What strings do you use and why? Plus Picks. Plus cables.

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Aquila Rossa
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What strings do you use and why? Plus Picks. Plus cables.

Post by Aquila Rossa »

As per thread title


For me, Ernie Ball Hybrid Slinkies on Gibson scale length gats and Super Slinkies on Strat scale length. (Hybrid is 9-46, Super is 9-42)

Slinkies seem to work well. Cheap enough and last well. Seem to not break much either. They feel good. They sound good. Better than others? I dunno, but I am always happy with them.

I always find heavier strings too bassy for my liking. I like a slinkier sound.

Picks? I like the Dunlop turtle ones best. Purple or green. Not got any atm tho. I like the pick attack of them, even thou they wear out fast.

Cables? Not too fussed as long as reliable. Got a fancy Fender Custom Shop one that was supposed to be the bee's knees, byut is a POS. Not very durable. My cables made by Ryan are far better. I want to try curly cables to see if the talk is true.

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Re: What strings do you use and why? Plus Picks. Plus cables.

Post by LucyTheSpud »

Elixir 10-46. I sweat like a mofo and rust through uncoated strings.

Planet Waves duralin 1mm precision picks. Durable as hell without being too heavy.

EWI cables. Never had one break, and all mine are blue so easy to identify.

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Re: What strings do you use and why? Plus Picks. Plus cables.

Post by Aquila Rossa »

LucyTheSpud wrote:Elixir 10-46. I sweat like a mofo and rust through uncoated strings.

Planet Waves duralin 1mm precision picks. Durable as hell without being too heavy.

EWI cables. Never had one break, and all mine are blue so easy to identify.
Band mates nicking your cables huh? Not a problem I have had to deal with for a long time. Tried Elixir. Sound good to me, even tho some say they do not. Last longer, but not long enough to justify the price for me. Three packs of Slinkies can be had dirt cheap online. Clean them after every jam and I get all least a couple of weeks from them. I do not like brand new strings. I like them to be worn in just a little.

Duralin? Never heard of it. What is the pick attack like?

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Re: What strings do you use and why? Plus Picks. Plus cables.

Post by JHorner »

EB slinky 10s on everything because I like them and buy in bulk

Dunlop Jazz III red because I find them comfortable not clicky and can see them on the floor

Dimarzio cables because having pulled apart a lot of cables their construction quality appears superior

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Re: What strings do you use and why? Plus Picks. Plus cables.

Post by LucyTheSpud »

Aquila Rossa wrote:
LucyTheSpud wrote:Elixir 10-46. I sweat like a mofo and rust through uncoated strings.

Planet Waves duralin 1mm precision picks. Durable as hell without being too heavy.

EWI cables. Never had one break, and all mine are blue so easy to identify.
Band mates nicking your cables huh? Not a problem I have had to deal with for a long time. Tried Elixir. Sound good to me, even tho some say they do not. Last longer, but not long enough to justify the price. Three packs of Slinkies can be had dirt cheap online. Clean them after every jam and I get all least a couple of weeks from them. I do not like brand new strings. I like them to be worn in just a little.

Duralin? Never heard of it. What is the pick attack like?
Not so much nicked, more if you have a giant box of xlr and jack cables, spotting the blue ones is easier.

And yea, they are more expensive and they do sound brighter. But i like them, and they last so much longer that the cost is actually cheaper for me.

Pick attack for days. I use the precision version that are sharper, so less contact with the string, more precise. But the duralin material is way harder than even tortex, and i use the 1mm picks so they feel heavier but still have bounce for funkier strumming.

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Re: What strings do you use and why? Plus Picks. Plus cables.

Post by jeremyb »

Elixir 10-46, feel nice under the fingers and last ages...

Dunlop Tortex Orange 0.60mm in Jazz III shape, mainly cause of John Frusciante, but I do seem to be getting thinner and thinner with my picks these days, was using the yellow 0.73mm ones but now enjoying a bit more flex in the 0.60mm for strumming and so forth...

Lava coily cables for guitar to amp or guitar to pedalboard, got a couple of them, totally awesome, and my pedalboard to amp ones are EWI ones... for my FRFR setup I use the dimarzio (I think) pro series xlr cables.
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Re: What strings do you use and why? Plus Picks. Plus cables.

Post by Aquila Rossa »

JHorner wrote:EB slinky 10s on everything because I like them and buy in bulk

Dunlop Jazz III red because I find them comfortable not clicky and can see them on the floor

Dimarzio cables because having pulled apart a lot of cables their construction quality appears superior
Bulk buy here too. Cost effective and nice knowing there is a stash of strings sitting there handy

Lots like those jazz picks. never thought about buying ones that are easy to spot. I am always losing them. Must be over a dozen laying around my gat setup here that i can not find.

Not tried Dimarzio cables. Capacitance is something i would like to experiment with. Get a bunch of difference rated cables and see if the difference is as great as some say.

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Re: What strings do you use and why? Plus Picks. Plus cables.

Post by Aquila Rossa »

The "Why?" we use certin options bit is harder than is sounds. Not sure why i like Slinkies, but just do. Not sure what it is i like about turtle picks and their attack either, just do.
"Lava coily cables for guitar to amp or guitar to pedalboard, got a couple of them, totally awesome,"
I want to try them. Supposed to tame the highs in a nice way.

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Re: What strings do you use and why? Plus Picks. Plus cables.

Post by H671 »

D'addario flatwounds 11-50 on all my archtops. last forever - most have been on for more than 5 years.
Acoustics are Elixr & Martin for 12 string.
Cables - Planet waves, Klotz, Whirlwind, plus a bunch el cheapos for home practice.
Picks are mostly Dunlop 1mm plastic.
Epiphone Riviera P93 & EJ200CE, Hagstrom Viking Bass, Doubleneck bass/guitar.
Rivera Clubster 45, Carvin AG100D, Ashton BSK158.

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Re: What strings do you use and why? Plus Picks. Plus cables.

Post by Vince »

I'm a bit of a special case, with the solo bass thing, I need a bright, crystal clear tone. I use Elixir phosphor bronze strings. I like that they stay fresh for longer. I used to use Martin SPs and liked the way that the sound gradually became fuzzier and thuddier but you could never be sure of where the strings were at, tonewise, before you started playing. The Elixirs deteriorate, but they can last me about three or four months as opposed to three or four weeks with the Martins.

Cables I have no preference, I mostly use a Proel one that's lasted me about 20 years.

Picks are Jimmy Dunlop .88s or 1mms. I like the grip and they don't click against the strings as much as other (like Fender) picks do.
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Re: What strings do you use and why? Plus Picks. Plus cables.

Post by Vince »

Aquila Rossa wrote: Lots like those jazz picks. never thought about buying ones that are easy to spot. I am always losing them. Must be over a dozen laying around my gat setup here that i can not find.
I got sick of losing picks and eventually put them all in a Stepsils tin. I buy a lot fewer picks these days,
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Re: What strings do you use and why? Plus Picks. Plus cables.

Post by Aquila Rossa »

Cables I have no preference, I mostly use a Proel one that's lasted me about 20 years.
I just bought a bunch of XLR cable from Jansen. Cheap enough, but seem well made enough too. I hope I get 20 years from them :)

Cable sellers amp up the difference a cable makes. Tbh, I have never noticed difference in tone between expensive cable and cheap ones. Reliability matters more to me. Still want to check these cable capacitance theories out for myself though. Could affect how the pickups load the amp and therefore the sound. Highs can be affected too so they say. One day maybe.

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Re: What strings do you use and why? Plus Picks. Plus cables.

Post by The Scarecrow »

Elixir Nanowebs in 10-46 for all guitars (I play in standard & Drop C)

Dunlop 1.0mm's for my entire life aside from a brief phase of 0.88's that still substitutes when i (rarely) play my acoustic. Anything else just feels weird. I have a box of unused other picks that I'll never use but have acquired one way or another. Might be 100+ in there now that I should probably just find and donate haha.

Monster cables I picked up in the USA about 10 years ago that sound better and last longer than anything else. Every other Proel or Planet Waves cable I've owned has died within a year.
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Re: What strings do you use and why? Plus Picks. Plus cables.

Post by Aquila Rossa »

I have a box of unused other picks that I'll never use but have acquired one way or another.
I used to be bad for tire kicking guitars in music shops when I was in my 20s and teens. Never had a pick, but left with one every time. :D

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Re: What strings do you use and why? Plus Picks. Plus cables.

Post by Polar Bear »

I use a combination of Elixir gauges on guitars. I'd been using 11-49 on everything, but have recently changed to 9-42 on my Strat, 10-46 on my 2 Les Pauls and 11-49s still on the 335 and Gretsch. I use the Elixirs as they last me between 3 months to a year, depending on the guitar. I'd be lucky to get 2 gigs out of a set of EBs in the past.

Pick wise I use Dunlop Jazz III Xls, sharp end, and the correct amount of flex (ie, not a lot). On acoustic I often use Tusq picks for a bit more chime and attack.

For cables I also only use EWI Premium. They are incredibly strong, no breaks in the entire time I've used them, and a lifetime warranty if anything out of the ordinary occurs.
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