Strings reviews from Reddit
Summary
We analyzed 191 Reddit reviews across 23 subreddits and 61 posts to rank the best Strings brands recommended by redditors, including communities like r/gibson, r/Bass, r/AcousticGuitar, r/Guitar, r/10s. Top-rated brands include D'Addario (4.3/5), Elixir (4.6/5), Ernie Ball (4.2/5).
Stats
Reviews191
Subreddits23
Posts61
Brands40
Products77
191 reviews from
and
By Brand
/By Product
#1
D'Addario
4.3
(52)
"I run the coated 11/53s (might be 52, I'm not at home) on every acoustic I own. They're wonderful."
"I recently discovered D’addario’s wound 3rd Electric set “EXL115W”."
"I’ve never had a ‘bad’ string from them."
"They hold up well, really, really sing on bends."
"They handle abuse and my specific sweat composition really well."
"Now I love d'addario strings, either XL or NYXL."
"Whatever coating they put on there makes them last forever."
"Last a while, take a beating, good variety of gauges, and sound great."
"Great for electric."
"I definitely recommend those."
#2
Elixir
4.6
(25)
"I'm a big fan of Elixir's."
"I’d suggest some elixirs, string joys, d Addarios, ernie balls, martins, Gibsons, fenders, dunlops, drs, black diamonds, and maybe GHSs."
"I just got a jr2s and it came with elixir 12s on it, and they sound great."
"I strongly recommend Elixirs Phosphor Bronze .11-.52. IMHO, they are the best option for your problem."
"ONLY coated Elixirs."
"I always buy Elixir.. they last a lot longer!!"
"They're more expensive but last much longer."
"I use elixirs because the second my drummer counts off I begin sweating out every ounce of fluid in my body."
"For what it’s worth, I haven’t tried Elixirs on my electric, but they made my acoustic sound huge."
"I switched to Elixir Nano webs and never looked back."
#3
Ernie Ball
4.2
(24)
"I've always used Ernie Ball Super Slinky. Their Regular Slinky strings are also very good if you prefer a heavier gauge."
"Ernie Ball. Super Slinky. Still the best."
"Ernie Ball Regular Slinky for me."
"I mainly play metal and I love em'. Never had issues with them so I'd recommend you stick to them."
"Ernie Ball Slinky are my favourite."
"I settled on Earned Ball Slinky 9s a few years ago and that is perfect for me."
"I use Ernie Ball Super Slinkys."
"I switched to using Ernie Ball electric strings."
"Budget - 7 string Power Slinky"
"Try EB Cobalts."
#4
DR
4.4
(9)
"Now I go with them almost solely. Plus they have some neon coated strings that glow in the dark a bit."
"I will upvote the DR’s. I’ve been using them since the early 90’s."
"I used to swear by SS strings but now love the DR Pure Blues."
"I have sworn by DR strings for 2 decades now."
"DR Pure Blues."
"I’ve started using DR 10-46s and like them."
"DR Dragonskin 13s will do it."
"I always used DR fat beams on my 4001."
#5
Martin
4.1
(7)
"My personal favorites are Martin Kovar Luxe custom lights. 11-52. They sound great, bend nicely, and take forever to rot."
"I use the nickel Martins. I prefer them to any of the bronze strings."
"I like Martin Silk & Steel."
"Personally i really like Martin Retro strings if you are looking for any recommendations"
"Martin retro monel strings."
"They sound more mellow to me than phosphor bronze or other popular strings."
"The Martin silk and steels are nice but there are others to explore."
#6
La Bella
4.3
(6)
"A lot of people recommend La Bella 760f-Mus."
"I recommend the Labella Deep Talkin' 760F-MUS strings."
"Labella “Beatle Bass” flats are made specifically for those hoffies."
"Here’s some La Bella Deep Talkin’ flats advertised as medium scale."
"Make strings specifically sized for the 500/1 and 500/2."
"I'm not going for La Bella's higher gauge."
#7
GHS
3.8
(6)
"I’ve been using GHS boomers for 20+ years."
"I prefer GHS boomers."
"GHS nickel rockers 10-46."
"Great strings, especially for those with a 35" scale."
"They’ve been consistent since the eighties."
"Don’t know why, but I’m stuck on GHS Boomers."
#8
Solinco
4.6
(5)
"The TL;DR is Solinco Outlast, but it's well worth reading through to understand how they arrived at that answer."
"Generally considered one of the best at tension maintenance and spin."
"The best strings I've had for all three of the above."
"Solinco coft, alu power,4g the usual suspects."
"Strings i typically use are Solinco or Tru Pro."
#9
Rotosound
4.5
(4)
"Get some Rotosounds and be done with it!"
"Been a firm fan of Rotosounds for 15+ years now."
"I dig Rotosounds alot."
"Rotos, imo the stainless steel strings age in a much more even and pleasant way than nickel plated ones"
#10
Natural Gut
5.0
(3)
"Natural gut mains / 4g crosses for the goat setup."
"I just use natural gut."
"Ditch the poly. Use a multifilament. Natural gut is the softest if you have the $."
#11
John Pearse
4.7
(3)
"Dude, have you tried John Pearse strings?"
"Give John Pearse strings a shot."
"Try John Pearse strings."
#12
Dunlop
4.7
(3)
"Personally, Dunlop NYXLs have the best feel and lifespan of string packs."
"They're killer, it's actually 7 strings , 10-46, with a 52 in case you like a bigger E string for drop tuning."
"I prefer Dunlop Electric Nickel Performance + 09/42 gauge."
#13
SIT
4.3
(3)
"After 30 years of D'addario 10s, I switched to SIT. They're great and really do stay in tune."
"I switched to SIT. They're great and really do stay in tune."
"I've been using SIT strings for quite a few years, they last a long time and still sound good after some extended use."
#14
Larsen
4.3
(3)
"My favorite combination of strings is Larsen Magnacore A+D and Spirocore C+G"
"They’ve done well."
"I like the Larsen A and D, and then Magnacore for the G and the C."
#15
Thomastik-Infeld
5.0
(2)
"I like them a lot and they do fit."
"Im partial to the Thomastik-Infelds. Nickel wound. Very dark and thunky."
#16
Prim
4.5
(2)
"You might want to give Prim strings a try."
"I really like the Prim fiddle strings."
#17
Evah Pirazzi
4.5
(2)
"Currently set up with Evah Pirazzi weichs on my Kay M1."
"I just switched to evah pirazzi weichs on my bass."
#18
LaBella
4.5
(2)
"I have the "gold" LA Bella DTFs on my 35" scale BTB1806, which I keep tuned a semitone flat, and they feel/ sound great."
"I love LaBella DTFs but keep in mind that they have super high tension."
#19
Jargar
4.5
(2)
"I now use the same combo on all of my cellos; a Testore, a Vuillaume and a Luis&Clark carbon fiber: Jargar Superior Forte A & D."
"Max warmth, great resonance, a sort of characteristic dark chocolate sound."
#20
Stringjoy
4.5
(2)
"Great tone, tuning stability, and they last as long as Elixir."
"Try Stringjoy Mediums."
#21
Spirocore
4.0
(2)
"It's hard to go wrong with Spirocores."
"I use Spirocores for jazz."
#22
Head Velocity MLT
4.0
(2)
"Really like head velocity mlt mains and restring sync crosses."
"Head Velocity MLT is a decently powered multi."
#23
Martin Retro
4.0
(2)
"Martin Retros. They take a week or so to mellow out."
"I like the Martin Retros."
#24
Luxilon Alu Power
4.0
(2)
"The most common Blade setups you’ll see will involve Alu Power or Hyper G."
"I feel like Alu power would be great in the blade."
#25
D'Addario NYXL
4.0
(2)
"If you like NYXL, you may as well try their bass strings too."
#26
d'Addario
3.5
(2)
"I swapped from EB 10's to d'Addario NYXL 10's."
"I go with D'addario. Specifically, im using the EXL115W."
#27
Dr DDT
5.0
(1)
"I've been using dr ddt mega heavy 13-65 for A standard on an epiphone g400."
#28
Darco
5.0
(1)
"Tried them out and they made me change my mind about selling my guitar!"
#29
Dave Mustaine
5.0
(1)
"My personal preference has came down to the 10-52."
#30
Prince
5.0
(1)
"By far the best bang for the buck multi out there."
#31
Thomastik
5.0
(1)
"Thomastik Jazz Flats are my fretless go tos."
#32
Gamut
4.0
(1)
"For HIP, you'll want unwound gut strings, like Gamut Tricolore, or Dlugolecki."
#33
TI
4.0
(1)
"TI's"
#34
StringJoy
4.0
(1)
"I would run a set of StringJoy Customs like 8/11/14/22/30/40/56."
#35
Hofner
4.0
(1)
"Prefer the latter."
#36
Pyramid
4.0
(1)
"Or Thomastic Infeld."
#37
Kalium
4.0
(1)
"Try Kalium Strings that's what I have been using."
#38
Apex
4.0
(1)
"Personally? I use Apex Traditional Cryros in 13-56, but I play in Drop H, and stay in that tuning."
#39
StringsByMail
3.0
(1)
"I would contact stringsbymail.com and see what they recommend."
#40
Yamaha
3.0
(1)
"Some guitars work better with certain strings (material, gauge), try several and find what you like most. With my FG800 I prefer uncoated 80/20 lights or even extra lights."
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