When looking for electric guitar strings, there are literally thousands of sets to choose from. I’ve narrowed the list down to what I feel are the top two contenders: GHS Boomers, and Ernie Ball Super Slinky. What follows is a no holds barred head to head comparison of the two.
Guitar strings more than other piece of equipment effects your overall playing and sound tone the most. Over the years I have played through thousands of sets of guitar strings as they are the most inexpensive part of your guitar setup and the easiest piece of equipment to experiment with.
I will be judging the strings based on the following factors that include: tone, ease of use or playability, materials and construction, longevity and price.
Tone Comparison:
The GHS Boomers really shine here when it comes to tone. They sound fantastic, are full of color and have a great “bite” to them. The sustain of these strings are unreal. It’s no wonder that so many professional guitarists endorse or are endorsed by them; including Eric Johnson, the undisputed master of tone himself.
Conversely, the Ernie Ball Super Slinky strings have a hard time measuring up with the Boomers. Don’t get me wrong, they do sound good, but no where near as full and vibrant as the GHS Boomers do. Initially, for the first week or so of use the Super Slinky strings do maintain a rich tone, but as time goes on there is a noticeable drop in sound quality.
GHS Boomers win the tone comparison hands down.
Playability:
Ernie Ball Super Slinky strings have really outdone themselves when it comes to playability. The feel of them is superb, and they are extremely easy to play. Bending strings and using the vibrato techniques make it feel as if you are playing with water and not the metal that these strings are made of. I have yet to find another brand of strings that play as well as these do.
What the GHS Boomers have in tone, they lose in ease of use. String bending is a chore, and they feel inordinately heavy. The one plus they have in regards to playability is that they are easier to control. Because of the effort it takes to bend the strings it’s easier to hit a specific note with them, but again they are harder to bend in the first place.
In terms of playability, the Ernie Ball Super Slinky guitar strings are the clear victor.
Materials and Construction:
Both the GHS Boomers and the Ernie Ball Super Slinky electric guitar strings use nickel plated steel as the outer shell of the strings. The main difference between the two is that the Boomers use an alloy core that the shell is wrapped around, as opposed to the steel core that the Super Slinky’s use.
After playing through hundreds of sets of each type of string, I have never had a GHS Boomer fail. I have however had a couple of Ernie Ball strings break, and one of the Super Slinky strings even spontaneously unwound itself, which could only be caused by defect.
Both sets of strings do very well in this category, but the GHS Boomers are slightly better.
Longevity:
Raise your hand if you think the GHS Boomers will win here. You’re right, give yourself a prize. Due to the construction and alloy metals used the Energizer Bunny will probably wear out before the Boomers do. They have the definite advantage of sounding great throughout their entire lifespan which could easily include a month of two of heavy use.
Longevity is the main drawback of the Ernie Ball Super Slinky strings. While they play fantastic, they wear out fast. After one or two of weeks of playing six to eight hours a day, it’s time for a new set. Sound quality takes a nose dive pretty quick when they get old so it would be ill advised to play a gig or start a recording session with anything but relatively new strings.
GHS Boomers sweep the longevity category, as if there were any doubt.
Price:
Both the Ernie Ball Super Slinky and the GHS Boomers strings cost under $4 for a set. They are both a great value.
Both strings tie based on price alone, however it could be argued that the GHS Boomers are a better value as they last longer.
In conclusion, it appears as if the GHS Boomers are best overall set of strings to put on your electric guitar. After all they did win 4 out of 5 categories. However some of you might be surprised to know that I personally use the Ernie Ball Super Slinky strings more than the GHS Boomers. “Why” you ask? Because I like the fact that they play better and I really don’t mind changing the strings every week or two. If you feel the same way, than the Ernie Ball strings might be better choice for you as well.
If, on the other hand you like really great tone and want to restring your guitar the least amount possible, then GHS Boomers are probably the ones to go with. I do in fact use them almost exclusively for recording purposes.
