Best Blues Guitar Strings (2024 Update)

so, I have taken up Jazz Guitar(I am mainly a bass player but do play guitar). Found a great deal on a jazz box, did a little work on it, now the strings; the real "jazz guys" use flatwounds usually. Back in the day (when I first started playing guitar) I used flatwounds and I never really liked them went to round wounds and I was happy. So, as I started this project I bought several different types of strings, mostly nickel plated. They were OK but not close to the "flatwound" sound (of course not they are round wound) even tried half round (I really did no like these) so I read that the pure nickel were pretty mellow. Well, they were but not that dead sound of flatwounds. I have used DR strings on my bass for several years after trying many different brands both stainless and nickel plated and the Low Rider Nickel are my favorite, period (I haven't tried the Pure Blues for bass yet ). So, being a DR fan I tried and liked the Pure nickel electric strings. They do squeak a bit but I really like the sound and, of course, the feel. Give them a try. MF got them right out to me at a very good price. More happiness!Michael B.

I tried these on my '79 Ibanez AR50. The guitar has the great Super 70 pickups, and is of course a solid body in the LP style. As those pickups can be a bit 'hot' I was hoping to tame them down a little and yet keep the tone as clear as possible. So far I'm very happy with the results. Through a clean amp with the tone dialed back just a little, I'm really happy with the results. Now if my fingers would cooperate a bit, I think I'll be set for a while. Note that the 3rd string is a 24ga wound, but it is a very fine wind on it, so I'm getting very nice tone and hardly any 'squeak' when doing slides. YMMV!Charlie

Took a punt… I've never had heavier gauge strings before, I put them on my epiphone es 339, sounds amazing, great tone for metal.Reviewed by Andertons Music Co.

I have been playing for over 40 years. These strings sound and feel better than others. I play Jazz, Blues, Rock, and I have these on all my guitars ES 335, Custom Strat, Tele, and a Les Paul Custom. These sound great on all. Do not know how they would sound or feel playing other genres. But for the ones I enjoy playing they hit the spot.Starbuck, T

Whats not to like about these strings vintage tone plenty of sustain, round wound round core pure nickel. Just remember to bend your strings at a right angle before trimming to length. This prevents the outer core moving thus deadening the string.Ken M.

I was looking for strings that have less tension when used with guitars that use vibrato systems. Round core strings fit the bill for that more than hex core. There are not as many string manufactures that make round core strings. I have them on my Fender Strat and PRS Custom 24. They sound great and stay in tune!ROBERT

I hate to give a bad review of Earthwood because I've played and loved the other Earthwood strings; however I tried these Rock & Blues strings on my Taylor as well as my Fender Sonoran and was not happy at all with the sound. For me I think it is the fact that the g-string is like an electric string and not wound like an acoustic string. Because of that, when I strum the whole acoustic sound is "off". Sure the string is easier to bend for lead, but to me it's not worth the trade off of having a bad sound when strumming.Strums the Word

I use to buy Martin Marquis strings but the price went up and I thought I would try these Ernie Ball strings. I put a set on my guitar yesterday evening and they sound good. I like buying the packs of strings instead of single packs. We will see if they have a long or short life. The sound is great.Hunter Dan

I was excited to try out the Blue Steel acoustic guitar strings. I got them in the mail and strung up my guitar with much anticipation. They were good at first, but after only about 20 minutes, my hands smelled like cheap metal, and the tone had already dulled. These strings made my high quality guitar sound like a tinny, cheap First Act Guitar. I would not recommend these strings to anyone. However, I would highly recommended Elixer nanowebs or polywebs. They are a far superior string. They are worth the extra price and will make any guitar sound great.Paul B.

Played guitar for 9 years. Have always picked and fretted with excessive force. My hands sweat and ruin strings. I've tried many strings, Elixrs were the best but too expensive, DR, D'addario, Ernie Ball, RotoSound….nothing felt like home. Somebody told me about these strings, I bought two packs of 12s and fell in love. Unlike the coated strings (Elixr) these are super-cooled so that the molecules lock together tighter. They stay in tune better than any strings I've played. These strings can take a beating. The tone is great for 4 or 5 weeks and it still sounds decent 2-3 months later. They are cheaper than most strings so you're crazy not to try them.TheCapitols

I've been using these strings for years. I love a wound 3rd string. They last up to a month for me where other brands only lasted a week tops. I just bought a new Les Paul with a Bigsby. It came with 9s on it and the intonation was way off. I had a set of 9s by EB and put them on to see what would happen. After a couple of days I could see it wasn't going to work out so I replaced them with a set of these 11s and the guitar locked right in tune.OleJazzer

I was excited to try out the Blue Steel acoustic guitar strings. I got them in the mail and strung up my guitar with much anticipation. They were good at first, but after only about 20 minutes, my hands smelled like cheap metal, and the tone had already dulled. These strings made my high quality guitar sound like a tinny, cheap First Act Guitar. I would not recommend these strings to anyone. However, I would highly recommended Elixer nanowebs or polywebs. They are a far superior string. They are worth the extra price and will make any guitar sound great.Paul B.

Played guitar for 9 years. Have always picked and fretted with excessive force. My hands sweat and ruin strings. I've tried many strings, Elixrs were the best but too expensive, DR, D'addario, Ernie Ball, RotoSound….nothing felt like home. Somebody told me about these strings, I bought two packs of 12s and fell in love. Unlike the coated strings (Elixr) these are super-cooled so that the molecules lock together tighter. They stay in tune better than any strings I've played. These strings can take a beating. The tone is great for 4 or 5 weeks and it still sounds decent 2-3 months later. They are cheaper than most strings so you're crazy not to try them.TheCapitols

I've been using these strings for years. I love a wound 3rd string. They last up to a month for me where other brands only lasted a week tops. I just bought a new Les Paul with a Bigsby. It came with 9s on it and the intonation was way off. I had a set of 9s by EB and put them on to see what would happen. After a couple of days I could see it wasn't going to work out so I replaced them with a set of these 11s and the guitar locked right in tune.OleJazzer

Can't tune these to open G. The low G string broke the tuning peg gear on my guitar trying to get from A to D, it was old so I replace all pegs, then it even broke the new peg. The high G string just snapped. The D string was the only one to not have a problem. Maybe it's me, but this is the 2nd time I've tried these over the last 5 years and both sets gave me problems.1stbaseman

Thank you very much for the strings. No problem with the quality but im new at this and the strings, when in tune are loose. I think i need thicker strings. The neck is 450mm long and from where the strings touch the 2 ends is 650mm. Could you please tell me an epic set of strings to buy and ill get them. Cheers guys Robert…. Adelaide Hills South Australiabarnerober-abgnifopk

These are the slickest, most comfortable strings. I bought them to put on a PRS Angelus SE and be able to do those David Gilmore bends on an acoustic. For that, they are awesome. Bendiest, easy to slide acoustic strings I have ever tried. Great for all those single note lead lines. The bass strings are also heavy enough to still give some oomph. The problem is when you come out of those lead lines to do any rhythmic strumming-the tone is bright, brash, tinny and very G forward. I want to like these strings for their play-ability and keep trying them to see if they'll break in, but always leave disappointed. For reference, my PRS is already a little brighter in a Taylor sort of way than my other guitars. I usually play Santa Cruz Low Tension Parabolics on my Santa Cruz OM, and Martin Life Span on my Martin 0015. The brashness is muted a little if amplified.Jonah

Bought these as replacements on my Taylor guitar. I was surprised at the quality of the strings, the incredible tone and that they didn't stretch A LOT when new (meaning I didn't have to retune after every song…I let the rest for about 4 hours and tune them up before performing). And, they were made in the USA. Highest possible recommendation!Amy

I have been experiencing with different string blends and I stumbled across these… I love them! I like the bright top tones these strings bring. They are super flexible for soloing! I have smaller hands amd fingers so the thinness is an extra benefit! 10/10 recommend!Kayla

I loved speed, a good delivery! I'm building my own guitars and I would like to do a lot more business with you as long as the Price is Right. So far you have impressed me. Could you send me a catalog that would be great. What I mainly need is good hot pickups for both country and Rock dual coil and single coil and pickguards if you would happen to have any I'm building them in my own signature style of course, of course they are called Reed Guitars. I can get to Nick already made with fretz and truss rod for $14. But I would like to buy bodies that I can work with to give you an idea of what I looking for. Also need 3-way switches and a 5 way switch and of course potentiometers and knobs. Thank you very much. Until then you will need a friend George Reed.reedgeorge

I bought these strings today because my local store was sold out of my usual Elixir brand. I just put them on my old Gibson acoustic, and all of the ball ends are color-coded wrong, and the strings are turning my fingers black after 20 minutes of playing. They sound OK, but really? I used to be a big fan of D'addario strings for my electric guitars. These changed my mind.Page

I always get this brand of strings. They are the best! The strings are color coded for easy restringing. I usually purchase the ultra light bluegrass style and was happy to see that these are the same top notch quality. The ultra lights are a must if you want easy on the fingers. I can’t say enough good things, and you can’t wrong in buying these!Ginabug

After buying these strings and slapping them on my Ibanez Artcore semi-hollow, I can honestly say that the best thing I have ever did to improve my guitar's tone was put higher gauge strings on it. Maybe semi-hollows just resonate better with them, not sure. The round 3rd string is pretty clutch – the strings I used to put on would have a very noisy, tinny-sounding 3rd string and having a wound one like this has completely solved that issue. My Artcore would just sound too twangy in general with lighter strings on it, too – and having heavier gauge strings improved that issue by leaps and bounds. I'm not exactly an expert in tone so I can't argue about the finer points of the sound these strings make – but my bottom line is, they help me to better access the range of sounds that I want from my instrument, and that's what matters. Definitely 5 stars for tone. I have one complaint though: I am an abusive bender, as it were. When I bend the strings, I push their limits pretty friggin hard, and these particular strings will only take so much. Had a string break on me yesterday while I was bending really hard but I had another set hanging around so it was all good. My lighter gauge strings from before would withstand this abuse beautifully – but just keep in mind that when you move up to thicker strings, you're making a trade-off: the thicker strings will wear out and break more quickly if you push them too hard and bend them abusively like I do. On the subject of bending, also: with the wound 3rd string, if you want to bend it, you need to bend it a lot further to get the interval that you want, so just be prepared for that. All in all however, I am VERY happy with these strings. I'll have to take it easy on the bending a little bit, but for me that's more than a worthy trade-off for strings that really make my baby sing like she should. I can't necessarily speak for how these would sound on other guitars because I've never heard what they sound like on others, but I would MOST DEFINITELY recommend them for anyone playing a hollow or semi-hollow guitar. Fantastic tone, reasonable durability, and a good price.Phoebus125

These strings helped with tuning stability issues I was having with an (Indonesian, fat neck) Epiphone 335 Dot, which I love but the unwound G string was going out of tune. Swapped out the bridge (Guitar Fetish–nice choice and half the price of TonePro) and the nut (Graph Tech), which also helped. I retained the lower three strings from the 'Heavy Bottom" set I had on it already. The top 3 strings sound great, but I've only had 'em on for a few days. I also put these on another 335-style guitar, but the bottom 3 strings felt just a bit flimsy switching back and forth with the Epi, not surprisingly. They sound good, nice and acoustically rich.Doc

I mostly play R&B and Blues. Essentially, I am rhythm player. With the exception of a few 8 to 24 bar solos, I am not the center of attention. When I'm front and center I still need to sound good. These strings help. These strings are awesome. The tone is amazing. Occasionally, I have to tune down one-half step. These strings are one of the few that will work well in both standard and dropped tunings. If the guitar is set up correctly, these strings aren't an issue. This means a very low action isn't going to happen. Medium strings work with medium action. If the action is too low for the string gauge, your guitar will buzz and become uncomfortable. Since more metal will drive your magnets with more oomph, using slightly heavier strings is a very cost effective way to improve your tone. I've been usinging EXL115 strings and their less eco-frinedly packaged predecessor XL115 since the late 1980s. I've tried other brands with exactly the same gauge. These typically worked as well for slightly more money, and I suspect that they where cranked out of the same factory.AZ Bluesman

I have put these on a Gibson 335 copy guitar, in place of my usual D'Addario 10's gauge, and I find the tone and feel even better than it was before, the extra beef on the shorter scale neck suits it very well. Still light enough to play comfortably, but now feels a better balance, for me it was just slightly underpowered with 10's gauge on that type of instrument, whereas 10's gauge is pretty much perfect on a Fender scale length neck.Christopher W.

Back in 2008 or so, I bought my first 'jazz box' style guitar. To be succinct here, it was my first full bodied, electric with f-holes similar to Ibanez' George Benson model or Gibson's L-4 model, but minus the hefty price tag. Mine is a Washburn J-3. When I got the guitar, it needed fresh strings and after showing it off to my local music store, they suggested a set of D'Addario Nickle Plated 11's since I don't do much string bending. In my own application, they worked since I use 12's on my acoustics and 10's on my LP and Strat. After putting them on my J-3, the sound was great! These strings are clear, bright, but also full bodied in their tone. They were a great choice for this application. Plus, the price at MF is also a plus. SInce I don't use my jazz as often as my other guitars, these strings hold up well and long. Usually, the main reason for my changing them out is build up on the strings from my fingers or it's been over 6 months since the last string change. In closing, these strings are good, reasonably priced, and a fine example of why D'Addario's are the #1 string choice out there.RockinRD76

A very good friend of mine uses these strings all the time; on all of his guitars. After playing few of his instruments, i understood why. In my opinion, these strings are pretty nice. They are smooth (not sticky feeling like flat wound chomes) and they seem to hold there tone pretty well. (At least for me) I have used these strings in the past but i couldn't appreciate them because i had a bad guitar. That's all changed now. I think i really like theseTC

Nickel electric guitar strings are the bright sounding electric guitar strings. You get the manufacturing process of DR 's specific string core winding technology the way they make their High Beam bass and guitar and guitar strings. DR pure Blues strings are as bright, loud and clear and well made both material and manufacturing wise as electric guitar strings can be. I suppose you could use thesewith distortion but with the clarity of these, playing in clean channel'd be 'purest way to hear emhartke2k

I wanted to try something different. I had EB slinkys on my Gretsch Jet. I decided to give the DR handmade Pure Blues a go. Personally I think these are better than the EB. They feel and sound different. Playing seems to take less effort than the EB’s. I would suggest do a google search on stringing roundcore strings. Apparently there are pitfalls if you don’t string them right. I’m going to order a couple more packs just in case. I’m very tempted to try the acoustic strings as well.DGB

These strings seem to have more bite and attack. Clarity is key here with these things. Very clear on every string. I will buy again for my 7 string guitar. Being tuned low and having the clear voicing come through is pleasant. Thank youMatthew

I was talked into buying these strings about a month ago by a sales associate at the Guitar Center in Jackson, Ms. Said they were the best strings Earnie Ball had to offer. I can now say that I disagree. I love Earnie Ball strings, don't get me wrong, but these are by far the worst I have purchased. I had them on for two weeks and played on them five times. Put my bass in its case after every session. Within a week, I started noticing that they were gaining rust. Dispite the fact that I cleaned them. By the time the second week came, they looked like they had been left in the rain for months. I don't recommend these strings to anyone. The steel and nickel strings, yes, buy those. I love them. But these new cobalt strings are a waste of money. Thankfully my local Guitar Center took care of me and gave me a free pack of strings when I showed them the wear and tear they had gained over a course of two weeks. I'll say again, don't buy these strings. You will be disappointed.Van Lee

I play mostly in a blues band, and like a fat, thick tone with lots of bottom and some midrange punch. I was excited about these strings after hearing about their increased output. However, for my purposes I find that they have too much ring and higher frequency harmonics and overtones, and don't give me that down and dirty sound I'm looking for. Perhaps after using them while they will mellow out and give a more pleasing tone. But for now I would say these would be best for slap and pop, where you want a real strong response in the higher registers. For me right now they don't fit the bill for what I'm looking for.I play mostly in a blues band, and like a fat, thick tone with lots of bottom and some midrange punch. I was excited about these strings after hearing about their increased output. However, for my purposes I find that they have too much ring and higher frequency harmonics and overtones, and don't give me that down and dirty sound I'm looking for. Perhaps after using them while they will mellow out and give a more pleasing tone. But for now I would say these would be best for slap and pop, where you want a real strong response in the higher registers. For me right now they don't fit the bill for what I'm looking for. I play mostly in a blues band, and like a fat, thick tone with lots of bottom and some midrange punch. I was excited about these strings after hearing about their increased output. However, for my purposes I find that they have too much ring and higher frequency harmonics and overtones, and don't give me that down and dirty sound I'm looking for. Perhaps after using them while they will mellow out and give a more pleasing tone. But for now I would say these would be best for slap and pop, where you want a real strong response in the higher registers. For me right now they don't fit the bill for what I'm looking for. I play mostly in a blues band, and like a fat, thick tone with lots of bottom and some midrange punch. I was excited about these strings after hearing about their increased output. However, for my purposes I find that they have too much ring and higher frequency harmonics and overtones, and don't give me that down and dirty sound I'm looking for. Perhaps after using them while they will mellow out and give a more pleasing tone. But for now I would say these would be best for slap and pop, where you want a real strong response in the higher registers. For me right now they don't fit the bill for what I'm looking for.QadS-man the bassman

I put these strings on a older Alvarez guitar and all I can say is WOW what a voice change! The Martin Retro Monel Bluegrass string made my inexpensive student model guitar sound like a much higher end instrument. The clarity and sustain is so much better than the 80/20's I used to use and the life span is at least double if not triple of the 80/20's. Try a set you won't be sorry.Mark

I have been reading about pure nickel strings and I've wanted to give them a try. The Martin Retro reviews were good and if Tony Rice likes them and uses them, they must have something positive to offer. I've only had them on my dread (solid mahogany b/s and Adi top) for a couple of weeks…but I love them. I hear the tone of the guitars wood. Not too bright but also not too dark or muddy. Very mellow. Urban legend has it that they get better with age. We'll see. But they sounded good new and they guitar sounds great after two weeks. Too early to tell or comment on how long they stay this way. I will be buying more and use them again. Time to try them out on an OM.B

Replaced the dead right out of the box elixir string that SUCKED and these brought the guitar back to life and it now sounds and plays wonderfully. Highly suggested and as the string were in my box for a while and now the package has added Tony Rice's name to them even more highly suggestedDas Fuut

I put these strings on a older Alvarez guitar and all I can say is WOW what a voice change! The Martin Retro Monel Bluegrass string made my inexpensive student model guitar sound like a much higher end instrument. The clarity and sustain is so much better than the 80/20's I used to use and the life span is at least double if not triple of the 80/20's. Try a set you won't be sorry.Mark

I have been reading about pure nickel strings and I've wanted to give them a try. The Martin Retro reviews were good and if Tony Rice likes them and uses them, they must have something positive to offer. I've only had them on my dread (solid mahogany b/s and Adi top) for a couple of weeks…but I love them. I hear the tone of the guitars wood. Not too bright but also not too dark or muddy. Very mellow. Urban legend has it that they get better with age. We'll see. But they sounded good new and they guitar sounds great after two weeks. Too early to tell or comment on how long they stay this way. I will be buying more and use them again. Time to try them out on an OM.B

Replaced the dead right out of the box elixir string that SUCKED and these brought the guitar back to life and it now sounds and plays wonderfully. Highly suggested and as the string were in my box for a while and now the package has added Tony Rice's name to them even more highly suggestedDas Fuut

reliable, strong guitar strings. shipping was fast. Have purchased them before and am very satisfied with the brand and durability. I've been playing the guitar for years. These are good.Sophi

Tried these on a friend's recommendation and I'm not disappointed. I put these on a nearly new Gibson J45 Studio and was happy the strings that came new on the guitar were gone. These sound so much sweeter. It's only been a few weeks but I think they'll last as long as most strings (usually a D'Addario user). A normal set is 12-53, for some reason these are 12-54 but I couldn't notice much difference on the larger 6th string. Try a set.mmall001

I just recently picked my guitar back up after about 20 years of not playing. I have Gibson Hummingbird that I always had and the did use Martin strings on. I really got the bug about playing and ended up buying a Yamaha R 700 as well as a Seagull S6 (with a Seagull Artist Mosaic on the way). While talking to Josh on MF one day about strings he told me about these Earthwoods–lighter gauge–.11-.52. He swore by them. I had a credit with MF so I bought two sets. They are as good on my Seagull S6 as the Martin's ever were and easier to play (I finger pick mostly) and the combination of the full sound of the S6 and the Ernie Ball Earthwoods is a perfect combination. I've had them on for three weeks already and play sever hours every day and they still sound bright and full of tone. I put the other set on my Yamaha just recently and they sound as good as the Martins ever did. Whether they will remain crisp remains to be seen (each guitar is different). But in anticipation of getting my Seagull Artist Mosaic soon I've decided to buy four 6 packs of the Ernie Ball Earthwood Strings with my certificate from Backstage pass. I couldn't ask for a sweeter deal than that.KB

reliable, strong guitar strings. shipping was fast. Have purchased them before and am very satisfied with the brand and durability. I've been playing the guitar for years. These are good.Sophi

Tried these on a friend's recommendation and I'm not disappointed. I put these on a nearly new Gibson J45 Studio and was happy the strings that came new on the guitar were gone. These sound so much sweeter. It's only been a few weeks but I think they'll last as long as most strings (usually a D'Addario user). A normal set is 12-53, for some reason these are 12-54 but I couldn't notice much difference on the larger 6th string. Try a set.mmall001

I just recently picked my guitar back up after about 20 years of not playing. I have Gibson Hummingbird that I always had and the did use Martin strings on. I really got the bug about playing and ended up buying a Yamaha R 700 as well as a Seagull S6 (with a Seagull Artist Mosaic on the way). While talking to Josh on MF one day about strings he told me about these Earthwoods–lighter gauge–.11-.52. He swore by them. I had a credit with MF so I bought two sets. They are as good on my Seagull S6 as the Martin's ever were and easier to play (I finger pick mostly) and the combination of the full sound of the S6 and the Ernie Ball Earthwoods is a perfect combination. I've had them on for three weeks already and play sever hours every day and they still sound bright and full of tone. I put the other set on my Yamaha just recently and they sound as good as the Martins ever did. Whether they will remain crisp remains to be seen (each guitar is different). But in anticipation of getting my Seagull Artist Mosaic soon I've decided to buy four 6 packs of the Ernie Ball Earthwood Strings with my certificate from Backstage pass. I couldn't ask for a sweeter deal than that.KB

I usually use .10s on the Hendrix guitars and drop tune to Eb. I was interested in these strings because they are somewhere between light and heavy guages and could also use them for standard pitch (E). When I changed over I had to reset the action, re-intonate (expected) and re-set floating tremo block (surprising). At first these strings seemed unbalanced, but once that was done, the strings were great. This set has a heavier 1st string and (way) heavier 6th string, and lighter middle strings. Perfect for tone and 1-1/2 bends. Now you seen how David Gilmour does it!stratman

I've been reading reviews of these strings (customer and store's) for several years. Was never really sure whether to buy into the hype. For better of for worse, I finally took the plundge and tried a set. I'm 60 yrs old, 45 yrs playing gtr. I've used MANY types of strings over the years, through many types of amps. But when I slapped these babies on my 1974 Stratocaster (yes, black on black with maple neck – exactly like Gilmour's old one) the difference was immediate and profound!!! Smooth feel. Incredible sustain. Bends like butter. And the tone? Impeccable. Going from clean to dirty….it's amazing to keep that kind of tone between the two. Playing clean, straight into the amp, the tone is pristine – rich, smooth and sparkling. Plug it into the RATT peddle, NICE sustain, and they're fat and ballsy while still sounding smooth….exactly like David's tone! Believe the hype. The only thing I haven't covered yet is their durability (have had them on the Strat for about 2 weeks now). How long will they last between changes? Well I haven't see any complaints from other reviewers, so that's hopeful.Robert

My main guitar is a PRS and I play mostly Gilmour solos, some Santana and Gary Moore. However, I have always used 10-46 Elixir strings, brilliant but could never get the nice bass notes of Gilmour. A friend who tours with a PF Tribute Band uses the Gilmour blue strings which have heavier gauge bass strings and suggested I try them. So I bought some and they are fantastic. Living in New Zealand I couldn't get them locally and was a little reticent in buying on-line but can't fault the service I received. Strings arrived within a few days and the after sales service has been excellent. Thoroughly recommend Musicians Friend and of course the DG strings for those Gilmour players out therePaul

There are a few "good" brands of electric guitar strings, and I have always chosen Ernie Ball as my goto set. They cost less, and last just as long as anything else that I have tried so that right there is enough for me. The new Cobalt, and Paradigm series strings are even better in my opinion, and it is the Paradigm that I use on my personal guitars now but for every guitar that I sell (several every month) it is always Cobalt series strings. I live on the Florida coast so anything made of metal is short lived especially guitar strings but the Cobalts do the trick, and last a couple of months for me.zombie415.2009

These strings need no credability having already been used and endorsed by the likes of Eric Clapton and Steve Vai and many more guitar giants. I only recently tried these cobalts and will probably never go back to the standard nickel strings. The big difference you notice right away is the feel of the strings when pressed and played, almost giving the feel of having a scalloped neck. The strings have a sort of elasticity to them, making for easy bending. Just a great feel. The next difference you'll notice is the higher output they give, while in my case actually making each note more distinct and clear at higher gains. I play mostly rock and metal, but I recommend these all day long no matter what style you play. -Leslie Ripplktogo-us

Overall: Use these exclusively on my 7 string. Perfect gauge sizing for down tuning; I love tuning to GDGCFAD. As far as "output" I can't really discern any advantage over other strings, but these of course have that great bouncy Ernie ball sound to them. I feel like they last a tad longer than plain Ernie balls but it could be a placebo effect. The gauge is perfect for what I do, anything else with these is just a plus. My main motivator to choosing strings are the available gauges, and these are a perfect fit. If you're looking in this range, you won't be disappointed.Brad

These strings have suited me very well. The clarity that i got melded so well with the active emg pickups on my schecter hellraiser c-7. The clarity from these strings forced me to play more clean. My leads, especially above 12th fret, have become much more distinguishable. Combined with the active pickups, its almost like each note is now easier to hear as you play a fast lead run. Its worth the money because of the improved tone for sure. Not to mention the clarity stays fresh for twice as long as regular steel or nickel wound strings.C7 HellRAISER

These strings are amazing!!! The entire overall tone changes with these. If your guitar sounds like it has no life try these and be blown away by deep lows and glass shattering highs !!!!!josh-mckin

In most cases, I would never buy Ernie Ball. I've tried pretty much every brand and Ernie Ball overall wasn't even something I'd consider back in the day. However, a couple years ago I was in a pinch and bought the Cobalts for my 7 string guitar. Ever since I haven't purchased another kind of string. These are the best in my opinion. My absolute favorite. I string all my guitars with Cobalts. Their only downside was that they felt really rough on my fingers when I started playing on them. I don't notice that anymore though. I was also getting back into playing so that could have been why. Maybe I've been lucky. In my experience Ernie Ball strings can break as soon as you take them out of their little paper sheath. In the case of the Cobalt strings, I have never had to change a Cobalt string due to it breaking. I've never had a Cobalt string break on me. In some cases a year has passed and the worst that's happened is the strings won't hold their tune as well anymore. Now, I'm not suggesting you wait a year. Typically, I change strings on my guitars every 3-6 months.And I'm not saying these won;t break. I'm fully expecting a string to break on me when I start playing today because I'm posting this. All I'm saying is if you can stand how these feel on your fingers, I think you'll start buying them on a regular basis like I did. Thanks for reading!Cyrillicide