If I replace strings, the book says to use Fender Bullets because the special end works with the trem better than ball ends. Is this true or marketing voodoo? I'm thinking the latter because there are all different brands of strings being used. I have a 10 pack of D'Addario exl110's and was going to use those when I need new strings.

The D'Adario strings will work fine though the .010, even they are only one incremental jump may require some adjustment to the truss rod, saddle heights and intonation. I've actually grown accustomed to Fender's Super Bullet strings. They are reasonably priced and don't sound bad.

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"If I don't see you no more in this world I'll meet you on the next one and don't be late... don't be late." -Jimi Hendrix

The D'Addario's (or Fenders, or Ernie Ball's, etc...) will work fine.

Yeah I wouldn't worry about using the Fender Bullet strings. On my Fender guitars I've always swapped out those strings for Ernie Ball .10s and haven't really had any problems.

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Free & Easy Down the Road I Go

I use the Fender bullets 9mm and have been happy with them.

Well, it's not complete marking hype...in theory the Bullet's do seat better in the trem block. A better fit should make for better stability with tuning and such. On the other hand it's worth noting that if Bullets really made -that- much of a difference, Fender would use them on -ALL- of their Strats...and they don't. A number of Strat's come from the factory with Super 250s instead.

That said, as most of the other responses have indicated most folks tend to use ball end strings with little or no problem at all. If your strings were the only thing that effected tuning and such on a Strat, the Bullet theory might have more weight but the truth is that a good and proper setup will have a much more significant effect on tuning stability than any strings ever will (at least in regards to an electric...don't get me started on nylon acoustic strings! LOL!). Personally I used to use .009 gauge GHS Boomers almost exclusively for a great many years (and still do on my old Kramer) but more recently I've been switching over to .010 gauge Fender Super 250's on my Strats as they have a bit brighter sound. I've used Bullet's from time to time in the past and they're ok but personally I don't think they sound as good as the 250's or other brands...to me they sound just a tad "dull" and lifeless. Personally I don't care for D'Addario myself because they've never had the longevity of other brands...they sound ok but they seem to tarnish and rust a lot faster than other brands I've tried over the years. Call me a lazy b@stard but I don't like having to change my strings any more than necessary! LOL!

Now to be completely honest here, I've -NEVER- had someone walk up to me at a gig and say "gee...that sounded ok but maybe you should try "brand x" strings instead". Seriously...listen to your favorite CD's/recordings...can you honestly tell which brand of strings your favorite guitar player is using? Can you even tell what guitar or amp the person is playing?? The truth is that strings, like the guitar or amp you use are simply just a personal choice. Some folks like Fender and Ernie Ball strings (Clapton is well known for using Ernie Ball) while others prefer D'Addario, GHS, Elixers, etc.. There's no real right or wrong here...just try a few different brands and you'll discover what you like best. As manabu said though, if you're moving up to .010's, you may need to make some adjustments to the setup...if you're not used to doing your own setups, it may be worth a few bucks to have a pro tech do it for you. Also know that you should check your intonation every time you change your strings, regardless of whether you're changing gauge...it's a very good thing to get in the habit of checking

Peace,
Jim

Exactly -- Heavy trem users that struggle a bit with tuning stability should at least consider using bullets. Similar to some other users, the Fender strings just did not sound quite right to my ear. I use D'Addario, but not exclusively ...

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Laughing out loud with fear and hope, I have a desperate plan ...

I'm not a fan of Fender strings.

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It's just Fender saying to use Fender Strings. I use D'addario and GHS myself, but the Fender strings aren't bad.

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"Life is like eating jalapenos. What you do today may burn your arse tomorrow"

Thanks for the replies.

Nah, you don't need bullets. I used them once when they first came out and they were the worst strings I ever used in my life and went back to my Dean Markleys. I stopped using Fender strings around 1975. I tried them again in 2006, and still didn't like them. They seem to go dead and break way too soon. It's a shame because I really loved them originally. To each their own though. The Bullets did not help to stabilize the tuning, because I really never had problems with tuning or intonation. When the Bullets first came out, my strings pulled out of the Bullet end. The store replaced them and it happened again so I didn't get new ones. Been using D'Addario's for a long time now.

I just got a set of DR tight-fit's for my strat. I'm all about trying out different strings to see what I like.

I use fender strings, only because I use pure nickel, and I like the way the 11 gauge sets are setup like (.11-.49 instead of .52or .54) I use the regular strings instead of the bullets. I have NO problem with tuning stability. I can understand the theory of why the may work better, but in the real world, unless you're doing crazy dive-bombs, I dont see how the tremolo's on strats can bend down enough to cause enough slack to make the ball ends move in the block at all.

I've been an Ernie Ball fan for decades. I've always had to have Limes (.10s). They sound a lot richer on my American Deluxe than Bullets that came on them. But the bullets sound excellent on my HW1. The Alnico III and Atomic humbuckers have a great deal of spirit and pulls more tone out of the bullets than the Am Dlx did with her samarium cobalt noiseless pups.

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"If I don't see you no more in this world I'll meet you on the next one and don't be late... don't be late." -Jimi Hendrix

I tried bullets first when they came out,they "seated"so well in my 65 Strat that I had to push a couple of them out from the top with a long pin.I've always used D'Addarios with no problem.

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'65 Strat,65 Mustang,65 Jaguar,4 more Strats,3 vintage Vox guitars,5 Vox amps,'69 Bassman with a '68 2-15 Bassman cab,36 guitars total-15asst'd amps total,2 vintage '60s Hammond organs & a myriad of effects-with a few rare vintage ones.