Everyone has their favorite guitar string. Why they have that particular string as a favorite is a complex subject. Obviously no one can try all of the guitar strings available, so how do we get to a point where we can say that a particular string is our favorite?
Most often it is from a magazine ad or a web endorsement by someone the guitarist in question idolizes. We also talk to one another and share opinions. I recently saw two gentleman guitarists almost come to blows over whether Elixirs are better than Ernie Ball strings. These guys need to get off the net and go practice chord inversions or something. Seriously...
I have an American Standard Telecaster that I adore. The original strings on it were very nice, and communicated everything about the sound that I had come to love. The US standard Telecaster comes with Fender Standard Tension ST250L, Nickel Plated Steel, light gauge . They are great strings but the folks on the Telecaster forums (You can link to the Telecaster forums HERE) thought that they didn't last very long if you are playing a lot. I practice almost every day, and usually perform every weekend, so longevity is important for me.
Elixir makes a couple of variants of coated strings (polyweb vs nanoweb) and while I use them on my Taylor, and Fender acoustic guitars, I have never been very impressed with them on my electrics. They sound great and hold up forever, but they are a little too slippery for the style of lead that I play. I like to be able to manipulate the strings without slipping off. One of the folks over at the forum pointed out that they had been very happy with D'Addario EXP110 regular light strings. They are coated similar to the strings from Elixir, but I think they are a little less slippery.
The tone from the EXP's is crisp and dry. It sets a nice baseline for a twangy guitar like the Telecaster. I also put a set on my Yamaha AEX hybrid, which is notoriously brash and thin on the piezo pickup. The EXP's were actually able to tame some of the brashness out of the guitar because there are so many subtle undertones that the ear simply isn't assaulted by so much of the same frequency. They really are a great string.
Settle in time seems to be about the same as other strings with some stretching going on for a while until they stabilize, but it is on par with the Elixirs. All in all I would recommend trying a set on your favorite electric. They are about $10 online, (I bought mine from Amazon), and I think they are definitely worth the money. I'm was not a fan before I tried these strings, but now I am hooked.
You can link to D'Addario's website HERE.
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