I'd do roto purples on a strat. I use reds on my gretsch. I really love the roto roundwounds. I like .12s on strats though. When our lead guitarist owned strats he kept roto greys on them.

planish
Anybody have strong opinions about D'Addario "half-rounds"?
http://www.daddario.com/DADProducts.aspx?ID=1&CLASS=AACA

I think I've used something like them for acoustic guitar, and they at least felt pretty good.

I personally couldn't get behind half-rounds. I found them to be pricey, and thought they just didn't do things right -- they weren't as quiet as flats and they weren't as snappy as rounds.

I think other people on the board have said they liked them -- you can probably scan through "the string thread".

~B~

Here's something amazing: I was recently in our local (and very small) Radio Shack. Not only did they have a bunch of Peavey guitars, basses and amps (including some really good tube stuff!), but they also had a large selection of strings - including Rotosounds! Unfortunately, they didn't have the Purples (12-52), the fattest gauge being 11-49, but I still couldn't believe my eyes. The price was very good, too, around $5-6/pack. I don't know if this is a nationwide thing for Radio Shacks, or just our local store trying to make some extra revenue, but I was very pleased to see it. Those of you that don't have good guitar shops in your area should go check out Radio Shack for strings. (I never expected I would write a sentence like that!) Maybe they can special-order the Purples (or even fatter) for you.

Ivan

Ivan
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I just put my last set of Kendrick Pure Nickel strings on my strat the other night. In general, I play about an hour or two every other night and these have been some of the longest lasting strings I have ever used on any guitar. Pure nickel is a little more costly, but my experience is they sound better for a much longer time than plated strings. They also dont seem to go flat spot dead under the frets like some of the cheaper strings I've used. I think Kendrick is out of the string biz now so I guess I will try some Rotosounds based on the comments here when string time comes around again. My strat came with 9's which I hated, the Kendricks on it now are 10's....much better. When I changed the tremelo/ bridge, I added a forth spring so I'm going to try 11's next change.

2012-2013: FILTHY POLAROIDS

WaimeaBay
Ivan when you used 11's in the Space Cossack days did you use Roto Reds? If not what was your 11 gauge string of choice? I have been using D'Addario 11's on my roundwound guitars and really don't think they are anything to call home about. It is time for a change.

No, I used D'Addarios, just like you. I think D'Addarios are only nickel-wrap strings, meaning they have a steel core. I've really grown fond of all-nickel strings, which is what Rotos are. I think Rotos sound a lot better than D'Addarios and last a lot longer. I've switched from D'Addarios to Rotos around '00-'01 and never looked back. I've also given up on the Gibson strings I mentioned above cause their tension is just too high. They were simply too much for my fingers. I couldn't bend without discomfort or even pain, and I found that I just didn't play as well on them. And I didn't hear any benefits in sound that could justify all that trouble. So, Roto Purples have been on all three of my Strats for a couple of years now. (Thomastik-infeld George Benson flats on my JM.)

Hope that helps.
Ivan

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Ruhar

IvanP
(Thomastik-infeld George Benson flats on my JM.)

Ivan:
What do you think of the Thomastik-Infeld flats? I've only really used Chromes .12 on my JM. I'd be interested in hearing your thoughst about the T.I.s.

Ryan, I'm afraid I can't say much about it as I don't play my JM a whole lot anymore. However, the TIs definitely feel better than the Chromes. The Chromes are steel strings, whereas TI are pure nickel, so they should sound better. I think they do, but having not really played the JM with either set of strings very much over the last couple of years, I just can't speak with great confidence. You should definitely try them, though.

Ivan

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IvanP
However, the TIs definitely feel better than the Chromes. The Chromes are steel strings, whereas TI are pure nickel, so they should sound better.

Thomastik flats are actually nickel wrap, and a round steel core, as apposed to a hex steel core, it produces a more 'natural' tone. compared to the chromes, they sound more thumpy, clearer, and less treble of the lower strings...

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This page goes into a bit more detail on the makeup of the TI strings and does a comparison to Chromes.

Ryan
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Ryan, those are not the TI strings I use - I use the George Benson signature kind.

I think they are pure nickel. Well, it says on the package they're pure nickel.

Ivan

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