Best Guitar Strings For Drop C (2024 Update)

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.

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

These are not bright strings, the sound is somewhat dull – not so much you can't boost highs and adjust mids to compensate enough for most purposes, but these will never sound great for anything that needs to pop with bright presence. I am forced to keep a 5 string tuned down a whole step for one of the bands I regularly work with and this is the only game in town. You will need to re adjust your bridge because your intonation will change with these strings on and it may be enough to make solos and high passages sound a but wonky. If you have to keep a rigged tuned down, these are what you need but they put an awful strain on the neck if you try to pull them up to standard pitch – use for lower tunings ONLY.Doug

i've been using these strings for almost 2 years for hard/heavy rock. on a 36" scale 5-string the 135's feel great, and stay nice and tight at Eb or D tunings. at standard E tuning they are extremely tight. i've taken them down to C tuning, which puts the low B all the way down to seriously subterranean G, and that's about where they start to get floppy on a 36" scale bass. i would describe their tone as being loud and punchy, which suits loud, heavy music very well. as for longevity, i'm getting a solid month out of them at 10 hours per week of fairly vigorous playing. i kept the last set on to to see how long they'd go for. after 3 months they're starting to loose temper, and need to be replaced… but that's after a lot of playing.Wesley

I had been using 0.13 baritone strings on a 25.5 scale Ibanez 6 string and never could get it to intonate well if I went lower than b standard. With these strings I can get it to Ab standard or Drop F# while still maintaining an almost perfect intonation. Plain steel 3rd isn't my Forte, but it works.Barry Baritone

these sound incredible at the B and A range. Particularly A because they are so thick. I dont play in F but they still hold tune and tension amazingly. They sound sharp and are very lively strings. Im going to try the 10-60 next week. the 65 gauge is a little to big for versatility. I plan on buying a third guitar and that will have these strings designated to it.Reza

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

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

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

Great strings for the price! I put them recently, but they seem to be very good for corrosion. My house is very humid, so everything corrodes very soon. I need coated strings to last long, at least few months.sashbagdasaro-0

Ive gone through lots of strings over the years and these are by far the best, most durable strings i have ever played!! Strung these up on my prs se svn in G standard and man do they feel and play amazing!! Cryatal clear tone and mean asf!!!aletribuche-0

Great strings for the price! I put them recently, but they seem to be very good for corrosion. My house is very humid, so everything corrodes very soon. I need coated strings to last long, at least few months.sashbagdasaro-0

Ive gone through lots of strings over the years and these are by far the best, most durable strings i have ever played!! Strung these up on my prs se svn in G standard and man do they feel and play amazing!! Cryatal clear tone and mean asf!!!aletribuche-0

Its my favorite strings I love them and Ive been playing them about a hour a day for two months and they still play like new!frankiemarkmark

I had the opportunity to meet John Pearse at a Guitar Show in Nashville back in the 90's right after acquiring a Larravee 12 string. He very kindly handed me a set of his light guage 12 strings and said "try these on that guitar". I've used them exclusively on ever acoustic i have ever since then. The tone on my martin, larravee and takemine are the best i've found. I've played professionally for many years (30,,,,,oh man,,,) and find his strings to play evenly from rich low tones to crisp high tones. I change my strings every three gigs (bars, taverns, concert halls, etc.,)and have never been disappointed.Anonymous

Bought these wanting something different than the usual Ernie Balls and Martins (good strings for sure). Priced a little higher, but the quality is there. I put these on my Ibanez Artwood 240 mahogany top guitar and love the tone I'm getting. Stay in tune very well, and seem to have a stronger feel and volume with them. The Ibanez came with "coated" strings which I dislike the feel of but with these, I can bend, hammer and pull with ease. Will buy again.guitarkis

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 purchased these based off the recommendations of several professional musicians. I began to tune these strings up to the recommended pitch of Drop D on a guitar with a Gibson-style scale length (24.75 inches). The first string I put on (56 for the low D) tuned up without a hitch and seemed sturdy. The second string I put on (11 for the high E) lost tuning during the first attempt and had to be reset; it snapped at the locking tuner during the second attempt. Save your money; don't spend three times the price for strings that can't even survive being tuned to pitch. I'll stick with D'addario.Chris

I have had these strings on my guitars for over a year and love them. They sound great. Absolutely nothing to complain about.MeMeMe

I usually Elixir strings for all my guitars, but I just wanted to experiment with some new strings, and I heard cleartone had some good strings for low tuning. At first, there was no clarity in the strings and I got a muddy sound out of them, which I could deal with for now. But three days later they started corroding and now the strings feel uncomfortable to play. This is what happens when you experiment with different strings, I'll be going back to Elixirs. -_-Jourdan Studios - Youtube

Like 11s but a little bit lighter on the top. I'm using them for alternative tunings on a Tele, in standard tuning on a full scale length Fender they're on the edge of too heavy for me, personally, but perfect on Gibson scale length.Reviewed by Andertons Music Co.

I tried 11's and they wore me out. 10.5's are now my go to gauge. These sound great whilst still allowing me to play for hours.Reviewed by Andertons Music Co.

These strings are okay for the price, but I've had several problems with them. 1) This is not a sealed pack, so when I bought it the .010 had rusty patches right out of the pack and maybe the .013 too. They're in individual folded paper sleeves all together in an open-air fold-over plastic sheath. 2) They're NOT for your standard extended-range/long scale 8-string. Short scale guitars only. These fit my 25.5" guitar nicely, but when I tried putting these on my Agile Interceptor 30" scale guitar, they were probably 5"+ too short. Didn't even reach the nut, much less the peg (partly because it's a string-through, tune-o-matic, long scale, and reverse-inline, so lots of extra string is needed. Also, on the paper sleeve, it tells you that it's a 30" taper, which means that the string gets narrow after 30" to fit through the tuning peg. On many extended-rang/long scale guitars, the taper will begin before the nut, which you do NOT want. You want the string to be the same diameter along the entire vibrating length. 3) The tension balance is all out of whack. The gauges are okay on the last 6 strings for 25.5" scale. A little too tight from the .054 down (I can imagine on your typical long-scale 8-string they'd be way too tight), but I drop-tune the low strings to E and A, and the .074 is totally floppy and smacking the frets and the 0.64 could definitely be thicker.The Kev

I wrote a review earlier about these strings, but I have definitely changed my mind. I do have an eight string, and I used these for it and wow…they were not very good. The most obvious thing was the .74 string gets smaller WAY before the tuners, even for my seven string. So playing the first fret feels extremely awkward. Second, palm muting on these things sounds hideously dirty compared my old strings or even the stock strings. I also have to agree that a .54 for the E string is very ridiculous. The only thing I'd recommend these for is softer playing or if you never play chords. Otherwise, get the D'Addario or any other 8-string set.Brian Dice

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 have tried a multitude of various strings. These DR strings are great. I have the Multi color; Yellow; Orange; Green and the Black Beauty ones. They perform great on my Gibsons; Epiphones and Ovation guitars. I use them on acoustic; acoustic electric and semi-solid guitars – all with equal positive results.Mr B t

These are excellent strings. I bought them for my son, who loves them. They stay in tune well. He likes their feel, they feel like the Elixir strings he used before. They seem to last well, he's had then on his Schecter about 3 weeks and they feel and look good and hold their tuning well. And did I mention they look really good under black light?Richard

I just received these today (3-8-13, not from musicians friend) and was very excited about them. I play in a heavy metal band that tunes to CDCF and my ernie ball super slinky 45s weren't cutting it, so I ordered these. I started putting them on and the tone was great. Once I put on the 4th string (C), it was just about tuned and it snapped. Maybe this was a fluke, but for someone that plays shows, this is completely unacceptable. To have a string designed for low tuning, not be able to tune to C is just ridiculous. No way these would tune any higher. I would avoid these. I ordered Ernie Ball power slinky 55s (same gauge as these DDTs)Cbass419

Really recommend these strings my bass has that twang I've been searching for but without taking anything from the deep basses sounds you want from your bass. When you are stuck in a groove these strings give you so many options to play around with sounds. I bought them for C standard tuning but I've been so happen with them I have learnt half my set list to suit these strings now just for an excuse to use them more. I will be buying more 100%Reviewed by Andertons Music Co.

SAMS THE GREATEST YEEEEEEEEEEEEEE HAAAAAWWWWWWWWW !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I LOVE DEEP PURPLE YAY !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ********************* ************************************* ***************************** IM A HIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY STAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAR !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ********************************************* &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&& ***************************************** ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ************************************************MICHAEL

I've used many strings over the yrs as most guitarists do. But I always go back to Ernie Ball. They are just simply the best quality and tone wise. I'm mad it took me so long to try these though. I love the slightly heavier bottom while still having the mid gauge on the highs that you normally get from the regular slinky set. They work great for standard tuning but work even better if you tune a half step down (my main tuning). Don't hesitate and get your pack or packs today. You won't be disappointed.Vince, T

Tried this string more for helping out with a slight string buzz on the low E. Thought a heavier low E would help out, which it did. That said, awesome sounds for thumping rhythm playing while leaving a standard 10s on the high end for note bending. Great balance when comparing 9-46 hybrid sets, which seemed more out of whack for me. Can't say yet for longevity but assume similar for Regular Slinky which benefit from a string cleaning after each use.Axel

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