Change String On Guitar For Sale (2024 Update)

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

I've been a D'addario guy for a long time, and use them on all my guitars. I like the phosphor bronze tone on my acoustics, and use the extra lights because I have hand and finger joint issues. Actually 10s are pretty heavy for me, I use 8s on my electrics. Anyway, they sound great, are easy to play and have always been reliable for me.James

For years I refused to replace one of the low E machines on my Guild 12-string, as much on principle as anything else. I could only find a full set when I only needed one. The folks at Sam Ash knew my feeling and enthusiastically referred me back to the shop. Not only did I get a single machine, the price was more than right. Now I will be going back there not so much for their merchandise as for the people. That's where they put their investment.Mediaman.2

A friend of mine put light gauge electric strings on his acoustic guitar so it would be easier to play. I did like the feel but the sound was too thin so when I came across the Extra Light D'Addario's for acoustics I was excited to try them. My preferred style of playing an acoustic has recently become almost all finger-picking without finger picks. I tried them on my vintage classic dreadnought Yamaha F335ii and they sound good with a little less low end and a little more thin high end which you would expect. Also there is a tendency for the little E string to rattle as I use an upward stroke with the index or middle finger to play it. I will try switching that string out with a little higher gauge to alleviate that problem. Your style (light or heavy) of playing may determine whether these strings are right for you. They are great for strumming light rhythm with a balanced bright sound using a Fender thin pick so I would definitely use them for recording rhythm parts. For recording finger-picked parts I will continue using regular light gauge strings on a Martin. The D'Addario extra lights are easy on the fingers and good for practicing any style. They would also be a good choice for beginnersdhughe1

I've tried DR strings with the recommendation of others and found them to be my absolute favorite for my old Yamaha acoustic. The Black Beauties, which these replaced, played great but had premature coating wear. I like the feel of them, especially on pull offs, where the strings stay put until you say go. The Neons are coated much better and everyone wows them and wants to know if they are real (or plastic). I like them a lot, they have that good feel and less finger pain, but the rainbow effect may wear off in months to come. Then I'll get another set of DR Black Beauties.Gregg

Nothing wrong with these strings. Not the best sounding strings I have ever used, but they sound good enough for live gigs.Judson Prof

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 have been doing a comparison of silk & steel strings from multiple brands, and these are by far the loosest feeling and easiest to play. They really do feel like having nylon strings on a steel guitar. This is great if you want to make playing easier, and it definitely does. The sound is pretty good too, not as loud as regular strings but a more sweet sound. If your guitar has low action you will probably get fret buzz since these are basically extra lights. Also, another plus to these strings is that they are wrapped with silk at the ball end, which is good for delicate or older instruments. I would recommend these for people who want the easiest to play strings. Otherwise the LaBella 710L strings sound similar and aren't quite so light.Chris

Looking at the description, I wasn't sure if it had "silk" threads underneath the wrap wire. On the Martin website, "silked" seemed to refer to the windings at the ball end. I took a string apart and, indeed, it is a true silk and steel. I'm using them on a very old Gibson flat top with many repaired cracks. Also, my hands seem to be degrading where normal strings are too high tension.Roy

Smoother, more comfortable to play than typical wound strings. OK, silky, if you will. Price is higher, though, and they have a shorter lifespan. Before they wear out, they sound good.Ned

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

D'addario EJ26 Phosphor Bronze guitar strings are very good. I have played this strings for years. D'addario is a very trusted brand among guitar players. They are always consistent great sound and playability. They are comfortable on the fingers and they last a good while. The longevity of strings all depends on how much and how often you play. Phosphor Bronze have a warm smooth tone. If you are looking for great sounding strings look no farther than D'addario EJ26 Phosphor Bronze strings.Travis

I have used various D'Addario strings since the early 80s. I was 'aware' of them in the 70s but I typically used Fender strings on electrics and Martin on acoustics. I have always maintained that D'Addario strings are cheap, plentiful, and get the job done. The argument could be made that there are better strings out there ("boutique" strings) but D'Addarios are available in any music store and they are consistently good. I think I only had one or two sets where the unwound strings were nasty…. they looked 'kinked' and didn't sound right. One or two sets out of how many hundreds of sets?? As to these particular strings, I have a 1947 Gibson L-5 and it just feels more 'right' with caveman strings. I'm not one of those 30s rhythm players that go runka chunka all day long, I play it like any other guitar, and it begs for heavy strings. D'Addario has them available….not everyone does, ya know. I'm happy with the company's products, across the board.ksdaddy

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

Smooth to play, definitely less tension but tone? Not sure! The tone has certainly changed and maybe not for the better. May go back to my normal Martin strings.John A.

At 79 I'm looking for maximum comfort – the MA130FX silk&phosphor strings allow me to continue playing large steel strung accoustics when conventional strings no longer worked for me..C. T.

I got the first set of these as a gift and put them on one of my guitars. When I played the guitar it seemed a lot easier to play, silky smooth, and sounded very good. I would not think that strings could make that big of a difference but they do. I feel just like Yngwie ripping up the fret board. I just bought 10 more sets so I don't have to wait for them anymore, the strings are popular and last time I ordered they took 4-6 weeks. I would highly recommend them if you want to play hard rock, metal or just melt some face any day of the week.kenny-g-guitars

These strings are awesome. I am a die hard EVH user. I own 27 guitars and have EVH strings on all of them. But I am now migrating towards these strings. Some of my top model guitars are strung with Yngwie strings. I buy them whenever I can. They feel great and sound even better. If Yngwie actually uses this product, I can see why. They feel great under my fingers when I play like Yngwie.sjk5150

I took a chance with these strings and was Not let down. I wish I would have bought more packs of Darco strings instead of trying other popular brands.string buyer

Overall: Got a couple sets of the extra light (D930) strings put one of the sets on my Gretsch G5425. Easy on, tunes well and after stretching the strings it holds tune very well. The bass is strong and no too overpowering and the treble was bright without being tinny. The middle was a little underwhelming at times, but I'm not sure if it was the strings or the amp I was using. When I changed amps there were no issues. I would definitely use these again. Next up will be trying a set out on my Les Paul, after I burn up the strings on it.Steve

These came installed on my new Epiphone J-45 and man do they sing. Nice bass response and they are not tinny sounding, got the just right acoustic sound. They are coated and to me they make it easier to play. As I haven't played them for that long I'll have to see how they hold up. One other reviewer gave them 3 stars but if you read the review, he was complaining about the shipping time and even said he hadn't tried them. I find it hard to believe that it was AMS's fault for the delay, they always ship super fast. We were (and still are) getting slammed by Covid and delivery times by carriers were way behind in September when that review was written.Greg 'Purple' Hays

I like to keep my J45 Gibson guitar all "Gibson", so I use Gibson coated strings. They sound great and last a long time. Other coated strings are nice too but the Gibson strings just seem to sound brighter and louder.Guy

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 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.

I took a chance with these strings and was Not let down. I wish I would have bought more packs of Darco strings instead of trying other popular brands.string buyer

diese Saiten spielen sich sehr gut und klingen Obertonreich und haben den echten spanischen Sound. Man kann damit alles spielen, von Classic ber Tarrega bis Flamenco6618ralf

klanglich und haptisch bertreffen diese Saiten alles was ich vorher gespielt habe. Die Diskant quietschen anfangs etwas, verschwindet aber6618ralf

I have a love/hate relationship with these strings. First of all, they are LOUD! Equipping a concert instrument with these will (finally!) give a player a fighting chance of matching the projection of our arco cousins. But beyond volume, the tone is simply incredible; beautiful and complex. The basses have tremendous layers of harmonics that compliment their strong fundamentals, and their even tension means intonation is quite good up the neck. The treble strings are what give the product its name, though, Made from a sugarcane polymer (a bio-derived polyethylene), the trebles each carry their own personality. Uniformity was apparently not the goal here- and that is not a complaint! The 3rd (G) string is shockingly clear and vibrant- far superior to the lifelessness tone usually attributed to this string in their nylon and carbon varieties. You will definitely want to re-voice melodic material to exploit this clarity (and welcome the reduction in position shifting). The 2nd (B) string shares the 3rd's clarity, and matches well while giving the notes a noticeably lighter personality. The 1st (E) string can be a bit temperamental; even a small kink introduced when stringing will keep the string from ringing clear and introduce profound ghost harmonics. But assuming stringing goes perfectly, the 1st string rewards with a snappy and percussive character that sacrifices a touch of sustain for vibrancy, as well as effortless, vocal-like vibrato. But alas, nothing is perfect. While I already mentioned the fragility of the 1st string, it must be noted that all the strings in this set are incredibly soft (in terms of their resistance to wear) and unless you are playing on perfectly smooth and polished frets, you can expect de-lamination of the basses to occur within a month, and noticeable wear on the trebles as well. Granted, this may be a symptom of the unfortunate trend to use (ghastly!) stainless steel frets on modern instruments as opposed to more traditional materials, so if you have frets made of softer metal (e.g., nickel/copper) this may be a non issue. But the greatest issue with these strings is, without doubt, the dreaded "squeak." Yes, the trebles squeak terribly while they are settling in, and sometimes even longer. This can be mitigated to an extent by constant playing and using hand lotion. Some players have suggested using very gentle buffing of the strings (1000 grit or higher sand paper) in order to remove the squeak, but given the fragility of the 1st string, this requires great caution. Buffing the strings does, however, improve purchase of the fingers, which is another area where this string set has shortcomings. Appoyando feels very slick- perhaps too slick!- and does take some adjusting not to over articulate. Tirando is fine up to a point, but considering the aforementioned lack of finger purchase, this could make faster passages impossible without conditioning the strings (not to mention immaculate fingernail grooming). But alas, the tone is the thing! If you are willing to treat these strings with far more care and consideration than a typical nylon or carbon set (venturing into the same gnatty level of detail and ritual usually reserved for authentic gut) you will be rewarded with a richness and variety of tone unmatched by other sets. Particularly, the profound variation from sul tasto to sul pont. is profound; even a slight change in positioning will reveal new colors. Pair that with the individual characteristics of the treble strings, and you get a set of strings that rewards the diligent player willing to explore where they can take their music.Mason L.

On paper, these strings sounded like a great concept but in my experience I found they were one-dimensional and really lost their bite very quickly. I have used other Cleartone strings and liked them, but these just did not do it for me especially at $12 a set.Bert

i bought a set of these because i loved their phosphor bronze strings and wanted to see if the mixing of metal types for different strings had any merit to it or was just a gimmick and since they were a little cheaper than the phosphor bronze. Well i liked them better than the all phosphor bronze strings, so i bought a set of these in the custom light gauge to try as well. Right now it's a toss up for me whether these are the best for me or the Santa Cruz parabolic tension strings both are pretty great.JImK

Most of the time strings are basically the same, as far as sound. I like their approach on these strings, really fine tune the sound. So far I like them, but have not recorded with them yet. Good buy.HARLEY

I discovered these strings by a lucky accident. Now I use them on all my acoustic guitars. I feel that they improve the tone considerably especially on my slim bodied electro acoustic. Although I am not an expert,and unable to comment on longevity and durability, I recommend them.John F.

Great for bends on an acoustic. Not quite as loud as elevens, but you’d expect that. I have wound G on my Telecaster, so having equivalent sets allows easy transition between playing the Tele v playing the acoustic.Richard P.

I’m actually really glad that I’ve been given the opportunity to write this review… I recently had my main Breedlove acoustic looked at by our local tech here in Gibsland Jon, I have been trying different string types for about two months and couldn’t quite get the sound I’ve been chasing. I don’t use the other bright brand that cost a bit because it sheds and I find other things I don’t like about the big E John told me you’ve gotta have a go at these mate… After considerable pressure I brought a set and I still can’t believe how great my guitar sounds every time I play which is every day. The people I work with have all been saying to me that I sound great all of a sudden. So I’ve just found my absolute go to new set of strings. And I buy from Mannys out of principle, because I’m 62 and they’ve been around… Just like me ha ha hahMark M.

I waited a few weeks before submitting this review because I wanted to see if these strings lived up to the promises. I have to say I am not disappointed. They sounded great (as you would expect) when I first restrung my guitar. However here I am, several weeks later and there is no noticeable deterioration in the sound quality, whatsoever. For the past year or so I have been using Ernie Ball Earthwood Phosphor Bronze which are excellent but these are better. Yes, at first glance, they seem expensive but given their longevity, they are a good buy.Mr T. J.