Strings. Which company?

[Stevepage]

So I've been a huge fan of D'addario strings for ever. They're perfect in tone and they usually last me months (I don't sweat that much).

But recently, strings keep breaking on me and it's not my guitars.

Strings snapping and unwrapping at the ball end as well as breaking at the tuning post all on sets of strings only a couple of weeks old.

So because of this, I'm thinking of using a different brand.

I've been looking at DR's, SIT, Dunlop and Elixir. Any one have an opinion on these? I'm tempted to go Elixir because I've had good experiences before.

[Johnny Mac]

I used DRs for a few years and changed strings on my Feline Lion last week to D'adarrio.  They wont stay in tune in this guitar so I'm going back to DRs. They're a bit more but they last for ages.

Strings direct do a good mail order service too.

[Philly Q]

Interesting you mentioned D'Addario, they were on Newsnight last night in a feature about US/international companies trying to compete in the Chinese market.

Apparently they've switched some of their Chinese production back to the US - wonder if that includes the strings?  :lol:

[hermetico]

I think what your really need is to lubricate every site where the strings enter in contact. You can also file those with a very fine one.
Use graphite grease or something similar.

[Stevepage]

I always lubricate the nut and bridge with big bends nut sauce, which helps with tuning stability. But these strings are breaking in places where they don't come into contact with anything

[tomjackson]

I've just gone back to D'addario actually, they have a deeper less bright tone than some, seem to last and the 11's on my strat are easy to bend.  I'm sure there's better but it's a pain finding out....

[dragonfire709]

I've recently switched to the Feline strings. I was using Ernie Balls for years, but with the amount of gigging im doing at the mo it was costing a fortune. I cant tell a difference between them, they're a little bit cheaper and I'd rather support a small local ish company.

Cheers

Roy

[FELINEGUITARS]

I've recently switched to the Feline strings. I was using Ernie Balls for years, but with the amount of gigging im doing at the mo it was costing a fortune. I cant tell a difference between them, they're a little bit cheaper and I'd rather support a small local ish company.

Cheers

Roy

Thanks Roy
Our strings are made for us here in the UK by Picato
I have been very pleased with them and we're able to be pretty sensible price wise

[MDV]

Newtone here.

Longish lead time on the custom stuff, but you can get normal sets from strings direct, they last donkeys, sound great and I've never broken one (save when some roundwound unravelled when I cut the ball end off, I winged about it and they said 'they do that, someone should have told you, we'll send replacements that dont' - I've never broken one in action).

After that GHS are my favourites, but they dont do gauges I need. 

[38thBeatle]

I was given a lot of sets DR's recently. Haven't yet had occasion to put them on but I look forward to doing so. Hitherto I have been using Rotosounds as my local store lets me have 3 packs for the price of two. I have been quite happy with the quality.

[LazyNinja]

I get Rotos for the free extra e string  :lol:

[WezV]

I get Rotos for the free extra e string  :lol:

which you wouldnt need with another brand :P

i had had so many sets of roto's break on string up, really dont like them

newtone's if i have time for the order, DR's behind that but more often than not i end up with d'addarios  when i am popping into the local shop to have a chat.  Tried to get them to stock newtone's, especially since its a local company

[Lew]

I'm using Rotos at the mo as they came in a bkp box, hope they don't break!

[Roobubba]

I have some custom sets of Baritones on order from Newtone - looking forward to finding out hat all this fuss it about :)
For now, I'm using D'Addarios - they last AGES, and I like the tone of them.

Roo

[MDV]

I get Rotos for the free extra e string  :lol:

With rotos you should get a free extra set. I've had a roto 52 break in literally 5 minutes.