DR Strings HI-DEF NEON™ - MULTI-COLOUR Coloured Electric Guitar Strings: Medium 10-46

Product Information

Then we have a less straightforward color code from LaBella, a company that decided to move towards a more environmentally friendly solution: As you can imagine D’Addario is still an innovative brand so it doesn’t come as a surprise that they are the most famous company that produces color-coded strings for acoustic, electric, classical, and bass guitars. Each color code marks a different string, and it’s unique to the company. Above - Image Courtesy of Elixir Strings - This advertisement from Elixir clearly shows how all the sweat, dirt and grime from our hands and the atmosphere can work their way between the windings. Whilst, comparatively speaking they’re still relatively new in the string world, their popularity is ever growing as the advancements in technology develops. With that in mind, we’d confidently say that they’re certainly here to stay for the foreseeable future.

Guitar Strings Have Colored Ends? - Range of Sounds Which Guitar Strings Have Colored Ends? - Range of Sounds

Even as an experienced guitarist I still find color-coded strings useful, especially when I’m short on time or if I need to string my guitar before a gig in a badly lit pub. Making playing easy is all about how the strings feel. Now, 'ease' of playing often comes down to the gauge of string - something which is entirely subjective - but we want to make sure that the strings feel smooth, and are without imperfections. If the strings are coated, we don't necessarily want to feel the coating - but if we can see and feel the result of the anti-corrosion technology? That's ideal. Speaking of corrosion, we'll test to see how long it takes for the strings to go dull, too.

DR Strings BLACK BEAUTIES™

Traditional sets can sometimes feature vastly different tensions between strings, causing players to compensate with altered techniques. New York string icon D'Addario set out to even the playing field with its Balanced Tension XL sets. If you’re a beginner, you’ll want to start off with a lighter gauge of electric guitar strings. The lighter the gauge of string, the less tension it produces - and that makes it much easier to play. We’d recommend a set of .009 to .042 gauge strings - as we feel that this is a great middle-ground to start on. You can go lighter, but the tone will be compromised - or you can go heavier, but playability will suffer. For us, Roto sound strings sound warm and smooth with a pleasant mid-range - a sound we particularly like on a Strat, and Jimi seemed to agree with us!As far as value for money goes, they're a brilliant option too.

Strings HI-DEF NEON™ - MULTI-COLOUR Coloured Electric DR Strings HI-DEF NEON™ - MULTI-COLOUR Coloured Electric

Of course, this simply isn’t the case and this is where things start to get interesting (if you’re string super nerds like us!). The differences really come to the fore when you consider the coating itself and how it’s applied to the string. Both elements being the secret sauce of each brand if you will. Tonally, players often argue that coated strings don’t have the brightness of an uncoated string. Their argument is that the coating can muffle the sound somewhat hindering it’s natural brightness and resonance. There is a good reason for Ernie Ball's Slinky series of electric guitar strings' ubiquitous presence in gig bags and cases worldwide. Firstly, they sound great. Let’s be honest, whilst we love strings, changing them isn’t our favourite job in the world so for those players, coated strings are a really good option. Their extended life means you won’t need to change them quite so often.Above - This images shows the coating on D'Addario's XS Acoustic Strings and how it acts as a protective layer for the string underneath (Image Courtesy of D'Addario) Most of the time these ball ends are the same color as the rest of the string, silver or copper, depending on the type of strings you’re using, but some brands produce strings with colored ball ends. In 1989, DR Strings re-introduced hand-made round core string making to the general market. It requires a lot of skill, time and care, but we feel it’s worth it because we can hear the difference between a handmade string and a machine made string. Dunlop is another brand that began using a color code system and like Rotosound they also use three colors in a similar manner, rotating between them: Sometimes, we find that coated strings can feel stiff and less responsive when compared to regular strings. But it's safe to say that that isn't the case with Optiweb. Instead, these strings feel highly flexible and, more importantly, playable!

DR Strings | Official Site

While the coating does give them a different feel I think colored strings can be a great option for guitarists that are trying to learn to play scales. Since each string has a different color it allows you to be more aware of which strings you are on. The British string stalwart has been making strings since 1959 and now color-codes according to gauge as Roto Reds, Pinks, Yellows, and Purples, so no matter your guitar style, you'll find a set to match. Nanoweb, this is the special one. Elixir’s Nanoweb coating is still the leading guitar strings mid-weight coating. You can feel this coating and it’s loved by many players. Above - Image Courtesy of D'Addario. For D'Addario's latest XS Acoustic string range they've taken the decision to coat the outer surface of the string after it's been wound which is a first for any of their coated string ranges.We speak to plenty of guitar players every day and you may or may not be surprised that there're players out there that can tarnish a standard set of strings in a matter of minutes due to sweat and acidic perspiration from their hands. Whilst coated strings are great for these players, their extended life certainly appeals to many other musicians too. Whilst these strings last 3 - 5 times longer than normal, on average they usually work out around twice the price of a standard set of strings. Therefore, if you do opt for coated strings, over the course of say a year, you’ll no doubt be spending less on strings.