Ernie Ball Extra Slinky Cobalt Electric Guitar Strings, 8-38 Gauge (P02725)

I installed these strings onto my ESP guitar as soon as I got them in the mail, and I must say it was worth the wait. The first thing I noticed was the feel. These strings are silky smooth, even the low E string. The second thing I noticed was the durability. As I pulled the string across the fretboard I noticed the reaction these strings have to the magnetic pickups...just like Ernie Ball claims, these strings react STRONGLY to magnets. I had to peel these strings off the pickups a few times while I was installing them. Then I noticed the durability of these strings as I tuned them. I felt a fair bit of resistance, much more than my old strings when I first installed them. They're also a lot more sensitive to tuning adjustments, although after leaving them sit for two hours after JUST BEING INSTALLED, they were only 5 cents off on the tuning. A small twitch of the tuning peg and they were back to where they should be. I figured, like any string, I would be fighting with them for the next few days trying to stretch them enough so they'll stay in tune without constant adjustment, but this is my third day of playing with them and they have stayed in perfect tuning since I installed them. I can't guarantee they will work for you the same way, but I know they will hold up to a lot more abuse than many other strings I've used so far. The final thing I noticed was the TONE. These strings sound quite a bit different, they have a much tighter mid to high and they seem to have less of a tendency to chaotically overlap each other's sound. Each string has a distinctive tonality that sets them apart from each other. You play the same note on different strings and you can easily hear the difference between the two. Sustains seem to last forever, and the clarity is incredible...only problem I'm having is trying to explain how it sounds in words...if you decide to buy them, try them with distortion and without, you'll be impressed by their versatility.To summarize,-Strong reaction to the magnets in pickups-Stay in tune very well (for me at least)-Sharp, clear tone-Each string is distinguishable from another-Durable-Silky smoothIf you have any questions, shoot a comment if you want, but I am telling you, I would not hesitate to try these strings at least once.

Not much really to say here. I feel that the Ernie Ball Cobalt series of electric guitar strings are the best strings I've ever played when you consider value for your money, yes, they're a little more money than the average electric guitar string, but they are less money than some others. They have a feel to them that is a little bit different and they do sound to me higher end.

They feel and play great. They last a really long time. Buy a pack of these and then buy a pack of the John Mayer signature strings as well. The John Mayer strings feel and play awesome!

I usually use Super Slinky so if your like me and wanted to try these, here is a comparison from my opinion.1. These feel more "stringy" like looser and more wirey to play, the Super Slinky felt more thick and heavier.2: Cobalt is much brighter so if you play a more acoustic type style you will notice a pretty big difference. almost has a small sitar type of reverberation.3: Cobalt seemed to pick up a bit stronger on my pickups, sounded great with heavy distortion. With the extra brightness you could really make each string shine, just seemed to be lacking in the lower tones I needed and felt stringy. Super's provided a lower tone as well as the extra firmness I needed when playing.Overall I had to go back to super slinky, but may slap them on an extra rig for some distorted fuzz fun.

These are interesting Strings. I've been a D'addario fan for years, but as a kid I only used Earnies. I don't like regular Earnies now, but love these. They are a little stronger sounding.There IS a little bit of a fuzzy feel to them, physically, almost like they are etched, it's the opposite of my other favorite string I use on my Les Paul, the D'addario Half Rounds, which are very slippery. But with some string lube these are great. for my Hagstrom they really shine. The right tone mix and they last and keep their tone for a good while.Know this: if you don't know how to set up a guitar, get someone who knows how to do so, because many a guitar has been written off as being bad that was actually a great guitar. Also, using good strings and keeping them fresh also makes a huge difference. Use string lube it protects them and makes them play better. Also, TRIM YOUR NAILS! Nails tear up strings and fretboards.If you need a hotter sound with a blanced brightness and some crunch that still works when clean, these are darned good. I play Prog, Jazz-Prog, ShoeGaze, Hard Rock, and ambient and these suit me well. Easily worth the 3 extra dollars a set honestly. And they stay in tune fairly well, not perfect, but pretty well.