Ernie ball vs d'addario

bandmaster188

SteveRobinson said:

D'Addario. I used to use EB but had issues with uneven winds. I still occasionally see EB strings fresh out of the packet with rust on them.

last few sets of Ernie balls I bought were all corroded on the plain strings so switched to D'addario. Recently tried some EB bass strings, cobalt flats and they had corrosion on them too. I emailed them to say that 45 quid strings shouldn't really come with rust and they kindly sent me a replacement set which also came with a small amount of free rust. Bit of a shame as they would be pretty good strings without the rust.

thegummy

I always found both EB and D'Addario totally fine, never had any problems with either.

Now I'm using Elixir coated and so far I'm really preferring the feel and enjoying the sound. Time will tell if I stick with them.

DaevidJ

D'Addarios... I keep coming back to them as they are consistent. Also the coloured balls are a plus... 

Mickeyji

Recently switched to Optiwebs after having used d‘Addarios for years. The Elixirs aren‘t quite as snappy but retain their „good“ tone much longer than the d‘Addarios. Another good alternative are Pyramids IMO.Don‘t like  Ernie Balls, they seem to go bad quickly

skunkwerx

I use Eb hybrid slinkys. 
Not had one snap in about 4 years.
I liked the Eb cobalts as well.. they felt a bit rougher. Presumably because they were harder, I dunno. 

Used to use Dr’s, have used D’addarios before too. 

Tried Elixirs and the bass strings were bangin’. I loved the slippery feel to them, but the treble strings felt stickier to me with the coating.

 

Alnico

D'addario 10-52.
I dropped EB in the mid 90's.

Never snapped a string while playing, I change them once a month and play every day.
I've gradually gone up from 09-42 to the gauge I'm playing now and I've always been amazed by the sound I get from them.
NYXL are definitely worth it (To me) if I can afford them.
If not, I still get a great sound and feel from EXL's.

siremoon

D'Addario no contest.

Consistent quality, rarely break and last for ages.

mistercharlie

I prefer EB too. Used D’Addarios for a while, but they go dead much quicker. Balls last me months, not weeks, and I play a lot.

Also, I just like the feel of the EBs better. 

mr-mac

I am hard on strings and was snapping at least one every gig or two on my 335 copy.  Even tried swapping to schaller roller bridge with no improvement so went back to old one.

Bought some fender strings as decided just needed cheapest in shop.  1st lasted 5 gigs.  2nd set lasted 6.  So stayed with them and get 4-6 gigs out every set.  Tried all makes daddario, slinky, DR, Ernie ball, roto and all were 1-2 gigs.  Weird huh?

must revisit another make and see if anything else changed but didn't change setup or hardware 

JD50

Neither, always had problems with D'addarios unravelling at the ball end.
I use Picato strings... not broke one for years

jf122

I’ve always found Daddarios to be a bit dull sounding right from the off whereas EBs are a bit brighter and snappier so I prefer EBs. I’m talking about the standard £5 a set jobbies. Not tried the more expensive ones but don’t see the point in paying more when the standard EBs are more than adequate.

drwiddly

I prefer d'Addario's too, they last longer than EB's. The Ernies start off brighter but go dead quite quickly. Rotosound on the other hand, start off much duller sounding but don't change much.
IME steer clear of Dean Markley (lots of breakages) and DR (nearly always rusty out of the packet).

MartinB

I've used 10-52 D'Addario for a few years.  The sound and longevity seem best for me, though I have occasional issues with the high E slipping at the ball end.  Both of my guitars have vibrato systems that flex this part of the string (Jazzmaster and Duesenberg Les Trem II), and I'm sure thats a contributing factor.  
I've just had a brief experiment with a couple of sets of Rotosound because they're cheaper and come with a spare E, and I can't get back to the D'Addario fast enough!  The Rotos sound dull straight out of the packet, and were thumpy and dead after one gig.  The second set is already starting to go dead and developed black tarnished spots after a single rehearsal.  I don't know if my sweat just disagrees with them or if they're always like that...

markr76

I used eb's for years. Only as they were the easiest to get hold of. But tend to use D'addarios these days. I find they last longer, sound better to my ears and mainly I prefer the tension on them. I use 11's on my guitars and prefer the pure nickel ones on my strat. The standard ones on my les Paul.
Ghs strings are also very nice strings. I like their burnished nickel ones. They take longer to break in but last longer than the others. More expensive though and I struggled with supply for a bit so switched to D'addarios.

meltedbuzzbox

I moved to D'addario about 18 years ago.  (now on 11s on everything)
Ernies just seem to perish very quickly and lose their sound very quickly. 
I've never had a rusty pack though. 

dwheeldo

I use EB 11s on electrics, and have done for donkeys’ years. Even when they get old they still sound pretty good plugged in (to my ears at least). But I use D’Addarios on my acoustic and they’re great too.

I can’t bloody stand Elixirs - to me they feel slimy and sound a bit unbalanced, thin and weedy. Played in strings should sound more ‘woody’ in my view!

strat1990

D'Addario all the way. I'm pretty tough on strings and I've never had a break. 

Ernie Balls are junk in my opinion, they sound flat and break easy. 

randella

D’Addario. Habit. 

stratntele

EB man myself for many years (skinny top/heavy bottom 10 to 52) on most of my guitars. Have always found them to be consistent quality & long-lasting so why change?!?! Although may try some D'As as a comparison now after reading this forum!!

DavusPG

Either or for me. Have played both for donkeys and the usual factor when buying are the mulitibuy deals.

I currently have D'Addarios on some guitars and EBs on others and I honesty couldn't tell you which is which. I think once they've been on for a week or so they all feel the same as they're all the same gauge.

I haven't had a broken string for several years though, so both get the thumbs up for me. 

Stuck a set of EB Paradigms on my L3 when I got it and they were v nice....but for the price of those I can buy 3 sets of standard strings and replace them more frequently.