Do expensive strings sound better? (The Ultimate String Test!)

Рет қаралды 576,023

Күн бұрын

I test and compare guitar strings in a head to head tournament!
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0:00 Intro
1:28 Round 1
2:09 Round 2
2:48 Round 3
3:19 Round 4
4:10 Round 5
5:00 Round 6
5:35 Round 7
6:21 Round 8
7:26 Round 9
8:29 Round 10
9:19 Q-finals 1
10:16 Q-finals 2
11:08 Q-finals 3
12:25 Q-finals 4
13:04 Q-finals 5
13:58 Semi's 1
15:31 Semi's 2
16:47 Semi's 3
17:43 The Finals
22:19 Interesting results
Hi, my name is Paul Davids! I am a guitar player, teacher, producer, and overall music enthusiast from the Netherlands! I try to inspire people from all over the world with my videos, here on KZfaq.
If you want to know more about me, check out PaulDavidsGuitar.com or check out my guitar courses at: learnpracticeplay.com and nextlevelplaying.com, and acousticadventure.com
Thank you for watching!
Paul
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@PaulDavids Жыл бұрын

Corrections/Additions: - The right guitar at 15:35 is strung with Elixir Optiweb, instead of the labeled Nanoweb. My dearest apologies! - We concluded that 4/5 strings in the semi's where coated. But neither the Rotosound Roto Yellows, nor the D'addario NYXL's are coated which makes it 3 out of 5.

@TheVoiceofUnreason Жыл бұрын

So you should, how dare you! Now do it all again correctly! 😋😆😎

@onbedoeldekut1515 Жыл бұрын

How about trying a lighter set of the paradigm strings to be closer to the others, I think maybe the added mass altered things a little.

@PetraKann Жыл бұрын

Great stuff Paul. (Who did all the string changing? Torture)

@yasirayala Жыл бұрын

what do you normally use? were they in the finals?

@zykify Жыл бұрын

Well, they sounded like Nano's so you'll have to do it all again :) But I have still not seen the final and if the Roto's win, the nano/opti does not matter. I use nano's but, regardless of the result here, next strings I buy will be Rotosound, there is something pleasant extra in the sound they help create. Great video, must have been a ton of work and I appreciate that a lot. Millions of us guitar nerds get answers to questions we have asked ourselves for years :)

@pabloblue999 Жыл бұрын

Very interesting. Would love to see an acoustic strings test.

@m1nnefr3d Жыл бұрын

Yesssss, pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeze!

@richter_ow Жыл бұрын

yeees 😁

@MarkNealon Жыл бұрын

The best I've found -by far- are Martin silk and steel silver plated

@ltvniks Жыл бұрын

ong i need to know what are the best strings for acoustic

@andydixi Жыл бұрын

I guess D'Adarrio XS vs Elixir Nanoweb will be like France vs Argentina in the Final WC 2022

@Majerly_Annoyed 11 ай бұрын

Shout out to the person changing the strings for you. An absolute legend in my books! I really despise changing strings but to think they had to keep swapping out the strings and then keeping track of which were which etc... what an incredible job!

@charycourt 9 ай бұрын

I somehow don't think he would've hired someone to change strings for him... Edit:nevermind, sorry

@chriswebb383 9 ай бұрын

Its like a 3 minute job .. its so easy..

@Majerly_Annoyed 9 ай бұрын

@@chriswebb383 You’re my hero. 🙄

@maynardtl8 9 ай бұрын

And pulling curled strings through a string-through strat body no less! Imagine how a big a pain that would be

@Iamthesun314 8 ай бұрын

@@chriswebb383starts crying in Floyd rose

@HarleyBentonOfficial Жыл бұрын

Wow! Thanks for featuring us!

@retrakor 2 ай бұрын

its incredibely impressive how round and complete your strings sound despite being so cheap, amazing work harley benton!

@italooliveira5574 2 ай бұрын

Whatta great sound!

@jonrimert2220 12 күн бұрын

Honestly, I've never played your strings, but after this video, I'll be buy a few sets for sure! The coated sounded fantastic to me. Thanks for making budget strings that still sound great!

@shouldireviewguitars7908 Жыл бұрын

I was absolutely not expecting the tone differences to be this significant!

@datutturugang666 11 ай бұрын

me, a bass player: what? 60 bucks is expensive?

@danieldesouza3874 11 ай бұрын

Plus this is just one player. Pick choice, attack also will factor in.

@mariaeortiz 10 ай бұрын

Me niether

@danielhutt3158 Күн бұрын

@@datutturugang666 How is that a relevant response to what they just said?

@datutturugang666 Күн бұрын

@@danielhutt3158 because there are bass strings costing over 150 bucks easy, on average a good set of strings goes for roughly 40 bucks

@vanguard9067 Жыл бұрын

I bet the video took an enormous amount of work. It was fun to watch, and I watched through the end. Thank you.

@Kiirxas Жыл бұрын

I played ernie ball slinkies for so long, but when I tried the NYXLs I just fell in love. Many times I find myself just playing unplugged when they're new since they sound great even by themselves

@ogmakefirefiregood Жыл бұрын

I have been using the super slinkies for um... ever. Watched the video and decided to go on a " comment hunt." you are the winner! Imma give em a try.

@Postdotfuzz Жыл бұрын

I play the NYXLs too, even though it's hard to find the light top/heavy bottom gauge sometimes. I even liked how they sounded better than the others in this video!

@Balin_James Жыл бұрын

I was so happy to see my precious NYXLs make the semis, only to be taken out by their slightly more expensive brother from d’Adarrio. If they were to lose, that’s how I would’ve wanted it 😂 though I might have to check out the XSs next time I feel like doing a setup 😅

@niclastname Жыл бұрын

I used to play EB's and then went to NYXL's and loved them, then I tried the XT because I was told that the coating is very minimal and they're my new standard. They feel just like regular strings, just a TINY bit more slick. And they seem to last a very long time before they get dull or start to peel or anything. I've had some on one of my guitars for a year or more without any sign of corrosion.

@moardinarcanis Жыл бұрын

I stand firm with my choice of strings, NYXL’s are some of my favorite strings out there and I use D’Addario for both my electric and acoustic guitar. They’re a bit more expensive, but I change my strings maybe twice a year and they’ve never given me a problem. In the end, they’re super durable and great quality. They actually save you money since you don’t have to change them often if you don’t want to.

@shoresaybow Жыл бұрын

Interesting that the low budget Harley Benton strings did not get kicked out straight away. They did a great job for that price point. In the end the winner is also very affordable. You could also repeat that shoot out in a mixing context, how the strings help to cut through the mix and sit well :-)

@SpaceCattttt 9 ай бұрын

I've never understood how something that's not so good, but is considered great for a low price, is a good thing? That just reconfirms the fact that cheap stuff sucks.

@pge10 8 ай бұрын

@@SpaceCatttttthis is the dumbest thing ive ever read, the 3,90€ strings, holded up, and in this case he liked them better than the Gibson 10€ ones, so for 4 €, are really good for their price, they can charge you more for the strings if you want but, this shows you that cheap things arent always trash, in this case, the cheap ones holded up very well and won against more expensive ones, so, some "expensive shit" ones, were trashier than the "cheaper shit" ones, telling you, that cheaper, does not mean worse.

@Pierfra007 8 ай бұрын

I have Harleys on different guitars, and except for the 1€ set, the HQ and coated sets are top notch

@paulnieuwkamp8067 6 ай бұрын

@@SpaceCatttttGood enough is good enough. I don't play concerts, I don't hear the difference myself all that well, I'm just plucking away in the privacy of my own room. So why pay 10x as much when there's no perceived difference?

@SpaceCattttt 6 ай бұрын

@@paulnieuwkamp8067 If you don't hear or feel the difference, then no, there's no reason why you should buy good strings...

@geoffmead9081 10 ай бұрын

Thanks for putting in all the work. The way you talked about the different strings was really helpful because in the end it was all about how they played.

@clemensberkenhoff2243 Жыл бұрын

Could you please do this video again but for acoustic strings? Keep up the awesome work Paul!

@brockmann4815 Жыл бұрын

Oh that'd be great. Im so insecure what strings I should get next (which is probably soon xD).

@m.vonhollen6673 Жыл бұрын

@@brockmann4815 : Depends on what kind of music you play… I like D’Addario Phosphor Bronze and D’Addario Nickel Wound for electric.

@ericmojave6061 Жыл бұрын

@@brockmann4815my two cents, I am a big fan of Martin Retro 12’s and Ernie Ball Aluminum Bronze

@user-tu6pw6gh9p 10 ай бұрын

for acoustic elixir nanowebs last forever

@UmasPapa Жыл бұрын

I switched to DR strings a couple years ago, and I love how they sound and how they age. More presence without being too harsh. Brings out overtones in the guitars and inspires my playing. Especially in acoustic. I'll have to try the roto strings

@DavidsDailyDrants Жыл бұрын

I greatly enjoyed this journey. Thank you so much! I need more reviews like this on KZfaq in general. Amazing! You are amazing. Lovely and genuinely pleasant.

@Oreologyst Жыл бұрын

This video is insane… SUPER useful, especially for someone like me that has a very basic untrained ear/just a casual with guitar. Major props to you and your team on all the strings swapping and planning that went into this! I’d love to see an acoustic version sometime in the future as well

@nirhershkovitz2416 Жыл бұрын

Why is it useful if you cant tell the difference? Just buy the cheapest strings and change when it doesn’t sound good or breaks.

@Oreologyst Жыл бұрын

@@nirhershkovitz2416 Because he’s describing different qualities to the sounds from each string, which is great ear training for me. At the current moment I can tell if I like or don’t like a sound, but it’s hard for me to pinpoint why - with his descriptions I’m learning a bit more about what makes up the sounds I enjoy in reference to guitar (and their strings) Also, the vid is just useful in general as a mini encyclopedia of different guitar string sounds

@ugosmith7529 Жыл бұрын

While not my favorites, I am extremely surprised and impressed about the harley benton coated strings. For the price, they are phenomenal

@brianmincher716 Жыл бұрын

Yeah, that company seems to be a screaming deal across the board relative to the $$$

@RSProduxx Жыл бұрын

Jup, thought the same. I quite like them.

@johanneschristopherstahle3395 Жыл бұрын

Exactly what I thought as well. Don't know how long they last, but I guess I'm gonna try them out next time I need a new set.

@KnightyDev_ Жыл бұрын

Definitely gonna try those next

@Rheaded Жыл бұрын

Yeah

@keithconville5460 Жыл бұрын

Love my D'addarios! Glad to see them represent in this shootout with multiple versions!

@johnplainsong9769 Жыл бұрын

I love the way you performed this test. Not an easy thing to pull off. Thank you!!

@DaveTaste Жыл бұрын

Or hammer on.

@steffenla4 Жыл бұрын

The guitar with the "X" wins A LOT of the time. I wonder if it's just the nicer sounding guitar? I know they're identical production models, but there are differences in weight, resonance and sustain between factory examples

@rotosound_uk Жыл бұрын

We feel like Messi felt yesterday 🏆 Cheers for the hard work and scrutiny that you put into the creation of this tournament, Paul.

@glennscottharris Жыл бұрын

They sound spicy! Gonna buy some! (hope they last as long as the nyxls.. we'll see! ;)

@paigehammond6975 Жыл бұрын

Congratulations on the big win Rotosound!

@endezeichengrimm Жыл бұрын

England didn't win the football but they won the strings.

@18JR78 Жыл бұрын

My personal favorite bass strings Rotosound RS66LDN Swing Bass 66 Nickel Roundwound

@adolfoherrerat Жыл бұрын

I'll always remember that one I used a set of Roto Yellows on a guitar for 4 years straight, 1 single set, never broke any of the strings and ok the sound did change but... 4 years... that alone makes Rotosound an absolute winner to me, I gotta find more of these here in FL definitely

@toddhall5565 Жыл бұрын

Very interesting video Paul, thanks for taking the time to make it. I really liked the Rotos myself so I plan to try a set in the near future.

@BruceMount Жыл бұрын

I really loved this video and found the information super useful! I would love it if you did the same thing for acoustic strings.

@RussClarkRocks Жыл бұрын

Was pleased to see my two brands (D'Addario and Elixir) fared very well. Also surprised to see how well the Harley Benton strings performed at such a low price. Great video my friend!

@78tag Жыл бұрын

Low prices = China. That's all I need to hear. When is the guitar community going to wake up and reject the idea of supporting the CCP? They hate us and want to destroy us - what else do you need to know?

@RussClarkRocks Жыл бұрын

@@78tag Attempting to parse my purchases into what's built where is something I have neither the time nor the inclination to do. I seriously doubt that the Chinese are attempting take over the world via budget guitar strings. Lol. Have a great day!

@Pairo941 Жыл бұрын

Incredible work! I would love to see also the same thing but for the acoustic guitar! Awesome as always Paul

@LloydPerryMusic Жыл бұрын

Every guitarist watching this is gonna be massively grateful to you! Would take some of us years to reach these kind of conclusions. Never heard the XS before and soon as I heard them in this video thought they'd win, but the rotos do sound fuller with really nice low end

@rullyshintadei Жыл бұрын

Finally.. there's someone actually put lots of effort to create content like this. Lovin' it..and I've been using roto sound strings as well, never let me down...Thanks

@anthonymorales5630 Жыл бұрын

They way you describe the different strings is so brilliant. True professional.

@jimmyclements6226 Жыл бұрын

Fantastic video! Can't imagine how much time and labor went into this one. Such fun results. I love hearing how much a set of strings can affect a tone - and now I can gravitate towards the ones that gave me a tone I liked!

@cinda1951 8 ай бұрын

I use the Rotos and can say they are great strings! Used them back in the 70's for a bit until they became too hard to get! I have picked them back up again and love them! They feel good and last a fairly long time!

@90stpoon Жыл бұрын

Clearly a ton of unglamorous work went into doing this comparison and it's so greatly appreciated. Great video!

@David_Ekko Жыл бұрын

Great work and a large undertaking. I really liked the sound of the Rotosound strings as well.

@nathancl2k Жыл бұрын

That was interesting. Thank you for taking the time to do all that work! I would love to see this again with humbuckers (particularly on your SG).

@TomGrubbe Жыл бұрын

Yeah, and compare the overdriven sounds straight into the amp.

@KristofferGildenlow Жыл бұрын

Actually never thought the difference would be this big and I can see how you’d choose different strings depending on the session at hand. Thank you for taking the time.

@oshioleg.imoesi-aliu174 Жыл бұрын

Paul, thank you for a wonderful video. It was truly pleasant going on this journey with you. My usual strings didn't go so far...lol. So it seems I should get new brands. 😃

@matthewlee8917 Жыл бұрын

Been rocking the DR Pure Blues for over 10 years now. I just found what I liked and never looked back.

@dimitrishart5611 Жыл бұрын

What is that black tape on his guitar ?

Жыл бұрын

Same. I had an es-335 with a naturally mellow, warm sound and wanted that in my other guitars. I added them to a goldtop p90 and it sounded incredible. Now they are my go-to strings.

@aidenvilla7013 Жыл бұрын

I actually loved the wackiness of the DR Pure Blue strings. Might have to try a pair myself

@j_freed Жыл бұрын

DR have an impressive ‘squish’ so you can hit them hard but they don’t feel stiff. The magnetic core of the nickel wound string is round not hexagon shape. Fat sounding.

@misterreality Жыл бұрын

DR blues in my case have been very defective. I don’t recommend them at all.

@elmadouf Жыл бұрын

These have been my go-to for years. The winding is pure Nickel instead of nickel plating. I feel it makes them more springy, also more heavy, and they don't corrode as quickly as Nickel-plated strings IME.

@alkaatz4597 Жыл бұрын

@@misterreality I haven't tried the Blues - I had some quality control issues with DR Tite Fits a few years ago, but the recent sets I've had have been great. For the money the Tite-Fits are very good IMO but they are darker so I generally use them with single-coils.

@MrSmiley1964 Жыл бұрын

@@misterreality +1 on that. I used them for years on my Strat. I loved the sound and the way they felt, but they were unreliable and let me down too many times in a live situation. That's been 20 years ago, and I hear that things have improved. Watching this has tempted me to pick up another set, but once bitten twice shy. I'm currently playing NYXLs but I'm going to try the Roto-Yellows.

@jasonjewsbury8320 Жыл бұрын

So well done Paul! Really enjoyed it. I have been using the Gibson Vintage Reissue 8's for as long as I can remember....they sound so good on my Les Paul and my Gretsch. I have always changed strings before every show. IF they're not too dead after, I'll use them for rehearsals but ALWAYS new strings the morning of a show. Keep up the great content!

@d3w4yn3 6 ай бұрын

I don't know what hurt my fingers more.... just watching you totally own the guitar as you play it, or thinking about all of the different strings and how they feel to fingertips, or... the pain of making that many string changes! Fantastic comparison, and one of the very few times that anyone just lets us listen to the tone of what they are playing long enough to feel it! GLORIOUS!!!

@rogerhipwell7030 Жыл бұрын

Thanks for doing the systematic work for us! Would live to see the same for acoustic strings. I also get lost on deciding between different types of coating materials (long term comparison? )

@dannylaurence8089 Жыл бұрын

I’ve been using the XS’s on both my electrics and acoustics for a while and I absolutely love them. The best part is they actually last a lot longer than uncoated strings. Would love to see an acoustic video!

@Fattypatty2x4 4 ай бұрын

After watching this video, I really enjoyed seeing the difference strings make. And I love this kind of test. I would like to see more of this.

@joemed6222 Жыл бұрын

Great video! You did all the work for us. You’ve shown me some strings I’ve never thought of or heard of. I think I’m going to try those yellows! Thanks again 🤘🏻

@Lamz.. Жыл бұрын

Well this was interesting, Paul. A lot of time went into this production, no doubt. This is a really unique comparison, I'd never have thought anyone would be able to pick up the difference between guitar strings. Very eye opening, well done!

@robinbebbington7063 Жыл бұрын

Well I suggest you try out a few different strings. Feel and sound can be very different. Especially on acoustic.

@benwalcott5383 Жыл бұрын

Man, this was amazing! You should do an acoustic string test next. Thank you for doing these vids!

@MarkB.Guitar Жыл бұрын

Very interesting video! I'm surprised there's not more comments on the Rotosounds. The strings that stuck out to me were the Rotosounds, D'Addario NYXL, Elixir Optiweb, and Harley Benton Coated strings. I've been playing Elixir's exclusively for about 8 years, but the lack of gauges they offer is forcing me to branch out to other brands. This video is a really helpful reference tool. Thanks so much!

@jessprice1518 4 ай бұрын

Ok, that was pretty awesome! I just ordered the three that made it in the top three, plus the DR Pure Blues. Thank you for doing that! I’ve been watching your channel for a few years and the content you have here is absolutely fantastic. Thanks from all of us poor souls in search of good information from someone trustworthy on the internet 👍

@SuperGreenough Жыл бұрын

Quite interesting, thanks for putting the time in for this! I’ve always loved NYXLs since I first tried them, I wasn’t as into the XS but for the exact opposite reason you picked the XS over the NYXL. I’ve also always liked the sound of Rotosound strings, but found they just don’t last me very long, whereas I also found NYXLs last me an absolute age! Nice to hear it in a test like this where I still preferred them! Super surprised by the Elixirs sounding this good though, I found I didn’t particularly like the electric versions but I love the acoustic ones

@j_freed Жыл бұрын

Great comparison, this must have been exhausting Paul. Pure Blues DR are a very musical string with great feel and I’d like to try some of the other top picks. We have it so good as guitar players, such an easy upgrade!

@reidoddleifson417 8 ай бұрын

Highly entertaining, and your guitar playing is superb. Would love to see such a comparison for acoustic guitar strings. Bravo!

@SarcastSempervirens 11 ай бұрын

I have never ever heard of the winning strings, yet they were (to my great surprise) the clear favorite from the get go. Just found myself new strings to try, great video, thank you!

@780monster Жыл бұрын

Enjoyed this tournament and just after the World Cup. What timing!! Paul, could you do this with acoustic guitar - stings?

@IraMcCully Жыл бұрын

This is a really great tone comparison Paul! Thanks for making it. I noticed that the terms you used for almost all the tests had some unique words for each set of strings. "Screamy", "heavy transients" etc. I also noticed that I liked some strings you didn't. Will rewatch to choose my next set of strings to experience!

@eternalvernal1286 4 ай бұрын

Thank you! Never heard of the Roto Yellows. Loved them. Ordering next string change 👊👍

@ellsworth1956 Жыл бұрын

Thank you for such a nice Video! I was string hopping for quite some time until I played the NYXL strings. Love them.

@ilmago1792 Жыл бұрын

What I could hear is that, at the end, doesn't matter that much which strings you are using if you are good enough at guitar...which is definitely your case! great video btw!! keep going!

@rowbags3017 Жыл бұрын

An interesting comparison! I bought a multi-pack of Rotosounds a while ago and found them to be really decent and very well-priced strings. At the moment I'm trying Nanowebs on several of my guitars after my Yamaha Revstar came fitted with them and I loved the feel. So far they're working well, and I'm erring towards feel in my choice, because I can find the tone I want between the guitar and amp.

@rickypayne9561 Жыл бұрын

Thanks Paul for validating me being a Rotosound yellow guy for years :) They last long as well. I used to use them in a hard rock band and they also work great today for my post-rock/space rock project I'm in.

@a.c.7541 5 ай бұрын

The Edge uses rotosound

@eternalvernal1286 4 ай бұрын

I'm in on the Yellows...great to hear your input on durability. Sold me 👊👍😎

@stonemanguitars 3 ай бұрын

My main strings are the Roto Ultramags, 10-46 on some guitar and 9-42 on others. They are super bright and stay bright for a long time which makes them perfect for the music I play (60's and 70's rock eg. Rush, The Who, Iron Butterfly).

@CaveMonJones 2 ай бұрын

A very interesting way of testing strings. I can only imagine that took a lot of time and effort. I hope you have been rewarded for that. It was very informative to see so many strings so close together in a sound test. Thank you!

@johnmc5367 Жыл бұрын

I think all of us appreciate the huge amount of work this represents. Thanks so much for the dedication to the craft!

@mod3l Жыл бұрын

I've actually been using the rotos for about a year and a half now after a store clerk said that I should try them. In fact I like them the most when they're a bit worn in. I used to change elixir coated ones on every gig (and sometimes practice) when I was gigging regularly. Now I just record mainly and somehow old rotos give me the most joy and bring something nice out of my guitars.

@KnifeCrazzzzy Жыл бұрын

Incredible work man, definitely some super interesting results!!! 👊🏻

@loganmaddocks4703 Жыл бұрын

Really appreciate the string review, but it was just as good of a treat listening to you play all those different rhythm parts and licks. Very nice. 😄

@ChipsinDVDplayer Жыл бұрын

Great ear and feel for each of the strings. It shows that ultimately you should choose the strings that work for you, that you like, and that you feel give the best tone and feel, regardless of the label. I'd love to see an acoustic version

@garycrouse1918 Жыл бұрын

very interesting . Very enjoyable , great playing paul

@javiermelladomusica Жыл бұрын

Very educative video. Thanks so much for making it.

@starchild6347 Жыл бұрын

Great video! Very pleased to see Rotosound the winner… I’ve always recognised these strings as my favourite. They really bring out the ‘woodiness’ of my Strat. Though, I have to say, I only get one or two gigs out of them before they sound quite dull. I’ve always steered away from coated strings too… but this video has encouraged me to try some out.🎸🔥

@bertbregdenz2756 Жыл бұрын

Rotosound Jumbo King for Acoustic Guitar 👌👍💪

@noname1st139 Жыл бұрын

They didn't last long on my Jumbo, corroded and Went sticky and ergh! After 10wks with me

@pharmerdavid1432 Жыл бұрын

@@noname1st139 10 weeks isn't long enough....?

@NJackDunkley Жыл бұрын

First album I worked on the producer took me down to a music store in Austin. We bought a wide range of bass strings tested them all and ended up with the root sound swing bass set. They’ve been in the game quite a time and it shows.

@martyf663 Жыл бұрын

Wow...excellent video Paul. Thanks for doing this...very informative ;)

@marcvanhie4425 Жыл бұрын

Paul, thank you! 🙏 Have seen many videos of yours, but this was such a helpful one. I really enjoyed this video and noticed we almost always agreed. As a result, I ordered for the first time other strings than the ones I usually used to purchase. Would be helpful to many guitarists if you would do something similar for acoustic guitars.🙂

@jasonc2313 Жыл бұрын

Great video. Would love to see them tested with an EQ pallet display to get a visual of the tones.

@marions.120 Жыл бұрын

I’ve been using Ernie Ball strings forever, and the last time I broke one was 1993 and those were 8’s. I switched to EB 9 Colbalts 15 years ago. Love the Ernie Ball strings and the Colbalts seem to last longer. ✌️😎🎸🎶🎵🎶🎵🎶

@arunjoyson878 Жыл бұрын

Thank you for all your work on this video and even all the others. The most decision i agree absolutely, although i think especially in the semi finals it depends on what you're willing to play. I would also prefer this kind of video with acoustic strings. My personal favor are the Elixir strings, but now i heard a lot of other strings and it was for me super satisfying to watch. Keep on, you make a great work and i love to see your gentle issues and profounded explanations. Thank you Paul Davids. 😀

@floydloonie4880 Жыл бұрын

Very thought provoking video! I was surprised by the Harvey Benton brand stringsdoing so well...

@MrShoryuken1 Жыл бұрын

Impressed to see good old Rotosounds doing well. They've always been cheap here in the UK, been through tons of them!

@rufus_mcdufus Жыл бұрын

A few years ago i went with nickel-free strings and randomly selected Rotosound British Steels, and as luck would have it, they're great strings. A little different in feel but great tone and very long-lasting.

@ganjarseo Жыл бұрын

Amazing tests and its very important for us,, thank you!

@manupbritain5232 Жыл бұрын

Okay so you have blown my mind with this, you went through so many strings that I have been trying out and my favourites did well. What I can't believe is that the UK Rotosounds won! They are the chosen strings by my luthier. He doesn't put anything else on guitars. They are great too. Enjoy the festive period and keep up with the awesome content.

@gvp Жыл бұрын

I've been playing RotoSound strings for years (reds 0.11 and whites 0.11-0.54). I was just wandering if I should change. They do sound the best to me, but you need to keep them fresh, they loose the tonal spark relatively fast (3-4 weeks), their life span is medium compared to other popular sets I've tried. But this video confirms what I've been thinking for years, definitely the best sounding strings around. Not overpriced and somewhat underrated (most players I talk to are not familiar with them). There's definitely a followup to do here on the 4-5 top sets and how they progress over a month. Thanks for this great comparison!

@captain_green278 Жыл бұрын

Really interesting idea. I’ve used Daddario NYXL for many years, always was perfect for me. But now I’m really interested to try Roto. thanks for the video!

@mikewolfe4222 Жыл бұрын

All I can say is me too. Definitely will try a set of the Rotos next change.

@rayjeeves8000 Жыл бұрын

EXCELLENT VIDEO!!! This really gave me some good ideas and turned me in to some strings that I probably would have never bought. Loved the D’Addario NYXLs, and surprisingly, the Harley Benton’s (blue package). Great idea for a video!

@jayhahm Жыл бұрын

Thank you for the great contents and I'm sure that it took lot of effort and time you had to put in... If I may, I'd like to ask you one more run with strings for acoustic guitars... Thank you again for the program.

@elliotvernon7971 Жыл бұрын

Having gone through many brands over the years, I have settled on Rotosounds. I like the blue packet pure nickel ones.

@s7dney844 Жыл бұрын

I’ve been playing elixir’s since I started playing guitar, they just last forever and have this bright and chimey character to them that I just can’t replace!

@loudNRG Жыл бұрын

Thanks for the time you spent making this informative video. I have been using GHS Boomers for 25+ years and was content not to try anything else. Now I am definitely ordering some of your top picks to compare!!

@chloescat Жыл бұрын

¡feliz navidad y feliz año nuevo, Paul! ❤️

@oskjan1 8 ай бұрын

Wow, nice comparison. I've been stuck with roto yellows 10-46 for ages. Since the first time I tried them, noticed they play so well, responsive, they last a really good while for uncoateds and have a good price. I could live with only these. Another nice one is the ones from Dunlop, black package.

@HeathFoley Жыл бұрын

Excellent video Paul, I'm personally a big fan of NY-XL strings as they can really take a lot of bending and punishment while sounding very consistent.

@zublacus Жыл бұрын

I have never broken a string literally smashing them as "Malcolm" in an AC/DC band.

@claudius3124 Жыл бұрын

Very informative - and fun! - video! Thanks a lot! 😀

@NoBody-me5me Жыл бұрын

These tests are SUPER FUN to listen to Paul, the surprise and a little confusion at the end gave me a giggle. I have tried a few different strings on my guitars over the years and always seem to fall back on D'addarios. Hard test to do because there are many many factors that can impede the testing/listening or even the tone with a particular setup and the pickups. A small ohm difference, the length of the wire, the amount of solder can have a change internally which can alter what you hear. Still interesting and fun. Many thanks.

@gejskelly Жыл бұрын

I’d be interested in you trying the Ernie Ball Classic (pure nickel), Curt Mangans and Stringjoy. The DR Pure Blues sounded really good and those black packet DR NYXLs surprised me (as did the price!) Think the video also showed that while there’s some small differences in sound, a good player will sound great no matter the string and a bad player can’t be saved by his strings. Feel is probably a big factor for most which is hard/impossible to get across on a video!

@RobertDeer Жыл бұрын

Wow love this video! I Play the Daddario XT since 2020, but the sound of the XS and NXXL impressed me! Definitely my next buy

@michaelshannon6558 Жыл бұрын

I was using the XS, on my acoustic guitars, but a friend told me about the Martin Retros, a nickel-copper alloy. They are cheaper than the XS, a bit brighter, and last almost as long as the XS.

@DamonMedekMusic Жыл бұрын

I agreed with 90% of your choices. I agree with your final choice. The Roto Yellows brought a special something in the lo-mids I liked. It didn't go for just pretty, it had a color to it that pushed it over the edge. It sounded a bit louder too which helped.

@andreykarayvansky9549 Жыл бұрын

Thank you for the video, this clearly took time to make! I'm interested in a bass string test too. I'm surprised you didn't like the cobalts, I like them a lot.

@davidkloehn5676 Жыл бұрын

I was playing Roto Blues, but I liked how those Yellows sounded. I'm going to try some

@greham Жыл бұрын

Bare knuckle sends you a free set for each pickup ordered there. So now I've got a few Yellows sitting somewhere. Should try them on.

@Cloxxki Жыл бұрын

What a production! And I dare say, I actually heard some of those differences through my laptop speakers. I think you picked well. Seems, if it's for a recording, you might as well buy a set of Roto Yellows and open them 2 weeks prior. On that guitar at least :)

@m.charron Жыл бұрын

Bravo for the time and effort put in to this video. It's so hard to know what you're getting with new strings. I was surprised that I disagreed with you a lot(!) through the rounds; but then, in the end, I agreed with you on the Rotosounds. I'd have to check, but I think that every time you picked a coated or Harley Benton set, I went with the opposing set.

@circlemover Жыл бұрын

What a blast. Massive amount of work to bring us this totally unbiased blind testing. Does it mean anything? probably not. Like everything to do with music instruments its a subjective choice but nevertheless this is a great exploration into how strings compare taking into account the limitations as you say.

@Fret-knot Жыл бұрын

I've been using Rotosound Hybrids (Orange) for years. They sound great, don't cost a fortune and you also get a spare high E, which is always appreciated!

@J.C... Жыл бұрын

Seriously? Wish I had known they give an extra high E. My Tele was breaking high e's every few days a little while back. Turns out the set of five single 10s I got from D'addario must have been bad. If I used a normal set of 10s, high E lasted forever. As soon as I put one of the singles on, it'd break in 3 days tops. They sent me 10 free .010 strings as a replacement. 👌 No questions asked except for me to send a picture of the packaging.

@xgreenjacket Жыл бұрын

How do you find them for staying in tune? I didn’t like rotisounds because compared to other brands they never seemed to hold their tuning well. And I don’t mean leaving it for a day and coming back. I mean while playing

@Fret-knot Жыл бұрын

@@xgreenjacket I've always stretched them in when new and had no problems at all with tuning after that. I use the hybrids on my 3 electrics and they play really well. I recently tried their acoustic strings as well, and I like those. I've not come across the tuning issue, but maybe you got some duff strings. I've used quite a few sets over the years and all have been fine.

@latheofheaven1017 Жыл бұрын

Much more interesting than I thought this was going to be Paul! I'm sure the strings would fare differently on different guitars, but as a Strat player, this was a really interesting test. I did quite like those Harley Benton strings going for £3.44/set at the time of writing (not the HQS ones), although my favourite were the Rotosounds. Who knew?

@BonesJonesMusicMD Жыл бұрын

Great fun thank you! I love those Roto strings and was also super surprised that the coated strings let winning.

@chubi167 Жыл бұрын

I was very impressed with the Harley Benton strings considering the price.

@krutplaysaguitar Жыл бұрын

you’re probably already on it, but a similar tournament of acoustic strings is much anticipated by me too! especially since the strings on an acoustic make up a larger part of the final tone, right? the videos on bodyshapes and tonewoods was awesome. i now own an OO eastman because of them and i am very pleased with it.