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Thread: Ernie Ball M-Steel Strings

  1. #1
    Overlord of Music keloooe's Avatar
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    Ernie Ball M-Steel Strings

    Ok so some of you may or may not have heard of the new sets of strings that Ernie Ball have produced recently. I got my hands on one of these sets and all I can say is they are spectacular!

    I managed to break two strings in one Muse song (new personal best for me ) and I took a quick trip down to Sky Music so I could grab a new set of strings. I wanted to get my hands on the Elixir set but they were out of stock, so I managed to snag a set of the fairly new Ernie Ball M-Steel strings.

    These strings are different from the Slinky set in many ways. The M in the name refers to Maraging steel, a superalloy that is widely in the aerospace and defence industries. The plain strings are comprised of a tempered steel alloy for the maximum fatigue resistance. The plain strings also have a patented steel winding around the ball end to reduce slippage and reduce breakage at the ball end and also to stay in tune better than regular strings. The wound strings are made up of a patented Super Cobalt alloy wrapped around a Maraging steel hex core, producing a richer, louder sound that is full of tone and has more powerful low end response.

    When I first removed the E string (I play 10-46 gauge), the Cobalt alloy made the string seem somewhat thicker, almost liek a 50 gauge string, yet when measured is still a 46! The added mass makes the whole guitar vibrate, even with very low end parts and normally doesn't vibrate much, I could feel every note play through the whole guitar, which to me is very cool!

    These strings are a lot louder than my Slinky set and bring the Strat to life! They look like an old set, but that is the natural colour of the Cobalt alloy. I had to drop the gain on my pedals by 30% to keep the same gain level, which I thought was astonishing.

    Unplugged, these strings are very loud compared to the Slinky set. I can hear what I am playing even with headphones on, which makes my music writing process much easier. They hold tune surprisingly well, only requiring a second tuning to keep it dead on tune, instead of spending the whole day adjusting the Slinky set to tune. Dropping to other tunings and the set holds the tension nicely, I can go to Drop G as fast as I can possibly tune and I can trust these strings to keep it that way.

    Overall, I absolutely love these strings. They provide maximum tone response, great feel, very powerful low end with a very clear treble response and they have more volume.

    At $25, these strings are well priced and they can really take a beating. I recommend these to everyone to at least try them and see the difference.

  2. #2
    GAStronomist stan's Avatar
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    great review Callum and thanks. I have the Elixers (the coated nanoweb ones) on my Epi LP and they are the best I've used, so interested to give these a go...

  3. #3
    Overlord of Music keloooe's Avatar
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    Cheers Stan! The Elixirs have a better feel than the M-Steels, but the M-Steels are a whole new world of tone!

  4. #4
    Moderator dingobass's Avatar
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    Noice one, Pesty

    Ernie Ball do make some nice strings, I absolutely love their flat wound Bass strings..
    The older they get the better they sound.

    Will be interested to hear an update on these new ones when you have thrashed 'em around for a bit

    There is always a workaround for glitches, mistakes and other Guitar building gremlins.....

  5. #5
    Overlord of Music keloooe's Avatar
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    I agree with the older strings = better sound DB, can't wait to give these strings my good ol' beating and see how they handle!

  6. #6
    Moderator dingobass's Avatar
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    I guess the question is, how long can a set of strings last on a Guitar before they loose their bite?
    Some are only good for one or two gigs, others a bit longer.. I am guessing it may be an individual choice.

    I have a Bass player mate over East that has got a set of EB flatties on his Bass that are pushing 20 years old now..
    They still sound amazing!

    There is always a workaround for glitches, mistakes and other Guitar building gremlins.....

  7. #7
    Overlord of Music keloooe's Avatar
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    My strings tend to last about a month before my aggressive playing style and also my slightly higher corrosive sweat destroys them, will be interesting to see how long this set lasts....
    Also that 1-2 months is at least an hour a day and with the same guitar each time with multiple changes in tuning throughout the day!

  8. #8
    I've heard of 70s basses that supposedly still have their original strings on, or at least 30+ year old strings. Depends on if you want that darker sound that comes from older strings. Other bass players change them as soon as they loose their brightness - still takes longer than treble.

    I play flatwounds on my p-bass. I'm not sure I'll be needing to change them any time soon.

    I might want something a bit brighter for the IB-5 when that time comes around.

    (quick trip to Sky? reckon you're south eastern like me then.)
    - Sam

    IB-5 - was finished, considering re-finishing body
    IB-6S - done.
    JR-1M - dressing frets and electronics build
    ST-1 - still wondering how to install a tremelo
    Telebass - non-PBG from parts buiild - painting body

  9. #9
    Overlord of Music keloooe's Avatar
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    Tindrrel whereabouts are you? I'm basically down the road from Sky

  10. #10
    GAStronomist wokkaboy's Avatar
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    hows the uploading of the video you recorded going Pest dot com ?
    90 posts to the big Overlord title cuz !
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