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Strings for Strat?
I want to buy a good set of strings for the grandson of a really close friend. He has a gift for music but is a beginner-level guitar player. I know absolutely nothing about electric guitars, so I hope forum members can help me narrow the many choices down to what are, in your opinions, the best options. This is a special young man so price is not a barrier.
Thanks.
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I am here to learn. |
#2
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You can't go wrong with D'Addario EXL110 - light gauge, nickel wound. Very modestly priced, too, so you could get him a 3-pack
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Martin 0-16NY Emerald Amicus Emerald X20 Cordoba Stage Some of my tunes: https://youtube.com/user/eatswodo |
#3
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For a strat with it's tremolo unit nothing is better than Fender Bullets imo.
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#4
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Quote:
Size: I use 10-46 "Nickelwound". Mangan makes a 9.5-44 Nickelwound that might be a bit better if the grandson is young, they'll be a bit easier to play. |
#5
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My favorite Strat strings are flat wound D 'Addario ECG24's. Very easy on the fingers with no squeak.
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#6
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Hard to go wrong with anything from Fender, Ernie Ball, D'Addario, etc.
More important for me is the gauge of strings. (I've got 9's on my Stratocaster which I like but will change them over to 10's which I have on my Telecaster because I prefer them a tad better). Good luck! |
#7
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+1 on the flats, but mine are ECG25 12-52 - same way Leo shipped them in '54...
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"Mistaking silence for weakness and contempt for fear is the final, fatal error of a fool" - Sicilian proverb (paraphrased) |
#8
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Quote:
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1617576471738693
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Breedlove, Landola, a couple of electrics, and a guitar-shaped-object |
#9
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I have always used .10 gauge strings on my strats and teles. Then after considering selling my strat a few months ago because I wasn't enjoying it, I decided on a whim to bump it up to .11 gauge. It really made that strat come alive! Now it's what I use on most of my solid body electrics. As far as brand, D'addario XL or some variety or Ernie Ball Slinky is what I use more than anything else.
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#10
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Quote:
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#11
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__________________
"Mistaking silence for weakness and contempt for fear is the final, fatal error of a fool" - Sicilian proverb (paraphrased) |
#12
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That might be one of the best reasons for the OP not to buy those for his grandson.
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Breedlove, Landola, a couple of electrics, and a guitar-shaped-object |
#13
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FWIW those are the same strings I first learned on as a kid in the early/mid-60's (actually Gretsch Electromatics, in the handy little plastic "stash box" ) - with 13's and even 14's on acoustics (ask me again why bends are no problem ); with the ultra-low action you can achieve with flatwounds, even my elementary-school age students had no problem whatsoever playing my guitar - and a comment one of my more advanced students made years ago, "it feels like my (pre-NT Taylor 410) acoustic, but even easier to play" pretty much sums up much of my reasoning. Truth be told, with the proper setup any well-made guitar (with the emphasis on well-made) can be adjusted to play comfortably for a beginner without compromising tone; when you put such an instrument in the hands of a pro, you get those classic jazz/country/rockabilly licks that still pop eyes and drop jaws seven decades later - and if that warrants a relatively minor post-purchase financial investment and a bit of extra practice time (not an issue for the OP's grandson as I understand it ), no problem...
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"Mistaking silence for weakness and contempt for fear is the final, fatal error of a fool" - Sicilian proverb (paraphrased) |
#14
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I came to post exactly this. Good, consistent sound and feel. I went through a period of trying more expensive strings, and I concluded that I wasn’t getting much of anything for the extra money. And I think .010 is a good gauge for a Strat. I use .011s on my shorter scale guitars, but for a 25.5” guitar, .010 feels right.
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Martin HD-28 Eastman E10OM Guild D50 Martin D12X1AE LaPatrie CW Concert |
#15
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Players will have their own choices, there's no "Good Better Best" with strings where you just need to afford the good ones.
I myself like the Fender nickel (not just nickel plated) Jimi Hendrix set on Strats. Nickel is a little warmer and the string gauges are the unusual extra light bottom/light top scheme .038 to .010
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----------------------------------- Creator of The Parlando Project Guitars: 20th Century Seagull S6-12, S6 Folk, Seagull M6; '00 Guild JF30-12, '01 Martin 00-15, '16 Martin 000-17, '07 Parkwood PW510, Epiphone Biscuit resonator, Merlin Dulcimer, and various electric guitars, basses.... |