Choosing Guitar Strings? See Our Blind Test Comparison Before You Buy!
With so many options available, finding the right guitar strings can be a daunting task. That’s why we’re here to help! In this comprehensive comparison, we’ll take an in-depth look at four popular string brands and evaluate their performance across various criteria. We’re looking at some of John’s favorite strings: D’Addario XS, EJ17’s, Stringjoy Foxwoods, and GHS Americana strings.
We’ll individually rank each string on their Tone, Feel, Durability, and Overall Value. From crisp highs to warm lows, we’ll carefully assess every aspect of the strings’ performance to provide you with the most accurate and helpful insights. Then we’ll give a blind test where you can decide for yourself if one string stood out over the others!
Don’t forget to shop strings at TAS: https://www.theacousticshoppe.com/shop/Accessories/Instrument-Accessories/Strings.htm
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00:00 – Intro
00:24 – Strings We’re Comparing
01:28 – D’Addario EJ17’s
05:37 – GHS Americanas
09:50 – Stringjoy Foxwood
15:30 – D’Addario XS
21:33 – Back To Back Comparison
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Originally posted by UCgToABlTkcQP-ojGXd1g1SA at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umVlrh0ZSvk
However many likes this comment gets is how many sets of strings I’ll buy from TAS.
EJ-17,-GHS- XS- STRING JOY
What the difference from the true mediums GHS and the Mediums GHS
GHS are far and away the best, at least for my high-end Yamaha acoustic. Martin sound weak, D'Addario were very good….but GHS are THE BEST
So I bought two sets of Americana true mediums, tried one on my Guild D-55 and the other on my Guild F-50. They have good bass and good mids and not too many highs for the F-50 but enough for the D-55.
I think I’ll be running these on my D-55 and I will try a set on my G-37 as well. The DR Veritas mediums are my favorites on the F-50 but the Americanas are probably #2
Best comparison I’ve ever seen. Thanks
Hell of a task to get acoustic GHS strings in UK
So my primary takeaway from this video is that I need to give both the StringJoys and GHS strings a shot.
The Stringjoys were my favorite, both in the review and blind comparison. They have midrange the others don’t have, maybe they just recorded well.
But nothing sounded bad
I have a Martin Golden era D18 and I love stringjoy. However, I recently put a set of the coated Foxwoods and I had very high expectations.. I was very disappointed.. the strings sounded mediocre and actually not loud at all.. and I remember the strings robbing my D18GE of its overtones and color.. very disappointed.. however, their 80/20’s sound amazing on my d18.
What is the guitar?
I LOVED the feel of the foxwoods they felt so easy to play.. but just like you said.. they sounded kind of dull and not a lot of output.
Im currently trying to get used to the feel of the XS.. i love the sound and they last forever.. i eat up uncoated strings too fast.. but the only thing is the XS i have are only 11s and they feel like the stiffness of 13s to me.. maybe ill get used to it
I have the best sounding guitar IMO I have ever played or heard which is a Martin HD28 addi top.
Am I stupid to try 13’s just to see as I use daddario XS 12’s most the time. Just curious if this is something anyone’s tried. I know 12’s are generally more the
Norm.
Thank you all. What a great shop and group of people. I sure wish I lived up there or
Anywhere but California as
It’s an awful place to
Live here. Thanks
I have no budget for most things, but the tone of my guitar is at the top of my priority list. Saving a couple of dollars on strings makes NO SENSE to me. If any strings sound better in my guitar, I'll pay up to 2x the price without hesitation.
One note though: string choice is SIGNIFICANTLY impacted by the sound wood of your guitar. What sounds good to your ears on a spruce top like is being played in this video, sounds very different on my all solid mahogany Martin.
In the blind test I liked the ghs
The basic stringjoys sounded and felt alright on my dad's 614ce. I tried the Foxwoods on my FS9m and the wound strings sound poor, like they've got a rubber/nylon core, very strange but don't sound metallic at all, I cannot change them fast enough. I'm trying the XS next. This coming from a fan of nano web custom lights.
Great video demo well done…XS is the winner here to my ears The XS sound like they have more volume than the others.
Blind-test, the GHS was the best for me.
@TheAcousticShoppe probably means well & believes what he says, but MOST string comparisons are BS! In the 70's & 80's, most audiophiles claimed they could differentiate Total Harmonic Distortion in various professional amps/speakers, which was far beyond the human ear. (Or even dog's ears.)
Can guitar players accurately assess feel, playability & other tactile issues? Sure!
But I've watched NUMEROUS well-known professional guitarist prefer the sound and playability of Harley-Bentons & other "cheap" strings that were $6/set, over comparable Ernie Ball, DAddario, Elixir, Martin, etc. priced at $18-$23/set. IN FACT, the pros frequently picked strings that were $10-$18 CHEAPER/set when the strings' brand/model/string material/coating was kept from them.
????CAN YOU IMAGINE… what would happen to string prices if ads & "professional recommendations" (which are irrelevant to the music) were hidden?
Why not use AVERAGE, non-professional guitar players (and a few pros) and LET THEM DECIDE which strings they prefer?
Make sure they know nothing about the brand or reputation of the strings!
And use a dozen or more string brands/manufacturers!
Coated strings sound to bright for me.
D’Addario are the string kings.
Great comparison! What guitar is that?
It will be valuable also on different body styles , and materials, perhaps Grand Auditoriums to name my self, slope shoulder or double or triple O cause yours guitar cower only ,, grassy" sound …… and finaly no Elixirs ?!
What are the mics you are using?
Nice detailed review. Thanks for going through each string. Some strings the low E and G seem really flat. Thanks!
My worst fear has been realized- I've been tricking myself into thinking certain strings sound better when the true purpose of the strings is to make your guitar resonate. If they work then they work, so it's more about reliability than sound quality.
No Martin stings in the mix?
One intriguing things about stringjoy, is you can build a custom set…I wonder about adding a higher guage on the low E
I think the d'addario xt light strings are really great. They sounds just like my ej16s but seem to last a few months for me playing daily.
I totally leaned toward non- coated. On a couple of my guitars they sound so good with XS’s. A fresh set of Un-coated sounds superior for anything in the “immediate “ future. Case closed.
A few years ago I kept track of several Phosphor Bronze sets of strings on one guitar and made notes along the way.
This included the point when they went to dead to use on stage or in the studio. I called a 3 hour period of use "a Gig" and then divided the cost of the string by the number of "Gigs" they lasted to get a " Cost per Gig" rating.
Painting with a wide brush I will say that the three major points still stand out;
1. On the "Cost per Gig" rating it can still be said the cheapest string that you can get from a known company is almost the same as the best coated strings,. But you will spend a lot more time changing out strings and getting them stable with the cheapest sets. If you want to play a lot more and change strings a lot less, buy a good coated string (XS or Elixer nanoweb)
2. If the strings have anything other than a standard core and you are looking for a classic bluegrass sound, don't bother with them, they will be softer or duller.
3. Wait until shops are offering a sale on your favouraite and purchase a few packs to get you through to the next sale. This will save you at least 25%.
I have three dreads and spend about the same amount of time playing each of them. I wind up using different strings on them because I can love how they sound on one guitar and hate how they sound on another. Having said that, the GHS Americanas are my overall favorite.
I've always found the timbre changing quickly in the first couple weeks of using phosphor bronze strings – I'd be curious to hear a comparison after they've been played for 1, 2, 3, etc weeks. Tapes are magnetically transparent but I don't know how taped strings would sound on an acoustic – sometimes the coatings wear off fast too, and seeing coated phosphor bronze triggered my curiosity about tapes for acoustic. I have a set for bass but I'm still deciding which bass to put them on – they're not cheap! I know they make sets for jazz oriented players but I've only heard them through pickups, not acoustically.
I’ve used EJ 17s for decades because they’ve been an inexpensive great sounding, consistent string. They used to be about seven bucks. BTW, I don’t know where you’re getting your prices for EJ 17s but Sweetwater & GC have single sets for $8.99, but we buy in bulk, right? And I appreciate their limited packaging materials used.
My favorite strings are the DR Rare PBs
Daddario XS are coated NY steel the coating is much thinner than on Elixir strings. XT strings are NY steel that are non coated.
EJ strings are not NY steel.
NY steel is much stronger and more stable. That is the reason they cost more plus the coating cost.
D'Addario bluegrass EJ19. Every time.
Can't beat the XS, they are awesome, have them on a few of my guitars and they hold up great
Got some bronze String Joy for my next swap..looking forward to them
Good job, honest sounding comparison. Still can’t decide though!
Putting the XS set on a guitar that you might not use very often: that is exactly what I have done.
Super interesting. Would also be very interested in hearing comparison of light strings on a smaller body guitar with both strumming and fingerpicking. ????
I'm going with Liz Yarn extra lights ????
I'd love to see Santa Cruz strings in a lineup like this
Hey, great show. Thank you for putting the work in. I’m loving XS on Mahogany Dread and Taylor GS Mini
EJ17s are good … But WOW … Those Stringjoys are awesome in the back to back test .. I had no idea how much…I'm going to invest in a set .