Ernie Ball P02230 Nickel 12-String Slinky Electric Guitar Strings 8-40

Most Liked Positive Review

It's Really Good At Being What It Is. But ya have to be careful

The Ernie Ball Super Slinky 2230 set for 12-string guitars is really good at being a very light set of electric 12-strings on my '63 Rickenbacker reissue from 1990. The lightness of the strings makes them ideal for playing fast lead-licks that just plain sound better on a 12-string. If you're looking for a really durable string that can take some pounding and abuse, LOOK SOMEWHERE ELSE! ERNIE MAKES A HEAVIER SET! Look at the picture of the green package. No less than THREE of the high strings on this set are 8's! They don't take kindly to abuse and break easily. Especially if you're used to 10's or 11's! But... they play and bend easily if you're used to the heavier strings. They really sound terrific with the stock Rickenbacker pickups through a tube amp. Be nice to these strings (if you play with finger picks like Roger McGuinn, you should be fine) and they'll perform nicely for you for quite a while. If you use the Ernie Ball Power-Peg Battery Powered String Winder, be careful not to wind the 8's too fast or you're likely to break them. It's a variable-speed winder, so just take it easy with the speed button. Also, when changing to the new strings, when you're putting on those three 8's make sure you have plenty of string wound around the capstan of your tuning machines. Too little and they'll slip and go flat - and they do this much more easily than a heavier string would. Follow these precautions and you'll be pleasantly surprised at how easily your 12-string will play vs. the way it did with a heavier set of strings. I really like these strings and can't think of a reason to change to something else. They play better than anything else I've tried on the Rickenbacker.