Replacing your old, dull, lifeless strings with a set of the best electric guitar strings is the quickest, easiest and cheapest way of breathing new life into your instrument. Regular restringing is the most efficient bit of maintenance you can carry out on your guitar, as it can make it sound a whole lot better, and it doesn’t cost a lot.
Chris Corfield is a journalist with over 12 years of experience writing for some of the music world's biggest brands including Orange Amplification, MusicRadar, Guitar World, Total Guitar and Dawsons Music. Chris loves getting nerdy about guitar gear down to a molecular level - and yes, that includes guitar strings.
Product guide
Spec: nickel-plated, available in Regular, Power, Hybrid, Skinny Top - Heavy Bottom andSuper models
+ Tried and tested
+ Durable
+ Great sound
- Some players prefer coated strings
There's a reason why the Ernie Ball Slinky sets are among the best-selling guitar and bass strings globally. These nickel-plated strings marry up performance, durability, sound, and price into a package which ticks a lot of boxes.
The range is broad too; 17 different gauges are available in total, ranging from the 8-38 gauge Extra Slinky right up to the 12-62 gauge Mammoth Slinky – and they even have strings fit for a baritone guitar. Ernie Ball has even introduced some 'half' gauges, like the 10.5-52 Mondo Slinky. Whatever your playing style, there's a set that'll suit you just right.
Spec: Nickel-plated steel wrapped wire, variety of gauges available
+ Extremely hard wearing
+ Coating doesn't impact sound
+ Bright and resonant
- Pricier than some
- Coated isn't for everyone
Some string brands opt to use different coatings in an effort to prolong the life of their strings. Elixir is one such brand, utilising their patented Optiweb treatment onto the strings. Coating strings isn't without controversy; some players feel the treatment takes out some of the strings' natural resonance.
In our experience, that may be true for some brands but not for Elixir. These strings, during our testing, sounded bright and resonant, like uncoated strings, but generally lasted noticeably longer. We'd still advocate fairly regular changes, but if you do find yourself with a month-old set of Elixirs, you'll likely not be disappointed.
Spec: nickel-wound
+ Massive range of materials
+ Wide gauge options
+ A best seller
- The amount on offer can be overwhelming
The D'Addario XL range incorporates six different construction methods, each with its own characteristics. This includes the XL Chromes – which are flatwound to deliver increased low-end smoothness; the XL Nickel Wound – ideal 'everyday' strings; the XL Pure Nickel – which give off that vintage flavor; XL Prosteels – with increased output and brightness; the XL Half Rounds – which are semi-flat to alter their feel, and the XL Coated Nickel – which have a slightly longer lifespan than a normal set of nickel wound strings – so you've got a few options to choose from there.
For the purpose of our tests, we used the XL Nickel Wound strings, and found that the tone they helped create was a tasteful blend of brightness, punch and low-end warmth. Not too bright, but not too dark either.
Spec: Coated roundwound nickel-plated steel
+ Bright tone
+ Nickel-plated
+ Reasonably priced
- Not a huge range
We discovered during testing that the GHS Boomers offer a nice, bright tone thanks to the nickel-plated steel around a round steel core. Whereas in the past string brands solely utilized pure nickel, for whatever reason it was found that this wasn't viable any more. Hence we have nickel plated.
Thankfully, the Boomers deliver everything you want in a package that doesn't cost the earth. While the range isn't the widest in terms of available gauges, what is there is good quality. Overall, the Boomers are great value strings, too. They definitely run the risk of being too bright for some, however - so it's worth figuring out what you really want your tone to sound like in the long term.
Spec: High-carbon steel core, coating, nickel plated steel
+ Flagship D’addario range
+ Coating on all strings
+ Great feel
- Coating can feel a bit too slippery
These premium electric strings combine some of D’Addario’s finest technology. Featuring the high-carbon steel core seen in the NYXL series, as well as a thin, hydrophobic coating, the D’Addario XT sets retain that fresh string sound for longer. From our testing, we also found that they deliver amazing break resistance and hold their tuning better than most.
All six strings enjoy a coating too – it’s not just the wound strings like in some other coated sets. The feel isn’t wildly different from uncoated strings too so the D’Addario XTs provide the best of both worlds. If you’re looking for the best electric guitar strings for tuning stability, sound, break and corrosion resistance, and longevity then these could well be the ones.
Spec: Pure nickel
+ 100 percent pure nickel
+ Warm, clear tone
+ Great for string bends
- Tone can be too warm
Continuing the nickel theme, we have the Gibson Vintage Reissue. These strings are 100 percent pure nickel, delivering a warm tone with amazing clarity. The pure nickel composition gives the tone a more mellow feel, as well as making them easier for string bends.
We found during testing, however, that these strings push you onto your bridge pickup more often than not due to the extra warmth of the string.
Gibson does offer other slight variants in this particular range, including the nickel-plated Brite Wires and a set specifically for its Les Paul models (you may have heard of these guitars), but we opted for the Vintage Reissue as they deliver a specific tone, and do it quite brilliantly.
Spec: 52% nickel/48% Iron type 52 alloy
+ Made in the UK
+ Innovative design
+ Great tuning stability
+ Corrosion-resistant
- A bit of a gimmick?
The UK's premiere string manufacturer showed its innovative streak with the launch of a new design that features increased magnetic properties which we found to deliver extra power, volume and sustain in our tests.
What's more, reduced friction aims to provide improved overall tuning stability, while Rotosound has imbued the strings with corrosion-resistant properties to keep them sounding great for longer.
The only negative point of the Ultramags is that, up until this point, nobody has particularly taken issue with the traditional string design. The Ultramag is still a cool and interesting take on an electric guitar string, though.
Spec: Nickel-plated
+ Great for whammy playing
+ Top tuning stability
+ Huge range
- Expensive for non coated strings
As one of the biggest names in strings, you can expect good things from D'Addario. And, with their flagship range, they don't disappoint. The D'Addario NYXL range is designed with strength in mind. By incorporating a high-carbon steel core with nickel-plating, the NYXLs can withstand all manner of abuse from whammy bars.
D'Addario itself says the big selling point with these sets is their tuning stability, and after testing, we'd have to agree. Apparently, due to the way they're constructed and the materials used, they retain tune far better than standard steel. And with nearly 20 different gauges to choose from, there will doubtless be a set to suit you. Yes, they are a bit expensive – but you get a lot for your money here.
Spec: Cobalt
+ Another innovative string set
+ Improved dynamic range
+ 8 gauges available
- Too niche for some
The Ernie Ball Cobalt range utilizes different materials from its usual Slinky sets. Cobalt, they found, interacts with the magnets in your pickups much better than any other alloy. This means you get an improved dynamic range and increased low-end, which we found was perfect for heavier styles of music.
Available in eight different gauges, the Cobalt range digs a little deeper to find new areas of tonality for you to explore. If standard string constructions aren't doing it for you anymore, then the Cobalts are well worth a look.
Spec: nickel core, wrapped with nickel wire
+ For Strat owners
+ Vintage tone
+ Reduced finger squeak
+ Blues-friendly
- If you don't want vintage
If you own a Strat, you'll want to look at these. The Fender Pure Nickel sets feature a nickel core, wrapped with a nickel wire cover. This delivers tons of vintage tone, and also has the side benefit of reducing finger squeak as you traverse around the fretboard.
During our testing, we found these strings brought a type of brightness to the party which mingles perfectly with a single-coil pickup – and while these strings may not be for heavy players, they'll do just about anything else. The strings feel silky smooth straight out of the packet, and the pure nickel core allows the guitar's inherent tone to shine through.
Spec: Nickel-plated steel
+ Great for heavier styles
+ Downtune-friendly
+ Strong
- Not for lighter players
Anyone who has played below standard E will know you can fall prey to the dreaded muddiness in your tone, or from floppy strings. The Dunlop Heavy Core strings are wrapped using a slightly different ratio to make them ideal for these playing styles and rid your life of those problems.
When we tested a set, we discovered a defined low end, plenty of clarity in the mids and added durability so you can really dig in when you're palm muting. We spent the whole time downtuned, and these strings perform optimally in those areas.
Spec: 24 karat gold roundwound
+ Premium strings
+ Extra durable
+ Brian May-approved
- Expensive to replace
The Optima 24K Gold Plated are, as the name would suggest, coated with actual gold. This, the company claims, makes them naturally impervious to tarnishing or corrosion. The choice of material also increases their durability, and we discovered this when we tested a set. They sound great too, with loads of top end clarity. They're a bit expensive to replace, granted – but the extra durability does offset this a little bit.
These strings are actually the string of choice for Brian May, which is a decent endorsement to have. They're considerably more expensive than all of the other strings on the list, but why settle for silver when you can have gold?
Buying advice
How to choose the best electric guitar strings for you
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