24k GOLD Guitar Strings!! - Rich Tone or Waste of Cash?
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- Опубліковано 8 вер 2024
- Are super high-end strings worth buying? Today I compare a set of 24k gold coated strings up against a basic set of D'Addarios!
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Got a fun comparison for you guys tonight!
Let me know which set of strings you liked the best, and if you were able to hear a difference!
Enjoy!
I'm going to stick with my cheap strings, but they sure would look good on the right guitar. The sound is not objectionable either, they just don't sound as lively.
I actually preferred the D'addarrio. I listened with my eyes closed through all the sound samples, and found the XLs were more my style. That made me happy because I put D'addarrio strings on my guitars and basses (except my Music Man, I put Ernie Ball strings on it lol)
I prefer the cheap strings.. it sounds brighter .. gold sounds muffled..
Even on laptop speakers the difference was easy to hear, I'll stick to my regular ones (Rotosound R9 Roto Pinks - Super Light 9-42)
The tophat & monacle reference is absolutely hilarious! 🤣
I can't use D'addario on my Strat. The high e rings out BAD with D'addario. EB's work fine, though.
Literal gold guitar strings, still less expensive than an average pack of bass strings.
That's pretty crazy ain't it
You beat me to it lol
Ikr
The bass strings I use cost 16 dollars a pack but you only have to change bass strings around once a year
John Golbonny my rotosound strings are around £35 great tone and when i used La bellas that was around £50 but you dint have to change flats often though.
Guitarist: "25 bucks, pretty expensive strings."
Me: *Laughs in Bass* ..."Adorable."
Well to be fair, how often do bass strings break/need replacing?
@@pickednads6 I change mine at least every month. Usually every two weeks though, I use coated stainless steel strings and they start losing their edge after about 2 weeks of playing.
@@pickednads6 probably more often than we actually due, because these bass string prices are too damn high. except stringjoy strings, those bastards are pretty much indestructible but so are the guitar strings. i got year-old guitar strings from them that still play fine.
Me: Laughs in Violin "he's cute maybe we should keep him"
@@pickednads6 you should replace them once a month
imagine how good itd look on a black les paul custom tho
like the 3 pickup black beauty ones? MMMM
ace dog i have a black epiphone lp custom with gold hardware and after this i may consider grabbing a pair just for a few pictures haha
You mean the Les Paul Peter frampton custom?
I got one of those and I was looking ay my guitar all the time when he was talking about it!
ace dog
Yeahh! Had them on my „ black beauty“ - fantastic looking!!!
I was thinking almost the same but for my black acoustic. It would look pretty.
I want to see some of these on an esp single cut too
I have a nickel allergy and these strings saved me. I literally cannot play without them. Please Optima, don’t ever stop making these, my life as a guitarist depends on it!
Hey. I have nickle allergy to :( did this strings help you to Play without problems? I use cobalt strings and stainless but it didnt work for me.
That’s exactly why I looked to get these. I didn’t realize that the strings would cause me so much irritation, especially as my nickel allergy worsens.
Same here, nickel allergy destroyed my fingers..now Optima or nothing.
I also have a nickel allergy and looking at string options…my main concern is how long the gold plating lasts before it’s worn through? Also, what’s beneath the gold plating, nickel content?
Switch to ukulele
Imagine restringing your guitar to gold and the high E string breaks in 20 mins
jc0301
If high e breaks, there is some reasons: on the tuners and bridge or tailpiece are sharp edges! Solution: round them off with a fine file🙂 Just look where it breaks, thats the spot to rounden😌
Sometimes that happens. But I Live my gold strings
Minecraft logic boys
Imagine your string breaks while playing when the levee breaks 🤭
Is that a minecraft joke? XD
I've never found a fresh string I didn't like. Then they start to wear and that's what determines my purchace.
Yup. In my experience fresh ernie ball makes the best strings. But Ernie ball strings wear out super fast. So I use D'addario strings. In my experience they last the longest
Elixirs might be worth checking out if you like strings that last. I do too, like you said, fresh strings always sound great!
YES That's why always i go with Ernie Ball's 09 Titanium coated in my "shred" Guitar (Music man Silhouette wich i really hot rodded) and regular Slinkys on my Les Paul.. Waste a fair bit of moneyon guitar sgrings only matter when it counts. These gold plated strings are just a Gimmick
Fr that’s so true. That’s why I like Elixirs. My sweat is like acid...
Try DR Veritas, they last ridiculously long
Here in Germany they're only 14€ - which is about twice as expensive as a normal set and thus a much more viable option.
And let me tell you; they do last quite a lot longer than a normal set.
I am a gold refiner. 24 karat is extremely soft. They will wear very very quickly.
Agreed. I can't image the gold holding up to even a single night of hard play.
I think they would probably stretch very easily too.
Im assuming they are just plated, correct?
Yeah, I'm pretty sure they are just gold plated. Cause you're right, it's WAY to soft to be drawn as a string.
Imagine the price of a set of Bass Strings in Gold like these … !!!
To me, the gold strings sound a little less shimmery & bright. For me less is less. I can always remove top end in post but I can't add it accurately
Stand by that...
Word!
Yes if I want to reduce the treble I'll turn the tone pot down.
Could add overtones with the right plugin, like Infected Mushroom Pusher (100% realism is overrated).
i mean that's not how it works but ok
Should have put the gold strings on the zephyr pickups. Precious metal strat😂
LOL!
Gollum guitar
The gold strings not only sounded warmer but also have a clearer ringing quality to my ears. I picked them out in all five clips and preferred their precise clear sound more.
They may be a bit more expensive but they are only 10% of the cost of a decent set of cello strings.
You could feel them tingling in your ear as well?
And last a really long time
Once again I have to agree, the cheaper strings just gave a more classic strat sound. The gold strings are cool, have a nice warm sound, and would look great on that black tele, but I prefer the classic sound to the cool look. More good information that saved me some $$. Thanks Darrell.
These are gold plated - that means a very very thin layer of gold (micro-inch ish) deposited on top of the ordinary core.
Nice marketing call.
Thanks but we all know that, they would cost thousands if solid gold made
@@sccanj lol right
@@sccanj and they would break in like 1 minute
I used to use these on a start when I was gigging regularly. I found them to be a bit more flexible than D’Addarios and they lasted 4 times as long, so pound for pound (I’m in the UK) they worked out better value than regular strings. Don’t forget Brian May uses these and he’s got great tone (IMO) but it’s all down to personal taste.
Waste of money, I literally picked the daddario strings every time for sounding better.
Kinda depends on what you want it for, for tone it depends on the person, longevity, maybe those survive longer as the plating doesnt let it rust easily. Personally I would only buy it for special occasions, mainly for their look.
@@adriansftelandmidtgard8478 I totally understand what you're saying and my comment was based solely on me and my opinion. I guess they look ok and maybe the right look for certain occasions especially if you play in a wedding band but for recording or everyday gigs I'll pass.
They’d look sick on a white/gold JEM
yeah me too, ig if you just want the look then yeah
@@srh361 doesn't make any sense to use gold unless it's solid gold, these are just a gimmick. Not that pure gold wouldn't also be a gimmick, but it would actually have different properties than regular strings, so
Bass strings already cost too damn much! These better only come in flats, so I can use’em the rest of my life! LMAO!🤣
But they last a long time, plus not too many bands need a bright bass sound. I live near the equator by the beach. Replaced guitar strings like 20x in 5 years, still the same set on my bass tho.
The gold ones are a waste of money to me. I like the sound of the “cheap” strings myself.
I have always preferred the sound of cheap strings
Tempissed yup superslinkys
I like the cheaper ones better as well, but I can imagine that the gold strings might have their use to some
Complete waste of money - it’s just marketing and playing to our stupidity
@Sunflower Seeds Nichol?
Lmao, i like reading all the comments on peoples opinions, i have Brian May Optima 9 gauge 24K strings on my Brian May Red Special and i love then, lasted me 6 months before the high e snapped. I got them again and will keep getting them, if you clean them regularly they will keep their gold look and their tone, In my opinion, I love them.
I preferred the daddarios nearly every time. Considering that I prefer XTs always over any other string, that may be a reason. But I do love the way the gold sounded. Daddarios have my heart, though. 🤘
A.C. D’Addarios for life brother!
That emoji looks like a gold tooth.
D'addario are the best! The NYXL's are the best strings out there right now 👍.
Someone: What would you choose, 24k strings or D'addario 10s?
Me: Ernie Ball 9s.
Bingo!😜
Slinky Pinky FTW! 👌
Earnie ball 10-52
all hail the mighty paradigms!
9s in D# standard, that’s the real deal
For me personaly, i like the gold strings a lot. it's not the sound of them, it's the feel. they wear quickly, but i string my guitars up with gold strings before a concert/Gig as they play well with sweaty fingers, they're very "slidy" but that's one of the things i like the most about them; ease of play.
C'mon, Darrell! You need a Gold chain (Mr. T-style) to truly appreciate these strings ;-)
intheblues many gold chains if you’re gonna go Mr T
WHO you jackin' fool? ;o)
I just watched this and got some for my LP with gold hardware. They sound much better and feel great too. I usually buy the Ernie Ball Paradigms because I don't like to change strings often and those are supposed to last. The gold ones are the bomb. Thanks Darrell. I never knew these ever existed.
They might not make much of a difference sound-wise, but they look cool, and that could make them worthwhile for a live show. I preferred the sound of the normal strings in every demo, but I doubt you'd be able to tell a difference in concert.
I could clearly hear the difference.
An audience of 6 _might_ be able to see the goldiness. If the lights were all on. Maybe.
The girls on the dance floor really dig the guitar players with the gold strings.
"These would look great with my diamond-encrusted pickguard and my platinum bridge"
-Jeff Bezos, probably
I used to use these regularly, back when they were Maxima Gold Strings. I liked them a lot, they lasted two or three times as long as the regular strings, and their more mellow tone suited me just fine. I moved away from them during a period of time where I wasn't really playing enough to justify the cost, but I'm thinking of putting them back on at least one of my guitars.
i used them for a while 30 years ago too. i just put a deposit on a Cadillac Green Gretsch with gold bigsby and hardware recently and i just remembered the Maxima strings out of the blue and google searched. couple years with gold strings will gold up the fretwire nicely, then with the strings every bit of metal would be gold colored. the goldwork on the Gretsch is SLIGHTLY more than is my taste anyway, might as well double down.
I preferred the D'Addario in almost every position. The gold ones had a nice, rounded tone...maybe better with humbuckers? The D'Addario’s help to create that bright, clear Strat sound.
I have these strings(the Brian May version) on my Strat. Played really nice and was really smooth to play. Tone was pretty nice as well. I definitely don't recommend these strings if you have very sweaty hands as it wears the gold coating off really easily. I've had mine for about 3 months, it's already rusted up for me. If you don't have sweaty hands, go for it by all means.
haha so their main theoretical advantage is, in fact, the opposite haha yay!
Rather than trying to pick out the gold strings, I just listened for what I thought sounded best and consistently picked the non-gold strings.
Either one has their place. They do both sound different, obviously as gold is softer it will absorb the vibrations more.
The fact, that darrel always says he hopes we're having a great day today, makes me having a great day today!
The strings Brian May likes to use on his Red Specials.
I think it's cool that you actually put links to your gear. Most UA-camrs don't do that, and it's annoying when they have a really nice guitar, but don't tell people where they can buy it
Quite a golden tone I'd say! Sounds a lot more pristine and defined, although that's what you'd expect with new strings, especially gold! Cool showcase!
dude you are right gold sounded great
I used these for about 5 years. They were called Maxima Gold then. The packaging was identical with the exception of the name.
They sounded incredibly warm. And felt broke in as soon as you put them on. They also lasted three or four times as long as regular strings.
Best strings I ever used. Without exception. I bought a few sets of bass strings too and gigged with them for a couple years. Loved them . I wanna say that they cost 60$+ for a four string set. Sounded so smooth.
I use dadario new York xl 9-80s and they last a week tops with daily playing. They sound super good though.
Why did you stop using them?
i like the gold better, sounds richer...... I'll show myself to the door.
Yeah, do that
Delete this please
I agree with you, picked them every time
One thing that is important to note about these, is they are hypoallergenic. I have a friend with a nickel allergy and he has to play gold strings or he breaks out in hives. They sound pretty good in my personal experience.
I'd be interested in seeing the output through an oscilloscope when you do these kinds of tone comparisons!
And a spectrogram, this should become standard for every sound comparison video. What's the use to film the player or the pedal etc.?
I didn't think I'd really notice the difference but I got every test correct. The gold definitely had a warmer less harsh tone and I really liked it, seemed more balanced.
Hey Darrell, would love to see a video on the evertune bridge. never had my hands on one and just recently heard about the thing from a Robert Baker video warning beginners to stay away from them. Made me curious as to what's different about these bridges. I checked out the website but didn't really find any description other than what model bridge fits certain model guitars. Enjoy your content, keep up the good work.
Check out Devin Townsend or Ola Englund. They subscribed it pretty good in their videos.
Agufish likes the Evertunes - check out his vid where he had one put on a Squier Hello Kitty Strat. :)
I’ve had a set of Optima Gold 9-42 strings on a displayed Carvin for about 4 years. They feel great, sound great & look cool. They have not oxidized, tarnished, broken OR come unwound at the ball end. $27 delivered anywhere in the USA for a set of strings that have lasted 4 years. That’s a value that’s hard to argue with!
These will go great with my diamond frets. Hahah
As long as you have platinum bindings
@@CsykKrit Lmao well played. I almost said platinum frets. Hahaha
@@CsykKrit to be honest I'm wondering when either will be available. There are a few youtubers that would only play those once released. To them it's how much you spent and rarity over the music. Hahahah Love DB tho!
Can’t forget the emerald fret markers and silver tuning machines plugged into a Glarry amp 😂
Robert Clark well your frets aren’t going to wear out in a hurry!
I've been using the gold strings since the late 80's on my black w/ gold hardware 83' Gibson Heritage flying V. That V seemed inherently too treblely with plain strings. I heard the gold Maxima strings ( They were called Maxima before changing to Optima.) had a "darker" sound so I tried them and they balanced the tone for that guitar. And of course, they looked great with the black and gold. The added benefit was they lasted 5 times longer than ordinary strings. There were no Elixers back then. Also, the price of gold was much lower then and the Maxima's had a thicker coating than the Optima"s today. I think it also matters what guitar in particular you use them on. I use other brands on other guitars but the Maxima/Optima's are a good fit for my 83' V.
They sound the same... but if they last a long time, then... I mean... let us know how they last please.
Hi Darrel. I have been playing the Optima Maxflex gold strings for about 8 years now. BTW, your best price for Optima strings in North American is "Strings by Mail" Current string set price is 19.99 USD, if you buy 10 sets there 17.99 a set plus shipping. So, yes they are expensive, BUT, I have a guitar I have played every day since I got it in January, set it up with a set of 10-46 and they still sound as good as the day I put them on. And, I like to bend notes, I have only had 2 string break on my in 8 years. I have a strat that has a 3 year old set that sound okay, still gigable if needed, and no I do not play it as often, but the point is these string do last. There is also some players who can develop an allergy to nickle, causing rash's on their fingertips. Gold is hypoallergenic (non reactive). Darrel, leave them on your strat and play it for month or two and then make a call on if you like them. I am a cheap guy, I buy these strings for the tone and how damn long they last.
What do you do with the extra you clip off, melt them down and make a nice gold tooth?
mark dietz guitar string grill! 😜
They are just plated, the core is still steel. You might send several years worth of gold-plated strings to a UA-cam chemist like Cody to make a mustard seed-sized bead of gold. The recovery is obviously more expensive than the gold; only Chinese children can make profit out of such endeavors because of cheap labor and zero care for nature.
I only use Ernie Ball. But, that gold is definitely not a waste of money. It looks amazing and sounds like what I would want, since I love lower-end.
I´m always amazed of the level of marketing-BS that guitarplayers are buying into.
greekfreak1980 agreed
If you like the tone and if they last 5 times longer they can be worth
But they actually sound different, warmer sound
I use these, they are just plated. I don't think they sound different, but they do last a LONG time without any corrosion, especially if you just play a little bit occasionally from time to time and don't wear off the plating through lots of play. I like them.
The gold strings sounded pretty muffled in the neck pickup
I found a small difference in the first example as opposed to the rest of them, myself. The first example, I did think the tone of the gold strings was slightly brighter sounding, but not by much. The other examples, I couldn’t really tell. I honestly don’t think it would make any difference at all period if you were with a full band in a recording or live situation sound wise. It just looks prettier and gives you a bit of bragging rights...I do think they’d look pretty tight against my black Grassroots Les Paul style ESP with gold plating. 😁
Your kids are going to be so lucky they dont have to start on a broken 100 dollar strat Haha
lmaooooo i thought i was the only one who started on a cheao broken strat😂😂😂
rmn nah bro most of us got those cheap gender value packs that came with a garbage little amp and a cheap low quality Chinese made strat. I remember the output jack on mine would always fall off
Hahaha. I also started on $70 local acoustic guitar and it's been 7 years since I bought that guitar and I'm still playing on it. I'm going to purchase player strat in the next month with boss katana mkii. 👌👌
Sheesh... my first guitar:$5 acoustic classical guitar, nylon strings. Quit showing off with you Hunder bucks strats
I also heard the pluck of the pick a bit more on the d'addarios, so definitely picked up more of those highs. think having the brighter high end is much more useful on an electric, most audio engineers will cut quite a bit of low end out of the guitar when mixing into a song to keep from interfering frequencies from other instruments. however, if I was playing a solo acoustic, I might opt for a set of coated strings to get a more balanced tone across the board.
If anyone has the faintest idea about metallurgy, would automatically know there are not 24K gold, Probably they not even gold to begin with, at best they are most likely Nordic gold, Do you have any idea how expensive it would be to stretch gold that thin to wrap around a core, even gold plating a set of strings with 24K would cost much more, at today's prices 24K gold is sitting at 55$ a gram!
patprop74 it’s a 24k gold coating, not plating. It’s just to minimise corrosion. So in a full pack for string it’s a very small amount of gold, but they can still brand it as 24k gold
And you clearly have not the faintest idea about guitar strings.
@@smwallace2368 Ignorance is bliss when it comes to fanboys isn't it
@@patprop74 everything is a scam
@@patprop74 not as much as when it comes from pretentious assholes that can't admit they are wrong, lol... and btw, the total gold in the whole set must ammount maybe up to 0,01gr and that being very optimistic, tard
I have the same set of gold strings. I got them because I was tired of elixirs having their coatings shed off like snakeskins. Gold doesn't rust or tarnish and that was a big selling point for me. I wanted strings that would last and wasn't terribly concerned with tone.
Now put these on your 100$ guitar for the ultimate flex ! 😂
😂😂😂👍
First 100% quiz score I've had in a while! It was easy as one set you could hear were clearly new strings. The weird part is my description of the sound was almost opposite of yours (to my wife while we were listening to it). But it makes sense in that I prefer the sound of strings that have been broken in over just-changed ones.
Darrell: 24k GOLD Guitar Strings.
Me: Still using the factory strings...
I got a Brian May Signature for Christmas in 2014. Naturally I put optima gold strings on it. I have only changed the strings twice in 7 years. The thing is, they take a while to break in and after the break in period what you have is a set that sounds like a new set of fresh “normal” strings, but they will last for years. At first I didn’t believe it and changed the strings twice in quick succession. I learned, there was nothing wrong with the first set, and I should have just played them until one broke.
They are very bright to start with. Once that settles down, they are broke in.
I have saved money buying these expensive strings because, you literally never have to change them until one breaks. I have put them on other non Brian May guitars since. Every one is the same, like having a new set of strings for years, and they look good.
Totally disproportionately expensive guitar strings, or, how I call them: bass strings
Buying strings in bulk like that sounds like a great way to save on packaging materials and to reduce your carbon footprint. I really like that idea. If they could sell it in higher quantities then it would also be a great way to get the strings near zero waste in a guitar store :D
Alright the “cheap” strings sounded smoother but the gold sound was a little bit richer
*not to mention it means ur richer too*
I'm in Elixir man myself, great tone and unbelievable longevity. I use nanoweb instead of polyweb, to get that crisp high end he was talking about. I respect his choice of using uncoated strings, but at the end of the day, I don't wanna have to change my strings out every couple of weeks. Elixir lasts a good 2 to 3 months of solid play without losing tone. Can't beat that for a set of $10.00 strings
Gold is a poor metal to use for making something like a guitar string.
Even with the goal of improving conductivity in electrical circuits, the use of silver would provide higher conductivity than gold. Copper not that far behind and is the best cost effective metal to use in electrical wiring and circuits.
Looks like a sales gimmick or marketing ploy to me.
It seems only good for cosmetics.
guitar strings work based on magnetism, not conductivity. added conductivity would only produce more ground hum
But transmitting audio? gold is better, or that’s what I have heared
@@martincorrea4031 but the strings don't transmit audio, the pickups just take vibrations in the magnetic field and turn that into electrical signal
Spam Spam Entertainment Centre I know that the strings vibrates and that’s what creates the sound, but gold is a good audio transmitter it’s such an stupid idea to put a very weak metal into guitar strings anyway
Well, all I personally know about the Optima strings is that they're Brian May's choice of strings and has his own signature set of 9-42. If they're good enough for him....
I'll leave 24K gold strings to the same idiots that make their guitars into fake relics.
😅 that made me laugh
Right lmao. People smashing their guitars to make it look “rustic” lmfao
@Sir Tristan you come across as one of those idiots that gets scammed out of gullibility and shinny looks
The Gold strings are definately more vibrant sounding... That sound is more loved all over the globe.
The golden string sound worse than the daddarios in every example.
I actually liked the tone coming out from that gold plated strings
I thought you were going to play a guitar with 24 thousand strings. I’m disappointed
You always brighten my day, Darrell. I gave a listen. First demo: No.1: clearly less sawtooth. Second demo: no opinion. Demo No.3: Gtr.2 was less fatiguing on my acoustic nerve. Demo No.4: Gtr.2: clearly a rounder sound. Demo No.5: Gtr.1: far less compounded sawtooth.
Upright players: *Laughing in $500 string purchases*
Darrell! I and I'm sure many others would love to see you pair up for a jam session with Danish Pete. Make it happen dude! Please...lol
Oh and those 24k strings should go on that bad ass Schecter Coupe you just featured
I don´t need to see the video to know it is a waste of money.
I was on the manufacturer's website, the main idea behind that golden coating is to make playing guitar possible for people with nickel allergy. In Germany they cost about 16€.
I noticed a bit rounder bottom end on the gold. Only misguessed on the arpeggios. That said, I have extremely corrosive sweat, and those gold ones may actually *save* me money in the long run. We're talking I burn through D'addarios in like, a couple of weeks. They're dead. Rusted. Just shot. So if those last longer, that may be a worthwhile investment for me.
Interesting comparison, I picked the warmer tones to be the Optima strings in each case. I'd love those on my archtop, I think the sound suits that type of guitar. I wonder how long the plating actually lasts, it would be great if you could let us know how long they lasted and how long they kept the look and the tone.
Thanks for the great video Darrell, keep well.
I use optima gold Exclusively on both acoustic and electric guitars. It does make a slight difference what guitar they are going on. But, You don’t have to change them, they simply never go flat like other strings. They ARE very bright at first but once the breakin is done, (usually about a 2-4 weeks) they settle down to new sounding strings that never have to be changed. My last set has been on for 4 years now. Serious. I used to change strings every month with the regular ones. So you actually wind up saving money in the long run.
Try strings by mail, I only paid 22 dollar for the optima gold through them.
Hy Darell! How about a vid refer hand-washing before playing? Washing hands prevent smearing old skincells and grease on the wounded strings. Also less of acidy finger-grease would help strings to last longer. Wiping strings after playing helps also....😌
I picked the tones from the gold in all but one case. I thought that the gold were a bit more present. "Present" was the label I attached to the tone I was keying on to guild my choices. Would I pay for gold, probably not. The market place choice will ultimately determined the summed up qualities people attribute to picking the winner for their needs. As always interesting. Darrell still sticking with your statement amp and choices around dialing in the tone is king and trumps pretty much anything else except ergonomics or feel of the actually playing the guitar. Which the amp saves your choice of guitar and makes it sing. Thanks!🐱🚀 Staying safe in Florida!
The cheap strings tend to bounce more and have more attack, the golgen on the other hand, have a smoother sound with less bouncing
I liked the gold strings I used back in the late 90's. They didnt corrode. They would wear out like normal strings but would not get gritty
This is what I heard and unlike many times before this, I grab an A4 paper and write it down instead of "memorizing" the whole process which is impossible and I am listening through my Superlux HD668B headphone directly from my Lenovo G580 laptop and this is my preference in this blind test.
Test 1: Neck - Guitar 1 - D'Addario
Test 2: Position 4 - Guitar 2 - D'Addario
Test 3: Position 3 - Guitar 2 - D'Addario
Test 4: Position 2 - Guitar 1 - D'Addario
Test 5: Bridge: = Both same.
Before you say it in the video, I know Brian May uses gold strings. I just use normal nickel wound dunlop DEN0942 on my mayones / trem equipped guitar and DEN9544 (yes, 9 and a halves) on my les paul. I really like the frequency in these strings over ernie balls.
For cheap strings, I tend to gravitate towards DR tite fits, and for around 20$ I tend to be split between D'Addario NYXL or Elixir Optiweb. But that's just a personal preference
I agree about the high end of new D'Addarios vs Optimas. I use both. My #1 has Optimas and the tone is consistent from 2hrs per day for about just under a year now. Dad EXLs are great, but like you say, they need changing regularly. Over the lifetime of each, they cost about the same so really the question is about consistency of tone. Dads get less than a week (for me) of bright fresh tone that Optimas don't achieve. Optimas run at the same level throughout unless you mangle them. I can't say that I even need to change the Optimas on my Ibanez S1630FM. They're running great.
I think that on the long run coated strings will be cheaper.
As you said the D'Addario sets will last about 2 to 3 weeks while coated strings like Elixir, I use them so I know, will last 6 months or even more unless you break a string.
So doing the maths we have every 2 weeks about 7 € with the regular set, while with the coated set about 12€ every 6 months
Important consideration missing: these strings are wise choice for a lot of people having troubles with nickel allergy or hypersensitivity.
Otherwise, the only “plus” is merely aesthetic.
D’Addario for me (XT).. and.. D’Addarrel for you.
In the 1980's I used to use gold coated strings called Maximus and they were the best! The gold does eventually wear off but underneath lies a fresh set regular strings. At the current price, I'll stick with the D'addario XL's!
Optima use to be called maximus. Same company
@@j2mfp78 I suspected that it might be but wasn't sure.
@@j2mfp78 It was Maxima and and not Maximus... Maximus was that dude from that gladiator movie! 😉
If I use non coated guitar strings, they last me a day or two at most and cost £6ish. I get elixirs and get around 3-5 months. My sweat is very acidic and the strings sound dead very quickly if i don't use coated strings.
I tried d'addario xt's and they were okay but didn't last as long as elixirs.
I tried the Ernie Ball coated strings but the only coat the thickest 3 string! So G B and E sounded awfully dead within a couple days.
Elixirs all the way for me. Despite being 2x the price, they last 20 times as long for me.
Wipe your strings clean after use, then apply a light coat of the lubricant of your choice, as long as it's not water based. What kills the strings is not your sweat, but leaving it on the string for long periods of time.
I have optimas on my Gibson LP Custom Elegant. Not really into how they look but that kind of guitar is all about tone, and they are sweeeeet on that thing. Thanx for the vid, really enjoyed it.
Tarnish has never been an issue for me as I wear out the strings before then. The bottom of my strings get flat spots from frets well before they ever tarnish. Also gold strings didn't seem as bright as the less expensive set.
I ALWAYS have gold strings on my guitars. It seems to boost the treble a little bit more and gives a slight crisper sound
I built guitar that has gold hardware. Even the frets are gold. I put a set of Optima Gold strings on it to put it on display. It looked amazing. Didn't care for the tone when compared to my regular/preferred GHS Boomers.
I used to use these on my old Hondo which had rosewood fingerboard and all brass/gold hardware.
This guitar (twin humbuckers) was really bright for a H H also had brass nut.
I did find the gold strings did calm down the spiky attack and helped make it less strident.
And more to the point they made it look a million bucks stood on its stand (SG style double cutaway through neck all wood etc) my local store stopped stocking them and i just haven't got round to tracking down some more as i thought they were not available anymore, nice to find out i'm wrong cheers.
And I can vouch for the fact that they did last ages, I kept one set on for six months they never really tarnished much and still stayed in tune pretty much up to the last month of the six.
Your milage may vary.
From a classically trained ear(using studio monitors, then headphones to make sure), I can hear a vast difference in tone quality between the sets of strings.
Could you describe the difference for us with less trained ears? I struggled all throughout the video to determine which is which.
I have a set on my 1991 G&L Commemorative Leo Fender 1909-1991 ASAT Classic. they're different but the real advantage is the extended life of the strings. They don't corrode and stay bright for much longer.. They cost me $50 to import from Great Britain.a regular set of Daddarios cost about $14.
I think this video would have been better as vlog format. That would have allowed you to really show if the gold strings held their tone longer or not. I would love to see a follow up video in December with the gold strings and another equally old set
Fun fact: Brian May uses gold Optima strings on the Red Special these days. So you could have played Bohemian Rhapsody and summoned the ghost of Freddie Mercury and your video would probably get ten million views. That's a missed opportunity right there.
Seriously though, I love your videos demoing gear and letting us know how much of a difference the expensive stuff really makes. Thanks!