I play a '50's Classic series' Strat. I want to replace the heavier strings with lighter strings. 9-42's. 3250's, 250's...? But which brand etc..help!!!
Cheers

For nines, I like the Fender 250L - .009 to .042, nickel-plated.

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---> "The amp should be SWITCHED OFF AND UNPLUGGED before you do this!" <---

Por favor, disculpe mi español, no se llega a la práctica con mucha frecuencia.

for a good combination of availability, price, tone and reliability I like the DR strings

for plated steel you cant go wrong with DR tight fit.
for pure nickel I like the DR pure blues.
but I mainly like DR because I prefer the added flexibility of a round core and i can find them easily.

for harder to find or online order, Pyramid strings are awesome. great blues tone and flexibility, but there is a high chance you will get dead strings.

and another great blues string is the Thomastik-Infeld Blues sliders. but they are pricy.

for heavy trem abuse or a kahler system I like the SIT strings. but they are stiff and kinda bright to my ears. but you can yank the crap out of them and they live< atleast for me anyways.
a kahler trem will Deffinately test how durable the ball end wrap is

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I would either go for Fender Stainless Steel Bullets (bright tone, higher tension, fast corrosion) or Elixir Nano Web (slightly warmer tone, normal tension, very long lasting).

I use Elixir only!!

If I was gigging with a band regularly, I'd go for the Fenders!

Ernie Ball, D'Addarios, etc.... I've checked many of them and most brands corrode within 3 days.
I must add, that I have very aggressive finger sweat. Others play them for a week.

I'd never play regular strings for more than a week max but I can play Elixir for up to 4 weeks at home.

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Kindest regards from Germany, Dee
My recordings --> http://www.soundclick.com/bands/page_mu ... dID=564337
STRATS ROCK!!! but Teles and Firebirds, too!

Thanks to all...Looks like Im gonna buy lots. Trying them out will tell me which I like best I guess...Cheers for your suggestions.
Matt

Great to know. I just invested in a lot of D'Addarios & Ernie Balls.

Is there published reports about the Elixir's lasting longer, minimal corrosion?
I'd like to know. Thanks. Toppscore

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I bet there's a lot of feedback to be found in the net.

People's opinions differ a lot though!
Some people say that Elixir strings sound like old rusty regular strings right from the beginning due to the coating.

I do not agree!
Yes, they sound a tiny bit warmer (or: less sparkling) but old rusty strings have further disadvantages like kinda dead tone and almost no sustain anymore.

This is certainly NOT the case with Elixir strings.
Wonderful tone, loooooong sustain! They also FEEL new and fresh for a long time and don't pick up dirt as much as non coated strings do.
So if you can live with a slightly warmer tone in comparison to nickel plated steel or others, then Elixir strings can save you lots of bucks!!!!

Compare prizes!! In some online stores they're twice as expensive as regulars, in some stores 3 times as expensive.
I made good deals on eBay! Like last time when I got a 12 set box for 70 bucks (standard would be 120 bucks!!). So those were hardly more expensive than Fender strings which last me a third or even just a quarter of the time!

ADVICE: if you take a cotton cloth and clean your strings after EACH playing (no matter which brand!!) by taking each separate string between two fingers and slide the cloth over the string from bridge to nut and vice versa, you easily up to DOUBLE the usual lifetime of your strings!!!
Little effort, big difference!!

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Kindest regards from Germany, Dee
My recordings --> http://www.soundclick.com/bands/page_mu ... dID=564337
STRATS ROCK!!! but Teles and Firebirds, too!

Yeah, I know what you're going to think.... but my favorite stings (9's) for my Stratocaster are Fender Super Bullets!! Seriously!! They're great strings. I bend a LOT and haven't broken a string in a couple years. They sound great even as they age (no rust though) and stay in tune without fail.

The new Ernie Ball Cobalts (9-46s) are great. Esp. for sweaty hands. And they are hard to break.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3EbaJT_opbM

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The Hwy 1 strat specifies 9-42's but came from the factory w/ 10's. I've got 8.5-40's on there now w/ zero issues.

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"The individual is handicapped by coming face to face with a Conspiracy so monstrous he cannot believe it exists. The American mind simply has not come to a realization of the evil which has been introduced into our midst." J. Edgar Hoover

Not all of the Elixir strings are coated. Only the wound ones. The unwound are plated like other strings. I've also had them corrode. ATM I use D Addarios. I also tried GHS Boomers, & liked them a lot. You do get brighter tone from non coated nickel plated strings. IMO they're very good value. So far I haven't had any D Addario strings break.

How long till corrosion sets in?
Don't you change the strings frequently?
Toppscore

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