MoreSpaceEcho wrote: Thu May 25, 2023 9:30 am Question: Is there anyone who uses D'addarios who likes their practice of packaging the strings in pairs? I absolutely cannot stand this, have hated it forever. Yes I know this is a dumb thing to be mad about but just let me be a grumpy old man.

I assumed it cut down on packaging and maybe kept costs down? I got used to it over time.

Me too, I just like to complain about it. It's gotta be for cutting down on packaging, which I can't argue with.

penningtron wrote: Thu May 25, 2023 9:47 am

MoreSpaceEcho wrote: Thu May 25, 2023 9:30 am Question: Is there anyone who uses D'addarios who likes their practice of packaging the strings in pairs? I absolutely cannot stand this, have hated it forever. Yes I know this is a dumb thing to be mad about but just let me be a grumpy old man.

I assumed it cut down on packaging and maybe kept costs down? I got used to it over time.

At least D'Addario do it sequentially. Rotosound (I think) do 1st and 4th together, 2nd & 5th and 3rd and 6th which really goosed my process when changing a set. Switching to D'Addarios, I was so used to it, I initially thought I'd mistakenly ordered a set with with a wound G.

Kniferide wrote: Wed May 24, 2023 10:04 am My go to set has always been Regular Slinkys and I kinda keep going back to those for some reason. They seem to last a long time and when they do dull, they don't seem to over dull. I hate the way new strings sound so they kinda work for me for a long time.

You should try pure nickel strings. I think Ernie Ball calls theirs Classic Rock N Roll or something. They sound like what you are talking about right out of the package and stay that way until you’ve worn flat places on the fret side of the wound strings.

Dudley wrote: Thu May 25, 2023 10:47 am

penningtron wrote: Thu May 25, 2023 9:47 am

MoreSpaceEcho wrote: Thu May 25, 2023 9:30 am Question: Is there anyone who uses D'addarios who likes their practice of packaging the strings in pairs? I absolutely cannot stand this, have hated it forever. Yes I know this is a dumb thing to be mad about but just let me be a grumpy old man.

I assumed it cut down on packaging and maybe kept costs down? I got used to it over time.

At least D'Addario do it sequentially. Rotosound (I think) do 1st and 4th together, 2nd & 5th and 3rd and 6th which really goosed my process when changing a set. Switching to D'Addarios, I was so used to it, I initially thought I'd mistakenly ordered a set with with a wound G.

D’addario used to put ALL the strings in one bag, that’s why they color coded the ball ends. Wonder why they stopped that. That’s even more eco friendly.

Try Curt Mangan. He'll do custom sets for a reasonable price, which is awesome.

I still use GHS Bass Boomer heavies for most basses, have for 30-some years. But I use Mangans on almost every guitar I've got.

This guy's search has been interesting. Critique as your scientific reasoning sees fit

eephus wrote: Mon May 29, 2023 12:14 am Try Curt Mangan. He'll do custom sets for a reasonable price, which is awesome.

I still use GHS Bass Boomer heavies for most basses, have for 30-some years. But I use Mangans on almost every guitar I've got.

Yeah, I got into Mangan when they came on an EGC and I just kept using them. I buy them in bulk and have never had any problems with them.

losthighway wrote: Mon May 29, 2023 8:56 am This guy's search has been interesting. Critique as your scientific reasoning sees fit

I love the motivation and the reasons, but there's always some part of the execution that makes a leap of faith no better than the things he's claiming to debunk, so his videos are starting to get to me. I have a bias against it because every time a new video comes out ten of my coworkers send it to me

D'Addario packaging... I believe the plastic rap helps with corrosion. My pal got a bunch of old strings in an auction (maybe 15-20 years old) and almost all of them that use the paper sleeves are corroding and feel terrible. They also don't sound "new" when you put them on, which may or may not be a good thing to the player.

Anyway, I used D'Addario strings for years and they were always fine. Then I got my EGC with Mangan stringe, and they were pretty good. However, I never got more because of the friction of having to special order. Then a friend got a job at Dunlop, so I got a fantastic deal on DUnlp strings in bulk. They felt a little more coarse than the D'Addario strings, and didn't last as long for me, but the price was so good. It was fine.

My friend moved on, so it's back to the D'Addarios, bought in 3 packs at the local, family owned music shop that treats me well.

As for gauge, the older I get, the more I realize that each guitar "tells me" what gauge works best. Telecasters and Yamaha Revstar get 10s. Jazzmaster, EGC, and the hollowbodies get 11s. I always use standard tuning because I know where all the note are in that tuning. I will detune when testing gear for work (how does this metal amp model sound in Kowloon tuning), but for making my own music and playing with other humans, I'm pretty standard.

I'm really turning into one of those old guys at the guitar shop whose advice I would never follow.