Guitar, Bass & Ukulele String Recommendations.
Hello, My name is Jacob. Creator of That Sampling Life & Many other projects. 🤟😄👍
For people who don't know I have a music teaching business called J.W.F Music Teaching.
I teach Guitar, Bass, Drums, Ukulele and Piano.
I am writing this blog post as I am opening a new section of my business where I do Restringing and setups for Electric Guitar & Electric Bass's and Restinging for Acoustic Guitars, Bass and Ukuleles.
What will covered in this blog post.
Recommendations for strings.
What gauge of string to choose. (Depending on what style and genre you are playing)
Why I recommend certain brands.
I am not sponsored by any of these brands these are just my personal recommendations from my own experiences.
If you want more information on what string to buy I would recommend going to a music store and talking to the staff there on what they recommend for the style/genre you want to play.
I have 3 brands that I recommend and have used before.
D'addario, Ernie Ball & Elixir.
Nylon String Acoustic
For a Nylon string acoustic guitar I would recommend A Ernie Ball Earth Wood set.
They are the cheapest set that use ball ends. (Simplifies the restringing process)
Ernie ball have been around since 1958 and are used by many professionals in all genres and styles.
Ukuleles
For A Ukulele I would again recommend Ernie Ball.
This pack work with a Concert/Soprano Size ukulele.
Ernie Ball Concert/Soprano Black Nylon Ball End Ukulele Strings
They also use ball ends.
For A Tenor Ukulele I suggest again Erine Ball (Tried and true)
Ernie Ball Concert/Tenor Black Nylon Ball End Ukulele Strings w/Wound G
Not sure what size ukulele you have? Here is a great blog post the teaches you the different sizes of ukuleles.
UKULELE SIZE GUIDE – DIFFERENT SIZES OF UKULELES EXPLAINED
Electric Guitar
For electric guitar I have a lot of recommendations as it is my primary instrument and I play in many styles using it.
For Standard Tuning (E A D G B E)
At the lower end I would recommend Ernie Balls as a standard set is around $13 dollars.
Ernie Ball Regular Slinky Nickel Wound Electric Guitar Strings - 10-46 Gauge
A more premium longer lasting brand I use on all my guitars is Elixir.
(With proper cleaning and care can last 3 - 6 months butwill dull slightly in tone)
(Depending on how much you play guitar & the ambient humidity of your room)
Elixir Strings Electric Guitar Strings w NANOWEB Coating, Light (.010-.046)
For Drop tunings - Drop C#, C, B, A#, A
For anything down to Drop B I would recommend the
Ernie Ball Not Even Slinky Nickel Wound Electric Guitar Strings - 12-56 Gauge
With a setup can sometimes work in lower drop tunings, but can lack the tension some people look for.
I have used them to tune as low as Drop A but can be a little floppy if you are looking for more accuracy in your picking.
Elixir also do a set around the same gauge
Elixir Strings Electric Guitar Strings w NANOWEB Coating, Heavy (.012-.052)
Ernie Ball also do a thicker set called Ernie Ball Mammoth Slinky 12-62 Electric Guitar Strings.
These may be better if you plan to keep your guitar in a lower drop tuning and not tune up to higher than A#.
Electric Bass
I again recommend Ernie Ball and Elixir as I have use both these types many times.
Bass string usally last a long time even if they are different brands. Also traditonally you want you bass string on for a longer time so they dull out and arent as bright in tone. But this depend on the type of music you play.
The Ernie Balls are cheaper but can last pretty well. (With the correct cleaning)
Ernie Ball Regular Slinky Nickel Wound Electric Bass Strings - 50-105 Gauge
The Elixir are more expensive but last excellently. I had a set on my bass once for over a year.
Making sure to clean them with string cleaner.
For drop tunings on bass I would recommend a set that is about 65-130 Gauge.
(I assume if you are playing drop tuning on bass you have played bass for a while and know what you need)
Acoustic Guitar
For acoustic guitar I recommend all three brands.
For six strings acoustics
2. Ernie Ball Earthwood Light Phosphor Bronze Acoustic Guitar Strings - 11-52 Gauge
For 12 String Acoustics
Acoustic Bass
For acoustic bass I again recommend all three brands The Ernie ball and D'addario are cheaper than the Elixir's but the Elixir's will last longer before needing a new set.
Ernie Ball Earthwood Phosphor Bronze Acoustic Bass Strings - 45-95 Gauge
D'Addario EPBB170 Phosphor Bronze Acoustic Bass Strings, Long Scale, 45-100
Closing thoughts
I hope this was informative and helps you with you choice of string when you visit my Restinging and setup shop. If you choose to get a set of strings from me rather than providing your own these are the brands/types I will pick from.
Many thanks for reading this blog post, From Jacob 🤟😄👍