Guitar Strings

[Mr Pig]

Any of you chimps know anything about guitar strings? I'm fixing up a cheap, made in China, Telecaster for my son and need to buy strings. You can get good deals on multiple packs on eBay so I was thinking of stocking up on them as he has four electric guitars now and no spare strings.

Choice is between Daddario EXL110 10/46, ADAGIO PRO The Finest 9-42w or ERNIE BALL SUPER SLINK. I've just put a set of Elixir Nanoweb onto one of his guitars, they seem good, but they're very expensive.

Also, what's the best size? I figured 10/46 but I know nothing!

Any advice would be great, thank you :0)

 

[Headgardener]

I would think Big would be the one to answer that one.

 

[Machine-gun-mike]

Hi mate, First of all Earnies slinkys are real slippy and make bending as easy and fun as eating a fruit corner upside down. but Daddario do have a set designed for the Telec. slightly heavier gauge for better life and resonance, Again depending on your pick-ups and style of playing, 9s are a bit skinny to be using dont have much sound to them, so id reccomend Daddario, Best in the business. Personal opinion, im mainly acoustic.

 

[ComedyPilot]

I thought this was going to be another shaving thread.

 

[Mr Pig]

slinkys are real slippy and make bending as easy and fun as eating a fruit corner upside down.

Interesting, I would never have thought of that. Are the Elixir ones the same? They're coated so that they last longer.

 

[Rhythm Thief]

D'addario tens are good, and good value at about £35 for ten sets somewhere on ebay. That's where I get mine from. I wouldn't bother with Elixirs for an electric guitar. You don't need special sets for a Telecaster, or any other sort of guitar, any nickel wound steel strings will do. D'addarios, incidentally, are sealed in a plastic bag, which means they won't go "stale" while you're waiting to use them.

 

[johnnyh]

get some tension in that truss rod and slap some 10's on

 

[Mr Pig]

get some tension in that truss rod and slap some 10's on

Elaborate? You mean flatten the neck? I thought 10's were more or less standard?

 

[johnnyh]

as in most guitars coming in from the Chinese factories will arrive with 9's on and as such little stress through the neck... go easy when adjusting the truss rod in a cheap neck to compensate for 10's.

 

[Mr Pig]

Ah. Would not have thought of having to adjust the neck for thicker strings. Thank you.

 

[johnnyh]

only 1/4 to half turns at a time, and then when finished set the intonation

 

[Mr Pig]

...and then when finished set the intonation

I need to set up the whole guitar! At he moment it's in bits. I stripped the orange finish off the neck and re-lacquered it. I stripped the sunburst off the body and it's in the middle of getting painted transparent yellow.

New three-ply black pick-guard to replace the single-ply white one. New bone nut to replace the plastic one. Wilkinson compensated brass Tele saddles. Roller trees.

I still need to get new tuners, the originals were terrible. Probably Wilkinson Kluson-style EZ-lock ones.

Hoping the compensated saddles will help intonation, from the factory the set-up was rubbish, non-existent.

 

[delb0y]

In 35 years of playing and gigging I've never had any need to adjust the truss rod when swapping between 9s and 10s. Maybe on a very cheap guitar there may be a need for adjustment, but I don't think that'll be down to the choice bewteen those two guages of strings.

I love the sound and feel of new strings - and also found I'd start to break them after two gigs - so I get through a lot, as I always like to change the entire set together. I swore by Rotosound for years, then Ernie Ball, but recently put a set of Elixirs on my Strat and have been blown away by them. Expensive, for sure (months later), but so far they remain feeling and sounding brand new. I'm seriously impressed with them and will be experimenting further.

Used to use D'Addario on my acoustics, but the last few sets I've bought (and am still using up) have been awful. I don't know if I just got a bad batch or whether something's changed.

Regards,
Del

 

[Rhythm Thief]

In 35 years of playing and gigging I've never had any need to adjust the truss rod when swapping between 9s and 10s.

Me neither.

 

[Mr Pig]

it sounds like you should've gone for a better guitar from the start to me.

Absolutely. I bought the SX telecaster from a seller in Belgium as they get rave revues on Telecaster forums and everywhere else, as good as a Fender, blah, blah, blah. It cost £60 and I got what I paid for! Add £25 for shipping and the cost of the parts I'm buying and I could've easily bought a better guitar in the shops for the same money. He's got three other guitars in the same sort of price bracket and they're all better, the Westfield SG and Lag Roxanne especially. You live and learn.

As a project it's a good learning experience though. I've bought two books on repairing and setting up guitars and I'm quite enjoying it. Just hope it works ok when it's done!

My son likes the Elixir but they're three times the price of other strings! If he wants those he can buy them.