Duncan came out with strings.

[Note Milker]

hopefully no shrinkflation on the strings. like you open the pack and there's only 5 strings or the strings arent long enough

9's are the new 10's. And a little bit shorter. No need to cut off anything, lucky of you can stretch them enough to get a half wrap around the post. New mandate coming from Greta, locking tuners only. No more 3 wraps around the post. Top wrap is banned. Shipped with no pack, just some used dental floss to hold the set together. It's only funny for now.

My new Gibson vintage reissue nickels just came in. Fine print on the bottom of the pack says Elgin. Vacuum packed in plastic. In a cardboard box. Maybe they're old stock. I'm going to carefully burn that
packaging, protect the turtles. And feed my hungry trees all that precious carbon. Hope they sound as good as the DRs, twice the price. Shrinkflation damnation.

 

[ArchEtech]

I’ve used all types. I still often go back to Earnie and change them out frequently.

 

[cmjohnson]

I'm trying out D'Addario pure nickel wound strings starting today. I''ve used the standard D'Addario XL110s for decades, and decided to try the pure nickels out.

They're fresh and very bright sounding. Brighter than I remember fresh XL110s sounding. (The nickels are the same gauge set.)

I'll have more of a feel for them after they mellow out a few days.

Comparing well broken in strings to fresh strings is not going to be an easy comparison.

Fortunately my body chemistry is such that strings never rust as long as I'm the only person that plays them. Not even the plain strings. But I have a friend whose sweat is so corrosive I nicknamed him Alien. He can play fresh strings today and tomorrow they're fully rusted from nut to tailpiece.

 

[gball]

I have given up trying "new" strings. For many years I tried all kinds of different strings, always checked out the latest-greatest thing (Snake Oil, Rev Willy, various coated, etc) and always ended up back with GHS Boomers. They simply suit me perfectly in tone and feel so no need to keep searching.

 

[Note Milker]

My new gibson nickels are still in the box. I did get rid of the Kluson revoution lockers. Back to the Schallers it had when I got it. My r7 has become my test mule. It was modded when I got it, now I don't feel bad for changing things. New strings next, it will be hard to compare. Hoping for an improvement of some kind. The dr highbeams have been good for many years...

 

[zontar]

I use relic strings…

 

[Note Milker]

Finally put the new new nickels on my r7. It was a late one. Played through my night rig. Gibson les paul jr. amp on one side, badcat mini on the other. Nice blend of pedals from moog, mxr, fulltone.... The strings feel good, broke them in with some bends. Today will be the test with the big rig.

 

[Note Milker]

Update on the Gibson vintage nickels.. I like them, played a lot yesterday through the big rig. Fingers turned black. I run 10's, the set came in a nice vacuum sealed bag. They have a nice lively feel. Snappy feel, nice smooth bends. I beat them up pretty good, they stay in tune just fine. I was getting really nice pinch harmonics, all over the place! Overall a good balanced tone, not too bright, enough harmonics to keep things interesting. No sticky feel. Good sustain... Happy with these.

Big rig is a '74 hiwatt 100w with a hitone 4x12 gilmore looking cab, fake cresendos on one side. '76 jmp 50w with a big m cab, 4x12 heritage 20w greenbacks. Had it with an old carl martin plexitone, mxr carbon copy on one side, cattlebread echorec on the other. Fulltone choral flange, through a boss DD20 set for ping pong. Fuck! Then a tc nova reverb in church. Oh, fulltone clyde delux just for shits and giggles. Fulltone deja vibe for some crazy stoney Frank Marino feel... Damn. That's a lot. I never get bored.

So the strings work. About twice the price of the DR high beams, I'll use the gibsons on the r9, oxblood and r7. DR on the strats...

 

[mjross]

I use relic strings…

Years ago one of the best guitarists I’ve ever played with told me he only changes strings if he breaks them. The strange part about this is that his tone was amazing!

 

[Note Milker]

I only change them when they break. I rotate guitars and strings get expensive. 9 strats, 5 les pauls, 3 teles, handfuls of others... Basses. I just wipe them down and grab the next guitar. They come alive in my hands, no dead strings. Your friend was right!

 

[mjross]

I only change them when they break. I rotate guitars and strings get expensive. 9 strats, 5 les pauls, 3 teles, handfuls of others... Basses. I just wipe them down and grab the next guitar. They come alive in my hands, no dead strings. Your friend was right!

I have a few guitars and I hear where you are coming from! However, if I’m doing a steady gig, I like to change them often!