D’addario- horrible for offsets? Just me?

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Re: D’addario- horrible for offsets? Just me?

Post by 601210 » Sat Apr 06, 2019 5:48 am

BobL wrote:
Fri Apr 05, 2019 12:54 pm
So... this thread maybe cursed me, because I I just had this happen after posting a while back how I'd never had this issue... though in this case I had loosened strings in order to swap pickup covers, and then it died when I tried to tune the high E back to pitch.
Everytime you loosen your strings you're kind of rolling the dice IMO.

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Re: D’addario- horrible for offsets? Just me?

Post by Squirrel » Sat Apr 06, 2019 7:05 am

I've had nothing but bad experiences with them too. I don't like how they sound, they've got those ugly-ass multicoloured ball ends that just look offensive on a vintage guitar, and oh god the constant snapping for no fucking reason. Pretty much everyone I know calls them Dead Already O's.

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Re: D’addario- horrible for offsets? Just me?

Post by BobL » Sat Apr 06, 2019 11:26 am

601210 wrote:
Sat Apr 06, 2019 5:48 am
BobL wrote:
Fri Apr 05, 2019 12:54 pm
So... this thread maybe cursed me, because I I just had this happen after posting a while back how I'd never had this issue... though in this case I had loosened strings in order to swap pickup covers, and then it died when I tried to tune the high E back to pitch.
Everytime you loosen your strings you're kind of rolling the dice IMO.
Yep.

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Re: D’addario- horrible for offsets? Just me?

Post by mackerelmint » Sat Apr 06, 2019 10:59 pm

Squirrel wrote:
Sat Apr 06, 2019 7:05 am
Pretty much everyone I know calls them Dead Already O's.
This made me giggle. :D
This is an excellent rectangle

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Re: D’addario- horrible for offsets? Just me?

Post by soggy mittens » Sun Apr 07, 2019 4:31 pm

interesting to see that the people that don't like d'addarios really don't like them. :D

I've used them forever and from memory only had one high e string break, but then i turned the trem screws upside down and soldered the twists and been great since. Also I did try other strings but they all sounded cheap comparatively. Wish I could afford NYXLs.
If OSG has tort me anything...

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Re: D’addario- horrible for offsets? Just me?

Post by 601210 » Mon Apr 08, 2019 7:20 am

soggy mittens wrote:
Sun Apr 07, 2019 4:31 pm
interesting to see that the people that don't like d'addarios really don't like them. :D

I've used them forever and from memory only had one high e string break, but then i turned the trem screws upside down and soldered the twists and been great since. Also I did try other strings but they all sounded cheap comparatively. Wish I could afford NYXLs.
I think it's pretty normal that those that are fine with them or just meh with them don't really have much to say. It takes a lot to have a strong opinion about something, and those who don't will just skip this thread without feeling the need to chime in.

Where I'm from, the only options for strings that you can reliably find in stores are Ernie Balls, Elixirs, and D'addarios. I seem to have the hand of Shitdas with Ernie Balls and touching them instantly causes them to turn into rust, and I think Elixirs sound and feel awful. So I'm not a major D'addario fanboi, they're just the ones I use by default.

I found a store that carries chromes the other day. I still prefer Infelds by a good bit but chromes are available locally so I guess I'll be buying more chromes these days.

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Re: D’addario- horrible for offsets? Just me?

Post by Fendereedo » Tue Apr 16, 2019 3:27 am

I use the bog standard D'addario 10s, and haven't had any bad luck on either my Mustang, or Jag. I've also used them on my old Strat, without any issue too.

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Re: D’addario- horrible for offsets? Just me?

Post by daemon » Thu Apr 18, 2019 8:54 am

Squirrel wrote:
Sat Apr 06, 2019 7:05 am
I've had nothing but bad experiences with them too. I don't like how they sound, they've got those ugly-ass multicoloured ball ends that just look offensive on a vintage guitar, and oh god the constant snapping for no fucking reason. Pretty much everyone I know calls them Dead Already O's.
That's funny, saw a band play the other night with a friend of mine and he pointed out that the bass player had D'Addarios, which was easily seen by the rainbow of string ends.

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Re: D’addario- horrible for offsets? Just me?

Post by chrisrnps » Fri Apr 19, 2019 5:10 pm

Another “no problems no broken strings” here.

D’Addario standard cheap-os on all electrics, VI, and acoustics here, haven’t broken a string in about 20 years (used to be a superstrat / Floyd locking person and broke non-D’Addario options like EB Slinky and GHS Boomers regularly, switched to D’Addarios because that’s what a lot of the “shred” folks used at the time) - they get changed because they get old, not because they break.

I’ve never had a string unwind at the tailpiece - check for screws rubbing and polish out the string path in all string vs. hardware contact points...

Ernie Ball for bass strings (Modern Rotosounds are too gnarly / rough feeling, D’Addarios don’t have as much of “that sound”).

Other than the acoustics and bass, all have either “floating” offset-style or Bigsby type trem tailpieces.

String breakage is MUCH more about the player and the instrument setup / maintenance than about the string brand.
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Re: D’addario- horrible for offsets? Just me?

Post by aliendawg » Sat Apr 27, 2019 12:04 pm

Broke a high E on a gig last night. I wasn't the one playing the guitar, in all fairness. But it did break and it broke on the ball end

This thread jinxed me
"With the resurgence of offsets it seems like we're also seeing a resurgence of people who don't know what to do with them" - 601210

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Re: D’addario- horrible for offsets? Just me?

Post by shshsh » Sat Apr 27, 2019 2:08 pm

I've been playing ernie ball 12s for years now, but every time I've purchased a used guitar, it's been strung up with D'addario's. That made me think there was something to them, so I changed sets on two Jazzmasters. Within a day or two I had broken a high E on one and a G on the other. Now, I'm sure it's due to how I play, but who knows. Just can't string anything up except Ernie Balls, I guess.

That other recent thread about flats has me thinking though . . .

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Re: D’addario- horrible for offsets? Just me?

Post by BlixaFan » Sun May 05, 2019 4:19 pm

i generally play D'addario. it mostly just started with what was available. I have most of my guitars strung up with D'Addarios, but my Jaguar HATED them and would always unwind at the ball end. my Mustang has never had that problem, but it was irritating for sure when it happened with the jag.

last year i decided to try slinkys on my Tele, and i really like them. honestly, i don't feel like they feel any different from D'Addario, but they seem to keep their twang a little longer. my Charvel is due for a string change, so I think i might throw some slinkys on it and see how that works out for me.

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Re: D’addario- horrible for offsets? Just me?

Post by JVG » Sun May 05, 2019 8:17 pm

BlixaFan wrote:
Sun May 05, 2019 4:19 pm
my Charvel is due for a string change
That's a line you don't read too often in this forum!

Lately, for reasons I can't explain, I've been thinking of getting a 1980s shredding guitar (although I can't shred). 24 frets, stupidly thin neck, Floyd rose, loud colour scheme.....yeah! :)

Cheers!
J

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Re: D’addario- horrible for offsets? Just me?

Post by BobL » Mon May 06, 2019 11:10 am

Just had another ball end failure on a D'Addario .010... that's three failed strings out of 4 sets since stepping down from .011s.

This one failed by the 'tie' slipping down the string.

Never had a problem until I read this thread. :)

Just ordered some Ernie Ball Ultra Slinkys, which look like a good combo of the low end of a set of .011s with the high end of a set of .010s.

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Re: D’addario- horrible for offsets? Just me?

Post by BlixaFan » Wed May 08, 2019 8:13 pm

JVG wrote:
Sun May 05, 2019 8:17 pm
BlixaFan wrote:
Sun May 05, 2019 4:19 pm
my Charvel is due for a string change
That's a line you don't read too often in this forum!

Lately, for reasons I can't explain, I've been thinking of getting a 1980s shredding guitar (although I can't shred). 24 frets, stupidly thin neck, Floyd rose, loud colour scheme.....yeah! :)

Cheers!
J
hahaha it's true! I love my charvel. it's black, and pretty low key (not a loud color scheme), but the floyd rose is great haha. it's actually a very versatile guitar, even if you're not Paul Gilbert/Eddie Van Halen/a shredder.
i can't really shred either, but i can rip up some EVH riffs, and i can tap haha. floyd roses are fun. (and now i get banned from the forum :D )

i did unfortunately unintentionally go up a gauge, so i had to give it a full set up. that took longer than i had planned for last night :unsure:

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