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I know that there are a lot of answers to this question but I have an Epiphone Lucille guitar on the way and would welcome any advice on string choice for it. I guess that the sound that I am looking for is the mellow sweet sound that so many blues leads have. I hope that this guitar choice is a good one. If anyone has one and can give info on the guitar please do. I want to get as much use out of it that I can. Thanks,
Gary.Boats'Blues.
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I’ve been using D’Addario XL pure nickel 10/45, they seem to have a richer and warmer timbre with bright enough tone for blues/rock plus much more friendly on the frets with a good amount of life compared to others. I’ve tried many pure nickel strings over the past twenty plus years and pick these as “my best” the ones.
John V.
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Hi Gary, great guitar!
Like Duffy I also use DR, great strings, but there are many good ones, all the nickel wound fender or Gibson or Ernie ball are excellent…..very subjective topic, you might like the tone but not feel good on your fingers….I’d buy one of each and over a 5-6 month period try them out…there are some guitars where I have one brand and others with different brands….and strings are not the only determinant of tone…..
Roberto
Roberto
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Good choice Gary. I’ve played a couple of Epiphone Lucilles in guitar shops and have been impressed by their tone, playability and workmanship. And the vari-tone is a nice feature that extends the palette of tones available. In case you haven’t seen it, here’s a demo of a Lucille by used guitar dealer Greg Hilden.
All the best,
Rick -
Be aware too that there is a difference in pure nickel strings and nickel wound.
I have used DR Pure Blues now for almost 5 years now, found them to be excellent for single coil and humbuckers alike. Many players use Ernie Ball pure nickel. Check out Pyramid and Dean Markley Helix pure nickel too.
As Roberto said, buy different brands and let your ears tell what to use. I would suggest that you use 10’s to start with and when your fingers are strong enough, consider moving up to 11’sAs far as Epi BB King Lucille is concerned, you should be able to get everything from the mellow tone that you are looking for to an “in your face” sound. Since that guitar is set up with a Vari-tone, you will be surprised at the tones that you can get by using the tone controls in conjunction with the Vari-tone.
I’ve not owned one of these but I had an original Gibson Blueshawk that was equipped with a Vari-tone and it was a tone machine for sure -
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Wow amazing that a newbie “Old Guy” gets zero recognition mentioning the same “before it was mentioned”, looks like I’ll just stick to the lessons and stay out of the forums.
Hey John,
In my opinion, I don’t think anyone was trying to slight you or your comments intentionally. Many times I will post a reply to a thread before reading the entire thread only to find out someone said what I just posted. I thought your comments had merit. It’s totally up to you if you want to participate in the forum. I respect your decision either way.
Warm Regards,
-Bryce
Anchorage, Alaska -
Gary B (btw welcome aboard AM) Just read this thread, I was going to create/ask in a topic about electric string favorites too,,I been using regular nickle wound 10/46 ernie ball.. only because i seen them bulk sale priced at just under 4 dollars a set.. I bought lot of them so can’t say i compared much on electric string brand as I have with acoustic strings which of coarse are brass wound,,like elixir for acoustic,, maybe you can try the 10s brass on the lucille? why not! I used light elixir brass wounds on my Carvin sh550. Also like all the comments above Duffy JohnV etc.. all good pointers/reviews.. it is good to help each other with reviews.. btw.. some of the ernie ball regular slinky strings i found so far two defective over the months when changing ..one new pack had what appeared to be spot weld on the G string after i strung it..it was right below the pickup too..another new pack ,i found a defective high e string… so imho.. stick with cheap strings and try different brands or read reviews on amazon etc. before buying bulk..unless you don’t mind cheap sets.Also, I doubt electric gauge strings are critical in tone as much as the player,, unless you a professional player making a career of playing. which means, hey wait, what does Brian like/use?…
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Good choice Gary. I’ve played a couple of Epiphone Lucilles in guitar shops and have been impressed by their tone, playability and workmanship. And the vari-tone is a nice feature that extends the palette of tones available. In case you haven’t seen it, here’s a demo of a Lucille by used guitar dealer Greg Hilden.
<iframe src=”https://www.youtube.com/embed/80lYWD4AsE4?feature=oembed” allowfullscreen=”” id=”fitvid0″ frameborder=”0″></iframe>All the best,
Rick
good one Rick, I haven’t taken the time to watch Greg but yes big body guitar, but so many extended tones as you say! I played a used gibson lucille and it is very nice but i have enough fun with the half dozen electrics i own..not to mention acoustics cheers -
I know that there are a lot of answers to this question but I have an Epiphone Lucille guitar on the way and would welcome any advice on string choice for it. I guess that the sound that I am looking for is the mellow sweet sound that so many blues leads have. I hope that this guitar choice is a good one. If anyone has one and can give info on the guitar please do. I want to get as much use out of it that I can. Thanks,
Gary.Hi Gary, Just been reading up on the Epi Lucille and I see that it come from the factory wearing D’Addario 10’s. Doesn’t mention what they are, nickel flats or other. Wouldn’t it be better to hear how the guitar plays 1st before you think about changing the strings?.
..Billy..
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Thanks to every one of you for your info and such a great response to my questions. You have made me realize that I am in the right place joining AM. I am going to do as you guys suggest and buy different ones to see what works best. I picked this up used on Reverb so not sure what strings will be on it so will be experimenting to see which is best. Thanks for the info on the guitar also. I decided that any guitar that BB King was involved in designing couldn’t be bad. The video that you suggested sure demonstrates what the guitar can do but and that guy can sure make it talk the blues! If the strings that are on it have the sound that I want I will stay with them if I can recognize the brand but I am writing the ones down that you suggested and get them ordered. I will play it for a while and let you know how I like the guitar. Thanks again for all the help!
Gary.Boats'Blues.
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Keep in mind that BB King himself used 008s. He chided Billy Gibbons for using heavier gauge strings, saying “Why do you want to work so hard?”. So Billy put on some 008s and never looked back. In fact, BB’s words inspired him to ask Dunlop to make him some 007s, and so the line of “Reverend Willy’s Mexican Lottery Extra Light Strings” was born.
Sunjamr Steve
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The way that BB bent those strings to come up with those beautiful leads and melodies I could understand why he chose 8s to take it easier on his hands. He played a long time and did it very well. I missed his last concert in Kansas City at the Uptown and still regret it. Thanks for the tip.
Boats'Blues.
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I guess SRV and Robin Trower never got that memo to use lighter strings. SRV played with a high action and used a custom set of string that began with a 13 and Robin Trower tunes a whole step down so he can use heavier strings, both for the purpose of their tone
Tone is only one aspect of using heavier strings. I prefer 11’s, not only for tone, but I tend to bend out of tune if I use 09’s or 10’s. I use 11’s on my acoustic so going between the two guitars is also consistent in feel
I once owned a full hollow archtop, used flatwound 11’s – sounded good. But I bought a set of flatwound 12’s for it and it was a totally different guitar. Louder, tone was improved. The extra mass in those strings really moved the sound board and made a difference
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Wow amazing that a newbie “Old Guy” gets zero recognition mentioning the same “before it was mentioned”, looks like I’ll just stick to the lessons and stay out of the forums.
Hey John,
In my opinion, I don’t think anyone was trying to slight you or your comments intentionally. Many times I will post a reply to a thread before reading the entire thread only to find out someone said what I just posted. I thought your comments had merit. It’s totally up to you if you want to participate in the forum. I respect your decision either way.
Warm Regards,
Hello Bryce and thanks for the kind reply, I wasn’t expecting that from the Chief Moderator.
I’m most certain I’ll throw a few cents in here now and then…No hard feelings here and I hope none out there.John V.
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I don’t think strings are the problem..it is the player and attitude! lol.. just kidding..seriously ..tried 9s too soft would not bother 8s ..my fingers can easily bend 10s and think 10s are best with maybe an exception, the only time i go 9s is on the tele for winging them fast country banjo bends !! every other electric i own is strung with cheap ernie ball 10s for now cause i own a bunch.. all my acoustic guitars I strings I use 12s and elixir coated bronze.. no biggie the rest is all about practicing and working your fingers everyday or just about,.. cheers!
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