String Gauges...

Like Macca once said "I'll take the shiny ones, please."

I seek out flat wounds in all sorts of gauges and use what ever gauge seems to induct the pickups with the character I expect of the particular guitar in question.
 
You can only get a few flat wound choices from each brand so I use various brands.
 
I make up the skinny sets by buying single strings and combining them with the skinnier strings of the relatively thicker packs.
 
best regards,
mike

I bought a ten pack of something for the electrics like in 2001. Have one set left and have no idea what they are unless I go look. It's always a bunch of drama and head scratching when I decide to get new strings.
I like old strings.

Let's see, mostly I like LTHB 10-52's, but at least 1 guitar has 10-46's. And I use Fender Bullets (either Pure Nickel or Nickel Plated Steel) on the trem guitars and Dean Markley Blue Steels on everything else.
 
But my Epi Joe Pass Emporer II has 11's (with a wound 3rd) on it and after playing that recently I decided to try 11's on some other guitars, but with unwound 3rds. Strung the first one up the other night and was extremely happy with it, so more guitars will follow.
 
 
But now Mike's mentioning flatwounds makes me curious, and I wonder if I'd have a good home to try a set on. 

I'm a GHS Boomers guy. Custom Lite 9-46. Sometimes like 10-46, but definitely like the fatter low e for tone.

For steel string acoustic I used to swear by Martin strings, gauge 14's (I used to play with steel fingerpicks and lighter sets would snap at the point of impact after one heavy session). My steel string has been sitting in the closet in need of repair for a couple of years but I remember last time I went to buy acoustic strings I had trouble getting a set of 14's in-store (neither the Guitar Center or Sam Ash had them in). 

Good question, Craig - definitely interested to hear what you guys have to say about bass strings. We bought a set of flat wound D'Addario, but I know next to nothing about bass strings.

Depends on what guitar of course. I mostly played Ernie Ball Slinky .010 -.046
I want to try something heavier but .011 is yet too heavy for me.
So last week I ordered some .0105 -.050 GHS boomers
D'addario also has a .0105- .048 set which I can try
Going to try these as soon as I have finished changing my pickups

 

I use Flat Wound bass strings. They last a couple years.
 
I avoid all the plastic coated stuff on my strings, although I enjoy gore coated fabrics very much.
 
Diadaro makes good strings.
 
A few companies actually make bad strings... I forget who they are... when you shop for flat wounds you sort of automatically get past the bare minimum quality threshold because drawing the string through the die to flatten it requires that it is a good string to start with. I haven't thought much about brand in a while... I just think about specific string packs that are available and the guitar/bass I use them on.
 
 
I grew up playing this set after I had started Boomer Thick n Thins for a while:
 

 
I enjoy these by adding a plain "10" and creating a set of 10-42 flat wounds:
 

 
Using these on my wife's bass:
 

 
I probably have 110s of the same on the full size P bass.
 
 
I like these compressed round wounds in the 6 string package:
 

 
compared to the same 10-42 gauge in "flat wound" they seem more bouncy and lively and you can get some string effects with your fingers.
 
 
I usually buy strings sets in a 10 pack so what ever I choose I end up getting to know fairly well.
 
 
 
I like babbling about guitars.
:-)
 
 
 
 
 
 

craigb
Sort of on topic...  What about bass strings?  How many of you have tried Elixers?  Expensive, but I liked them except I sometimes use a pick and the coat tends to come off due to that.

Ah bass strings!
 
I like the classic Rotosound roundwounds for the most part, generally the Billy Sheehan set (.043, .065, .080, .110) which has a bigger .110 E (that makes the world a much bigger and better place!), as well a smaller .043 G. But I bought some single .045's for one bass because the .043 doesn't seem quite right. I find most other roundwounds disappointing in one way or another compared to the Rotosounds (likely because they don't sound exactly like the Rotosounds ).
 
I also have D'Addario Half Rounds (.045-.100) on the fretless, the very nice GHS Pressurewounds (.044-.106) on another bass, and the classic Rotosound flats (.045-.105) on the P-bass. 
 
One of the 5 strings currently has DR Lo-Riders rounds (.045-.130), but that may change at some point.
 
 
And I change my bass strings religiously every 10-20 years! 

I used to use Ernie Ball Extra (or was it Super?) Slinkies on my Rickenbacker 12-string, but that was just because I'm a wimp keyboard player with delicate fingertips. Those strings wore out fast, broke often, didn't put the proper tension on the neck and required tuning before every set.
 
Like sentimental - if foggy - memories of a past girlfriend, I have often regretted letting that guitar go. If I had it today I wouldn't insult it with spider-web-gauge strings.

My small wimpy arthritic hands like spider webs.

Electric:
Ernie Ball Slinky Nickel wound 008 or 009 depending on the guitar
Elixir 009 Nanoweb.
Tried a few others here and there, but I keep returning to EB. Thinking about sampling their Cobalt.

Acoustic:
Elixir 009 Nanoweb (electric guitar strings heh)

Classical:
D'Addario Pro Arte Composite, normal tension 028-044

Bass:
Uhh I dunno, I've never changed the strings

Using these for the time being.

Stevie Ray's strings were 13 to 60. 
 
13 to 60!
 

I used to play with 14's but that was fingerstyle stuff...blues/folk etc. Not a lot of bending. But you've heard how Stevie Ray played. Those bends....the man had hands like shovels.