Do Guitar String Brands Make a Diffrenece

Well, yes and no. I don't think the actual brand is that important but there are different quality strings available for sure. I would tend to think that Martins are high quality acoustic guitar strings so they might help, but just being new strings you would hear a difference anyways.

Okay thanks, I may hold off on it because I may get a Takamine guitar soon.

I use bronze-phosphor on my martin. you know, they are martin brand. however, I do use other brands when replacing broken strings. I am not brand loyal, but I do like certain gauges, winds and metal make up in my strings.
for example, I only use nickel on my electrics.

Great, thanks for the info on that!

I've never replaced strings before, so we'll see what happens when I do :lol:

I think there are differences in the sound and the feeling. Perhaps the differences are in the models but sometimes the brand also influences. For acoustic I use "silk and steel". It is possible it does not maintain fresh a long time (it depends on each player and environment) but I like the sound.

Anyway, you will hear a big difference when you change the strings because if you didn't change the strings in three months the new ones will sound much fresh.

String brand is very very important. I tried loads of different brands until I found out which ones my guitar liked.

Ditto nylon strings for my classical work

A :-)

it is odd, your experience with Ernie Ball strings. they re my brand for electric guitar. I use 10-46 Super Slinky...the sick green package color. never had a single issue , except excellence. sorry to hear of your probs.
GHS is my brand for single string replacement.

String brands and the material used to make and wind the strings definitely make a difference. But a new player is not likely to be able to hear the difference.

Also, you should never keep your strings on for a long time. I change mine once a month (Epiphone Casino and Gibson ES-330 hollow body electrics). I know that when my strings wear, they tend to go flat in the higher frets. I read somewhere that it is due to the string becoming mis-shaped by rubbing on the frets.

FWIW here is my advice. Pick any brand and play them for a long time. Pick them for comfort on your hands. Then get used to the sound of those strings and after a few months, when you think you really know what they sound like, make a change and decide if you like the new strings better or not.

Eventually you will find what you like.

It is impossible for anyone else to make that decision for you, after all, it is your ears that you need to please. It just takes time and experience.

Insights and incites by Notes

I own one of those pre-packaged Epiphone acoustic/electric guitars that come with the amp and the strings and such, and was wondering about the strings.

The guitar has been great for the 3 months that I have owned it, but I was wondering if putting the martin strings on the guitar will make a difference in the sound. I think they are the same gague, but not too sure. The strings that are on it now are the ones that came already strung onto the guitar, and they had a set of Epiphone strings that came with it.

Any help would be great! Thanks!Just don't get ERNIE BALL STRINGS. Every single package I have purchased I have broken a string when changing them. even when a guitar tech was helping me he even broke an ernie ball string. but he gave me a new set of GHS strings for the set me he broke though.

Just my 2 cents.

Your guitar might have a bur in the nut or saddle.
I dont use Ernie balls as a full set I use Ernie balls as a single string replacement I like the Daddario strings.

OK you LP owners. What is your preference for string gauge?

I restrung and set up my new LP with EB hybrid 9's. Not sure if I like them on this guitar. Strings 1 - 3 sound thin. Thinking about going back the the 10's

I've got 9s on my Epi Les Paul. Ernie Ball I think.

I use 9's and I'm a Les Paul player from way back. Origionally it was beacuse my heroes used them but after 32 years, its habbit. I know 10's got a little better tone but they feel stiff to me and don't suite my style. Back to my origional post here though, it isn't the "brand" that makes the difference, it's the quality. :wink: I can honestly say that any big brand name string I have tried has been acceptable and I have seen cheap strings that I just could not tolerate on my guitar. I have tried Gibson and Fender, they were good. GHS Bomers are a favorite as well as Ernie Ball Slinky. I use D'Addario though as I can get them very cheap in boxes of 10 sets from Musicians Friend, down to $3 a set. Satch and Steve Via used them so I figured they must be OK. 8)

Lately I've been using D'Addario 9s. I've decided I like the nickel wound sound best with my setup, and in the corrosive South Florida Climate they seem to last longer before getting dull sounding. I change them about once a month.

I liked the sound of DDRs a little better, but not enough to justify the cost. Plus the D'Addarios come in packaging that is both more moisture proof (longer shelf life) and ecologically friendly (all the strings in one envelope) than the DDRs.

But the sound also depends on your guitar, FX, and amplification system.

I play either an Epiphone Casino or a Gibson ES-330 through a Zoom G1X FX/Amp-Simulator pedal direct into the PA on stage or into a small practice amp at home. I mostly play clean using the Fender Twin Reverb amp setting (although for different songs I use fuzz, wah and other amp simulations).

When you get right down to it though, what is great tone?

Is it Hendrix? Joe Pass? Santana? Herb Ellis? Ron Eschete? Slash? Albert King? Johnny Winter? Les Paul? Joe Walsh? Wes Montgomery? Bucky Pizzarelli? Clapton (SG or Fender days), and so on. There are so many things that affect the tone, your strings, your guitar, your FX, your amp, and even your fingers. As long as the tone is decent and appropriate for the music you want to play, what you play is much more important. The idea is to express an emotion from the artist to the art appreciator. If you can do that, it doesn't matter what brand of strings you put on your guitar.

On the other hand, you have to like the sound. And that is where experimenting with different brands comes in. If you please yourself, you are likely to play better music.

But at 3 months, you are still in the learning stages. At this time, comfort is more important. The finer points of tone will come out after you aren't spending so much time concentrating on where your fingers should be placed.

Insights and incites by Notes

I've never had a problem with Ernie Ball Strings breaking. I use slinky .10's on all 3 of my electrics and I pretty much never break strings.