# Anyone tried the Ernie Ball Paradigm Strings?



## domsch1988 (May 9, 2017)

Not sure if this is the right subforum, but none the less:
I'm ordering new strings and the Paradigms seem to be all the rave atm  Anyone tried them already? They are triple the price of a regular set from ernie ball and even a good chunk above the NYXL (which i already thought where crazy )
Any input is welcome


----------



## CapnForsaggio (May 9, 2017)

I refuse to pay those prices.

Refuse!


----------



## domsch1988 (May 9, 2017)

CapnForsaggio said:


> I refuse to pay those prices.
> 
> Refuse!



I was saying the same about gravity picks... And was right


----------



## TheShreddinHand (May 9, 2017)

I'm part of the beta program so I got a free set from them. Just put them on my 6er a couple weeks ago. They seem okay so far, but tonewise I'm not hearing any difference. I never break strings normally so won't be able to test that really. In terms of holding tuning....I'm reaching for the tuner heads just as much as I normally would if not more frequently. I can update if they last longer later on. So far, there's no reason to spend the extra dough.


----------



## domsch1988 (May 9, 2017)

TheShreddinHand said:


> I'm part of the beta program so I got a free set from them. Just put them on my 6er a couple weeks ago. They seem okay so far, but tonewise I'm not hearing any difference. I never break strings normally so won't be able to test that really. In terms of holding tuning....I'm reaching for the tuner heads just as much as I normally would if not more frequently. I can update if they last longer later on. So far, there's no reason to spend the extra dough.



That's really helpful, thank you very much 
That's along the lines of what i thought. Since i'm changing strings every two weeks or so with the regular sets (because of sound and feel and out of habit) They would have to sound and feel the same for about two months to be worth it


----------



## CapnForsaggio (May 9, 2017)

wrong thread - disregard


----------



## Sephiroth952 (May 9, 2017)

Luckily working at a music shop I don't pay market prices for them and I wouldn't. However since I don't I have bought a couple of pair and I have to say I dig em. They seem to have a little more tension as compared to their standard slinky counterparts. What I like most about them though is they aren't to silky feeling, they have a certain amount of "grip" I guess you could say which is really nice. I find that my control over the strings has been improved since used them.


----------



## Nitrobattery (May 9, 2017)

Mine corroded in under a week. Really unimpressed considering the price.


----------



## A-Branger (May 10, 2017)

Nitrobattery said:


> Mine corroded in under a week. Really unimpressed considering the price.



thats what I wanted to know. ANd the main reason I never got the hype for slinkys as they only last me a couple of days before rust appears. I though with this new set they would ahve addressed that

I just keep playing my Elixirs, seems the only ones that hold tone better and dont rust over time, both in my bass and guitar


----------



## Sephiroth952 (May 10, 2017)

A-Branger said:


> I just keep playing my Elixirs, seems the only ones that hold tone better and dont rust over time, both in my bass and guitar



Have you tried the new optiwebs? They feel pretty amazing.


----------



## A-Branger (May 10, 2017)

Sephiroth952 said:


> Have you tried the new optiwebs? They feel pretty amazing.



didnt knew they released new ones. I havent change mine in a long time, would have to check next time to see if they have some at the store


----------



## DarthV (May 10, 2017)

At that price, I'd rather just buy 4 packs of regular Slinkies.


----------



## TheShreddinHand (May 10, 2017)

domsch1988 said:


> That's really helpful, thank you very much
> That's along the lines of what i thought. Since i'm changing strings every two weeks or so with the regular sets (because of sound and feel and out of habit) They would have to sound and feel the same for about two months to be worth it



No problem.


----------



## AkiraSpectrum (May 10, 2017)

A-Branger said:


> thats what I wanted to know. ANd the main reason I never got the hype for slinkys as they only last me a couple of days before rust appears. I though with this new set they would ahve addressed that
> 
> I just keep playing my Elixirs, seems the only ones that hold tone better and dont rust over time, both in my bass and guitar



What about trying coated strings from another brand? D'addario have coated strings (EXP series) and are cheaper than Elixirs. 

Just an option.


----------



## Mathemagician (May 10, 2017)

I still have an unused set from the beta. Will sell the pack for $600, and include a free ibanez prestige. Lol.


----------



## A-Branger (May 10, 2017)

AkiraSpectrum said:


> What about trying coated strings from another brand? D'addario have coated strings (EXP series) and are cheaper than Elixirs.
> 
> Just an option.



would have to check, for my 5 string bass they dont have many options at the store, lucky Elixirs are still there. But I tried once a normal set of D'addarios, it last me one month and strings went completely dead after, never again.

not sure if they have on guitars, would check next time


----------



## Rachmaninoff (May 11, 2017)

DarthV said:


> At that price, I'd rather just buy 4 packs of regular Slinkies.



Or even better, 4 packs of D'Addario.


----------



## cwhitey2 (May 11, 2017)

Rachmaninoff said:


> Or even better, 4 packs of D'Addario.



Where is the dang Like button! 



I can't really comprehend how they can justify charging that much for a pack of strings...and that's coming from someone who only play NYXL's.


----------



## domsch1988 (May 11, 2017)

cwhitey2 said:


> Where is the dang Like button!
> 
> 
> 
> I can't really comprehend how they can justify charging that much for a pack of strings...and that's coming from someone who only play NYXL's.



Yeah the NYXL's are great. But even for those i can't justify the upcharge. Maybe i'm just lucky to not live at the sea and have non acidic sweat  I can't destroy strings for the live of me. They just degrade in sound and after 4 weeks i feel the obligation to treat my baby's with some new ones. Otherwise i would never get that dust off of them


----------



## TheRileyOBrien (May 11, 2017)

I recently got some to try out. I am a big fan of NYXL's and I was just curious how these compare. First impression is that they feel better than the cobalt and m-steel(I am not a fan of either of those). I wouldn't say the feel as good to me as the NYXL but that could be because I haven't really used anything else for the last couple of years. Sound wise they don't seem noticeably brighter or anything but they sound pretty good to me. I am mostly interested in seeing how long they last. I can't remember the last time I broke a string so that isn't even a concern for me. If they don't last longer than the NYXL's I definitely won't bother paying $15+ for these. I really don't like "coated" strings so I don't consider them a valid comparison.


----------



## cwhitey2 (May 11, 2017)

domsch1988 said:


> Yeah the NYXL's are great. But even for those i can't justify the upcharge. Maybe i'm just lucky to not live at the sea and have non acidic sweat  I can't destroy strings for the live of me. They just degrade in sound and after 4 weeks i feel the obligation to treat my baby's with some new ones. Otherwise i would never get that dust off of them



I think I may have pretty acidic hands. I have those rags for wiping down strings and I still get some corrosion (I use before and after I play)  

I do like nanowebs though as far as coated strings go though.


----------



## DarthV (May 11, 2017)

Rachmaninoff said:


> Or even better, 4 packs of D'Addario.



I never put enough hours on any one guitar to worry about which strings will last a little bit longer


----------



## Humbuck (May 13, 2017)

domsch1988 said:


> I was saying the same about gravity picks... And was right



Right about what?


----------



## Miek (May 13, 2017)

i've tried the paradigms, ive tried the nyxls, but the pricey strings that i prefer are still cobalts


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands (May 13, 2017)

Rachmaninoff said:


> Or even better, 4 packs of D'Addario.





D'addarios last me upwards of 3 - 4 months before I need a string change. It's good enough for me.


----------



## Dredg (May 14, 2017)

The best feature of the Paradigms was it made me appreciate NYXLs more.


----------



## TheRileyOBrien (May 15, 2017)

I definitely wasted $15 on these. My initial impression was that they were not bad but I spent some more time and switched between them and NYXL and the difference is really noticeable. They have a weird stiffness to them that I can't deal with(definitely not "slinky"). I'll be sticking to NYXL.


----------



## bnzboy (May 15, 2017)

Dredg said:


> The best feature of the Paradigms was it made me appreciate NYXLs more.



glad to hear that cuz NYXLs are excellent


----------



## Tisca (May 15, 2017)

I wonder how much they paid Chappers to abandon NYXL for Paradigms =)


----------



## Blytheryn (May 16, 2017)

Glad to know I don't have to dump twenty bucks on these, go NYXL!


----------



## domsch1988 (May 16, 2017)

The real question with all the NYXL love (i like them too) is, do you feel the upcharge for those is justified?

I now got three packs of regular EXL strings (10-52, 11-60) and feel they are just fine. I can't find a real difference to NYXL's... Certainly none that justifies double the price


----------



## Metropolis (May 16, 2017)

They cost 23 euros at local music store, and 20 at Thomann. Not gonna even test them  Way too expensive to justify that price.


----------



## cwhitey2 (May 16, 2017)

domsch1988 said:


> The real question with all the NYXL love (i like them too) is, do you feel the upcharge for those is justified?
> 
> I now got three packs of regular EXL strings (10-52, 11-60) and feel they are just fine. I can't find a real difference to NYXL's... Certainly none that justifies double the price



Honestly, the NYXL's last 3 times longer then the regular uncoated strings they make (for me anyways). I just changed strings last night actually and I think I had around 7-8 weeks of play time on them maybe more. They also just feel awesome IMO.


----------



## FILTHnFEAR (May 16, 2017)

You guys that are loving NYXL's: Are they stiffer than regular strings? I tried the Cobalts before and they were stiff and felt a lot rougher, so I wasn't a fan. Are these NYXL's like that?


----------



## Metropolis (May 16, 2017)

FILTHnFEAR said:


> You guys that are loving NYXL's: Are they stiffer than regular strings? I tried the Cobalts before and they were stiff and felt a lot rougher, so I wasn't a fan. Are these NYXL's like that?



D'addarios have generally stiffer feel than Ernie Balls. But they're more brighter sounding.


----------



## cwhitey2 (May 16, 2017)

FILTHnFEAR said:


> You guys that are loving NYXL's: Are they stiffer than regular strings? I tried the Cobalts before and they were stiff and felt a lot rougher, so I wasn't a fan. Are these NYXL's like that?



I think they are smoother the EJ's I used to play form them. I played cobalts once and wasn't impressed.


I feel like the contact they have with the fret is smoother, but I could just be in my head


----------



## Blytheryn (May 16, 2017)

FILTHnFEAR said:


> You guys that are loving NYXL's: Are they stiffer than regular strings? I tried the Cobalts before and they were stiff and felt a lot rougher, so I wasn't a fan. Are these NYXL's like that?



You just really have to try a set. It's weird trying to convey how a string feels when everyone has different guitars and so on. They feel awesome though. Never broken one either.


----------



## TheTrooper (May 16, 2017)

I really wanted to try these Paradigm Slinkys but it seems they suck just as much as Cobalts and M-Steels 

I'm still trying to find a set of strings that can last me more than 3 stupid days (I change strings when I feel the "Okay, now I don't feel too bad if I change them", which is around after 3 weeks).
I'm pretty sure it's because of the SS frets, but I'd rather buy more set of strings than a refret a Year.


----------



## cwhitey2 (May 16, 2017)

TheTrooper said:


> I really wanted to try these Paradigm Slinkys but it seems they suck just as much as Cobalts and M-Steels
> 
> I'm still trying to find a set of strings that can last me more than 3 stupid days (I change strings when I feel the "Okay, now I don't feel too bad if I change them", which is around after 3 weeks).
> I'm pretty sure it's because of the SS frets, but I'd rather buy more set of strings than a refret a Year.




if you need a refret a year you are doing something wrong  I fret strings pretty haeavily


----------



## TheTrooper (May 16, 2017)

cwhitey2 said:


> if you need a refret a year you are doing something wrong  I fret strings pretty haeavily



Well, the last guitar I bought with Nickel frets had a SS refret after 9-10 months, even though it should've been a little earlier.
SS frets are the only way to go (maybe EVO?) for me, I hardly look at guitars that have NS frets, unless the "I NEED TO HAVE THAT GUITAR!" kicks in


----------



## Nhoj (Aug 5, 2018)




----------



## exo (Aug 5, 2018)

Well, since someone else saw fit to necrobump, I just tried paradigms for the first time. Best EB strings I’ve ever played......





........which means they’re “OK” at best for me. I’ve never really like EB’s for some reason. D’addario’s are going back on that guitar next time I feel like it needs a re-string.


----------



## Nhoj (Aug 6, 2018)

exo said:


> Well, since someone else saw fit to necrobump, I just tried paradigms for the first time. Best EB strings I’ve ever played......
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Awesome , by the way isnt making another similar topic against the rules here? If its not then ill post on another new thread


----------



## exo (Aug 6, 2018)

Nhoj said:


> Awesome , by the way isnt making another similar topic against the rules here? If its not then ill post on another new thread



No idea, just sorta saying that if you hadn’t bumped the thread, I probably wouldn’t have thought to comment about trying Paradigms.


----------

