Ernie Ball strings are classic. These strings are the all-purpose answer to the eternal question: which guitar strings should I buy? For scarcely a tuppence any Joe can grab a good set of reliable strings that sound crisp. After a couple years of slacking off on guitar playing, and hussing around town with house strings from wherever I happened to be shopping, I just restrung two asian-made strat imposters and a 40 year old Yamaha acoustic all with different Slinkys, and each one sounds great.
I used a set of Regular Slinkys on one strat, and Super Slinkys on the other. Both sound good, but I think I'll opt for Hybrid Slinkys on my next string change because I like the thin tops (.009-.016) of the Super and the crunchier bottoms (.026-.046) of the Regular. On the Yamaha I opted for the Acoustic Light version of the Slinky 80/20 (copper/zinc) which range .011-.052.
All three guitars sound tremendously better than they did with dead, gnarly, rusty strings, and all three control tuning and intonation much tighter than before. The biggest difference is on the acoustic. With ridiculously high action it is probably the most difficult guitar to fret notes on that I've ever played. The overall playability of the guitar has been improved TREMENDOUSLY. I don't all-caps often, so you know I mean business.
The only problem I've had with Ernie Ball strings is that they don't last forever. I've played strings with better tone that were more temperamental, and lasted for less than a week before losing their punch. I've also had strings that hold out for months on end without giving up, but sound like cadavers compared to Slinkys.
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The skinny:
* Pros: cheap, high-quality
* Cons: short-ish life
Make an Assessment:
Great for beginners or pros alike, these strings are affordable and always worth the $5 (or less). These strings have proven their value for a long time. No, they won't last forever, but instead of buying strings that will last three times as long for five times the $, just pick up numerous sets of Slinkys and change them at will. I will probably continue to play on these strings until I'm told otherwise by a real guitarist with another suggestion. If Slinkys are good enough for Jeff Beck and Buddy Guy then they're definitely good enough for me and anyone reading this review.
Overall Review Score (I haven't figured out how I want to do this yet):
* Grade: A
* Score: 92%
* If it were a movie: ★★★★½
* My Feelings: "Oh yeah, blistered fingers! I remember this feeling from when I actually played music."
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