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  #1  
Old 06-23-2021, 02:41 PM
Frostie Frostie is offline
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Default 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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Old 06-23-2021, 02:45 PM
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David Eastwood David Eastwood is offline
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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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Old 06-23-2021, 04:20 PM
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For a strat with it's tremolo unit nothing is better than Fender Bullets imo.
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Old 06-23-2021, 05:49 PM
Paleolith54 Paleolith54 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Frostie View Post
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.
We'll probably all give you a different answer, and it's hard to go far wrong with the main brands mentioned already. Personally, I vastly prefer Curt Mangan strings to anything else I've tried over the years. If they're more expensive it isn't by much. I get them through Amazon, but used to use JustStrings, an online dealer in Memphis, and they were fine too.

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.
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Old 06-24-2021, 08:10 AM
ras1500 ras1500 is offline
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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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Old 06-24-2021, 02:06 PM
Steel and wood Steel and wood is offline
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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!
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Old 06-24-2021, 03:46 PM
Steve DeRosa Steve DeRosa is offline
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Originally Posted by ras1500 View Post
My favorite Strat strings are flat wound D 'Addario ECG24's. Very easy on the fingers with no squeak.
+1 on the flats, but mine are ECG25 12-52 - same way Leo shipped them in '54...
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Old 06-24-2021, 10:48 PM
perttime perttime is offline
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+1 on the flats, but mine are ECG25 12-52 - same way Leo shipped them in '54...
"Why're you workin' so hard?"

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Old 06-25-2021, 08:51 AM
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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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Old 06-25-2021, 01:58 PM
Dru Edwards Dru Edwards is offline
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Originally Posted by Steel and wood View Post
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!
+1. 9s or 10s. You don't need any fancy string either, just your basic set.
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Old 06-25-2021, 02:21 PM
Steve DeRosa Steve DeRosa is offline
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Originally Posted by perttime View Post
"Why're you workin' so hard?"
  • Because the feel is similar to my acoustics, and makes for easier/quicker transitions on stage (my Strat was my main gigging guitar for almost 25 years);
  • Because I can set the action far lower than with lighter and/or roundwound strings (something all the '50s jazzers and rockabilly players knew - and used to great advantage);
  • Because it fattens up the tone and, with the bridge decked, increases sustain (no need to throw away good money on aftermarket pickups - and I don't need no stinkin' humbucker in the bridge position);
  • Because, once they know I'm using flatwound 12's, nobody asks to borrow my guitar (although they wonder how I can do bends - but hey, that's my little secret... );
  • Because, except for the last reason, Leo got it right the first time - as he did with just about everything else that bears his imprint - and IME I really can't improve on that...
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Old 06-25-2021, 11:55 PM
perttime perttime is offline
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  • ...
    Because, once they know I'm using flatwound 12's, nobody asks to borrow my guitar (although they wonder how I can do bends - but hey, that's my little secret... );
    ...
That might be one of the best reasons for the OP not to buy those for his grandson.
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Old 06-26-2021, 08:53 AM
Steve DeRosa Steve DeRosa is offline
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Originally Posted by perttime View Post
That might be one of the best reasons for the OP not to buy those for his grandson.
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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Old 06-26-2021, 09:20 AM
nightchef nightchef is offline
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Originally Posted by David Eastwood View Post
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
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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Old 06-26-2021, 12:30 PM
FrankHudson FrankHudson is offline
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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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