You can still get the gold strings, changed their name from Maxima to Optima.
Just google it, they're available in quite a few places.
Brian May and a few others use them, it seems. I've used them but my playing on the Strat at least, needs the bass strings to twang a bit down low, and they weren't doing so with the Optimas, the attack was too soft. Never found anything to beat Slinkys for my playing.