If you reading this text, we believe you're not only average guitar player, but person who really cares about his guitar/bass tone. Read this carefully and you will never back to your previous strings.

But first we have to talk about strings you can buy in every music store. Do you think those strings are the best strings possible?? When it comes to something as basic as strings we trust the experts to provide us with the proper string sets. We would never even think that they would not provide a fully researched product, scientifically optimized for its intended use. Strings today are made with the highest technology available. So what's wrong with those sets?

The answer is very simple, but first...
Do you ever noticed, when playing guitar and bending strings, that not every string are playable and bendable the same way?? Especially the B and the low E. And I'm not talking about that B is plain steel and E is wound. Do you still don't know what I'm talking about??

The answer is TENSION.

Let's look at the very popular 9-42 and 10-46 sets and string tension:
               
                E    .009    13,1 lbs.                                              .010    16,2 lbs.
                B    .011    11,0 lbs.                                              .013    15,5 lbs.
                G    .016    14,7 lbs.                                              .017    16,6 lbs.   
                D    .024    15,8 lbs.                                              .026    18,4 lbs.
                A    .032    15,8 lbs.                                              .036    19,5 lbs.
                E    .042    14,8 lbs.                                              .046    17,4 lbs.

Do you see any logic in that tension, any pattern? Why the high E is so tight, when B is much lighter and why low E is lighter in tension than G or A? Do you know that answer? I don't. Simply because there is no correct answer. The only answer is that those 9-42 or 10-46 sets you can buy are bunch of junk. Don't waste you money buying this. You can ask why string companies are selling those sets? Simply - for money. But why those sets aren't correct in tension? Simply because someone in the past completed those sets and no one really cares what next. It's simple law: demand-supply.

Another questions. Are there somewhere correct sets we can buy in music stores? Who's making them. The answer is yes and no in the same time. Why? Because you can buy not correct or better word - optimized string sets, but only slightly optimized. What I'm talking about? Do you ever seen artists signature sets? Like Yngwie Malmsteen Set or Zakk Wylde Sets? We can call those sets corrected top-corrected bottom simply because those sets not optimized correctly. Those sets have only heavier bottom, because those great guitar players noticed that their bottom strings are much to floppy. But for string company it's another reason to earn more money - Signature Sets.

Someone can tell - we have those LTHB sets (light top, heavy bottom). Those have to be correct. We also have the jazz sets with thick strings. Answer is: NO again.
Lets look at the LTHB set and Jazz Medium set:

                E    .010    16,2 lbs.                                            .013    27,4 lbs.
                B    .013    15,4 lbs.                                            .017    26,3 lbs.
                G    .017    16,6 lbs.                                            .026    32,4 lbs.
                D    .030    25,0 lbs.                                            .036    34,1 lbs.
                A    .042    26,3 lbs.                                            .046    30,5 lbs.
                E    .052    22.0 lbs.                                            .056    25,4 lbs.

Can you see. Those Jazz sets are even worst then other sets.  The low E is lighter than high E, it's the lightest string in set. Tell me why? If you don't believe me, check any string company and you will tell who's right. There's only one correct answer.

What about 7-string guitar players, what about sets for them. Are they right? The answer is NO again, because there is no other answer. The 7-string players are treated like dying species, everybody knows about, but nobody really cares. After growing popularity of 7-string guitars when Steve Vai started to play one, strings companies started to make 7-string sets, but who really use those sets? As we know almost every 7-string player buys the lowest string separately. Why? Check the tension of 7-string sets. Then you will never ask why.

                E    .009    13,1 lbs.                                              .010    16,2 lbs.
                B    .011    11,0 lbs.                                              .013    15,5 lbs.
                G    .016    14,7 lbs.                                              .017    16,6 lbs.   
                D    .024    15,8 lbs.                                              .026    18,4 lbs.
                A    .032    15,8 lbs.                                              .036    19,5 lbs.
                E    .042    14,8 lbs.                                              .046    17,4 lbs.
                B    .054    13.8 lbs.                                              .056    14.8 lbs.

Really interesting think. Can you see they only added lowest strings to mentioned before 9-42 and 10-46 sets. Strings companies really cares about 7-string players. They added almost the lightest in tension string in the set as the lowest. Where's the trick. How we can have great tone from that sets. It's impossible.

There is also a growing popularity of extended range guitar (ERG) players. They use 8-string, 9-string, 10-string guitars, even 13-string guitars. What about strings for them. The answer. Strings for ERG are virtually no existent. The is one mass production 8-string guitar offered by Ibanez, but you can't buy any set for this guitar, you have to buy strings separately. But after reading previous sections, do you really want to buy any other mass production set? I don't think so.

What about bass players?
They are using so thick, heavy strings and pay at least few times more then we - the guitar players. Their sets have to be correct. Bassists use them much longer than we, so those sets have to be correct. The answer is NO again. Bassist have strings even worst then we have. Let's check why? I analyzed tension of available and most popular bass sets for 4, 5 and 6-string 34" basses.

                   4 string set                                   5 string set                                    6 string set

            C                                                                                                              .032    41.9 lbs.
            G    .045    41,9 lbs.                            .045    41.9 lbs.                            .045    41,9 lbs.
            D    .065    47,3 lbs.                            .065    47,3 lbs.                            .065    47,3 lbs. 
            A    .080    40,5 lbs.                            .080    40,5 lbs.                            .080    40,5 lbs.
            E    .100    34,4 lbs.                            .100    34,4 lbs.                            .100    34,4 lbs.
            B                                                         .130    31,7 lbs.                            .130    31,7 lbs.

Now you know what I'm talking about. Look at those sets. The D string is the hardest in tension, but why? Why strings going to be lighter in tension when strings going to be thicker? The low B is only slightly bigger in tension than A string from guitar jazz set.

So what we can do with that?