Wow what a difference when switching from PRS strings to DR Blues on my Silver Sky

[Revelation]

When I switched strings, the strings on the DR Blues 010 are harder to bend and the guitar lost some of the glassy sound and is now meatier. It's almost like a different guitar. Anyone else find this difference when switching strings?

 

[MWebster]

Yes I've found that. It's rewarding to try as many different kinds as possible and see which stand out for you. I actually like PRS strings quite a lot.

DR sells a liquid polymer product and you can actually coat non coated strings or rub down your existing ones with it and they last quite a lot longer than without. Not a big fan of DR strings but the coating is nice if your favorites don't have a coated option.

 

[Senor Verde]

I've tried a LOT of strings and there are differences. My favorites are PRS Classics and D'addario EXL110. It has been quite a few years, but the DR strings I tried seemed a bit dull. I don't remember which model though.

 

[DogPhishHead]

I've tried various types of strings (all .010-.046) on my McCarty, 594 SC and SE Silver Sky. D'Addarrio NYXL, PRS Signature, DR Tite Fit, Ernie Ball regular Slinky and D'Addario XLs. I've decided the NYXL and PRS Signatures are probably the same string........don't like the brighter, harsher tones or higher tension. Ernie Balls go flat too quick. I'm using the plain jane D'Addario XLs now (I miss the old days...3 sets for $9.99 on amazon) on all my PRS Guitars. My Ibanez Sco has GHS Big Core Nickel .0104-0.048s...smoother tones for sure.

 

[phillybri]

NYXLs, baby...

 

[Revelation]

I used Ernie Balls strings for many years. Sometimes I went to D'Addario XL strings but I didn't find a big difference between them. I think D'Addario which makes their strings in Melville NY (5 min's from where I used to live) were a little better in that they lasted longer. However, in the past couple of years I went with DR Blues strings. I did not A/B them but I figured they were good strings to use. Then I purchased the Silver Sky last month and I was amazed how glassy and open sounding the guitar was against my 1982 American Strat. Now with the DR Strings on my Silver Sky, it sounds closer to my Strat and the strings are more difficult to bend. So I am going back to the PRS Signature 10's that came on my Silver Sky.

 

[JasonE]

D'Addario EXL110 on all of my guitars, for many years now. I used to use Ernie Ball Slinky strings way back in the past but they didn't last long at all for me. They lost their snap after one gig. I can run the EXL 110 strings for a long time before they start to sound dull. I get a ton more mileage out of them. I have had a few sets of the PRS strings. They sound like the strings I have been using for years and last pretty much the same amount of time.

 

[Stephen J.]

I miss the old days...3 sets for $9.99 on amazon

I must be getting old if people are including Amazon purchases as having ever been during the old days.

 

[andy474x]

I used to play mostly Pure Blues, then switched to the PRS strings when they revamped their lineup with the Classics and Signatures. The Classics sound a lot like Pure Blues to me, but at a much more attractive price! Which is a little odd, because I believe the Classics are nickel plated steel, but good for PRS for making some great sounding strings at a very nice price. That being said, I do prefer the Signatures on most of my guitars now. A couple I still use the Classics (or left over Pure Blues). But the Signatures have a little more snap to the tone and more output.

I had NYXL’s put on my 594 when the shop set it up before shipping to me, and didn’t care for them. Which was kind of surprising, since they make the PRS strings.

 

[Rider1260]

DR Tite Fit is the brand I have been using for awhile now , can't remember how I found them , used GHS Boomers for years before the DRs

 

[Senor Verde]

DR Tite Fit is the brand I have been using for awhile now , can't remember how I found them , used GHS Boomers for years before the DRs

Back in the mid-80's I worked for a company where I could Get Boomers for $1.00 per set. I was dirt-poor, but they sucked so much I opted for something else. Maybe they've improved them since then.

 

[Rod/]

GHS Boomers are good strings these days… Big fan of Elixirs as well.. so bendable and slinky. … DR’s and Curt Mangans were always to stiff for me….

 

[deepender]

Yes I've found that. It's rewarding to try as many different kinds as possible and see which stand out for you. I actually like PRS strings quite a lot.

DR sells a liquid polymer product and you can actually coat non coated strings or rub down your existing ones with it and they last quite a lot longer than without. Not a big fan of DR strings but the coating is nice if your favorites don't have a coated option.

DR makes bangin’ bass strings.

 

[Fullmoon 1971]

D'Addario EXL110 on nearly all of my electric guitars except for 3 of my dedicated studio guitars (2015 McCarty, 64 Firebird & 82 Gibson Spirit) these all feature Thomastik Infeld sliders. All my acoustic feature Thomastik Infeld pyramid strings as well.


Treble strings Brass plated
Wound nickel strings are wound around a single layer of silk
Set Medium Light .010 .013 .016 .028w .037w .048w
String tension 48,9


I've found these string feel virtuall perfectly balanced both tension wise and sound wise between wound and plain strings.

If playing live some may find the wound strings sounding a little soft depending on your rig but l only use them in the studio.

 

[Draconomics]

Do I notice a difference when switching brands? I sorta do...but I think my days of experimenting with string companies are over, so I just go between Ernie Ball and D'Addario and I find both of those pretty similar in feel and tone. DR is something I've toyed with off and on years ago, and I think they were a bit on the stiff side, but they tend to be more expensive than the others and I can buy 25 set packs from D'Addario, so that's kinda the dealbreaker. So, these days its just either 9 or 10 XL's, just the basic ones, nothing special. I was using 8's for a long time, but lately I've been using Eb tuning, so I need a little more tension. I also got a nice deal on a box of 10's, so figured...why not?

However, there are two particular string brands that I dislike.

Dunlop. I never liked anything from Dunlop. They always break and sound off to me.

NYXL. I know these are supposed to be the premium D'Addario strings, but I don't see it. I tried one set, and they were so harsh sounding, I couldnt use em. I had to let them sit on the guitar for to weeks before I got any usable tone out of them. Never again.

 

[helmi]

SIT universals.

 

[Lewguitar]

What a difference changing from any old worn out strings to any brand new strings.

I like Daddarios. They're cheap, especially if you buy them in a 3 or 10 pack and they always sound good.

 

[MarcWink]

Ernie Ball Hybrid Slinky for me. I find them to be consistent, they last decently for the amount of hours I play, and they're relatively inexpensive and easy to find. I've tried using DR strings in the past, but they're just not for me. They sound dead to me. I like a snappier brighter sounding string.

 

[Revelation]

So PRS Signature 10's were put on my Silver Sky today. The card in the soft shell case says "Strings 10". So I ordered the 10's for the guitar even though Sweetwater told me PRS puts 09's on the Silver Sky.

When you touch the box of strings, it has a wax kind of feel to it. It does not just have that cardboard feelling you get with the D'Addario standard strings. . The first thing I noticed when I opened the bag was the strings don't have different color balls on the ends like D'Addario. The high string has a black ball and the rest are gold. So the only way you can tell which string is which; is by taking them all out, lay them next to each other and feel which string is thicker than the other.

After I put them on, I did notice the strings were a little brighter than the DR Strings, and bending the high E and B strings are a little easier. But they don't bend as easily as the original strings that came with my Silver Sky. They also don't have the same glassy sound that the original strings had either. So this tells me that the original strings were probably 09's and not 10's. I was able to bend the strings so easily with the original strings. Almost too easy as there was very little resistance. I will spend more time with these strings and decide if I want to go with 09's or if I want to stay with these strings.