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Sounds stupid but I know nothing about them and I've just snapped the High E on my lad's electric.
Are they all the same, or are the (very) cheap ones crap? He's 9 BTW and not exactly Tom Morello. Yet.
Never bothered with particularly cheap or particularly expensive strings. Always gone with standard Ernie Ball strings in whatever gauge, currently Skinny Top Heavy Bottom for me.
As above. Can't go wrong with Ernie Ball strings.
Talk to me about guitar strings...
They're a poor substitute for piano wire if you're garrotting a Sicilian gangster.
Apparently.
hi-larious.
Meanwhile. [url= http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Ernie-Ball-010-Custom-Gauge-Guitar-Single-Strings-Electric-or-Acoustic-Pack-6-/232282671780?epid=1831079996&hash=item3615204aa4:g:7-AAAOSwnbZYDfDz ]This[/url] sort of thing?
That would appear to just be a pack of 6 of the same string. A pack of Regular Slinkys is what you'll be after
[url= https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ernie-Ball-Regular-Slinky-String/dp/B0002M6CVC ]Ernie Ball Regular Slinky [/url]
I figured that I'd probably snap it again 😀
Regular slinkys? this like a foreign language!
DB, that amp is getting some stick by the way. Which is why I feel bad about taking the guitar out of service.
Wot they sed, up there ^^
Whilst it's likely you'll break the same string again, you'll kick yourself when 5 minutes after changing it you snap a different string and don't have a replacement. I tend to keep a few full sets on hand.
Good to hear the amp is getting used!
Ordered a pack. Thanks for the advice.
The Boy is actually getting quite good. He's left me way behind. A Waka-Waka James Bond Theme is all I can confidently do. He's able the read music now.
Ernie Balls on the 'leccy, Martins on the acoustic.
My electric guitar is so awful that it doesn't .and any difference. Might as well stick brake cables on it! Must buy another half decent one.
Oh, and a string winder is an essential bit of kit and very cheap. As he plays more and snaps more strings you'll appreciate it.
As mentioned slinkys are good. I like di'addario xl.
I can't explain it but some strings feel different to others. I never got on with rotosound for example.
Get on eBay, you can get 3 sets for about £11-12ish
If he's only 9 might be worth buying lighter gauge strings 8-38 might work
While you're there if the finger board is dark wood (not maple) might be worth getting some lemon oil to clean and lubericate it.
Ernie Ballz, £5 a packet, get two.
Is this thread over now ?
Is dissapoint..
Is this thread over now ?
Not at all. Crack on!
I love listening to him play because he can't usually be arsed with anything else.
Guitars, Star Wars and farting, That is pretty much all he does.
Get him to fart the theme to Star Wars whilst accompanying himself on Guitar.
I'd pay good money to see that.
He already can. 😕
That's an idea for a YouTube channel if ever I heard one.
usual get these
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Snobs on 'the fretboard' (guitar forum) seem to look down on Ernie Balls. I've had no problems but tend to use d'addarios now.
Always the way, but plenty of guitarists I respect rate them.
Don't get the poor kid 10-46, he'll struggle to bend. 8-38 as suggested by Martyn or 9-46 if he likes playing metal with the E string dropped to D or lower. I use 8-42 or 9-46 buying individual strings as needed.
All basic level strings are pretty much the same, brand by brand there is very little difference.. it just becomes a cost issue..
For your Son just stick to a base level brand and he'll be fine, once he's turned into Joe Satriani he will no doubt pick his own strings from the same brands he's using now but just higher up the price range.. and not that high up neither.
I've always used earni balls super slinky on electric they are fairly lightweight. 9-42 so kinda middle of the road in thickness.
I use martin medium 80/20 bronze on the acoustic, bit thick for my liking but sound well, more depth to the sound.
I find it harder to make chords with really thin strings, because as I press it it bends the string more and the pitch changes slightly. Plus I found 8s break really easily. But then I also play acoustic so I am used to pressing hard.
Wow, are you all 5 year old girls 😯
Take it from someone that teaches 60 kids a week, they'll bend 9-42, 9-46, 10-48 equally as easily with a couple of days to adjust.
11-54 on my electrics here.
But all of this is confusing to Harry! I'd nip into your local guitar shop and ask for a set of standard guage electric guitar strings....99% of people will class 9-42's as standard guage of electric strings and it's highly likely that that is what is on the guitar now. Brand of string won't really matter to a beginner tbh.....it's not as if they're going to be out gigging them is it? They'll all last just as long as each other in the hands of a beginner ime
You don't teach stuff with big bends on the first three frets then Tom, they'd cut their fingers, and to quote someone quite good "why are you working so hard". The acoustic in my hands is strung 9 11 14 28 42 52.
Back in the day I used to used EB hybrid slinkys. They used to get changed everyday when on tour so how long they held was never really important. These days I've become a big fan of D'Addario strings. They sound much brighter than EBs and they keep their brightness much longer and they feel smoother when you play them, too.
I like D'addario NY XL's 10s. but they're too expensive for yer 9 year old, just get him ernie ball super slinky 9s, they'll do perfectly fine.
Hybrid Slinkies were my choice back in the day. These days I am on Rotosound Blues which I am rather liking.
Cut their fingers?!?! They're guitar strings not razor wire!!!
Not gonna quote anyone famous, but my electrics are strung exactly the same way as John Mayer.... whom does alright for himself!
No right or wrong answer obviously it's personal preference, but really....no one is going to be cutting fingers! (I'll concede that a nine year old probably won't be bending 11-54's very far in first position!)
My father is a greater guitar player than you will ever hear.
He plays with Ernie Balls.
I play with Elites on my bass, but this forum is chock full of honkies so that won't mean much.
😀
D'addario 110's on the electric; Elites on the bass.
I used to break the high E string fairly regularly with Ernie Balls and they seem to tarnish quicker (it could just be that I look after them better now of course) ... Maybe buy a couple of different brands and swap once a month see if you notice a difference ?
He plays with Ernie Balls.
I play with Elites on my bass, but this forum is chock full of honkies so that won't mean much.
Am I allowed to be offended by 'Honkies'? I love to play with Ernie's Balls.
What Tom B said, get 9-42, totally normal strings, it makes bugger all difference on an electric anyway. Usually about £6 or so and comes in a cool packet.
[img] 
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ernie balls
never change my strings unless they break
How is plastic cooler than cardboard and paper when the cardboard and paper are recycled and the plastic incinerated? That said Addario have started putting their thin strings in plastic but the outer packaging remains cardboard.
How is plastic cooler than cardboard and paper
When the packet has an eagle on it. I expect he doesn't care about recycling any more than left foot braking.
Just pop to your LGS and buy a single string??? It might be a .009 or a .010, so take a bit of the old one to compare. Buy a couple of spares while you're there.
buy a single string?
no, no, no, no, no!
If you are breaking the E string, you aren't stringing up on correctly. It breaking has nothing to do with force of playing. I probably play harder than most and pretty much never break a string.
Yeh with the price of single strings, you may as well just buy full sets even if you don't use them all, so you'll have spares.
If an E string breaks before you wear it thin somewhere bending it, it's often down to a sharp edge somewhere. Junior broke stings on harmonic Telecaster saddles till I polished them. An acoustic used to break strings at the machine heads till I took a needle file to the poorly finished holes.
I very very rarely break strings, as above it's either a sharp edge on one of the contact points, but it depends where the string snapped, that should give you a clue, if it snapped at the tuning post, it could be bad winding technique.
Also if the string is very old and used it could just be brittle, had a go on my dad's acoustic that's been sat for a year or so and promptly snapped a string when I gave it some welly.
Never really got on with Ernie Balls.
Dean Markley electrics suited me better.
Elixirs here, on all my electrics. I seem to have particularly unpleasant finger sweat that rots most normal nickel ones in a week.
Also can't handle non precious metals against my skin (jewllery, piercings) - break out in a furious itchy rash from belt buckles rubbing - often wonderd if the two are related.
If you are breaking the E string, you aren't stringing up on correctly. It breaking has nothing to do with force of playing. I probably play harder than most and pretty much never break a string.
Wouldn't quite agree with that, had a few unravel at the ball end. Generally though a string breaking is a sign you should have changed them all a while back.
11's, get 11's.
So he's something [i]real[/i] to hate you for in later life 😉
no, no, no, no, no!
Why on earth not?
If you are breaking the E string, you aren't stringing up on correctly.
Really?
It breaking has nothing to do with force of playing. I probably play harder than most and pretty much never break a string.
Great, I don't either, but ham-fisted bending, catching the string too hard when strumming enthusiastically, rough frets, machine heads or bridge saddles are also possibilities. Unless the other strings are shot, just replace the top E : about 90p compared to £5+ for a full set.
you're all wrong. Flatwound 12's. I'm going to go and flex in front of the mirror now and wear a baseball cap recreationally.
but seriously, they do sound nice!
Great, I don't either, but ham-fisted bending, catching the string too hard when strumming enthusiastically, rough frets, machine heads or bridge saddles are also possibilities. Unless the other strings are shot, just replace the top E : about 90p compared to £5+ for a full set.
Well if you are breaking strings due to most of those you should fix your guitar so the string doesn't keep breaking. If tbreaking due to ham fisted bending or hitting too hard, i'm willing to be there's some kinda kink been put on the string when installing it, strings can take lots of punishment. Otherwise strings should last long enough that replacing 1 string should necessitate replacing them all. no point having one fresh bright string and 5 dull ones.