1St String On Guitar For Sale (Jan 2023 Update)

I played D'addario strings for the first 10 years I played guitar, then about 4 years ago I decided to take a shot at making a custom gauge set specifically for my guitar. Ernie ball strings are easier to find individually so I changed brands. I can't even begin to describe how much of a difference it makes having consistently ascending string tensions across the fretboard on my 7-string (~21 lbs at low end to ~13 lbs at high end) especially for fast players. Sweeps and arpeggios immediately feel more natural. My 7-string is currently tuned to drop G (d,A,F,C,g,D,G). With a 25.5" scale the best gauges are .010,.014,.019,.028,.039,.056, and .074 if you want a good middle ground between tight strings and bendability. Give it a shot, you won't be disappointed.Cameron

I have a Jackson that has single-coil pickups in the middle/neck position. The guitar is in standard D and I use the 10-52 Ernie Ball set. The 17 gauge G string always sounded a bit weird on the neck pickup. After hours of googling and youtubing I found out that this is rather common on unwound strings (esp. the G). Switching to the wound 18-gauge string was all I needed to cure this problem. It makes it quite a bit harder to bend the string though.Mike

I have used these strings on my guitars for over three years with out any problems with them losing their intonation. And they seem to last for about over two years under daily playingd_rock_e

This guitar is nice! It stays tuned after using the turning pegs. I don't love the the plastic covers over the tuning parts. Also, this is all plastic… We had a First Act guitar 5 yrs ago that was all wooden. This looks wooden though…guinevere

I bought this for my daughter for Christmas so she hasn’t got it yet but I know she will absolutely love i!! Very well made also so I am really happy with it!!Bwhite

this thing is garbage. plastic strings. plastic feel to the neck. plastic feel to the body. whilst turning a tuning peg just to tighten a string, the string popped off the tuning peg. moved to the B string, same thing. i had no delusions that this was some master piece i would consider a steal, mind you. but i did hope to at least move away from the crappy fake guitars for infants and in some way hand my 5 year old a cheaper starter guitar to plant the seeds of a lifelong hobby. this is not the one. go to Guitar Center and fork out $100 and get 1/4 or 1/2 size guitar if you are serious. this is just a waste of money and time. what a sad disappointmentJ

These are my go-to strings whenever I need spares ( meaning not ENTIRE sets ), they sound great, they are stable and I know exactly what to expect… Moreover, they are affordable…wagscjerom

This is a great site for purchasing single good quality strings.I am used to buying full packs of strings and go through 4 packs a month.The majority of high st music shops no longer sell singles and this site is a great find for topping up strings that Im running low on.deanjudge09

This easy read is informative, comprehensive and entertaining. Being a Jazz guitarist and lover of the Gibson 175 this book fills in the gaps and shows the changes and progressions in design and style of this instrument. The book also highlights the players which have and are still making it an iconic Guitar. This is an interesting read for the curious as well as the seasoned session player. ENJOY!!!!!neck05

Nicer for low register pull-offs and high-end resonance re string 3 than a 14 gauge IMHO on a 5-string banjo with a tailpiece accepting of ball-end strings.Nicholas W.

A replacement very thin wire string for a snapped 7 from the Jim Dunlop Billy Gibbons set. It's thin fragile …and effortless to play.J S.

This was a great price on my favorite strings. Shipping was very fast too. Unfortunately, "new" does not mean the same as"fresh" and I have now learned the difference. These do seem to be genuine Elixers, but a few problems which led to broken strings may indicate that these were either sitting on a shelf for a very long time or else exposed to moisture. Normally, brand new strings will be very springy when you first take them out of the sleeve. They generally will uncoil into a straight line, but every single one of these maintained a strong curl or twist in it. But that alone was not a problem for me. The strings installed normally and tuned well, but the tonal quality seemed a little sub-par compared to what I was used too. Still, it's possible I was just imagining that. The strings were fine for a month. Held there notes as well as any, and the tone was at least decent, though I still felt it was missing something. But after one month I had the B string break. I usually keep Elixer strings for 6 months before they finally lose their great tone and I replace them, and because I wind plenty of extra string around the posts, I haven't had a string break on me in over 8 years. Breaking one now pretty much confirmed my earlier suspicions. I went ahead and replaced all 6 strings with the next set, but 2 weeks later and the high E string broke on me. For now I'm borrowing the high E from the final set, but the first chance I get I will be replacing every string with a new, fresh set from a local music store. I don't think I'll buy strings online again because of this apparent problem of freshness.jaredlang85

These strings have been a lifesaver for me. My hands aren't acidic and I easily get a year from them before needing to restring. I use the same brand on my PRS electric, too. (10's). I gig weekly in our church worship band so I prefer a string that holds tone and these just deliver. Super product! I do prefer these over the 80/20 and any poly web version…for tone and I feel the poly version stifles string resonance too much.BradM

Long lasting, great sound. I went to my girlfriends sisters home for Xmas and a few guys got a some guitars out and we played some rock, country and bluegrass on Elixers strung on acoustic instruments. They claimed the strings were three years old. They sounded quite good for their age. After seeing a John Paul Jones interview where he said Elixers were all he used. I already used them but his opinion completely sold me. I even bought an Elixer tee shirt. I use them on all my guitars and mandolins. I won't settle for anything else. I just bought a FX5 that had Addario's on it. No pause, I replaced them with Elixers. Great sound. Long lasting. Stay good looking too. Buy multiple set bundles and save money.easymedicine1

I've used Elixirs since they arrived on the market.. tonal response is negligibly different for bats and oscilloscopes, punters will never know – if you disagree you know where the tone controls are on your guitar and amp 😜. Price difference easily outweighed by not having to put a fresh set of strings on for every single gig of a run.Reviewed by Andertons Music Co.

Elixir Nanoweb Coated strings set the standard for the best electric guitar strings. They feel and sound great and, in my opinion, last more than twice as long as other brands. I like the Superlights (9-42) on Fender and Lights (10-46) on Gibson scale guitars.mark from atlanta

Elixirs go on all 7 of my guitars. They last upto a year before I even notice them losing their fresh tone. 6-8 months on my everyday Les Paul's and Strat. My 12 strings don't get as many hours on them, thus the year longevity. All other strings, maybe 45 days, usually a month then dead or boringly dull. There is a difference worth paying for. Plus they are easy to slide your fingers up and down on.Preacher Dave

I bought this for my friend that wants to learn how to play the guitar. I chose this for him because it's a nylon string so it wouldn't hurt his fingers which I noticed that most beginners easily gets frustrated when the steel strings hurts their fingers and then stops learning how to play the guitar. The guitar is well made and it looks like that it will last a long time of course with proper care. It's very light weight and compact so it's easy to maintain and store this guitar and also good for traveling.Rome

This Yamaha classical guitar is sold as a 'student' guitar but it's also a great travel size instrument. It's affordable, stays in tune, intonates well and has a great full body sound even though its a 3/4 size guitar. The nylon strings are easier on the fingers than steel strings and are great for someone just starting out. This one arrived with smooth fret ends and played perfectly right out of the box. Yamaha is one of best quality guitar brands, this one proves it.bascorulesright

This was my first time trying out Musiciansfriend. I must say I wish l had I known about them sooner. I bought a guitar for my daughter's lessons. The guitar came well protected in the box. The shipping was super fast and it arrived on time. The color of the guitar is gorgeous – my daughter loves it. The price too was very good compared to other sites. I also bought a case separately and the foot stool which I am happy with. I will definitely be shopping here for all our instrument needs. To top it all off. I received a purchase follow up call from the team at Musicianfriends. It's important to make sure your customers are happy with their purchase or address any questions or concerns.Noma N

I played D'addario strings for the first 10 years I played guitar, then about 4 years ago I decided to take a shot at making a custom gauge set specifically for my guitar. Ernie ball strings are easier to find individually so I changed brands. I can't even begin to describe how much of a difference it makes having consistently ascending string tensions across the fretboard on my 7-string (~21 lbs at low end to ~13 lbs at high end) especially for fast players. Sweeps and arpeggios immediately feel more natural. My 7-string is currently tuned to drop G (d,A,F,C,g,D,G). With a 25.5" scale the best gauges are .010,.014,.019,.028,.039,.056, and .074 if you want a good middle ground between tight strings and bendability. Give it a shot, you won't be disappointed.Cameron

I have a Jackson that has single-coil pickups in the middle/neck position. The guitar is in standard D and I use the 10-52 Ernie Ball set. The 17 gauge G string always sounded a bit weird on the neck pickup. After hours of googling and youtubing I found out that this is rather common on unwound strings (esp. the G). Switching to the wound 18-gauge string was all I needed to cure this problem. It makes it quite a bit harder to bend the string though.Mike

I have used these strings on my guitars for over three years with out any problems with them losing their intonation. And they seem to last for about over two years under daily playingd_rock_e

pretty good, high quality string. i bought this expecting a pack of 6 and ended up only receiving 1. it was my fault, i should have read more carefully. but maybe it would be helpful to have a picture of the actual product.sonicyouthfan123

I have used these strings on my guitars for over three years with out any problems with them losing their intonation. And they seem to last for about over two years under daily playingd_rock_e

As always Guitar Center backs up everything they sell. I purchased 2 sets of strings for a 12 string guitar and an e string broke while putting in on. I told the people at Guitar Center just in passing and they gave me a replacement string. Typical of Guitar Center.Coach Ed

Great strings! They have a good tone, and if kept clean, will last forever! I know, because I had one set of strings on a guitar of mine for over 20 years. I have had the guitar for almost 30 years, and only on the 3rd set of strings. You may say bull, but these strings will last you for a LONG time! Highly recommended!gpgl-p-qn9d97b

These Blue Steel strings are so lively I am surprised they don't get up and walk away from the guitar! They have a resonance to them that is more than simply an added brightness; in fact, I have found that other types of strings are unbearably bright using the hot 498T bridge pickup on my Les Paul Special. These strings, though, seem more balanced to me and nicely crunchy in the midrange and bass, with an extra ring to them at all frequencies, not just the high end. They last forever even with daily play. I usually plug into my computer and use guitar amp modeling in GarageBand or Logic, and these strings shine through every tweak I can make. My only complaint, as noted above, is that the last set I put on the guitar seemed rough on my fingers at first. I hadn't noticed this before, but I had used a different brand last time I changed the strings and although they died within a couple of weeks, they were silky smooth to play. The new Blue Steel strings felt a bit like little metal files when I first put them on, but after a break-in period of just a few hours of play (or perhaps a callus-growing period?), they felt fine. I try different strings from time to time, but I always keep coming back to these, and I am never disappointed with them. I have a pack of Ernie Ball strings that I am going to try next, just because everyone raves about them, but I think chances are slim that I will switch allegiances. I love these strings. Love love love! I suppose the main feature of these strings is the processing they go through. Whatever they do to them, it works. They sound better on my Les Paul Special than any others I have put on it. The strings come in a sealed package and so remain uncorroded and shiny even if you don't use them right away. I have yet to break one of these while playing. My only complaint is that they seem to chew up my fingers when brand new. Or maybe I was just having a bad left hand day. They wore smoother with some play. A bit more expensive, but they last longer than most other strings I have tried, so you can probably get away with changing them less often without a reduction in sound. I am happy to pay a little extra for strings with the life and staying power that these have.ErikTrips

Overall I love these strings, they suite my style greatly and they sound so good through my Fender Hot Rod Deluxe and Fender Blues Junior! These strings are number 1 in my arsenal of strings because to me, i enjoy the brightness that these strings offer! they get me the nice twangy, chimey crystal clear bright tone and sound and each note i hit with these strings really pronounces so greatly! i only set my hot rod deville's drive barely on 2 and i get a nice rich gritty sound and when i strum at the tip of the neck like Kieth Richards does, i get that nice bell like chime perfectly. One thing to note with these is, in order to keep that nice rich flavor to them, you gotta use string cleaning oil such as fastfret or dunlop string cleaner, you cant let the grease from your fingers sit on these after gigs or long times of play because it will dead end the tone greatly. but all in all these strings are great, they are my number 1 brand strings i like to use! One thing to note is you have to keep up on making sure you clean these strings right after you play because if grease from your fingers is left on them it will greatly dead end the tone. Not a bad value just wish they were less but they are worth it though.cUpBsrmjO

Great supplier. Top Quality. Good 'in between' size for the first string on a Les Paul . just 0.0005" smaller than the usual 1st string in a set of 10's ? can it really make a noticeable difference? actually it does make bending slightly easier, without being as loose as a 0.009" Experiment and see what you prefer.mukka

Changed my life. My ex-wife's lawyers are taking my calls again and my twin daughters Jessa and Jamanda have resumed making eye contact with me.Pbone

D'Addario string user since starting out as a teenager. the widest variety of single strings available on the market, perfect for experimenting (wound G) or replacing broken ones so always have a spare set on hand.Jason

Definitely the best strings at the price point lately. They have a thinner or smoother wind than Ernie Ball slinkys or Daddarrio exl and this results in less finger noise and a zingier tone IMO. I'm into clean and classic rock, and I doubt you would like these over the former two names if you were into more modern and metal sounds. It depends on the guitar for me, on my strat I could use just about any strings. My guitars with humbuckers seem more picky, at least to my ears. I prefer these over the other two as far as cheap strings go, and these are often cheaper. Win win. Used to be I would never have preferred Fender strings so either my tastes are changing or these strings have changed over the years.Joelish

Overall: Don't pay any attention to the low price these are great strings. Have used Fender 7250's on all kinds of bass guitars they always sound great and feel good. Years of use have proved quality. I put them on my Jazz bass, my PJ, and my Squire, have used them on Samick, Music man, OLP, and Epiphone basses, all good.Scott

According to a Fender rep, these are what came on the Fender PJ bass I ordered from Musician's Friend. They produce the classic Fender tone I wanted. I eventually replaced them with a set of Fender 7250L (.040, .060, .080, .100) to make it easier to play on the guitar's 9.5" fingerboard radius. I stayed with Fender because of the tone that the 7250M strings produce. The Light's have slightly less oomph on the low end, yet all the tone while the lighter gauge makes for nice melodic work on the high end of things. If you have a Fender bass and want Fender tone…Vice

Absolutely can't tell that these are coated strings at all. They are bright without being super honky that you have to break in, they are smooth to play, and only sound better the longer you have them. They last an insanely long time with heavy use while still sounding fresh as can be, I play every day and change mine once every 10 months to a year. I guess I'll have to give Elixirs a fair try because they are the only brand I haven't used on bass yet, but have no idea what the last review was about saying these strings aren't good. They are downright amazing. I don't do reviews but I stand by the products that stand by me. The price is absolutely worth every last penny. Try them and you'll never look back!Mike B

My personal favorite coated strings, they have a great balanced tone perfect for rock and roll. They last forever, and keep their tone for months even with heavy playing. They have a warm low end and snappy responsive highs. I typically don't like coated strings as I find they impede my playing, however these strings feel like there's nothing there! These are truly excellent strings. This is an Employee review by Cgray at Sam Ash store 57Moose

I really like the tone and flexable feel of these strings. They have a good sound that does sound to bright or feel to slick, unlike elixers. I will probably purchase again if i find a great deal on them but unfortanatly i didnt get my moneys worth because the g string broke in two weeks. The only other thing i didnt love is that the big e string has so much wrapping at the ball that i had to jam my pin in a little more than was comfortable to hold it in. All in all the positives outway the negatives, the biggest thing to improve on would be durability.tyrw21

I use these for fingerpicking style in alternate tunings. They are the most robust and long lasting acoustic guitar strings on the market that I know of. With a lot more tension than one would expect, it may wise to use a lower guage if transitioning from round wound strings.SAM

Wonderful strings. They don't feel like flatwounds; they aren't "slick," they still have a noticeable texture, and you can certainly still bend the strings. The finger noise of regular acoustic stings, however, is almost completely eliminated. Your tone will be noticeably different, but it's not night and day. Perhaps a bit softer, but the tone is overall very balanced. I also want to mention that I ordered this on 2nd Day Air UPS and I received it the next day! Could not possibly ask for a better experience.J.R. Seaba

I don't care for string noise when playing. This is due to my playing style which includes note and chord sliding on the wound strings. Flat Tops reduce or eliminate this noise to an acceptable level for me. There is a downside and that is some reduction in the sound level of the higher notes. That is due to the construction of the wound strings. So you get an improvement in string noise but the trade-off is a reduction in brightness. To compensate for this I use Tone Pins on the bridge. These pins are brass and enhance the brightness. The combination of Flat Tops and Tone Pins works well for me. I have been using Flat Tops for more than 5 years on both 6 and 12 string guitars. For the 12 string guitar there is not a Flat Tops set available. I use the combination of a 6 string set and available individual Flat Top strings to make the 12 string set. Maybe D'Addario could consider packaging a 12 string set? The life expectancy of these strings is no different than most uncoated strings. Keep on picking…guitaramphead

If you have an electric guitar or a 12 string acoustic, you will want to have a package of .009 extra light loose strings in your drawer. The can break occasionally and with some loose strings available, you can replace the broken .009's with a spare. These are good quality. Don't get caught without spares!gnm109

I have used Elixir strings exclusively for the past 20 years. This is my first purchase of acoustic nanowebs in this gauge (only just started playing acoustic guitar again in recent months and always use polyweb 9's on my electrics). Only just fitted them yesterday (swapping out the poly 10's I had previously fitted – finding them too light for acoustic and going back now with the 12-53 to the maunfacurer's original gauge supplied on the guitar). Plays much better now – almost certainly due to the gauge and sounds good. Time will tell if I like nano's better than poly's on acoustic. Elixirs are comparatively expensive but the trade-off is that they keep their tone a very long time and don't corrode – so full string set changes are infrequent. Occasionally I replace just the plain strings on my electrics when I wear through the plating and/or tire them a bit with bending and vibrato.STEWART C.

I only have pros, no cons!!! I love Elixir strings!!! I've been using them for years!!! I first heard about them from a good friend of mine, Tom Hemby. He is a 30+ year session player and producer in Nashville Tennessee. I'm not a pro like him, just a weekend warrior, but honestly these strings have been a Godsend for me!!! I HATE to change strings!!! I'm using the word about strings!!! Anyway, I love the sound of NEW strings but hate to have to stop and change them all the time! My hands sweat profusely so I always have dead strings. Tom told me that if I started using Elixir strings that problem would no longer be an issue and he was right! I use the Extra Lights .010 -.047 Nanoweb set on my Blueridge BR-163 CE. One of the things I didn't realize was that the coating cuts down on the noise, the string squeak when I change chords or when I'm playing a lead. With un-coated strings it's very irritating! So, my strings are quieter, they last longer, they sound bright all the time!!! I'm diggin these strings! All I can say is if you aren't using them, you should be, give your audience a break from the squeak, squeak squeak, of your strings during your performances, it's very distracting from the songs and your playing ability!!! I tell everybody I know that plays or is starting to learn, just go ahead and buy yourself some GOOD strings, it's the foundation of your sound!!! NO MORE SQUEAKING AND THEY LAST A LONG LONG TIME!!! That's a winner to me!!!buddy636

The main reason I purchased this instrument was to have the ability to travel, play outside in the present climate. It's almost a disposable guitar. Not a negative against the instrument. I am not going to bring my Strat or Yamaha out to the fire, by the river or sitting on the porch during a rainstorm. Worth every dollar and every dollar I did not have to spend. GOOD VALUE, SOUND and SIZE. HAPPY!!!!Rich

D'Addario makes good strings , not all makers sell packs of just one gauge string . Good to have spares of a commonly broken string .dorkozeke10

Have used GHS Boomers for 10+ years with zero issues. However, over the last months the .009 strings have become unreliable. On my 25.5 scale guitars, when doing whole step bends, they break after a few hours of playing time. Reliability is a MUST and YES my guitars are set up correctly! Rather than changing to 10s and after replacing 3 recent sets of strings to replace the single broken high Es, I bought these to replace my remaining packs of GHS 9s. Problem solved. Have since switched from GHS.StraightDope

Well, today was the third time I've had to dip into these, and that's annoyed me just enough to prompt me to write a review. The strings are basically fine. They seem just a tiny bit flimsy, but they sound fine and work in a pinch. The problem is that all five strings come wound together in one plastic bag, which (to their credit) is resealable, but that doesn't really help, because you have to handle all the strings any time you want to get one, so anything you leave behind gets sealed in with the others. I'm def gonna find a brand that individually packs them next time.The Count

I have used these strings for 3 or 4 years now they're really good I chose them because of the size and I found out that they are awesome. Not one ever broke on me as I did expect the 10 to from the speed and pressure I used sometimes. My particular style is metal, the strings work great for that. They are highly pliable. I am a bender and the tuning I think does not go out too much after the stresses I place on the strings. I have used deep standard E standard C standard a also be dropped down tuning no problem with any of the strings at all the sound is crisp and clear it's not a muddy sound and it's not a tinggi sound from the strings like a steel Acoustic sound.Big Mac

These strings work pretty much as advertised. They let you tune absurdly low without sacrificing note clarity or integrity… not perfectly, but reasonably. They also stay in tune remarkably well with little to no breaking-in.Regular DR 10's can handle my guitar tuned down 1 1/2 steps with no problems, but anything beyond that is flub territory and intonation is out by as much as a full half-step. With the DDT 10's, I can go 3 steps down and they still sound tight. If you check with a tuner, the intonation isn't quite right, but the difference is negligible to the naked ear. It's hard to break a DDT string. They are noticeably tougher than your average set of 10's. The feel is quite nice at 1 steps and lower though. They're surprisingly easy on the fingers. You don't have to pick hard to get heavy attack. They just exude brutal tone.Their quality stands true to the DR name. Definitely worth a try if you plan on experimenting with extremely low tunings. They can make your 6-string sound like a 7-string… only it'll still feel like a 6-string!Strizzwald

I typically play a half step down, sometimes drop C#. Guitar I have set up for that was giving me some occasional open string buzz in drop C#, but I didn't wanna go to a higher gauge because I like to be able to go to E standard once in a blue. Took the Daddarios off, put these on. Boom. Problem solved. Also very stable tuning wise and feel great overall. Thumbs up!Dustin J.