All Electric Guitar Strings Explained | Guitar Tech Tips | Ep. 38 | Thomann

Simply THE BEST string guide out there! Thank you! And btw what strings would you recommend to use on a classic Fender Stratocaster with Stainless Steel frets? Maybe Pure Nickel to compensate the brightness of HH frets?

All sound just about the same

Great job appreciate all the work for this one .

I use D’Addario Half rounds in 9’s & 10’s.

Thank you. A lot of us out here could have used something like this years ago. I've used all kinds just to find out what I like.

I was playing ernie ball slinkys 10-46. Then switched to dean markley 11-52. Then dr 10-46. Then ernie ball hybrids 9-46. Then ernie ball 10-52. Now I just got some d'addario XL 10-46 for the first time. Haven't tried them yet. If i like them, I will stick with them. If not, I'll go back to ernie ball 10-46 slinkys. I liked the sound of those, but i was always breaking them. But that was 22 years ago, and my playing isn't as heavy and crazy as it was. Plus i started out in standard E tuning, then played E-flat for the longest time. Now I'm playing standard E again. On fender stratocaster and telecaster. And a gibson les paul. And 2 ibenez rg's. I was always confused on certain string sizes on what scale length guitars. I never liked playing different strings on different guitars, because it was kind of a mental thing i guess. Lately I've been wandering which string sizes for those guitars in standard E.

Sure, use what eve gauge of strings or type of the strings you want. It is a free world.
Though in some situations there are a huge limitations to what is going to sound good or authentic. Or even what is going tol make the guitar sound weak and will make the neck feel soft and bendy and going out of the tune as soon as you put your left hand on it.

With some guitars, most often the cheap once you get 9's but necks are made of weak sort of wood. Not every maple have same strength. Sometimes neck is so thin that there is no strength left in the neck. So you get neck that feels like spaghetti. Well guitar neck does counters the pull generated by the strings tension. Truss rod is used to fine adjust the neck. With thicker strings you need more counter force from the truss rod. So going to 10's or 11's will tighten that neck and stabilize it. So in such a case there is a minimum string gauge that works with that neck/guitar. Those softer necks in combination with thin strings will also change action at any temperature change and season change.

One more situation where certain thickness of the strings is needed. For example, single coil guitar 25.5 scale length, with vintage low output pickups. Guitar player with hard attack and dynamic playing style. String needs place to move, hence it requires higher action. To achieve that sound player needs pure nickel strings. He will need thicker strings. First thin strings hit hard will go out of the tune and they will not generate enough signal due to the pickup low setting and thin strings. With thicker strings like 11's there will be enough signal and strings will not change tuning during a hard hit of the plectrum.
Suring live shows guitar players get excited and hit even harder. Thicker strings solve that issue as well.

Sure why work harder is known valid point made by Mr. King and later on by Billy G. and others that have great sound even with 8's. But to be able to use 8's or thinner you need guitar that works with 8's and has stable neck and you need insane feel and control.

I get why Epi was used for the demo. Great value, versatile guitar. Still ti is not the best guitar to show off the difference in tone of the strings though. That wiring and pickups just do not have enough resolution and details to show of how strings sound. I am listening on my PC with great 384 KHz 32bit sound card with Adam AX7 monitors and Adam Sub7 and difference is way less then what I get with my guitars when changing string types. Though I am spoiled with good stuff :(

I use the EB cobalt on my guitar and bass. Its true about the output. I like the punch that it gives out.

As regards the gauge, I use light sets (009) on a guitar that I use mostly for lead, custom (010) on one that I use for rhythm, and extra-light (008) on a 12-string guitar.
I consider trying a plate-wound regular set on my rhythm guitar, one of these months 😎

Ages ago I used Ernie Ball nickel plated 11-46. I’d buy Regular Slinkys and substitute an 11 for the stock 10 high E. Age, carpal tunnel and arthritis have me using the Ernie Ball Classic pure nickel wound Hybrids, gauged 9-46. I like the easy bending on the plain strings and the firm bottom end of the heavier wound strings. I also like the Ernie Ball M-steel strings, which are more expensive, but they have higher output and tend to last longer. On my archtop jazz guitar I use 11-50 D’Addario Chromes Flatwound strings. They’re great for softer solo guitar music and they seem to last forever because I don’t bend them a lot.

I switched to 9s from 10s cuz I decided I want to make my playing easier and I stopped hitting the strings like I am chopping wood =] 9-46 currently but I will probably go down to 9-42, my "problem" with that is that I go to drop d(just the low E) and they feel like rubber bands :D

fuck that was subtle but i actually preferred the cobalts as they had more low notes present against the sparkly plain steel strings

My favorite string's are the ones on a guitar.

I use the Optima Gold and what has not been stated in this review is their extreme durability against rust and that they feel like butter under the fingertips.

Ernie ball nickel 9-46!! ❤

I can't hear any difference to be honest.

I play d addario for years - and in the last year i tried other brands and materials: this is more effect ever. Today i play the cobalt steal earnie balls, and this is a huge Upgrade, more, than changing the guitar

Some people seem to ignore 008s they sound better than heavier gauge strings you should check out Rhett Skulls video on them.

I feel like the Cobalt and Flatwounds sounded the most different out of them all. Love this!

Very helpful. Thank you for all the efforts

I legitimately couldn't hear any difference between any of the strings. I might have to run this through a frequency spectrum analyzer to see the difference between the different strings at the end...

I’ve been using Ernie Ball 8-38. I’ve got the hand strength to play heavier strings… I just like the freedom, spank, exaggerated bends and vibrato I can get with 8’s. Big barre chords across the neck are effortless… etc.
I’ve had to adjust my grip and pick attack to maintain intonation… but I honestly feel like that’s made me a better player.

Curious about pure nickel after this video tho! Those sound smooth!

stainless steel frets play more smooth. it is interesting that stainless steel strings feel less smooth. If the frets are stainless steel it reduced friction because the fret is not being corroded at all, but if the string is stainless steel it creates more friction because the string is eating the fret. I would rather have the frets eat the strings.

Old age and arthritis have made me start using 8 gauge strings. Cool thing is, I'm still playing! Great video! Really enjoyed it and learned a lot too.

Cobalt strings feel horrible under the fingers too

Great video. I love that you guys took the time to actually preview all the strings. Someone had to do a lot of string changing that day 😄
I guess Ill stick with the cheaper ones. Sound differences seem to be minute, especially when you're playing with heavy sounds.

I just wanted to add that rick beato on his channel tested a few sounds and licks with the same guitar and different string gauges and in the mix the smaller gauges (like 9s) sounded a lot cleaner and less muddy. So in a band context, smaller gauges are probably preferable (at least for classic rock guitar sounds).

I've played GHS boomers for decades in 008 to 038 because they just sound tighter and more agressive to me. I play hard rock/metal and I've tried higher gauges but they don't sound or feel right to me.

I love this man just because how many times he had to restring his guitar and just play the same riff a million times, the dedication is amazing.

DR strings, Dean Markley, and D'Addario strings rule! Earnie Ball strings are trash!

I've been playing since 1968. Have 36 guitars. After learning on an acoustic and later going to an electric to play in bands, I started out as a bands rythem player and never could get used to a 3rd non-wound string. I started using D Addario EXL115W (W for 3rd wound) They stay in tune better then the non wound 3rd also and I can still bend the strings after I started playing lead guitar. I use D Addario EJ16 on my acoustics. They last pretty long and I can still tightly tune the strings when they start to wear out. Just what works for me and makes playing comfortable for me.

Great video, thanks.

I play Earnie Ball Hybrid Slinky 2252 with 9, 11, 16, 26, 36, 46 on a Gibson SG 30 years old with two P90

You wouldn't believe how much cleaning your strings after playing with just a dry cloth affects in their longevity...

I've played for many years Elixir's 10-52 on my KH-2. The sound was outstanding, especially in the low ends. Then I grew older and got tired of such heavy strings, so now I'm playing 10-46 (I guess..). However every time I got to restring I'm still unsure on what gauge to buy :).

🤘🎸

Very good video! I would like to share something I stumbled onto. I use 9.5 daddario for all my PRS guitars because of the 25” scale. It’s the perfect gauge for that scale length.

Excellent video and great performance!
Kris what brand of electric strings do you use it and what gauge do you prefer? Thanks a lot!!!🔥🎸🤘🏻

Nickel Hendrix guage Rock 'N Roll strings for me.

Hi Chris.
Can we use Ernie balls slinky top heavy bottom on tremolo bridges?
Thank u

this video is AWESOME, you deserve so much more views, thanks man, great content.

They all basically sound the same man.

I use DR 10-56 in D# on 24.75'' scale and it feels more tighter then 10-52 Ernie Balls...so i'm happy with it)

Stephen Stills plays a strat and a tele that has a tone that I love - live that is - i would guess he uses cobalt -i don't know - his playing is bad ass and that's exactly how it sounds - it's like a punch in the gut when he rips off a solo
It's not all clear and smooth - it's raw and I like the contrast -if this makes any fucking sense - I play the shit out of a guitar - but my intellectual development as far as amplification and tone differencial is severely limited
I'm just short of complete ignorance

thanks

I play 'rusted' strings the Thomann guitar came with.... and it sounds unique. lol

I am so confused. I played d addario 9’s my whole life now they have different models. Which is the regular one? Always used d addario 9’s on electric 13 DR on acoustic. Guitar teacher told me at 12 years old never saw any reason to change- this guy was a really good player I figure he knew well enough. People always told me to stay away from the coated strings in a hot climate.

I used to use reg slinky for drop C. Coz i have weak fingers, this brand feel is right for me, even though the sound not as open as d addario EXL. Lately i tried Dunlop 10-52. Feel a lil bit stronger than Ernieball. For me, feel is more important for electric. Great video by the way.