Originally posted by taylormarkow
ernie ball strings are the best

I've gone full circle. A few years ago I worked in a guitar shop and had the opportunity to try a lot of different kinds of strings. Here's what I came up with for my personal tone preferences:

Electric: Ernie Ball 10's to 11's
In a close second: D'Addario 10's

Acoustic: Elixor Stings....hands down.
Distant second: D'Addario 12's to 13's

You have to pick the gauge your most confortable with. I found that Elixor Strings gave me brilliant tone on acoustic and lasted very long...but they only lasted a few days on my electric and didn't sound as good as Ernie or D'Add.

Now back to your first question:

Will the tone be affected? Absolutely. Anytime you go to a heavier gauge string your tone will thicken up a bit naturally. Think of playing the note "E" on the first string...then the second string, then the third and so on...with each thicker string the tone becomes a little thicker...more rounded. Tone is very subjective. Everything you do with your hands, type of pick, strings, guitar, the room your in...EVERYTHING affects tone....even down to the brand of 9-volt in your stomp box.

[Edited by fendermonkey77 on 08-02-2002 at 12:34 PM]