Ernie Ball Aluminum Bronze Strings Review

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Tony reviews and gives his take on Ernie Ball's Aluminum Bronze Strings!

[@rickc8743]

I have been using these for quite a while, since right after they came out. They seem to last forever and I have yet to break one. I really like the way they sound and feel.

[@MikeKBradley]

Great review ... I discovered Ernie Ball Aluminum Bronze about 3-4 years ago and I love their sound on my Guild and a custom guitar on which I use them! Good job Earnie Ball!

[@steveguerin7650]

Hi Tony, thanks for all your great videos and honest reviews. You are a great reference. You completely hit the nail on the head with your description of these strings! I've tried so many kinds of strings. Coated, un coated, treated, nickel bronze, cryo treated, etc... These untreated strings make a good guitar sound great and a bad guitar sound good. When I first put them on I couldn't believe the sounds.. Hard to describe but it's like sounds underneath sounds... Harmonic resonance or something but wow they are great. On top of it they do take quite a beating! I haven't broken one yet and I'm on my sixth set of the lights. They're loud and cut through a mix, but also tame enough to play gently fingerstyle too. Anyways cheers from a Canadian fan! Take care. Keep up the good work.

[@markewing6780]

I'm buying a 3 pack of them right now on ebay. Thanks for the video! I was debating for a few weeks as to which strings to get. Aluminum Bronze Ernie Ball strings were already high on my list. Now, between you and Mike Dawes I'm convinced these are the strings for me. Thank you!

[@edwincancelii2917]

That is one of my favorite KZbin videos. And I’m a fan of drop and lower tunings, as far as the medium gauge strings go.

[@ensignofindustry1033]

You mentioned you'll never switch out the Santa Cruz strings on your vintage 0-17. Wonder if that's still the case and whether you tried these EB aluminum bronze on that guitar. Thanks. Love your channel.

[@chrisg7891]

I vouch for these strings as well in this case on my Martin D-16. The projection and tone really wake up this guitar (mahogany/spruce dread). Also, you can leave these strings on longer if you like. They mellow over time, but remain playable if you don't want to be changing strings so often. Really sounds out while strumming, gives that extra bit of volume for fingerstyle. Thinking of testing them next on my newer Taylor 314ce which still feels a bit tight and constrained in sound.

[@jonhumble7199]

Just put these on my Stonebridge acoustic. I am amazed and blown away by the response, sound and projection of these strings. I don't want to put the guitar down.

[@jonsander5607]

I run these on my Gibson Hummingbird Pro. They are THE strings for this particular guitar. Tone, projection, and sustain is outstanding. They make my 6-string guitar sound almost like a 12 - string when strumming chords.

[@ericcoombs]

I'm picking up a j45 studio and am thinking about these strings...great choice?

[@terrybryant3814]

I’ve a ‘78 J50 with d’addario nickel bronze strings which are just great! Kinda naked string exposing base sound of guitar. However, I change strings to different manufacturers often so intrigued by these aluminium (I’m in the U.K.!) bronze.

[@joshash5944]

I love these too..I just wish they lasted as long as Elixirs... I'm still playing them though.. they sound amazing

[@ChristianFS1]

I tried those strings as well once, liked them a lot. Also agreed with your assessment of their general character, though I found it to also make the guitar sound somewhat Bouzouki-esque, which was fun.

[@ehpiii_music]

I love the Mike Dawes piece - but it REALLY makes me wonder which gauges he's using. I've got some medium lights tuned to CGCFGC (DADGAD down a step)

[@rshangrila]

I have a vacation home in the Philippines. It's right on the beach so you can imagine how fast things corrode in the hot humid salty air. I'm giving these a shot in hopes that I won't have to restring every time I make the trip over. Hey Tony, want to do a VLOG from paradise?

[@randyburleson]

Tony, what strings AND gauge would you recommend for a finger style guitar player on a Furch OOM vintage 1 Sitka/Rosewood guitar?

[@philipdeppen9450]

You think these would sound good on my Yairi Alvarez dym75 which has Western cedar top and Indian rosewood back and sides. Still has the exp strings from factory

[@zachofalltrades5002]

What would you Recommend for the Gibson advanced jumbo guitar I’m currently on a string hunt to get that clarity deep sound I used to get with the master built strings but since those no longer made and the Gibson current string sound horrible And coated string sounds horrible

[@jordan4225]

I just put a set on my Martin HD-28v and love them, some chords you hit almost have a big piano type sound.

[@GioacchinoRosaRosa]

Hi Tony, thanks from Italy. You are a great reference for me

[@jayman1338]

Martin D15m, what string brand would you recommend?

[@0713mas]

I liked these strings a lot too, they seem to make my inexpensive guitars sound better with a decent life. Although, I have broken a string with them. I also really love the Daddario flat tops, they lasted the longest for me of all the non-coated strings and also made my low end guitars sound better. I need to try the santa cruz parabolic next.

[@gina4319]

(A 4 40 tuning) is the g string / third-string woven?

[@patrickclark3337]

My question is how long will they retain the new crisp sound? I am sold otherwise, but with people like Mike Dawes who have an endorsement or get them free can change their strings every day if they want so they will never know how long they keep the new sound. I usually change my strings once every two weeks - month depending and I play for hours daily. I'm currently looking for a "go to" string and have tried several types including Elixirs, D'addario, Dr. Strings Veritas and dragon skins, and John pearse. Currently waiting for some EB earthwood to try. The John pearse kept the new crisp sound longest of the bunch of uncoated varieties excluding the Elixirs. Any recommendations besides these aluminum bronze that I have to try. I'm also trying to keep it fairly cheap, reason for switching from the Elixirs, so hopefully under $10 unless they are absolutely worth it.

[@tacguitar]

Simon, I can say that the Aluminum Bronze strings that I put on my Thompson dread are still going strong after about 1.5 months of play. I like to get a gauge on how long they last so usually I leave them on until they get dull and thuddy... so far they still have that crisp sound :-) As for others to try The Santa Cruz Parabolic Strings are fabulous, but they are a bit more expensive... in my opinion they are worth it. Between the EB Aluminum Bronze and the Santa Cruz PB strings I think you nay find a winner :-) Cheers!!!

[@bossesg1]

I want to get really vintage sounding spaghetti western-ish tones with nice warmth and presence. Any suggestions?

[@thefisherman2837]

Are there any string that's similar to these strings ? As they have stopped the production since covid last year. Finding it hard to find the 12 54s 😥

[@peterenright1347]

I have tried all strings out there. Nothing beats the aluminum bronze, particularly re the base strings. They have a crispness to the note and project very well. They work particularly well on my D35; D16... and they last a long time.

[@garrystubbs4891]

*bass

[@woodybatter3896]

Hey Tony, while researching Guild guitars (solid mahogany) I kept running across the phrase Nick Drake sound. Nick Drake was an artist I’d never heard of yet so I looked him up. He was an odd artist in that with four albums to his name he never played live. Pink Moon was the song most referred to. A soulful singer with a unique playing sound I was floored that I’d never heard of him before. He passed at age 26 in the 1970’s when depression took him. I suggest giving him a listen and would like to hear what you think.

[@plumeetpixels7062]

Nick Drake is a major reference and influence to many guitarists in the acoustic field. Artists like Damien Rice, John Paul White, Elliott Smith, Justin Vernon (Bon Iver) or younger Madison Cunningham, My Bubba and Jófríður Ákadóttir quoted the guy. By the way, I recommand the cover of "River Man" played by Madison Cunningham : kzbin.info/www/bejne/fnqxiHqNibFliaM

[@mrrtm1856]

Great review. The string metallurgy is pronounced "Mar-Aging" steel. Keep up the good work. I use these strings on my Teton STA 150cent and love them.

[@angkit216]

aluminum bronze has lovely ,Love the low end.

[@noffimus]

I use these strings on my '96 Martin 0000-1 (mahogany/sitka.) PBs are a little too shrill on this guitar. These strings tone it back just a little bit - I like a fair bit of sizzle in my strings. This guitar is tuned to double drop D or occasionally, Open G. I don't feel the need to experiment with strings any more. It took years to find strings I'm truly happy with and the E.B. Aluminum Bronze fit my needs with this guitar as well or better than I could expect. I play with a light touch and have not had any broken strings after about 9-10 sets. I have not broken a string in many, many years on any of my guitars so I'm probably not the best judge of durability. They also seem to last 6-8 weeks before I even think about changing to a new set and I really could let them go longer. This is with about a .5 - 1hr of play 6x per week.

[@patrickclark3337]

Your comment is promising, I'm looking for a string that starts and retains the new, crisp sound the longest and is pretty cost effective. Elixirs are coated and too expensive so I only changed them once a month. I'm testing several brands, so far John pearse has kept the new sound longest. These sound like something I would be interested in. So they sound crisp and new for a good while? I play with a light touch and play for a few hours a day, every day. Looking for strings that sound crisp and keep that sound that I can stick with.

[@TheShadoeryder]

I love the Aluminum bronze on my Schecter. But on my Composite Acoustic they sound way to bright.

[@chrismccrth0]

I have tried these on my Collings d1av. They are lush / rich / powerful. Well worth a try. But too bright as a primary string in my opinion. I found the feel a little ‘off’ for slides however and didn’t like the string feel. Santa Cruz parabolic tension strings are my absolute favourite in terms of playability. However I mostly use ej17 as a reference point on most of my guitars as I know them so well, they are always available and priced well.

[@plumeetpixels7062]

That was THE review I was seeking. Especially with McKee or Mike Dawes as references of playing style. Many thanks for that Tony! To be more specific, I own a Furch for few days now, with Elixir Ph-Br Nanoweb 12-53, and I wondered what alternative strings I could try before I make some kind of definitive choice.... I used to play with Martin's 80/20 M150 strings, so I was more familiar with warm sound and the Elixir are powerfull, but a bit too bright for my taste. So, if anyone have any other advices....

[@kaushalsuvarna5156]

Did you buy them, and how would you compare to phosphor bronze What I'm particularly interested in is if I should go thinner/thicker

[@johnnyadams6222]

How’s the lifespan of these with daily playing?

[@nicolasmayrand7157]

Make a review of the norman studio st40 folk ! Its a AMAZING GUITAR !!

[@davidpetersen8909]

Hope you answer Even tho its an old video. I seem to go through strings fast. Ernie Ball everlast, and earthwood die on me, within a week tops, earthwood lasted 4 days everlast 6 days. John Pearse 80/20 bronze died within 4 days tops Same with their silk 610LM set The only strings i have kept for more than a week without dying, Are thomastik infield spectrum bronze. They cost a lot in My area. And the aluminium bronze, seems like, with its somewhat corrosive resistent alloy, that they would retain their crisp new sound longer, espacially if i wipe the strings with a cleaner on a microfiber cloth. But I wanted to hear your input

[@JayWalsh]

I just put a set of these on my Taylor. They feel nice, but sounded kinda dead from the get go.

[@discgolfprofessor]

These are by far my Favorite New Strings. The Aluminum Bronze last at least 3 times longer or "More" with Killer Tone. My Previous Favorite was Martin SP4100 's for Comparison. I'm more of a Finger Style player. I buy fix and sell Acoustics. I've put these on MANY guitars I've turned over, and they sounded great on ALL of them. They also Bend easier. Note : They will look Used when you open the package (No Bright and Shinny Look)

[@hwcdlimited5693]

These strings sound great

[@johnhenshaw22]

I love the sound of my Ernie ball aluminium bronze strings. I’m not a heavy handed guitar player but unfortunately mine keep breaking and not always the same string. I got in touch with Ernie ball and they sent me two new sets but unfortunately I’m having the same problem. I don’t have this issue with other strings IE Daddarios. Any help would be greatly appreciated. John 🎶

[@firebald2915]

String breakage. Where are they breaking, at the tuner post? Mine did once and I found that the tuner pegs all had sharp edges at the peg holes and that caused the break problem. I used a small low powered Dremel and used a small round pink stone and ground the sharp edges round. Ended the string breakage.

[@elsizzle2000]

Most people don't realize if they're breaking at the nut, these strings are grippy and if your old strings were one mm smaller, then these can break as they are a weird size. They're medium lights are 54 on low E and most strings are 53. Bro check your nut

[@SuperMaskedcucumber]

Mike Dawes plays a Nick Benjamin made by Nick Benjamin, in Lewes, Sussex, England. Great guitar maker!

[@rmg8697]

This strings are easy to bend ?

[@LyleStyle87]

I liked the sound of these strings, but then the G broke over the 12th fret when I did a random whole bend after a week. Looking it up online I found that the G is susceptible to breaking. Not buying another set until EB fixes them, only then will I be more than happy to have another set.

[@lt1caprice57l]

Hmmm. Perhaps that's why they don't yet offer a 12 string set. If the G is prone to breaking, the octave E on the bottom would probably be prone to it as well.

[@LyleStyle87]

@Mac I'll probably take a chance with another as well. I really did like the way they sounded

[@markheinen8712]

Haven't played anything else since I first tried them.

[@goharkhan2627]

Dude your beard is fucking amazing. The girls must love the hell outta of that beard

[@pbrstreetgang6681]

As you say, certain guitars react to strings differently. Ever since the mid-90s have not been able to find strings that do justice to my 93 Seagull S6. Both phosphor bronze and 80/20s of any brand absolutely destroy the organic tone of that guitar. I have no use for either of those strings. On my Takamine EF341 after changing the original strings that came from the factory, same thing. Though it seemed the design of the Takamine could withstand the ultra bright tinny tone of those strings a little better than the Seagull. These sound like they may be the answer. Worth a try.

[@tacguitar]

Absolutely, I think it takes some time to find the right guitar to string match, but once you do there is no better feeling. It's like hearing the guitars pure voice :-) Good luck with the strings and enjoy the process :-) Let us know what strings you end up liking too.

[@neilmartin99]

What was the verdict?

[@spider1g5]

I'm actually looking for strings for my Seagull S6, did you have a good experience?

[@CCDzine]

They ring proud with brass bridge pins.

[@TheShadoeryder]

Be interested to see what you think about the EB Paradigms. I was.... disappointed

[@tacguitar]

I definitely don't like them as much as the aluminum bronze strings, but found them to be ok... They seemed to not have the same amount of volume as the AL bronze strings. :-)

[@TheShadoeryder]

@@tacguitar i broke two from my first set.. so much for unbreakable haha.. and i found they had no more string life than any other. Tonally on my composite acoustics carbon fiber they sounded really good. But i get almost the same tone out of the martin retros and at half the price.

[@cookiebiscuit5124]

Hi. I broke the first e string when I was changing them. It's Ernie Ball paradigm 13-56. I was kinda disapointed as well. I thought it was unbreakable..but, overall the tone is quiet good. I like the crispy and loud sound.

[@angkit216]

Bro i need help had Yamaha LL6 ARE. I need good string for strumming. Like Phil Wickham. I’m a worshiper guitarist. Thanks God bless

[@matthewi.minnick5845]

These really brightened up my all mahogany Ibanez. I love the sound of these strings, but they have a tendency to make finger tips turn black.

[@tacguitar]

I noticed the same thing with the black fingertips, it must be from the alloy :-)

[@Hedgehog1039]

@@tacguitar Very interesting, I've been using them for a year and haven't noticed much blackening at all...

[@JenandJohn]

Yes it is from the alloy as they tend to retain grease and dirt more quicker than phosphor strings. I use fast fret to keep the clean once a week.Iv a mahogany ibanez talman open pour thin body. I use light 11's and they sound supurb nice and bright.Being lighter gauge the tension on the truss isn't so tight so the strings drop,relief maybe required, again depending on guitar. .Because these are bouncy strings you have to careful of buzz when over strumming compared to none alloy bronze strings as mentioned above when talking about tension.You may need to alter the neck to suit your style. Ironicly iv a set of 11 lights on my tanglewood tw Union and iv not had bouncing as compared with my talman. Probably down to a heavier built unit compared to the light woods of the talman open pour. These ernie ball aluminium bronze strings are Beautiful strings for finger picking. May try a set of medium lights

[@MTalpha31]

Just put on a set of 13's today, i normally use elixers and i will always swear by those badboys. These are clear, not as bright as im used to with elixers but they have a nice tone. As Mike said they just kinds locked into the guitar perfectly. That's all I have for now, gotta get back to playing ✌👽✌

[@Izznum]

Can I ask how long it lasts?

[@sugarlife485]

@@Izznum a month but thats awesome

[@anekdilos1]

My Larrivèe never sounded better!!! Great strings!!! Working great on full mahogany ,or mahogany and spruce top

[@el34glo59]

Yeah not my thing. Too bright and over the top. What is it with the Santa Cruz strings that everyone loves btw?

[@dfifty2]

Mike Dawes, just WOW !!

[@paullanier8280]

I'm a guy who experiments very frequently with any strings on the market. I've made two pages of notes on the tone and duration of new sound and fade and dull sound when the strings cannot be held in normal pitch to the play ratio. My finding is the Ernie Ball aluminized will be what I purchase ninety percent of the time. That is as long as the string is available. Nuff said. 13_-- 56 thousandth. Get you some. Oh, I'm a maintenance guy for a living. Not sponsored by Didley sqat.

[@angkit216]

I’m heading 13/56 gauge

[@youngk3440]

I'm gonna go for the 12-54

[@glan4833]

2:14

[@marcellfuke9580]

it sounds beautiful... for about 2 weeks and then you will hate them :(

[@steelrhodes6563]

Marcell Fűke why ?

[@Hedgehog1039]

Nah, I find for the first wekk or two they sound way too bright and they ahve a "break in" period of about that long. After that they become a bit more mellow and blanced adn less "metallic". I lvoe them, been using them for a year and they're tough and don't seem to corrode much at all.

[@Bastikovski99]

@@Hedgehog1039 Yeah aluminum doesn’t really rust

[@SelfStorageBand]

They sound amazing! However they break SO easily

[@ArielCardona]

AT LAST!!!!!!!!!!! I've been saying that for a long time. The sound great. . . but if you dudes (like me) are moderate to heavy strummers, STAY AWAY FROM THEM NOW!!!!!!! I've used them on exactly four gigs and in everyone of them a string (or two) have broken. Nedless to say I won't use them anymore.

[@thefisherman2837]

People think the string when first placed on the guitar is the tone..NO..they take a week ish to bed in to the natural tone.

[@siddhantaryal01]

Brother provide me one guitar I request you

[@oscardejesus2005]

Español (Spanish)

[@lt1caprice57l]

Have 'em on my Yamaha, can confirm. i.imgur.com/NDlYTQf.jpg

[@danielpineda2165]

First like 👍🏻

[@palisicky]

Fret eating strings

[@robbertvannispen3641]

These strings sound to metallic. I will stick with John Pearse pb strings

[@Hedgehog1039]

They don't sound so metallic after you wear them in a little. They sound gorgeous after a bit of playing.

[@alastairmurray3153]

Just bought a set of these Ernie Ball Aluminium Bronze - dreadful on my 814CE! Sound like Mud, like strings that have zero brightness, tone and harmonics. And $30.00! They are coming off as soon as I finish this post. Thankfully 2 sets of Elixir Nanowebs - so one of those going back on! Love Elixir's, after reading the Ernie Ball propaganda thought I would try them out.... Will not stray from Elixir's ever again!! Guess there's a good reason Taylor ship their guitars with Elixir's!!