By String Joy Guitar Strings - Gigs & Guitar Review
Introduction To String Joy Guitar Strings
A few weeks ago we got sent some sets of guitar strings from a company called “String Joy”. String Joy is based out on the USA and they were kind enough to send us a few sets of strings.
They asked me what I tend to play with (Ernie Ball Regular Slinky), and set me a few sets based on those. I also found a few other goodies when I opened the box as well.
String Joy Guitar Strings Sets sent here
We have been using these strings over the last few weeks during the lockdown and have put them in two different guitars. The Telecaster (read about it here) and the Gibson Les Paul. Using my experience and some guesswork and decided to put the lighter set on the Gibson (shorter scale length) and the other two on the telecaster. So let us dive in and see what I think about them.
Balanced Light Plus – 10.5-50
As you can see, with the heavy low E string, this set was destined to be used for some drop tunings. Which is what I wanted to do. Was recording a Pop Punk song for the Telecaster demo (In Drop D) and thought this would be the perfect set of strings. From first impressions (And this is the case with every set they sent me). They hold tuning well, even when fresh on the guitar.
As with every pack of strings I have tried, you get a nice consistent tone. Confident that when you go to record the strings are going to sound the same as the other sessions! Helpful. Pair that with the stable tuning and recording with these strings are a breeze.
String Gauges: .0105 .0135 .017 .028 .038 .050
Balanced Super Light – 9.5-46
9.5-46 gauge strings had to go on the Gibson Les Paul. I have always played Les Paul’s with light strings. So I was looking forwards to this. First off! Found my favourite strings for this guitar! The feel and playability were great. Tuning was stable and you knew what tone to expect every time you picked up the guitar. Which is good for recording.
I would also say I felt more inspired once these strings were on this guitar, is that to do with the strings or is a placebo effect? I don’t know but after stringing the Gibson up, I didn’t put it down for a good 2-3 hours.
Personally, I think going forwards these are going to be my go-to strings for the Les Paul. They just feel so “right” on that guitar!
String Gauges: .0095 .013 .016 .026w .034 .046
Balanced Light Plus – 10-48
This set of strings is perfect if you want to put a set of “all-rounders” on your guitar. If you find yourself in standard tuning, but sometimes going to Drop D, this is the perfect set for you. No need for any nut work to fit the strings in.
As with the others, the tone and tuning were amazing, no complaints there. The feel of these strings is wonderful! Which I sometimes found with them all! Such a unique feel, which I like. If you are looking to go up a gauge from your standard super lights, these might be the perfect option for you. Not to light, but not too heavy either.
String Gauges: .010 .0135 .017 .026w .036 .048
Packaging and Presentation
It is nice to see a string brand using cardboard and paper sleeves! They are only using plastic to airtight all strings together! This is a huge move and I don’t know why more string companies don’t do this! Hats off to String Joy!
The box, as you can see, is well branded, Durable and also very informative. They are also display the gauges on the front of the box (As well as the individual packets inside). There are a few string companies out there that hide their gauges (You know who they are).
Price
I would say that the price for string joy guitar strings are competitive and on par with other brands. Below is a list of the sets that I got sent and the price from their website.
- 9.5-46 – Balanced Super Light : $11.90
- 10-48 – Balanced Light Plus : $11.90
- 10.5-50 – Balanced Light Plus : $11.90
As you can see, all string joy guitar strings (6 String Guitar sets) are the same price. $11.60 (Which converts to around £9). Which is average for a high quality set of strings. I can think of lower priced sets, but I can also think of way more expensive sets that, from experience, are no where near as good!
Other Goodies
In the box was also a few other things that they sent along, A handy Cloth/Wipe and also some String Cleaner. This string cleaner is actually rather interesting as it doesn’t leave your strings “wet” or “greasy”, like other cleaners do, however it does leave them clean and feeling fresher.
In the box was also a few other things that they sent along, A handy Cloth/Wipe and also some String Cleaner. This string cleaner is actually rather interesting as it doesn’t leave your strings “wet” or “greasy”, like other cleaners do, however it does leave them clean and feeling fresher.
I will be the first to admit, I don’t use this every day, I don’t even use this every play. Personally, I tend to use it when my strings are starting to feel either grubby, dirty or they have that old feel to them. I would highly recommend this cleaner! You are able to get a few more days/weeks out of a set of strings (Depending on how often you play).
Another really nice feature is that 5% of their net profits go towards funding music education programs. Which is really nice to hear. Nice to see companies help fund music and arts because as we all know, it is badly unfunded!
Any Bad Points
My only complaint, well, it’s not even a complaint, more of a request. If they could put the string gauge on the side of the box, this way when you have a few boxes on top of each other, or lined up and can see which ones are what. This mainly appeals to people like me who don’t organise their strings by gauge.
I guess if you were to only use one gauge of strings you wouldn’t have this issue. However, if you are like me and use different gauges on different guitars and don’t keep your strings organised (On a shelf in a cupboard) it can make it hard work to find the right set.
Conclusion
Overall I am very pleased with these String Joy guitar strings! On the Telecaster they bring the guitar to life! As we said above, such a snap and twang to the strings! The heavier set handled drop tunings. Would I buy these strings again? 100%! I actually plan to purchase a few sets of the heavier gauge to keep on the telecaster for that pop-punk madness. I will also purchase a few sets of the 9.5-46 to keep on the Gibson as I love the feel and playability with that combo.
Thanks again to String Joy for sending them all across! If you want to find out more about String Joy guitar strings, you can check out their website as well as their socials below.
String Joy Link:
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