-60's

Best strings I've ever run across.. A set lasts about 6-months.