batmanrb89 Posted June 19, 2014 Share Posted June 19, 2014 Hello all, Been a drummer for 26 years and took up guitar in 2012. Love it. I'm deep into it now in terms of playing, knowing the instrument top to bottom and setups. I'm curious as to what string gauge/brands people out there tend to like most on their Les Paul's. I picked up a 2014 Gibson Les Paul Traditional recently and have been trying different strings for fun. It came with cleartone 9-46 strings on it which I loved, but I was used to the gauges of 10-52 Ernie Balls on my Epiphone Les Paul Standard Plus Top Pro and 11-54 Ernie Balls on my Fender Standard Stratocaster. Now I have a set of Ernie Ball Classic Rock N Roll 10-46 on it and I'm not fond of them yet I've played them previously and liked them on a friends Les Paul. Hope to get some interesting feedback on this. Interested in what others use and why. Thanks! If it helps, my guitar influences are Jimmy Page, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Slash. So you're familiar with the sound I go after. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bryan Sutherland Posted June 19, 2014 Share Posted June 19, 2014 Hello all, Been a drummer for 26 years and took up guitar in 2012. Love it. I'm deep into it now in terms of playing, knowing the instrument top to bottom and setups. I'm curious as to what string gauge/brands people out there tend to like most on their Les Paul's. I picked up a 2014 Gibson Les Paul Traditional recently and have been trying different strings for fun. It came with cleartone 9-46 strings on it which I loved, but I was used to the gauges of 10-52 Ernie Balls on my Epiphone Les Paul Standard Plus Top Pro and 11-54 Ernie Balls on my Fender Standard Stratocaster. Now I have a set of Ernie Ball Classic Rock N Roll 10-46 on it and I'm not fond of them yet I've played them previously and liked them on a friends Les Paul. Hope to get some interesting feedback on this. Interested in what others use and why. Thanks! If it helps, my guitar influences are Jimmy Page, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Slash. So you're familiar with the sound I go after. I use GHS Nickel Rockers (.011 - .050) on my LP's, and have been using Nickel Rockers for years. I'm a big fan of both Slash and SRV as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoundMaster Posted June 19, 2014 Share Posted June 19, 2014 Original post deleted by author. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoundMaster Posted June 19, 2014 Share Posted June 19, 2014 Original post deleted by author. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the dog Posted June 19, 2014 Share Posted June 19, 2014 I use D'addario 10-46 on my LP. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimi Mac Posted June 20, 2014 Share Posted June 20, 2014 I'm totally sold on the Ernie Ball Super Slinky Cobalts! .009" - .042" I just love 9's on my Les Pauls. On my poor man's ES (Peavey JF1-EX) I go with the Hybrid Slinky Cobalts: .009" - .046" I have a set of D'Addario balanced Tension Nickle wound .009" - .040" that I'm dying to try out on one of my LP's at the next string change... I always thought the Elixirs were good strings, but the dynamic output of the Ernie Ball Cobalts is just phenomenal! Way back when I was a Dean Markley man all the way. I found I was constantly breaking them and it left a distaste in my mouth to me for them. It may have been my Strat so I just don't know, but I never went back even when I became a Gibson guy after growing up... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie brown Posted June 20, 2014 Share Posted June 20, 2014 D'Addario hybrid (9-46) or XL's 10-46. Why? Because they're decent strings, last a long time (for me), at a decent price point, and are easily obtainable. But, I like Ernie Ball's, and Elixir's, as well. CB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thunderous Posted June 20, 2014 Share Posted June 20, 2014 Thomastik Infeld heavy bottom 10's are on all my Gibson's. They last forever and are very bright. Hexagonal cores make them easy to bend and improves output. I love those strings, but I'm going to have to change to something else because they are going up to $20 a set these days for power brights. Maybe Clear Tone will be my next strings, but Thomastiks are amazing strings. The gold color is a nice accent too on the high strings. Here is how they describe them: Round wound Magnecore alloy on a flexible hexcore for a bright aggressive tone, extra long sustain and reduced playing effort. Designed to enhance harmonics and percussive effects like tapping. High output plus a boost in the high frequencies drive effects to their limits. POWER-BRIGHTS love distortion! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
btoth76 Posted June 20, 2014 Share Posted June 20, 2014 Hello! Rotosound 10-46 - yellow package (nickels). Rotos are reliable and durable. They last almost as long as those nano-coated strings and cost half as much. I went through many-many brands, and so far Rotos are the best from all aspects. Cheers... Bence Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pippy Posted June 20, 2014 Share Posted June 20, 2014 For years I've been a firm advocate of Rotosound Pure Nickels (blue packet) .011 - .048 until fairly recently when I tried D'Addario's Pure Nickels (same gauge). Not much difference between the two with the D'A's being marginally more easy for bends IMX. They both manage to keep their 'sweet-spot' for a long while, too. I'm happy with either set. Both have a really smooth, full tone and are not in the slightest bit harsh. P. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
btoth76 Posted June 20, 2014 Share Posted June 20, 2014 For years I've been a firm advocate of Rotosound Pure Nickels (blue packet)... P. Hello Pippy! I'd use those too. With those soft Gibson frets... For some strange reason (really weird) the only pure nickels sold here are Gibson's. Will have to mail order strings from UK. Cheers... Bence Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badbluesplayer Posted June 20, 2014 Share Posted June 20, 2014 I use 10-46 Slinky's. I use a pack like every other day so I go for the inexpensive regular old Slinky's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bryan Sutherland Posted June 20, 2014 Share Posted June 20, 2014 How would you compare Nickel Rockers to Steel Boomers? I've always been intrigued by the concept, but have yet to try 'em. I haven't tried the Steel Boomers... I like pure nickel strings. I tried some Rotowounds, but they sounded flat and dull (to me). Like I said, I've been using these strings since the early '90's (initially on strats, now on my LP's), and they just sound 'right' to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bryan Sutherland Posted June 20, 2014 Share Posted June 20, 2014 I'm totally sold on the Ernie Ball Super Slinky Cobalts! .009" - .042" I just love 9's on my Les Pauls. On my poor man's ES (Peavey JF1-EX) I go with the Hybrid Slinky Cobalts: .009" - .046" I have a set of D'Addario balanced Tension Nickle wound .009" - .040" that I'm dying to try out on one of my LP's at the next string change... I always thought the Elixirs were good strings, but the dynamic output of the Ernie Ball Cobalts is just phenomenal! Way back when I was a Dean Markley man all the way. I found I was constantly breaking them and it left a distaste in my mouth to me for them. It may have been my Strat so I just don't know, but I never went back even when I became a Gibson guy after growing up... I've been wanting to try the Cobalts for a while now, maybe the next time I order strings I will throw a set or two in and give them a spin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bryan Sutherland Posted June 20, 2014 Share Posted June 20, 2014 For years I've been a firm advocate of Rotosound Pure Nickels (blue packet) .011 - .048 until fairly recently when I tried D'Addario's Pure Nickels (same gauge). Not much difference between the two with the D'A's being marginally more easy for bends IMX. They both manage to keep their 'sweet-spot' for a long while, too. I'm happy with either set. Both have a really smooth, full tone and are not in the slightest bit harsh. P. Hey Pippy, you posted in another thread a while back about Rotosounds, so I picked up a few sets, and unfortunately I didn't have the same experience you have had. To me, they sounded a little flat and dull, almost like they were broken in or something. I tried them on 2 different guitars with the same results. I might look into the D'A's... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
batmanrb89 Posted June 20, 2014 Author Share Posted June 20, 2014 I've been wanting to try the Cobalts for a while now, maybe the next time I order strings I will throw a set or two in and give them a spin. I've used the cobalts on my strat and les Paul. People complain they're too bright, but I found them pleasant to play. A lot of factors go into it though I suppose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidblast Posted June 20, 2014 Share Posted June 20, 2014 D'Addario XL110s on everything but the hollow bodies,. I used to use LES PAUL strings, but,, the XL110s are 32 bucks for a 10 pack! (there's your WHY!) I did try cobalts for a while, I like the sound don't like the feel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pippy Posted June 20, 2014 Share Posted June 20, 2014 Hey Pippy, you posted in another thread a while back about Rotosounds, so I picked up a few sets, and unfortunately I didn't have the same experience you have had. To me, they sounded a little flat and dull, almost like they were broken in or something. I tried them on 2 different guitars with the same results. I might look into the D'A's... Sorry to read that you had a poor result, Bryan. I don't want to dissuade you from trying them out but you might experience much the same thing with the D'A's. It's probably the 'flat and dull' nature you describe which suits my own preference due to my unusual amp and guitar settings; I always have my amp set at full-treble and with the bright rocker switched 'on' with both Mid and Bass at Zero and control the end-tone purely by using the LPs Vol & Tone circuitry. Typically I use the neck p'up and have the guitar's tone rolled back to about 3. With the vol down at around 7.5 - 8 it's nice and clean for rhythm and gets a nice amount of grit as the vol is turned up. This isn't a practice I've ever seen replicated by anyone else but it suits both the way I play in terms of 'touch' and the way I've set up my guitar circuits ('50s wiring). It's because of this that I found most D'A sets far too bright - which is perfectly understandable when the whole shebang is taken into account. Play through a 'normally' configured amp with a guitar set like mine is and you have a recipe for Mud Pie! But if you DO try the D'A's out and they are still 'flat and dull' then you could always try out my settings, too! It works for me with my Music Man 2x12 (a Silverface Twin-Reverb style thing) but the same settings produce nothing like the same result with any other amp I've tried... P. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nick_s Posted June 20, 2014 Share Posted June 20, 2014 I've tried a fair few sets of strings over the years, and always settle back to EB Skinny Top Heavy Bottoms (10-52). Nickel wound, just enough tension to not feel slack under the finger when detuned slightly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bryan Sutherland Posted June 20, 2014 Share Posted June 20, 2014 Sorry to read that you had a poor result, Bryan. I don't want to dissuade you from trying them out but you might experience much the same thing with the D'A's. It's probably the 'flat and dull' nature you describe which suits my own preference due to my unusual amp and guitar settings; I always have my amp set at full-treble and with the bright rocker switched 'on' with both Mid and Bass at Zero and control the end-tone purely by using the LPs Vol & Tone circuitry. Typically I use the neck p'up and have the guitar's tone rolled back to about 3. With the vol down at around 7.5 - 8 it's nice and clean for rhythm and gets a nice amount of grit as the vol is turned up. P. Wow, you have a lot of knobs on your amp Pippy!!! I have volume and tone... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drog Posted June 20, 2014 Share Posted June 20, 2014 I used to use D'addario 10-46, but have recently changed to the D'addario balanced tension 10's and love them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pippy Posted June 20, 2014 Share Posted June 20, 2014 Wow, you have a lot of knobs on your amp Pippy!!! I have volume and tone... That's far Too Many! All I want is a knob which says 'Class'. Is that really asking too much? P. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie brown Posted June 20, 2014 Share Posted June 20, 2014 That's far Too Many! All I want is a knob which says 'Class'. Is that really asking too much? P. I always wanted an amp with just a AYWEN (All You Will Ever Need) Knob! CB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdgm Posted June 20, 2014 Share Posted June 20, 2014 DR Handmade Blues 0.11 set. On almost everything now. Extraordinary strings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimi Mac Posted June 21, 2014 Share Posted June 21, 2014 I've been wanting to try the Cobalts for a while now, maybe the next time I order strings I will throw a set or two in and give them a spin. I think they're very dynamic! It may even make you have to tweak your EQ because the signal will be enhanced... They're very lively... I don't think I've ever tried flat-wound stings and I'm getting intrigued by some of the testimony in here (this forum, not this thread particularly) of flatwound nickel strings for vintage tone... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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