Top 5 Electric Guitar Strings

Top 5 Electric Guitar Strings

So, your'e looking for a set of guitar strings, but don't really know which to buy? Well, I've picked out my five favourites as a guide. 

Let's get started.

5. Fender Pure Nickel

These Fenders are really great, they sound fantastic and are made with the finest materials. They are fairly long lasting and consistently and reliably sound good.

 4. Dr. Tone Electric Guitar Strings

These great sounding strings are made with high quality materials and Dr. Tone have put a lot of effort into these, although they don't last all that long, when you do have them they sound fantastic. You can pick them up for £4.99

3. Ernie Ball Nickel Wound 

I love these Ernie Balls, they sound really good, last for ages and feel good under your fingers. They are made with high quality materials in U.S.A. I would recommend these as you can pick them up for around £5 in lots of different gauges.

2. Elixir Nanoweb Coated 

These Elixirs are favoured with lots of guitar players, because they last very long, they sound great and are made with very high quality materials. You can pick up a pack of these in different gauges for £9.45, which may seem expensive, but you can use these for 3-5x longer than other brands.

1. Ernie Ball Cobalt 

I would highly recommend these strings to anyone, they are fantastic. They sound brilliant and are very crisp and have a great clarity. They last for a long time and are used by some guitar legends such as Slash. They have an amazing range like no other set of strings and come in the regular Ernie Ball gauges: Extra Slinky, Super Slinky, Hybrid Slinky, Regular Slinky, Skinny Top - Heavy Bottom, Beefy Slinky, Power Slinky and Not Even Slinky. I use Regular Slinky which are the middle range set. You can pick up a six string pack of these for about £10. 

Top 10 Guitars For Under £400

Top 10 Electric Guitars For Under £400

So, looking for a electric guitar but not willing to pay the big money? Well, I've picked out 10 of my favourite from the high-demand market of low to mid-range electric guitars. Let's get started.

10. Epiphone Dot 335 

The Epiphone Dot is great looking and sounds brilliant, it is very flexible in that it seems perfectly in place playing with blues, rock, jazz and even country pieces. At only £299 this lovely hollow body guitar made by the cheaper Gibson counterpart should sit with pride in any guitarists home.

9. Yamaha Pacifica 311H 

The Pacifica was first made in the 90's and has been very successful since then, this model of Pacifica is built in a Stratocaster style so it looks brilliant. The 311H is one of the higher end Pacificas so if you can't afford the £370 price tag you can still get a decent guitar for around £200. These Pacificas have always been a hit with beginners, but with this model I think they were widening their target market to seasoned players also.

8. Ibanez RG350M

I really love this Stratocaster style Ibanez, it looks stunning, it sounds fantasic in gigs and it just feels great to play. It has a sharp sounding tone and really packs a punch with heavy riffs and solos, so it's a perfect guitar for metal and rock. You can pick up one for around £330 but there's talk of discontinuing them again, so if you want one get it now.

7. Squier Classic Vibe Telecaster 50's

Like Epiphone to Gibson, Squier is Fender's cheaper range of guitars under a different brand name. This guitar is modelled as a 50's telecaster so Fender have included brass saddles to add brightness and clarity. Because of the twangy-ness (couldn't think of a word) of this guitar it makes it perfect for punk-rock or pop bands but still perfectly suits country style music. At £281.99 it is well worth your money. Squier also make fantastic Stratocaster & Jaguar models.

6. Fender Standard Stratocaster

This is the highest price guitar on the list at £391.99, but who can resist a Fender Stratocaster? Handcrafted in Mexico, these guitars are fantastically built and will never let you down. There is little more to be said about a Fender apart from the fact that they will sit in the hall of fame forever and no-one will ever change that. Emotional stuff.

5. Epiphone Nighthawk

Nighthawks in my opinion are one of the most beautiful guitars ever made, and this Epiphone take on them I think is near-perfect. So if your'e looking for a great guitar but don't want a Les Paul, a Strat or a Tele and can spare £300 then i think this is the guitar for you.

4. Fender Modern Player Telecaster Plus

The modern player telecasters are great guitars, they sound just like any other Fender telecaster. And as all Fender guitars are they are wonderfully crafted and always look stunning. You can get one of these in the UK for £345 in a few different colours - I like the honeyburst the most.

                                              

3. ESP LTD M-100FEM

This may come as a surprise to some, but I think this is a fantastic guitar. It just looks spectacular, and it is so much cheaper than I would expect at £300. You can really get a brilliant tone out of this and sounds amazing through distortion pedals. This is a real rock legends guitar and it perfectly suits rock, punk and metal scenes.    

2. Epiphone G-400 SG 

Epiphone have yet again perfected another Gibson style guitar, with the same great looks as the original SG, the quality of this guitar more than exceeds it's price tag (£219). This is a real legendary design and looks absolutely amazing on stage. A great guitar, a great price.

1. Epiphone Les Paul Standard

Probably the most expected number one, but only because it is genuinely the best guitar you can buy for under £400. It is not just a guitar, it's an icon, I have two at home and they are just fantastic. The quality of craftsmanship is amazing and it feels so good to play. They release different versions and colours quite frequently and they also release limited editions every couple of years. I would fully recommend this to a beginner or Slash exactly the same. It is perfect for rock and pop, but could be used for any genre, I am in love with these guitars and for as little as £329 it is an absolute steal.