Please forgive me......

Blackjack

Please forgive me for asking what is probably a very amateurish question that has been done to death but....

What strings would you recommend for my CV Tele? I have been using Rotosounds on it but they seem to go dull and muddy sounding fairly quickly.  Was playing it at rehearsal tonight and realised quite how desperate it is for a new set and thought that I would ask the question before I just bought more Rotosounds out of habit.  Currently got 10’s on it and looking to stick to them to save having to get it set up as need it for next week! 

Many thanks 

AlexC

Personally, I use Rotosounds all the time - but you can’t go far wrong with Ernie Balls - which about 90% of guitarists seem to use.

Funkfingers

The usual suspects are Ernie Ball and D'Addario. Other brands are available. 

Winny_Pooh

Daddarios, 1st choice as an all rounder. EBs die too soon. GHS are ok but can be inconsistent. Fender or Pyramid are best value of the cheap brands. 

JezWynd

Try Pure Nickel strings on a Tele. I use D'addario 9-41's -

http://www.hotroxuk.com/daddario-epn120-xl-pure-nickel-regular-light-9-41.html?utm_source=GoogleBase&utm_medium=organic&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIu-GZrYy72wIVrLftCh1T9gOYEAQYBSABEgJL__D_BwE

stickyfiddle

If you find your strings get dull and muddy sounding too quickly you could try coated strings, such as Elixir Nanowebs. They feel a little different but last a really long time.

ICBM

I would get D’Addarios, either 10-46 or 10-52 which I think suits a Tele even better. They’re the most consistent and long-lasting of the major brands in my experience.

If you can wait (they can sometimes take a week or so for delivery), try Newtones - they sound and feel better than any other strings I’ve tried, and seem to last very well too.

richardhomer

AlexC said:

Personally, I use Rotosounds all the time - but you can’t go far wrong with Ernie Balls - which about 90% of guitarists seem to use.

In my experience EBs have a usable life-span that can measured with a stop-watch. 

D’Addarios have much greater longevity.

Guitar_Slinger

@Blackjack do you wash your hands before playing? Crap from your hands and natural oils from the skin make strings go off quicker.

Years ago I would pick up a bag of spicy chicken thighs or some other greasy food on the way to rehearsal, eat before setting up and get straight into playing for 3 hours. No wonder strings only lasted one session!

Now I always wash my hands before playing and strings last longer. Depends on your body chemistry though (YMMV) - I'm a ginger and AFAIK we have more acidic sweat. That's why it's always good to wipe your guitar after playing... don't put it away wet, as the finish and hardware could get corroded too. Ewww. .

meltedbuzzbox

richardhomer said:

AlexC said:

Personally, I use Rotosounds all the time - but you can’t go far wrong with Ernie Balls - which about 90% of guitarists seem to use.

In my experience EBs have a usable life-span that can measured with a stop-watch. 

D’Addarios have much greater longevity.

This

munckee

stickyfiddle said:

If you find your strings get dull and muddy sounding too quickly you could try coated strings, such as Elixir Nanowebs. They feel a little different but last a really long time.

I only use elixit nanowebs on all my guitars, I find they last 3-4 times longer than anything else for twice the price.

fandango

AlexC said:

Personally, I use Rotosounds all the time - but you can’t go far wrong with Ernie Balls - which about 90% of guitarists seem to use.

The other 95% use D'Addarios. 

crunchman

D'Addarios are the obvious option.  As others have said, they will last twice as long as a set of Ernie Balls.

You could try coated, but I don't like the feel of them.  You also start to get little bits of plastic hanging off when they wear when you bend strings.

Edit:  Be careful where you buy from.  There are fake D'Addarios on Ebay and from Amazon marketplace sellers.

Branshen

Try Elixir Nanos and you'll only need to restring yearly! Whether you like the feel is a personal thing. 

Octafish

After a long time not using them, I've gone back to Fender strings recently. Picked up some cheap on offer and was surprised how good they are. Still sound good after a sweaty 45 min set, although I always restring before gigs usually anyway. D'Addario are fine, although I stopped using them for a bit after having several top Es snap fresh out of the pack on tune up some years ago.

rico

Ernie Ball here. Mainly for the fact that they don't come in the annoying little plastic packet with the strings wound in pairs. That and fresh D'Addario E strings kept snapping!

digitalscream

For what it's worth, D'Addarios are OK in my book, but I generally only use them as sacrificial strings if I'm either working on the guitar or I need an emergency replacement. I've had very bad luck with NYXLs, mind - they've gone dead within a few days for me.

Elixir strings are where it's at for my use; I like the slipperiness, and the fact that they sound consistent for at least 6 months at a time is a major bonus. In fact, there was a time a couple of years ago where I was changing pickups more often than I was changing strings...

kt66

I've moved exclusively to Newtone strings. They are the best I've tried. 
Don't think you can go wrong with D'Addarios or Ernie Balls, I avoid the expensive "long life" "coated" ones, I just don't think the money is worth it, but really all depends how often you change strings. 

prlgmnr

I like Curt Mangan pure nickel on my Tele

Rocker

stickyfiddle said:

If you find your strings get dull and muddy sounding too quickly you could try coated strings, such as Elixir Nanowebs. They feel a little different but last a really long time.

Another vote for Elixir Nanowebs. I simply don’t like changing strings, these last a long time. 

ESBlonde

I have great success with Pyramid pure nickel strings. They can be bought online for a very reasonable sum so you can change them ofton. But as @Guitar_Slinger says, wash your hands and wipe down the strings. I now make mine last weeks at a time even though I carry a stock of spare strings.

https://www.thomann.de/gb/pyramid_egitarre_saiten.htm?sid=2da63c4439c37e02702c26e130757a4f&ref=glp_alar_276368_0