Guitar Strings... help needed.

[Pearly Gator]

There is a Korean manufacturer of guitar strings that I like. The strings are sold under the name of "Guitar Research" by Sam Ash, "Musician's Choice" by Guitar Center and by MusicYo, under their house name. The strings are packaged and individually wrapped in a sealed, clear celophane envelope with yellow stripe and the string info imprinted.

Anyone know of other names under which these things are sold? I want to buy a quantity but the only store that currently has them is Sam Ash @ $4.99 a set.

:dunno

Thanks,

PG

[Wally]

I thought they might be the same as the Musicians Friend House Brand, but they are listed as American made.

[SAguitar]

I don't know where to find those! Lately, I've been getting my strings from http://www.webstrings.com/. Buy in bulk and they are $2.35 American a set. I have a lot of guitars that I like to keep strung, and I've become addicted to the feel and tone of new strings, so I need to acquire them cheap! And they are decent strings, they're not Elixirs, but not everyone likes or can afford Elixirs either! :cool:

[Wally]

I just bought a bunch of Everly Strings for about $2.25 a set from Musicians Friend. They are really good strings, IMHO.

[SAguitar]

Right on Wally! I've used those before too, and they are very good. Buy in quantity, change 'em often!

[Pearly Gator]

The strings I'm interested are pure nickle wrap, sound warm and (most importantly) feel very soft.

[Micter]

I've been using Carvin 10-46's which are actually GHS Boomer's. At 10 sets for $20 that is a great deal.

[jazzrat]

+1 for the Carvin 10-46 set
as good as anything else I'ved used for a great price

[stephen]

Everly Rockers are good: I was a dedicated Everly Rocker user. I believe they are a nickel wrap.

now, I'm hooked on DR Tite-Fits 10-46. I get em about $4.50 a pack, they last me forever (which for me the way I abuse strings is incredible), and I love the way they feel.

[SAguitar]

10 sets = 20 bucks. A no-brainer, dude! Yup, I got a stack of Carvin's 10-46 sets in the garage, too. And Carvin's are the only strings I've used on my basses for at least 15 years. Good tone, decent price, I'm sold. :cool:

[lockingnut]

I use Elixir 11's on all my guitars. They're expensive but they last, I can't tell you when the last time was I changed them. At least 6 months, they still sound good and they won't tear your finger's up and much. They have a more bluesy sound and are great for slide work.

[Crunchyriff]

I use Snake Oil Strings on all my electrics. When in a pinch, I use DR "tite-fit's".

I once used cartons upon cartons of D'Addarios. I used to be one of those guys who looked for "bargain" but decent quality strings- bought my sets by the box.

That whole mindset was shattered, when I tried DR's when they first went into production. When DR sold to another investor, the quality went down for a time, and I then used R'Cocco strings (the original designer of DR's). These were phenomenal for their time. One set of strings in 9mos on my 80 LP std, that was used in the studio for an album, and then went on the road for another 8 mos. (!!)

I went back to DR after the R'Cocco Co. closed their doors, and by this time, DR had re-established the quality-control they were once known for.

Last year, I made the change to the incredible Snake Oil Strings. They run $8.50 a set. I can't say enough about them: they are the sweetest, most balanced sounding set of strings I've ever heard in my life; and their lifespan is on par, or better than, my prized R'Coccos were.

Many players can't fathom shelling out $8-$12 bucks a set for strings, but lets do the math, shall we? :cool:

We'll take a basic formula for a $5 set of strings for the avg gigging axeman for ONE guitar, say, playing one or two gigs a week, plus rehearsals; and using prudent wisdom, the strings are changed weekly due to being dead, or untrustworthy due to probable breakage:

$5= one set of strings. 4 weeks= 1 month.

4 weeks X $5 per set = $20

Now let's take the example of a set such as DR's, at the full retail price of $12, and factor in that you will get a MINIMUM of 4-8 weeks of life before they need to be changed:

4 wks + $12 = $8 net savings.
8 wks + $12 = $28 net savings.

I get my DR's for $6 locally, so:

4 wks + $8 = $14 net savings
8 wks + $8 = $34 net savings

As you can see, at this rate, you can save a minimum of $180-$240 bucks a year buying high-quality strings, rather than buying what you now consider "bargain" strings...and that money savings means you have more $$ in your pocket for other things- like: the offering plate, cords, pedals, taking your bride out for dinner, etc.

There are other things to consider, too. Quite often, "cheap strings" can give you intonation hassles, that disappear when you buy quality sets. They are also more likely to break... usually, during a gig.

Now I'm not here to criticize anybody's choice in strings. Just shining the light of truth on the issue for my bros, from my perspective of past experience. :idea: