Best Gauge Guitar Strings (2024 Update)

Better than expected. Solid tone. Easy to play. Just right. Not too bright, just clean and tight, as a well made set should sound. Lows still great, even at the slightly lighter gauge. Don't get me wrong, they can get plenty bright if you want that. Just that they didn't seem as extra bright as some kinds try to be because they can with all the "super nano ultra special coated infused …but still hand crafted somehow" type stuff. Was never happy with previous sets on my 5 string. With these, I was able to set up with slightly lower action. This alone is worth it on my instrument. Finally, it's the bass it should've always been. Waited way too long to find these. I hope they keep making them. Probably going to order a few extra sets and try to keep a few on hand. As others point out, I'm not sure there's another set with these gauges for 5 strings. To me these are just right in a lot of ways.Person

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

Been using the 8250-5M set for awhile. Wanted to try a lighter gauge. I get more guitar tones out of these. I was concerned I might overpower them since I'd used medium gauge for a couple of years. These are literally perfect on my Modern Player Jazz Bass V and 2 1993 Jazz Plus Vs. I bought the Modern Player new from Musiciansfriend. I think this light set is the set that it had on it. I use a pick, single and double thumb as well as two finger picking techniques. The E and B strings give a nice low end. The A, D and G strings have a growl and bright tone and respond well to picking or plucking. I'll be using these strings for some timegeorgesguitars

I've tried many string brands out there and have come back to Ernie Ball in the last couple of years. They sound and feel great, stay in tune (assuming you have a guitar that stays in tune), and are durable (no strings last forever). You can simply depend on them.Frank

Getting back into guitar after a few years off, decided I don't really have anything to prove to anyone and dropped down from 12's to these 10's. Negligible sound difference, if any at all really. But wow are my fingers so much happier. Less pain = more practice. Get you some!ZACH

I have used Ernie Ball Slinkys since I started playing guitar (time that can be measured in decades, that's all I say). I have been through other top brands, and just don't like them. I have gotten to know EB strings to the point where I can nearly predict when they'll break. That's good in my book. The lively tone and intonation stays for a LONG time. And they're good enough to scrape clean and, in the word of Billy Idol, Start Again. Well, that beats boiling them (RIP EVH). What's even better is all these new, attractive hybrid sets, allowing you to easily find your groove without having to get two packs for your ideal set! EB just keeps getting better.Guy lll

These are great strings be not for everyone. They are different in that they aid the upper register of vocals. I've put them on a 00-27 and a J 200; tow very different guitars. The affect is magical for those musicians who want a harp-like tone from their steel strung axe. They have an interesting configuration. From e to E; 12, 16,12,16, 23 W, 30 W. The result is crisp, clear highs and rich lows. These strings are different, but wonderful.goeller2006

I have tried countless strings over the years, and these John Pearse strings are fantastic! You name it, I've tried it. Everything from D'Addario, Elixer, Martin, Gibson, DR, Cleartone and even Dean Markley. Cheap and expensive, I have tried them. All I can say is that these are the best acoustic strings I have tried to date. I just went from a set of Elixers (which I thought were expensive, but good) to these, and these strings won out hands down. As soon as I installed these, my guitar absolutely came ALIVE! It was almost like night and day. Everything was better! Immediately what I noticed was the added volume and projection I was getting, but most of all, it was the tone that absolutely sold me on these. With these strings I heard more woodiness, percussive body, clarity, string to string definition, harmonic overtones, and resonance than any other acoustic strings I have heard to date. The top end also opened up and became even more tactile and transparent. These strings are just more organic, yet highly defined and less sterile than anything else I have heard, and they also have a very balanced output from string to string that is excellent. In no small measure, these strings have been a bit of a revelation. These strings are also very smooth, and I also noticed less finger noise between fretting notes and bar chords as well. However, regarding that smoothness, I also noticed something interesting as well. Just try to follow me with this: These are the first set of John Pearse strings I have ever installed, so I don't know if this is a "one off", but as smooth as they are, I also noticed that the unwound strings have an ever so slightly uneven and wavy finish to them in spots when you shine them in the light. I don't mention this as a negative IN ANY WAY, but just purely as an observation. Besides, I could care less because they sound so darn amazing. Anyway, my point of mentioning this (and this is based purely on conjecture), is I wonder if the barely perceptible finish inconsistencies contribute to the overall tonality of these strings? TBH, I have never seen strings that had this kind of "inconsistency" to their finish before, and I am wondering if this has anything to do with the great tonality of these strings? All the other strings I have bought over the years have been extremely smooth and consistent in their diameter and finish. Again, I don't mention this as a negative in any way because you never feel this while playing in the least. The only time I noticed it was when I looked at them under direct light. These strings sound fantastic, and obviously their specific alloy and construction plays a great part to their sound, but on the other hand, I have never seen strings with this kind of finish before, and yet I have also never been so excited about a set of strings before either. There has to be something to it. The only other thing I can mention is that these strings also have excellent string life as well. I have had these on my acoustic after about a month and a half of use, and they still sound fantastic! Anyway, all I can say is that I have tried A LOT of strings, and these ones are the standouts by far. Buy with confidence. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! Peace. 🙂Eywa Dude

Had a pesky b and e string on short scale 000. Solution was it wanted more tension to ring true. The 13 and 18 did it; short scale so they play like lighter strings! The 22w g is awesome, the rest balance nicely. 52 is lite for E but not much of a sacrifice; drop D tuning still do-able. SO HAPPYJohn

The Martin Extra Light 10 to 47 strings work very well on my Martin D28. They sound like Martin and are great for live gigs. Affordable strings for live Musician…Vernon

Definitely easier to play, but a bit lacking in tone( especially base). Big difference to a set of custom lights. Depends on your priorities! Barre chords and string bends noticeably easier to bring off.alex m.

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

I bought these because my local store was out of Daddario EXP 26 strings that I am using. I was using Elixir Custom Lights before that, but I changed to EXP 26 since the G string of the Elixirs was constantly breaking. Comparing this set of Martin MSP4050s with the coated strings I used previously, I found that the Martin strings were the hardest to play with very high tension (hard to bend) and they were also very painful to slide your finger across. Sound-wise they are really good and warm sounding and they get brighter the harder you pick the strings which feels very responsive. Although I haven't used these for long, the Martins feel more durable than the Elixirs but I am expecting some degradation in sound over time since these are not coated. Due to the extremely low playability which I wouldn't expect from a .011 set I found these to be of little use to me. But if you don't use full note bends or slides a lot then you may benefit from the beautiful sound of the strings.ayf

I have been playing for many years. These strings have been my favorite. As the years went by, my fingers could no longer handle the medium gauge, so I tried a light gauge strings. Those strings would not stay in tune. I was thinking my guitar needed new tuning pegs. But I bought these and installed them on my 70's Gibson look-a-like acoustic guitar. Oh man, it's like having my old friend back again. The strings stay in tune and bring out the warm sound this guitar makes. I have been strengthening my fingers so no problems. It's so nice to play again with these great sounding strings. The lighter strings were too light and cut into my fingers. These make my old friend sing again.Harp Gal

Don't go by me, I change my mind on guitar strings about once a week. But for what it's worth, these are great strings. I've had a few injuries to my left index finger over the years. These days, I use them on my acoustic guitars for comfort. I've switched to D'addario, and nickel based strings for my electrics.George

I knew from the first time I tried them that I’d be sticking with Stringjoy. Custom string sets for no extra charge? Hell yeah. The 7 string 11/70 is terrific for G# standard and drop F#Martin B

Really great strings. Been using them on my Gibson SG in drop C tuning and I have no complaints. A word of advice when you do get them, stretch them HARD or you'll have tuning instability for a few days until they rest but thats part of playing lower tunings. Great strings all around. Medium brightness and a good feel. I change strings often so I can't say "they last forever" but I will say there is no noticeable difference in tone over the 3-4 weeks I use them for.Samuel S

Perfect gauge for drop b on a 25.5†scale length! Not too heavy, not too light. Switching all of my guitars to Stringjoy. Nothing beats the tuning stability, and nothing stays so full of life as long as these do.Kenny B

I really like these strings. They are warm, and give what I believe to be the best tone on my Stratocaster's and Telecaster. I don't really remember when I first started using Pure Nickel strings (of any brand), but I DO know I have never used anything but Pure Nickel since. The strings got a 4 star rating. I purposely omitted 1 star because, I feel they don't last as long as say a Nickel wound D'Addario would…but then again, I have not found a Pure Nickel D'Addario set of strings. So I forfeit the longevity for the tone. I DID just today order some Fender 150M (medium gauge 11's)…which are also Pure Nickel. I would never order 10 sets of strings if I didn't like them. Once I get to play the 11's, I will give a review on that product page. As far as Fender Pure Nickel strings go…you can't go wrong on the tonal quality. Rock on!!!White Dog

For years I've played flatwound strings, but when I bought my new Fender American Professional Jaguar I was taken by how lively and expressive the strings were! I left them on. There was a learning curve, with me having to learn a lighter touch, but the more I played them the more I liked them, I went on the Fender website, clicked on the "Chat with us" button, and asked what set came on the Jaguar. It was this set – the Fender 250L Super 250 Nickel-Plated Steel Electric Guitar Strings. VERY musical, VERY expressive! I play jazz-inflected folk, fingerstyle or various flatpicks, including Fender 351 Thins and Dunlop 204s. There's a reason Fender puts these on their guitars!RubyTuba

BUY THESE ! I hadn't used Fender strings for 30 years . A friend of mine bought out a music store so to liquidate he sold me all the strings and drum sticks in stock .. there were mostly Fender strings so I started using them . 20 packs of 9's lasted me well over a year . I work at least 3 night a week as a lead guitarists / vocalist . so I use my main Strat a lot . after I ran out of Fender's I used GHS and noticed I was breaking strings .. so I tried the Ernie Ball's .. breaking strings again ! I went to a local music store and bought a pack of Fender's . as an experiment I wasted to see how long before one would break . SIX WEEKS ! .. THEY LASTED 6 WEEKS ! .. That's 18 gigs , 3 hours pr night for a month and a half every Thursday Friday and Saturday . and they still sounded good ! FENDER RULES !horsesass123

Strings sound good so far. 3rd wound string felt strangely weak whilst attaching then broke at ball end whilst tuning. Replaced now and sound good. Would get 5 stars if no breakage.Alan T.

ok my goal. get tension balanced, and lighter tension strings. have the metal but naturally corrosion resistant, no coated strings. these strings achieve that with a sparky gret sound. lively, sounding great feel in your fingers, balanced tension and lighter than typical tension with great sound! I love them!lvmarc42

Excellent sound, they hold their tuning once tuned. Quality strings i as many do stick to Ernie Ball for sound and quality. Very much recommended.paucop_0

It has a very fundamental tone, good for mahogany guitars. But on rosewood guitars, it may kill off the overtones, which may not be right for some people. Recommended on larger guitars rather than small ones. They do last quite a long time, which helps justify the high price to an extent.J A.

recently asked curt mangan to make me up a custom set of round core monel strings in 12 string configuration. What a great set of strings. I loved monel strings on my maple bodied guitars. But when i saw they had round core available i ordered a set of 6 string strings. They were so good ,i asked about a 12 string set. They dont offer them as of yet, but rep. said they could make me up a set. i askedfor 10- 48,s round core monels, …What a great set of strings. My guild F 412 has always been a stunner tone wise with monel strings. But the round core monels enhanced that 5 x,s .. Btw, ive got over 26 hours of playing on the 6 string set. and no noticeable fall off .Dave Gover

I put these on my Gibson J-55 and man what a difference over the phosphor bronze that came stock. I have yet to put them on my '29/'31 L3 or Custom Shop martin 0018, but I really adore the sound on my J-55. The J-55 has an Adirondack top, mahogany back/sides and is essentially a Gibson version of a Martin D-18 without the super boomy low end. I love these strings and they really bring out the natural woody tone of the guitar, which is how it should be in my opinion. After using these I really like the sound, and in a weird way I'm closer to that guitar than I ever was before, the phosphor bronze that were on the guitar were just too bright and metallic, I prefer the natural earthy tones. I put this guitar in different tunings and these strings really open it up there and in standard tuning as well. I can't wait to put these on my Martin 000, I just got it so the strings on it are fresh but they're 80/20s and I really don't like them. You can't go wrong with these strings. I'm going to be using them on my acoustics forever. Just vintage, natural, woody earthy tones and I couldn't be happier!Antonio

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

Guys, these strings are AMAZING! Let me tell you, if you put these strings in after having a different brand in, you will totally feel and hear the difference. It makes your guitar sound great. You can easily bend strings and make a beautiful vibrato with these! I watched a TV interview with Slash and even he says that he feels that they are top of the line and just give your guitar great feel and sound. I am totally with him. Please, if you have the chance…BUY THESE AND PUT THEM IN IMMEDIATELY.Luke H.

These strings sound great and retain their great sound for a pretty long time. They are extremely easy to play on as well. I would def recommend these strings to everyone from beginners to professionals.Chris

These coated strings are the most long-lasting and tone-sustaining strings I've used. They're great for when you are always changing tunings (especially from high to low). The higher strings may not be as bright but they retain a more consistant sustain throughout the life of the string than normally uncoated strings. The best thing about them is the thick, rich rounded tone you get when playing lower registers and rhythm parts. They also dont need to be struck as hard to get a fuller sound.Craig

I've seen the comments about breaking, and do not agree. My hands and fingers sweat, so I must change strings after 8 hours. I love the sound of new strings and notice the difference very soon , no matter what brand. That is not to say they don't hold up. That hasn't changed in 50 yrs. Hendriks, Page, you know the bends. I've used almost ever super light on the market and D'Addario takes second place to none. If that's not enough, Musician's Friend brings them to my door for half the price of going to the music store. I'd like to help the little guy, but money is too much a consideration of mine.The Sound

These Daddario strings play exceptionally well, and I enjoy a change from the 8ts and 9es, and play some that are right in the middle! Thank you for selling these guitar strings, and I hope you sell many, many more! Thank you again! Michael Thomasmitho_2380

I've used D'Addario strings for years… decades even. I used to use .009's, but in the last couple of years switched to .008's. I do a lot of bending in my playing and as BB King once said, "Why you wanna' work so hard?" Everything is easier and smoother and they are a joy to play. Obviously, they wouldn't be suited to all types of music and/or playing, but with my style being metal'ish (heavy distortion) and a light fretting style (I prefer scalloped necks) they are perfect for me. As far as D'Addario's quality, they are the best I've used. They stay in tune well, last a long time and don't break easily. I've used some sets of EB Slinky's and they break much more easily. These are great strings and the price is fantastic too. I'll use no other.Yugedrums

I'm a senior citizen jammer, having played guitar ever since Peter, Paul & Mary were young. These guitar strings have been my favorites for many years. Recently I tried some others, simply because I wasn't in an area where these were sold. I noticed the difference right away, and so did my fingers! The Elixirs are recommended for my Taylor GS Mini, and for good reason. I've had them last for years in the past, and now that I'm playing more than ever, I change them quarterly. They are superb strings and easy on the fingers, so I recommend them highly.NikiRoo

Fat Sound, my local dealer stack up these exclusively over the 80/20 because they sound so good. They are luthiers I trusted for many years for advise. If you want get add some boldness to your acoustic guitar, try one of these. They are probably the best sounding acoustic guitar strings from Elixir. I tried these briefly on my Taylor DN3. It came equiped with Elixir Nanoweb 80/20. When it was time to stock some replacements, my local dealer had only the Elixir Nanoweb Phosphore Bronze and argued that they sounded better on Taylor guitar because they have warmer tone. It turned out they have a great tone and are very lound and very well projecting, but unfortunately, the tension is much higher then the Elixir Nanoweb 80/20 of the same gauge, and it made my studio guitar sound like a folk guitar. Sincde I did not want to mess with the near prefect factory setup of the DN3, and I prefered the Studio tone of the 80/20 over the Folk tone of the Phosphore Bronze, I decided to go back to the 80/20. But that doesn't mean they are not good strings. They are in fact better sounding in many ways then the 80/20, but I the 80/20 just suites my taste better with this specific Taylor DN3. The Phosphore Bronze strings have huge and clear mids, and a lot of high mid harmonics. Yes they have much more tension then the 80/20, and would probably require neck adjustement when switching from 80/20 to these, but the bold and forward folk/blues tone pays back for that small sacrifice. They have much more harmonics then the 80/20, and the high E string is not too bright. The first thing I noticed with these strings was the fact that the High E string was not lean, but rather fat and well defined. . However, compared with the 80/20, the lows are a bit overwelmed by the bold mids. Which is not bad at all, it's just that my DN3 has a clean and well defined low end with the 80/20, which is not as noticeable with the Phosphore Bronze. My next guitar will probably be more for Folk and will have these strings.Pierre-BJnej

Put these on a bright, shimmering guitar that had old strings maybe a year or more and put on these Elixir Nano supposed upgrade by suggestions at my local guitar center and immediately took them off an put the old strings back on! These are dull, muffled sounding dead resonance producing strings. They SUCKED compared to old di Addario strings? Waste of time and money. They were put on a Ibanez EW Monkey Pod wood 6 string acoustic guitarDas Fuut

You can't go wrong with D'Addario, and since 1980 or so, I've used these, or their phosphor bronze counterparts. They're loud, without being abrasive, and the "stretch" goes away faster than any other string I know of… meaning they settle in and hold tune, quickly. These feel great beneath my fingertips, and they won't go dead after a few days, like some others. Good price, great strings. I also use the .011 thru .052 sets for open C tuning.Loren

Using these (they are my go-to for acoustics) on my Taylors (GC3 and GS Mini) is like turning up the treble knob on the guitar. Bright and lively and they last a decent amount of time if you keep the guitar in the case. Even dead they sound good but I really love the jangle you get when you put a fresh set of these on. If you're looking for a muted tone, these are not that. If you want your guitar to sing, though, they fit the bill.Joseph

Not crazy about their sound. First time I tried them. Too metallic and the strings Vibrate too long, disrupting a chords pure and rounded sound. The e string broke immediately as I was re stringing the guitar. Luckily i bought 2. But won’t purchase again. I miss a warmer, fuller sound. I had elixir 10’s before which were excellent. I will go again for 10’s or 11’s.Nina V.

I ordered 9 high string because my barre chords were causing me grief. These seem much louder than my recent strings (which may have become dull) I use my fingers mainly but a pick requires some restraint. They haven't settled in yet requiring retuning each day but may be due to the weather i.e heating coming on! For the price I've had less performance from much more expensive strings.grummanfly

I believe I already rated these once before but as I've been asked to do it again…ok. Not the usual kind of strings you would expect to be able to use on an acoustic guitar but worth trying. The only issue I had with these is that the G string would not intonate properly and I could not get that in tune for trying and so I bought a separate custom string to replace it. The measurement of the G in the set is .015 plain steel and I replaced this with a .017 wound string and this fixed the problem very easily. If, like me, you like a consistency of feel and sound I would recommend getting all the strings in custom strings. It's very easy to do. And there you have it… 🙂 Overall a nice set of strings but maybe just think about changing the G (.015) to a custom string (.017) wound string.Francis O.