I started playing last year, and i have gotten pretty good. I'm looking for some good cheap guitar strings. I saw a deal on www.musiciansfriend.com for some d'addario 85/15 guitar strings. I prefer light stings. If anyone knows of any better deals, or think those stings are crap.... let me know... I have some elixers on there now. They are great.. just expensive.

I play a *little*, but I know LOTS of guitarists. Try bargain strings for awhile, especially for practice purposes. Musiciansfriend.com is good, or you can get a half-dozen packs off of ebay pretty easily. If you start performing or really notice a difference in the cheaper brands, then you can upgrade to your favorite style... but I'd recommend starting simple so you get used to different types and don't break the bank!

Generally, as with most things, you get what you pay for. I try to steer clear of discount strings. They'll work but they typically don't last as long. I use Blue Steels. They cost a little more but they last a bit longer too. And I HATE restringing my guitars.

I know this is going to be the expenseve aspect but have you tried the Guitar Center?

www.juststrings.com

I've bought their bulk electric guitar strings. They're made by a major manufacturer whose name they don't say (I personally think it'* GHS), but they're actually some good quality strings. Some brands I buy get rusty pretty quick, which has something to do with my body chemistry, but even the cheap strings from this place seem to hold up really well. Poke around and see what you can find. Let me know if you have any other questions.

sorry for digging this off the bottom, but its only a couple days old, i play the guitar too, as well as the drums, i have D'Addarios on my Ibanez acoustic right now, im not sure what gauge they are, its kinda of a light/medium light hybrid, because i looked on their site to see what they came with from the factory. but i just ordered a set of extra-light Elixirs to put on it...i agree that Elixirs are expensive, but they also last longer than your average string, so in the time you would use one set of Elixirs you would use 2 maybe even 3 sets of other brands, and they dont seem so expensive anymore of course thats if you change your strings all the time, which i dont claim too.

yea. i all u need is a pack of $5 GHS BOOMERS every other month. not too pricy.

i just got a set of Elixirs tonight, i got extra-lights, and i may have put them on wrong? cause its the first time ive restrung my own guitar, but if i didnt, they sound like crap...yeah theyre very easy to play, but i was praying to God above, that somehow my D'Addarios could just jump back on there...because i loved how they sounded, and they were lights i believe....and now ill plug my own guitar....Ibanez PF5 acoustic, in gloss black, get one today, you wont be disappointed...actually mine is a PF10, but i think the PF5 is the same thing, just the new version maybe?

Elixirs are nice strings, but unless you're doing a ton of playing in live situations where you can't afford to have a string break, they're kinda pricey IMO. I've had experience with Ernie Ball, GHS, d'Addario(sp?), and Dean Markeley, and for the money those juststrings.com bulk strings are a GREAT buy. If you order custom sets in bulk (12 sets of strings at a time) it figures out to right around $3 a set for electric guitar strings. What you really should do is try a different brand at every string change. Assuming you buy comparative gauges of each brand, your fingers will tell you which ones are best. You'll figure out which brands rust faster with your sweat, and which strings just don't "feel" as good. By trying a lot of different types you can identify which brands are the best deal for your tastes.

Thanks for all the help... I really appricate it. I'm gonna keep playing my elixers till they break, but i think i might get some cheap generic ones for summer. I work at a camp, and do a lot of playing outside, so no need to ruin some good stings. Thanks angain.

Andrew