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Pink Slinky (9) on Fender-scale, green (10) on the rest. Fender and GHS are also excellent. Loathe D'addario and Elixer because they're stiff, bright, harsh, and unresponsive -- i.e., modern-sounding.
Wait... loot _then_ burn? D'oh!

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I like D'addario. Fenders are the ones that I feel are stiff to me, especially bass strings.

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reggie1979 wrote: Sat Oct 26, 2019 6:41 pmWhen you say "drop C" do you mean only the C is dropped or is it a whole tone down and THEN drop the C??? I hear people talk about drop C all the time and I don't know what that means.
The latter, so like drop D, except everything tuned down a full step - CGCFAD. I find that low C quite pleasing to my ears while not taking away so many high notes that I'd need to get a guitar with more than 6 strings. Even the non-metal stuff I'm doing these days is usually in either that tuning or in D Standard.

I'm not aware of anybody that plays Standard dropped to C, though I have heard of some country players dropping the low string to a B on one of their guitars (so it's BADGBE).
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Tony Iommi dropped from to C#
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reggie1979 wrote: Sat Oct 26, 2019 7:45 pm I like D'addario. Fenders are the ones that I feel are stiff to me, especially bass strings.
It always amazes me how strings can feel so different to different people. It's just iron, carbon, and sometimes nickel. Probably something about bending style and touch, and how the metal is handled.

"Coming up next on Forged in Fire: guitarists harvest metal from a pinball machine and forge strings in their signature style." Yeah, I'd watch that.
Wait... loot _then_ burn? D'oh!

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Hink wrote: Sun Oct 27, 2019 8:58 pm Tony Iommi dropped from to C#
Yeah, that always caught me out, till I caught up with the program.

Early Sabbath, Iommi used to drop down to C#, but a bit later on they used to play dropped down to D and then more commonly Eb.

Very rarely did they play in standard tuning and in 'E'.


I usually play standard .10s. Ernie Ball Regular Slinky.

https://www.ernieball.com/guitar-string ... s/6-string#

But sometimes I like to use Hybrids on a Fender Scale Length guitar (25.5") Telecasters and Strats and whatnot.

Hybrids have the fat .46 on the low end, but the thinner 0.9 on the high end. Of course this is all good on a Fender Scale Length. The slightly longer scale length means the thinner strings have more tension, where as on a Gibson scale guitar they might seem a bit loose.

On a Gibson Scale Length (24.75") I just use .10's and be done with it. Works for me.

But I have Strats I like to use just standard 0.9's on. And on my no.1 guitar (Aria Pro II) I'll stick on some Skinny Top/ Heavy Bottom just for fun. Basically standard .10's on the high end, but going down to .52 on the low end. You can drop tune pretty good on that!

So I mix and match depending on guitar and scale length. It's not really that wild. I don't go SRV heavy (0.14 on high E).

Ernie Ball is always good. I tried some cheaper strings. Seem ok. But not all the time. I got a few bad Ernie Ball strings sometimes, over the years, but they are pretty consistent.

I'll change my strings every few weeks sometimes, or every year depending.

I've got strings that I've had on for six months and they sound fresh as the day. Then other strings that go dead after a day or two.

Guitar strings are, like most things in life, a bit of an enigma.

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Jafo wrote: Sun Oct 27, 2019 9:33 pm
reggie1979 wrote: Sat Oct 26, 2019 7:45 pm I like D'addario. Fenders are the ones that I feel are stiff to me, especially bass strings.
It always amazes me how strings can feel so different to different people. It's just iron, carbon, and sometimes nickel. Probably something about bending style and touch, and how the metal is handled.

"Coming up next on Forged in Fire: guitarists harvest metal from a pinball machine and forge strings in their signature style." Yeah, I'd watch that.

Haha, hey at least you admit that there IS a difference. Some people think all strings are exactly the same. Similar, but not the same.

I'd love to be rich and try these just for the shit's of it:

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail ... le-043-136

I have no idea what could make a string so expensive :shrug: People love them too.

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g-strings
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Chris Walton wrote: Sun Oct 27, 2019 7:47 pm I'm not aware of anybody that plays Standard dropped to C, though I have heard of some country players dropping the low string to a B on one of their guitars (so it's BADGBE).
Quite a lot of metal bands do: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C_tuning_(guitar)

Then there's a whole bunch of us using 7-strings and B standard. :)

But to answer the original question; I usually use Elixir strings although I'm currently experimenting with NYXL 10-46 on a guitar and like them a lot.

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For 7 string I tune AEADGBE. I forget what gauge my low E is (I think it’s 0.52), but I have a 0.65 on the low A.

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Forgotten wrote: Mon Oct 28, 2019 1:37 pm For 7 string I tune AEADGBE. I forget what gauge my low E is (I think it’s 0.52), but I have a 0.65 on the low A.
Same.

For strings, I use EXL110 for most of the six=string electrics day-to-day. Ernie Ball Skinny Top/Heavy Bottom on some. I like Earthwood 80/20, Martin Acoustic SP, or the basic D'Addario acoustic sets (just like the XL110s will suffice almost all the time on electric for me).

On either electric or acoustic, I'll really settle for anything that isn't coated most times if I don't have any of the above handy.

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Actually these days, any major brand will do. D'addario, Ernie Ball, Dean Markley etc yada yada. For electric solid body guitar:

010-046 Dean Markley Pure Nickel Helix if I am playing vintage strats, teles etc.
010-046 [insert any major brand here] Stainless Steel, hex core, for modern sounds, active pickups and harder rock than "classic hard rock" sounds, i e metal and especially through pedals. Preferably through passive humbucker pickups.

Acoustic:
Cleartone 012-56 or Martin Lifespan Phosphor Bronze which are licensed and coated by Cleartone, if I have to use (if someone is pointing a gun to my head) any coated string. Don't use and hate coated on electric guitars and basses. Otherwise: Any major brand will do here too. Martins own, D'addario, DR, Dean Markley,

Lately, I've been using a lot from small English manufacturer Newtone Strings which you can custom order anything, but I am pickier with strings on electric bass. One can order top E A strings with hex core, and a different core to wrap ratio without changing the total gauge, and D and G strings with round core. They don't charge a fortune either. Especially double ball end strings for headless bass are they one of the best around. One brand I dodge totally on bass is - Ernie Ball. They sound the best of 'em all when brand new, after a few hours or days, they sound deader than some other obscure brand that has been on the bass for decades. And their G-string snaps ever so often. But generally speaking on bass : Any string WITHOUT the red silk wrap at the ends. Drives me silly...045-.107 SS here too. I wish one could see that in the packaging BEFORE you buy the strings.
Last edited by Mats Eriksson on Sat Feb 15, 2020 8:29 am, edited 2 times in total.

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With regards to Seven String guitars. I want a jazz box. I've read a lot bad and seen some so so about Grote ones. The Eastmans and Benedettos are out of my league so it may be a Raines.

I notice that my fav jazz 7 string players play 6 with tapewounds and a regular round wound for the low (A) I wonder if there is a tapewound that one could use for a low a without tuning up a bass G string.
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Acoustic Elixir nanoweb
Electric NYXL DAddario

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