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I know there are lots of threads, I have always used d addario's but what is the current popular make and style? the last strings I got I got from Goran about 16 yrs ago so I haven't bought strings in a long time. Is it worth it buying online? I mean the shipping cost Im thinking would destroy any profit you'd get from a online price. What do most of you guys do?
In most big towns there is a big place on a popular street which will try and charge you thirteen quid and a backstreet place with the same strings for seven or eight.
There is no "current popular make". People use different brands and sets depending on their guitar and taste (Daddario, Savarez, LaBella, Luthier, etc...) and even mix (like Bass strings from one brand and trebles from another one).
LaBellas might sound and feel great on a Conde and sound and feel not so good on a Bellido, etc. etc...
You really have to try out to see which strings suit a specific (your) guitar best. It is time and money consuming to find the right strings and can be a pain in the arse sometimes.
Of course we are all nerds and picky, thats why we pay so much attention to small details. We could of course also simply use the cheapest strings and play. But with flamenco its even more difficult, since all strings lose their "freshness" after a week anyway (Bass strings i am talking about). CG players don't have that problem, they want the opposite.
About Daddario: they are still the most consistent in quality with no quality control issues whatsoever. EJ46 are one of my favourite sets and workhorses and never snap in your face like these funny "Tomatito" strings i got recently which sounded good but had probably no quality control at all.
The D'Addario are consistent that's for sure, I just think they are also a very blah string. However they are available everywhere, including I have a half dozen sets of EJ-45's in my guitar odds & ends box. I personally like the Savarez Cantinga's a lot, and have used them for the past year. They sound good and last a long time. I've not had any problems with breakage, stretching or any other odd behavior. The only strings I ever had problems with were LaBella's and have 3-4 of the G String's just pop in the case ... Luthier's wound strings wear out pretty quick and before long a little sharp piece of wire is unraveling again right under the most heavily played fret. If I had to play the same strings for ten years without changing I'd use D'Addario, if I played something I'd like the sound and feel of then it's the Savarez.
rickm, if you live in the usa then stringsbymail (sbm) is by far the best place to shop. not only are the prices the best but the service is beyond the best as is the selection. a nice thing about sbm is they sell bass only and treble only sets for a lot of brands. if you live outside the usa the mailing costs go up and it depends on where you live and the availability of brands in your area.
as for the hot items: i would say for flamenco strings a lot of posters in various forums seem to be keen of luthier and la bella 820 (black or red) but as it has been said, and will be said, there are so many differing strings and string to guitar combinations so you need to experiment. la bella 2001 are another brand that several flamencos, players and luthiers, recommend.
On line has to be the only way. A long time ago before internet if you wanted strings you went to a guitar shop and paid full retail price which was steep. I used to keep strings on for ever and if one broke and I could splice it above the nut I would do that. Also loosing the bass would restore some resonance. The a guy somewhere out west calling his web site Notes From Tom offered strings at discount. Soon there were lots of places to buy strings below list. Poor guitar shops lost a good thing. Strings by Mail the best but check Just Strings though their shipping costs are higher.
Is it me (my fingers) or D'addario composite basses start to feel stiff after some time?
It is you (your fingers).
, no.. i use the normal EJ46, don't like the composites either. They are supposed to produce a longer "warmer" tone and i guess the stranded core material and its mixture is the reason why you feel like that after they are a bit outworn.
I had tried composites some years ago but they were HT.
This is a D'Addario flamenco set and they were doing really nice for maybe 3 weeks, now they're getting into that stiff feeling followed by a "plonk plonk plonk" kind of rasgueo sound instead of the much aprecciated "thrak thrak thrak"
after 3 weeks of intense playing, all bass strings of all brands sound like sh!t anyway. the sweet spot is 1-2 days after stringing for around 1 week. thats the time frame you have for killer rasgueos lol
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, no.. i use the normal EJ46, don't like the composites either. 
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