All Product Reviews

I have tried these strings on two different guitars; a Recording King ROS-16(00 size body, solid spruce top) and a Washburn J62C(Jumbo single cut body, solid cedar top). I have to say that I was expecting better performance at $16.99 a set. The E6 string on both guitars went dull pretty quickly and the rest of the wound strings were not far behind. I changed them for Martin Lifespan SPs (same gauge, same 80/20 bronze mix, same Cleartone treatment) and the improvement(to my ears at least) was quite distinct. Perhaps it was the round core on the Martins as opposed to the hex core on the Cleartones that made the difference, I don't know, but I will be sticking to Martin in the future and saving $7 per set too.

These are the lightest strings I could find, so I became curious about it. I'm used to 008 gauge, but I've used 010 and 009 for a long time. The 007 is really thin, but since it'll hold much less tension, you can bend like crazy on it without fear of breakage. This set is actually hybrid, because the bottom strings are (almost) the same of the 008 set. I particularly love the 020 for the D, it allows easy vibratos.

Since the touch is very light, you must have a refined technique in order to play properly with these strings, because they respond instantly to every nuance of playing. And since there's less tension, they have a wider vibration wave, so you'll want to raise your action just a little bit to avoid buzzing. A rigid pick works best too.

A great advantage of such a light set is that you can play for extended periods of time without getting your hands tired, this is important to people who play long rehearsals or gigs. It's really comfortable to play for hours and hours.

Sound wise, these strings sound pretty much like the 008 gauge, apart from some slightly pronounced presence, just a little bit. Maybe this is the "Texas tone"? They don't sound thin or weak at all.

Overall, it's really fun to play with such light strings. You can bend all the time without getting tired. I recommend them only if you're used to 008 gauge, otherwise the shift may feel too radical for your hands.

Kudos to Rev. Billy F. Gibbons.

LOVE LOVE LOVE these strings. Virtues in no particular order:

1) They last. I change them only because I am changing my lower 3 for the second time and I think I ought to. Never had one break. Ever. Ev-ah.

2 This is the big benefit. They re-balance the voices of the strings. With any other string, even Hannabachs, the G sounds very dim and quite plasticky. With these, the G is on par with all the lower strings. Ditto the B. This is huge for me. If I switch back to normal strings of any maker, I immediately notice the difference , can't stand it and re-order these. Honestly, compared to these, other maker's G and B strings are just absent.

3) the winds in the string provide an extra grip for your finger to hang on to. Essentially, it's useful friction or a kind of grippiness that makes otherwise unreliable stretches and contortions reliable.

4) they are NOT noisy as the wound basses are. Yes, you could take your nail and rake them up and down the string and make a noise you couldn't on normal strings (which I think of as "fishing line" now..) but you never do that when you're playing and what sound there is so minute , you'd have to be miked right to your strings to hear it and even then it would be virtually indistinguishable and anyway lost in all the normal sounds even the very best guitarists make.

There ARE string by Hannabach especially designed for recording that make very little noise even in the bass if this is an issue.

Also, there are handmade, custom strings (never had any) for people who can justify the price ($$$$).



The sound IS different and you'll have to try them to see if they're for you. There's an argument to be made that they have a slightly less "bell-like" sound. Don't let me prejudice you; judge for yourself.

Some people only use the G and some people use only the G and B. I use them all and love it. I'll never go back to normal strings and I hope they never stop making these.

This is a great product! I have been using the Andreas Abel Armrest, and I highly endorse that item also. But the nice thing about the Luva Arm Pad is that I can use it on several instruments, including the 'ud and the lute, on which the Abel cannot be used. The Luva cushions the forearm and can be worn over a shirt (black makes it unobtrusive over a black shirt). I hope that SBM can get the other sizes, since it will slip if it isn't snug enough. I have thin arms, so I needed a smaller size which I got elsewhere from Europe. This is really a game changer for my aging arm ;-)

The basses are great, vibrant, they produces bright and clear tone.
The trebles need more improvements in terms of tone projection and and sustainability, the trebles have dull color

These are definitely a go-to set of strings. They are bright and bold and have great durability to environmental punishment. Personally, I Enjoy the balance that they bring and are clean sounding over a PA system. I got a set of three when they were on sale so it was about $15 which for 3 sets is a great deal and will recommend these to my friends who also play.

I found these strings to be the perfect strings for a Stratocaster guitar. When I first tried these out, I bought four other pure nickel sets from other manufacturers. The PB's were the hands down winner! They are well-balanced, not overly bright, and have a great "lively" output. If you are curious to see what a set of nickels sounds like on your guitar try these.

This is a nice set of Flash Cards to help learn the guitar fret board. It is good that the cards are divided into groups.. Open strings through Fret 4. Fret 5 through 8. Fret 9 through 12. The user can also further divide the groups by strings. For example the absolute beginner can make a group of cards that cover only the natural notes of E, F and G on the high E string and combine with B, C, D of the second string. Once they are totally comfortable with those six notes and are ready for the G string...then add the G and A. Later, add D, E, F etc. Breaking down a daunting task of memorizing ALL notes on the guitar fingerboard to small bite sized chunks makes sense. The flash cards can be used as a game for smaller children or as a self teaching learning tool by adult learner. I am using them with my students and recommend they purchase a set of their own.

Amazing quality instrument especially for the price. I'm a big Cordoba fan, owning a couple of their ukuleles and classical guitars in both the lower and higher end price ranges and this model is definitely one of my favorites. The cuatro doesn't seem to have been as commercially successful as most of their other models but trust me, get one and you'll fall in love with it just as I have in any tuning.

A very fine set of strings all around. They are actually very similar to the 2001 Series medium-high tension. In fact, they have the same trebles. The trebles are very round and robust, not too bright but still lively. The basses are fabulous. Rich and deep with plenty of sustain and plenty of "pop". These have all the speed and attack of a high tension string. Again like the trebles, they are not overly bright and have a good balance of warmth and edge. Plenty of volume and spot on intonation. I'm not sure about the rated tension measurements. They are different on the LaBella website than what's written on the back of the set, as well as what's given on SBM. This is true of the 2001 series set too. Not sure why that is exactly, but either way, they are a player's set, albeit pricey.

I purchased this guitar about a month ago as an upgrade from the cheap student instrument I was using. At first I was a little worried about spending $800 on a guitar but that went away as soon as I played it for the first time. The instrument itself is absolutely wonderful. It sounds like a million bucks and looks even better. I really recommend this guitar to anyone who is looking to upgrade without shelling out $3000 for a custom instrument. I look forward to enjoying my C9 for years to come!

I have played classical guitar for 30+ years. When I first put these on my guitar I was not impressed. I thought the sound was very "thin" as it often is the case when low quality strings are used and came to the conclusion that I paid for a fancy name. After letting them settle in and after the stretching stopped the strings began to show the quality that is claimed. I found the chord voicings were clear throughout all registers, tremolo was easily controlled and volume and balance was quite acceptable. These were placed on a concert grade Ramirez. Now every guitar has a preference for what it likes but I know that placing low quality strings to save a few bucks on a good instrument will only leave you frustrated. Good strings on an average instrument will make a world of difference. I recommend these strings.

Wrap-around back piece is a good design. Stays on and provides good grip.
Front piece does not work on my standard finish at all - won't stick well enough to hold, even after washing in soap and water and rubbing on wool. Has frayed edges presumably to help get out the air pockets, but it just doesn't hold well enough to trust it at all. Not sure it's worth it for the price, but the new back piece is nice.

This hail has the thickness I want, not too hefty, and I appreciate the length, easier to handle and apply than drug store size nails I have used. I also like the gauging that helps get me just the size I need

This hail has the thickness I want and I appreciate the length, easier to handle and apply than drug store size nails I have used. I also like the gauging that helps get me just the size I need

This hail has the thickness I want and I appreciate the length, easier to handle and apply than drug store size nails I have used. I also like the gauging that helps get me just the size I need

This hail has the thickness I want and I appreciate the length, easier to handle and apply than drug store size nails I have used. I also like the gauging that helps get me just the size I need

This hail has the thickness I want and I appreciate the length, easier to handle and apply than drug store size nails I have used. I also like the gauging that helps get me just the size I need

I found the extra length a big asset compared to drug store nails I have used before. It allowed me to handle the application more easily and get the length I prefer for playing. I also appreciate the gauging system so I can get just the nail sizes I need.

Not good. Fully agree with previous review.