Ernie Ball Slinky Classic guitar strings review
This is the first Ernie Ball string I've ever truly liked.
The Ernie Ball Regular Slinky is a string I do not like. Over the years, I've bought a pack every so often just to see if I could get along with it, and I just couldn't. The strings snapped too easily for my playing style, and overall sound was just too shrill.
However, there is also the Slinky Classic. It is available in sizes 8-38 (what I use), 9-42, 9-46 (heavy bottom), 10-46 and 11-48.
Why did I try this string? Because according to the Ernie Ball web site, it has a slightly lower overall output and less treble, but keeps the midrange and bass response the same as the Regular Slinky.
Is this true? Yes. The Slinky Classic is the first string I've ever actually liked. It's not as shrill as the Regular Slinky, and to my fingers these strings have a better feel to them.
Now as far as how long they'll last for, that I don't know as I just put on a fresh set at the time I wrote this. But so far, yes I am genuinely liking these strings.
Will I like them enough to switch over to using them full time? That I don't know either. Time will tell. But for now they're working out quite well.
In the end, yes it's true that the Classic Slinky is in fact a different string than the Regular Slinky. The Classic isn't just a Regular in different packaging. The feel and sound is definitely different. For me, it's different in a good way.
If you like the Regular Slinky but want something with a little less output and treble to it, the Classic works well. Its best application is on guitars with very trebly pickups to them (such as the Telecaster.)
Review of 7 guitar string brands
Over the years, I've tried out many different guitar strings from different brands. This is my review of how they performed.
I'll start with the most recent brand I've been using:
GHS Guitar BoomersThe immediate cool thing about these is that GHS Boomers can be bought cheap. But that doesn't mean they perform badly. I've found them to perform quite well. They last a long time and handle string bending easily without snapping too early.
The best thing about these strings is actually the packaging. Each string is individually packed in the pouch with each clearly labeled. In addition, you do not need scissors to open the pouch nor the individual string packets. THANK YOU, GHS for doing this.
The cons of this string is that these take a long time to break in compared to other strings. And while they keep tune, I do have to tune up my guitar after leaving it sit for a day.
D'Addario EXLThe best thing about D'Addario strings is that they're available everywhere, at least in America. It's also very easy to find 3-pack bundles of them in several different sizes.
The second best thing about D'Addario is the wide range of sizes, gauge sets and string types. Everything from heavy bottom to half round (which means a semi-flat surface, the "middle ground" between roundwound and flatwound) to super-bright ProSteels, D'Addario has you covered.
The EXL is "the regular string" that most guitar players use.
My experience with the EXL is that it's good, packaged well and one of the freshest strings you can buy since people buy these so much (stock is routinely replenished and these don't sit on shelves for extended periods of time.)
Pros of the string is that a fresh set rings very nicely, don't snap prematurely and is one of the longest lasting strings you can buy.
Cons is that these things go dead real quick. Treble response can be gone in as little as a week if you play your guitar regularly, and they also seem to rust up fairly quickly too.
Dunlop DEN nickel woundI used these for a while. Priced right, and the absolute best part is that these strings break in faster than any other I've tried. In my experience, I could have these things stretched properly in less than 20 minutes. I'm not kidding. They also last a while and keep decent treble response for the life of the string.
As for cons, I have opened up a bad set of these a few times. I've also opened up a few sets where the plain strings were showing rust right out of the packaging. And while the string keeps great tune and treble response, they have a nasty habit of rusting up early and denting.
Ernie Ball Regular SlinkyLike D'Addario brand, these are available everywhere and are easy to come by. They also keep a nice low price. A fresh set rings very brightly, and the strings keep their treble response for a good long while.
The major con of this string is that in my experience they are too bright to the point of being shrill.
Now if you're the type of guitar player that likes really, really bright-sounding strings for cheap, A Regular Slinky set will work well. Specifically, this string used on a guitar with humbuckers and played with a thin celluloid pick will bring out treble you didn't even know was there.
However, on guitars with trebly single-coil pickups (most Fender guitars,) this string can sound like an over-trebly mess.
Other cons of this string is that they do take a while to break in, and if you like bending strings a lot, they may snap prematurely.
DR Tite FitGreat string. Stretches quickly on new installation, keeps good tune, treble response lasts for a while, packaging is nice, note-bending friendly, really nice feel.
My only real knocks against this string are price (other competing brands are cheaper) and the fact that finding bundled sets is not easy. And when you do find them, you usually get no discount.
To the best of my knowledge, DR does not offer 3-set bundles from the factory, so it's up to the individual seller to do so, and that's why the price for a bundle is high. It's too bad DR doesn't offer bundled sets from the factory.
Fender Super BulletsThere was a time when I used nothing but Fender Super Bullets, but stopped for two reasons which I'll get to in a moment.
Super Bullets have a great sound to them, break in fairly quickly and last a long time. The feel of the string is also quite good.
Here are the two reasons I stopped using Super Bullets:
First is price. You cannot get these strings cheap, and there's nothing about them that makes them any more valuable compared to competing strings. Average price is $8 per pack. That's almost double the price of most other brands.
Second is the bullet ends themselves. This takes a bit of explanation.
If you have a top-loader guitar like a Jazzmaster, Jaguar, SG or Les Paul, you won't have any problems with the Super Bullets.
If you have a guitar where the strings mount through the body like a Stratocaster or Telecaster, you will eventually have a problem. And that problem is the bullet ends getting stuck inside the guitar.
Every guitar player that has used Super Bullets strings on a Strat or Tele has at some point had one or more of the strings get stuck when they go to perform a string change. The way to get that stupid bullet end out is to take a discarded wound guitar string (such as an A or low E string,) bend it in half, shove that bent end into the top side of the hole where the string is stuck, then push and tap until that bullet end shakes loose.
After that, you treat the string channel. Spray a pipe cleaner with WD-40 silicone lubricant, run that through the channel a few times, and that will prevent a string's bullet end from getting stuck again. Don't use regular WD-40 because its lubrication will wear out too quickly and stink up your guitar. Lubricate the string channels once every 6 string changes or whenever the bullet ends start sticking again.
Love the Super Bullets, but hate the price and the bullet ends.
Dean Markley SignatureThis is one of the longest lasting strings I've used. They keep their tune, keep treble response and are very note-bending friendly.
My issue with these is availability and price. They're usually not easy to find and like the Super Bullets are usually priced fairly high (around $7 per pack depending on where you get them.)
This is the string I recommend for guitar players who like a traditional nickel-plated roundwound string but don't play very often since this string lasts so long.
Rich's picks
I recommend GHS Guitar Boomers, D'Addario EXL and Ernie Ball Regular Slinky.
All three of these are available and are priced low. There is also enough variety in each brand to where you can basically find anything you need.
For example, if you're one of those crazy people that plays an 8-string guitar, D'Addario has that, so does Ernie Ball, and so does GHS. These are companies that have all the traditional and wacky stuff that guitar players are using these days.
With GHS, D'Addario or Ernie Ball, you'll get what you need and it will work. With any other brand, it's a bit of a gamble.
What is the best guitar looper?
Every guitar player needs a looper...
...but which one should you go with?
Part of the reason I bought my DigiTech RP360 is that it does have a 40-second looper built in (which by the way is included both on the regular and XP models). However, I may at some point buy a regular dedicated looper because it is easier to have a dedicated looper outside of other effects.
To answer the question up front of what the best looper is, it's the BOSS RC-3 Loop Station.
When you want the absolute best of the best, the RC-3 is it. Built like a tank, loaded with features (including its own built-in drum machine), ability to save loops to internal memory for recalling later... it just doesn't get any better than this. Yes, there are other loopers that may have more features, but none as usable and bulletproof as the RC-3.
The only drawback of the RC-3? Price. It's never been cheap. But then again, it is priced right for what you get, it will last probably at least 10 years with regular use, it is absolutely okay for use both in studio and stage, and it is absolutely true it is the only looper you will ever need.
Yes, I sing high praises of the RC-3, but the plain truth of the matter is that it's just that good.
This is another simpler looper, also from BOSS, that's much less in price, the BOSS Loop Station RC-1.
The RC-1 doesn't have nearly as many features as the RC-3 does, but it does have the same rock-solid reliability BOSS pedals are known for. The RC-1 also has the advantage of a carousel style light that's actually easier to see compared to the RC-3's LED digital segment display.
If you don't need the built-in drum machine or any of RC-3's other fancy features and just want a really good, reliable looper, the RC-1 is a good choice.
BUT WAIT... here comes something from DigiTech, the DigiTech JMSXT JamMan Solo XT.
This pedal is basically just like the RC-3 as it has a drum machine, advanced features and so on. But it also has something else. You can plug a cheap memory card into it that instantly bumps it up to 200 memory presets and up to 16 hours of record time.
Wow.
Now this doesn't mean the JamMan can be a recording studio. Far from it. But the fact you can store so much in the pedal is great. I consider this one the best at-home pedal for recording riff ideas.
Here's something from ZOOM, the ZOOM G1on.
This is actually a multi-effects pedal similar to the DigiTech RP360. But it does have a simple 30-second looper in it.
Why do I list this one? Cheap. Cheaper than the BOSS pedals? Yes. Cheaper than the JamMan? Yes. Even cheaper than the RP360? Yes.
When you want something that just gets you the looper with no fuss for the lowest price that actually works, the G1on is the pedal to get.
Yes, there are cheaper looper pedals like the ammoon AP-09 Nano Loop. But in all honesty, it's worth the extra 15 bucks to just get the G1on instead.
To sum up...
The best-of-the-best is the RC-3. Yes, it's going to sting a bit to spend that much on a pedal, but if you want the best, there it is.
The most reliable simple looper is the RC-1.
The best at-home looper with tons of record time for recording scratch ideas is the JamMan Solo XT.
The best lower-priced looper is the G1on. Even if you only use the looper and nothing else in that multi-effects pedal, it's priced right.
If you want to use what I use, that's the RP360 from DigiTech, although I will say again that at some point I will be buying a separate looper just because it's easier to have that specific function in a pedal dedicated to it.
Ibanez GART60 - cheap and good
I mentioned in The highest reviewed electric guitars in the UK that the Ibanez GAX30 is a great axe. Here in the USA, the GART60 model is similar, low-priced and just as good.
When comparing the GAX30 to the GART60, the 60 is a single cutaway instead of a double, does not have a pick guard, has a top-loader Tune-O-Matic style bridge and tail piece instead of the Strat-style hard tail string-thru, and instead of 2 knobs and a blade selector switch, you get 3 knobs and a 3-way toggle switch.
Technically, the 60 is more advanced than the 30 is. You are getting more for the money even though it sells at the same low price as the 30 does.
The two colors available are Dark Violin Sunburst and Mustard Yellow, both of which suit the guitar quite well.
Also, if you're willing to spend slightly more, there is the GART60FA model that has chrome cover humbuckers, body binding and speed knobs.
The end result here is that this is basically the American market version of the same guitar, but it's good for what it is. The price is right, it's a good guitar to buy as a gift for someone else or yourself, and the basic hardware makes it easy to work on if you want to swap out the pickups and electronics.
And will this guitar last? Yes. Ibanez makes certain that even their lower cost models stand the test of time, meaning this isn't a guitar that will fall apart in a month. You can beat on it and it will keep working, not to worry.
The most reviewed guitars in Canada
Since I covered guitars that are popular in the UK, I figured why not mention the guitars that get reviewed in Canada routinely, so here it is.
Starting with the BPI California Classic, the only reason it sells well is price. At the time I write this, it's priced just under $100 - and bear in mind that's in Canadian dollars (in USA currency it would be about $78 USD).
All I can say about this guitar is that if you're in Canada and want something dirt cheap that you could use as a project guitar, go ahead and get one. From the reviews I've read, the neck is on the thicker side, you may get some sharp fret edges that need filing down, and you may also need to level the frets. But again, bear in mind the guitar is just under $100. For that price, expecting a perfect guitar out of the box would be unrealistic.
Yes, this is a semi-hollow body, so the body is light in weight. The Delta Rose does look fancy for what it is (especially the tail piece,) and I like the fact the inlays are parallelograms instead of trapezoids.
Another semi-hollow body, also with parallelogram inlays, is the Epiphone Riviera. Three P90 pickups, Bigsby B70 vibrato and a gorgeous appearance all around. But it's more than just fancy dress. This one plays and sounds as good as it looks.
I was actually surprised to see this one listed as one of the more-reviewed guitars for the Canadian audience, but evidently Canucks really like their 12-string electrics.
The Boca 12 is a guitar I've reviewed before, and what I have to say about it hasn't changed. It is a bargain for a 12-string electric and definitely one of the easiest 12's to deal with. Some 12-string electrics for whatever reason are really complicated instruments, but fortunately the Boca 12 is simple. The simplicity combined with good price is why it sells well.
A mainstay of the Schecter lineup for a while now, the C-1 Hellraiser is a favorite for many guitar players. It has a distinct upscale look where you can easily say "that's a Schecter" from a distance in a good way, the build quality is amazing and the EMG active electronics is top tier stuff.
I used to own a C-1 myself, and it's one of those guitars that feels like a premium custom shop build without the custom shop price. It's also one of the few guitars where I can honestly say that you do get what you pay for. It's not overpriced nor underpriced.
What's also nice about the C-1 is that you have options. The Hellraiser is one of the upper tier models, but you can get a basic C-1 for much less that doesn't have the fancy inlays, binding or active electronics. And if you like the basic model, you can upgrade (and it is a true upgrade) to the fancier Hellraiser model later.
Two honorable mentions
Two more that appeared when I was searching around for talked-about guitars in Canada are these:
Both these guitars made an appearance because of their low price. I think the Telecaster is the cooler of the two.