Guitar Accessories

Ernie Ball strings have been a top choice for players of all types since the early 1960s, when guitarists came into Ernie Ball's music store, customizing their string gauges to make their axes easier to play. After fruitless attempts to interest major guitar manufacturers in a lighter set of strings, Ernie Ball decided to start making his own. When you open a pack of his strings today, you know you're getting a quality set of strings designed to give you great tone, reliable performance, and long life. You can't go wrong when you string up with Ernie Ball strings! Ernie Ball's Slinky electric guitar strings are made from nickel-plated steel wire wrapped around a tin-plated hex-shaped steel core wire. The plain strings use a patented winding of bronze wire tightly wrapped around the lock twist of ball end for reduced slippage and breakage, making them slightly bright. They're popular with artists ranging from Keith Richards to John Petrucci. These Mondo Slinky strings are perfect for players looking for beefier low end, while minimizing the difference in tension on the higher strings.

Vintage Tones from the '50s and '60s

If you're looking for a set of strings that captures the trailblazing tones of the 1950s and 1960s, then look no further than D'Addario XL Pure Nickel electric guitar strings from Sweetwater. XL Pure Nickels feature a wrap wire of pure nickel roundwound over a hex core. This construction yields a tone that recalls the blues, rock, surf, and country music of the mid-20th century — an era when pure nickel-wound strings were by far the norm — while maintaining the durability and intonation modern D'Addario strings are known for. Compared to nickel-wound steel guitar strings, D'Addario XL Pure Nickel strings have a decidedly smoother — plus a purer and warmer — response. They're perfect for cooling down hot-wound humbuckers and taking some poke out of a vintage single-coil. But that's not to say these strings can't cut. We've channeled these strings for everything from icy-cool cleans to smooth, Pink Floyd-esque saturated leads. And, quite unlike true vintage strings, D'Addario XL Pure Nickel guitar strings feature a digitally controlled winding process that yields perfect consistency from set to set.