wiggy Posted March 20, 2009 Share Posted March 20, 2009 I'm finding that the D'Addario XL 11's I've got on my Tele are ripping my fingers to pieces. It's noticeable even after 10 to 15 mins of playing, the skin on the tips of my fingers are shredded and black and are actually tender in spite of the quite hard pads I've got. Also the strings themselves, particularly the B & E, are also appear black and coated in what appears to be skin residue (I do clean the strings and frets after each time I play so it's not a buildup) I use EB power slinky 11's on my LP and Dot and EB 12's on my Strat with no problems so I don't think it's the guage and the action on the Tele is about the same as the Strat although the Tele frets are a bit higher. I don't really want to change for D'Adds on the Tele as they seem to have a brighter sound than other brands but playing for more than an hour would cripple me. Has anyone else had a similar experience or can offer some suggestions? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Munky Posted March 20, 2009 Share Posted March 20, 2009 Weird...... Ive used D'add 11s for, must be 10 or 12 years now (admittedly on my acoustic - i dont rate their electric strings for either longevity nor tone), but had never had a problem like that. Maybe its time to upgrade your fingers?(!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluezOldy Posted March 20, 2009 Share Posted March 20, 2009 I've never used anything but D'Add 9s and 10s and never had a problem. I did read once that sometimes a person can be allergic to the metal/combination of metals in a particular brand, however, I don't know if that's true or not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JefferySmith Posted March 20, 2009 Share Posted March 20, 2009 I've only used them on resos (no finger problems there, though). :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muskank Sally Posted March 20, 2009 Share Posted March 20, 2009 D'Addario XL 11-49's (with the unwound 3rd) are my favorite brand of string. You have to be careful when purchasing their 11 gauge...in the last few months I noticed a couple of different packages of 11's with higher end gauges (11-52 maybe?) that would not suit for me due to I'm an 11-49 guy. It had me confused until I checked my pack at home and realized exactly which ones I use regularly. Annoying. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobinTheHood Posted March 20, 2009 Share Posted March 20, 2009 I've never used anything but D'Add 9s and 10s and never had a problem. I did read once that sometimes a person can be allergic to the metal/combination of metals in a particular brand' date=' however, I don't know if that's true or not.[/quote'] Yeah, sounds like a skin irritation. I've only had strings go black after they've been dead and unplayed for awhile due to oxidation and wear. I'd try a different brand and see if you have the same problem...or maybe spend a few extra bucks and get some nano-coated Elixers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wheatlands Posted March 20, 2009 Share Posted March 20, 2009 I use Daddario on both my Breedlove acoustics and I love them. I tried them on my casino and hated them. I left them on for a day and changed to DR's. I went to GC to get a set of Gibson vintage strings and the guy recommended the DR's. They were almost half the price, and sound and feel great. I'm going to try them on me Les Paul. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carverman Posted March 20, 2009 Share Posted March 20, 2009 Yeah' date=' sounds like a skin irritation. I've only had strings go black after they've been dead and unplayed for awhile due to oxidation and wear. I'd try a different brand and see if you have the same problem...or maybe spend a few extra bucks and get some nano-coated Elixers.[/quote'] It would depend maybe on how dry your finger tips are. If you have built up some calluses on the fretting fingers, the sweat maybe doesn't affect the strings as much. I know that they come in a anti-corrosion package, so maybe some of the chemical from the sealed plastic wrapper they come in could impart something to the strings. I used them (XL) for a while and noticed that a little bit but nothing significant. I replace the E/B with individual XL plain steel, but for my sets I've switched to Dean Markley Nickel/Steel mediums (11-52). Better sounding strings, clean, cheaper to buy, and you get a plain and wound G in the same set. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluelake07 Posted March 20, 2009 Share Posted March 20, 2009 Haven't had that problem, but I'm using D'Addario "1/2 rounds" strings on my Casino and they might be easier on your fingers. From their ad: Half round guitar strings are round wound with 430 stainless steel, then precision ground, leaving the outer surface semi-smooth. They retain the flexibility and tonal characteristics of round wound strings, but provide a smoother feel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dennis G Posted March 20, 2009 Share Posted March 20, 2009 Weird...... Ive used D'add 11s for' date=' must be 10 or 12 years now (admittedly on my acoustic - i dont rate their electric strings for either longevity nor tone), but had never had a problem like that. (!)[/quote'] +1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wedgeSG Posted March 21, 2009 Share Posted March 21, 2009 I used to use D'adds in 10's and liked the tone but they seemed to die off pretty quick and fairly dramatically. Also they did get a tad black in the high traffic areas. I went to Cleartones and haven't looked back. They do lack a little initial brightness but they last... with very little degradation of tone over a loooong time. The darkening problem is only about 1/3 as much as at used to be and the feel of the strings themselves is more comfortable. It's a bit weird at the transition, but the long term bene- fits of consistancy and less frequent changes seems to outweigh the price and slight high end loss. If you swap strings often they might not be your ticket, but if you hate the task and like something that rarely changes tone you might dig 'em as much as I do. They made a believer outta me. Wedgie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ef_in_fla Posted March 21, 2009 Share Posted March 21, 2009 Maybe it's the frets and not the strings? Try a set of Slinkys on the tele and if the problem goes away I guess you know it's the strings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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