I've just started a huge electric guitar string roundup evaluating more than two dozen sets of strings that will be completed late summer 2012 but I thought I would pass along one preliminary finding: Mangan strings are noticably superior to the price-comparable stuff offered by D'Addario or Ernie Ball.
I used D'Addario strings for 20 years but either I changed or something at D'Addario changed. Whatever the case may be, I set off to find a better set of strings and these are, at the bare minimum, superior strings. I don't know if these Mangan strings will end up being the roundup winner or how they will stack up to other contenders such as GHS, DR, SIT, and other strings in the same price bracket, but for just about $1 more than a pack of Ernie Ball you're getting strings that feel and sound better and well worth the extra dollar.
The lows are deep and clear with your guitar's true character preserved. The mids are balanced. And the highs are bright and warm without any harsh spikes. Tuning stability is also improved. The EBs I took off created bizarre overtones on the wound strings -- so bad I thought one of my amp's tubes had gone microphonic.
I've not yet gotten around to trying the nickel wound set (blue packaging) so I don't know how they will stack up but I can definitely get behind these pure nickel strings. The last time I put a set of D'Addario pure nickels on my G&L Legacy they lasted all of 10 minutes, at best, before I cut them off. These Mangan are a different story altogether.
Apparently, Mangan was the Director of Sales and Marketing at Ernie Ball for years and decided to strike out on his own. Good move!
Stay tuned for the big showdown coming in August and see how everything comes out in the wash.
I used D'Addario strings for 20 years but either I changed or something at D'Addario changed. Whatever the case may be, I set off to find a better set of strings and these are, at the bare minimum, superior strings. I don't know if these Mangan strings will end up being the roundup winner or how they will stack up to other contenders such as GHS, DR, SIT, and other strings in the same price bracket, but for just about $1 more than a pack of Ernie Ball you're getting strings that feel and sound better and well worth the extra dollar.
The lows are deep and clear with your guitar's true character preserved. The mids are balanced. And the highs are bright and warm without any harsh spikes. Tuning stability is also improved. The EBs I took off created bizarre overtones on the wound strings -- so bad I thought one of my amp's tubes had gone microphonic.
I've not yet gotten around to trying the nickel wound set (blue packaging) so I don't know how they will stack up but I can definitely get behind these pure nickel strings. The last time I put a set of D'Addario pure nickels on my G&L Legacy they lasted all of 10 minutes, at best, before I cut them off. These Mangan are a different story altogether.
Apparently, Mangan was the Director of Sales and Marketing at Ernie Ball for years and decided to strike out on his own. Good move!
Stay tuned for the big showdown coming in August and see how everything comes out in the wash.