I've played guitar for 5-6 years, I've never taken lessons and it shows, I suck.  Just wondering if some of the more knowledgeable players could tell me about certain strings to try out. 

 

Cheers.

Depends on what sound you want man.  11's or heavier, flatwound will give you that plunky surf tone that you've heard on countless records.  Dick Dale uses flat 13's.  Rounds are brighter and have a thinner tone than flatwound. D'Addario flats are around 13 bucks, wound are about 8.  Save some dough and try 'em all-the string and gauge will find you.

I always used GHS 010.
They're cheap and turn rusting without breaking.

Try Elixir, they are twice as much as most strings but they last four times as long, you do the math.

I guess if you're already in love with the guitar, you could take lessons. But if I had taken lessons back then, I definitely wouldn't be playing anymore. Iwould have hated it as a metal addicted teen. But it's true, there are many things I want to play but can't. On the other hand, I learn stuff by trying to play along to songs I love and try to imitate those guys (recently I'm trying to figure out all this old blues stuff). So - no lessons, but progression anyway.

 

And thanks to you guys for the expertise, that's some things I'll consider next time I buy strings.

 

Cheers, Doc

Thicker strings are good for surf? thats crazy aha

Whats the difference in sound between flatwound and Round wound?

Jamie said:

What the string is made of will also affect the sound. I believe in the 50s and early 60s strings were usually pure nickel and usually higher gauge than modern strings. Now strings are made in lighter gauges and you can get nickel plated steel or pure nickel. Steel being a bit brighter and pure nickel being a bit warmer. I tend to use Ernie Ball Rock n Rolls 11s.

 

If you're playing surf I would definitely go with higher gauges. A lot of retro types are into flatwound strings too (think early George Harrison). I've never tried them so I'll let someone else share their opinion.

What the string is made of will also affect the sound. I believe in the 50s and early 60s strings were usually pure nickel and usually higher gauge than modern strings. Now strings are made in lighter gauges and you can get nickel plated steel or pure nickel. Steel being a bit brighter and pure nickel being a bit warmer. I tend to use Ernie Ball Rock n Rolls 11s.

 

If you're playing surf I would definitely go with higher gauges. A lot of retro types are into flatwound strings too (think early George Harrison). I've never tried them so I'll let someone else share their opinion.

I have played for almost 30 years (you'd never know by hearing me play though) and pretty much have only played 60s/70s punk with a 5-6 year stint playing hardcore in the 80s. I have always played Ernie Ball Super Slinkys. They last, they're cheap and they sound good (trashy). The lighter the gauge the more trebly your guitar is going to sound - just something to keep in mind. I used to use a B string in place of my high E (always breaking it) but I gave that up a few years ago. It will beef up your sound.

 

I started taking lessons recently only because I wanted to learn some techniques/styles that were completely eluding me on my own. Other than that, I don't think that lessons are all that important.

Yeah, heavier strings sound better on electric too.  Fenders play heavier than other guitars.  So if you like the feel of 11's on a Gibson, get 10's or an 11/10 custom gauge for the Fender.  I like some of the custom gauges, but stock up, since those get discontinued without warning. As far as brand, Dean Markley, Ernie Ball and DR are all good names. And there's nothing wrong with skipping official lessons. Learn from your friends, and from playing along with awesome music.

Hi!

 

I was always playing the cheapest strings I could get here in my town. Then I discovered that Thomann had Ernie Balls for pretty little money, and since I've heard of them back then, I now play those. Can't tell the difference in sound really, but they last longer than the cheap ones, and maybe they sound clearer and more poewerful. But that may be wishful thinking.

 

For my acoustic guitar, I use the thickest strings I can get (.13) - this may hurt a bit, but my guitar sounds that much fuller and richer and louder and more powerful. With the electric guitar I'm not so sure if that's also the case. Maybe the specialists here know about that.

 

Cheers, Doc