Double Ball Guitar String Comparison

While testing the MGR floating bridge as an alternative to the Steinberger R-Trem, I decided that I should test a variety of double ball end guitar strings to make sure that they all work with the new bridge.

I think that  you should be able to use your favorite strings and not be forced into using double ball end strings on any guitar but they are very convenient and make string changes a breeze.

​Here's a table with the brands, descriptions, part numbers, where I got the strings, where the strings were made and what I paid for them.

​Brand	Description	Part Number	Source	Origin	Price Paid
ghs	Double Ball End Guitar Strings - Standard Steinberger System - Boomers	SET DB-GBL	​JustStrings.com	Made in USA	​9.18 USD
LaBella	Original Double Ball System	S1046	​JustStrings.com	Made in USA	13.52 USD
Steinberger	double ball - Standard, Non-Calibrated, 6-String Guitar Strings	SST-105	​Sweetwater	Made in China	8.99 USD
D'Addario	XL - For Steinberger Transtrem Systems	ESXL110	JustStrings.com	Made in USA	13.86 USD
Steinberger	double ball - Light, Calibrated TransTrem, 6-String Guitar Strings	SST-106	​Sweetwater	Made in China	12.99 USD

Here are the same string sets with more information

Brand	Gauge Name	String Sizes	Packaging
ghs	Light	.010 .013 .017 .026 .036 .046 ​	Clear plastic wallet, product sheet, individually sealed strings with easy tear notch
LaBella	Medium	.010 .013 .017 .026 .036 .046	Sealed pouch with easy tear notch, product sheet, paper pocket with all strings
Steinberger	Medium	.010 .013 .017 .026 .036 .046	Shrinkwrapped cardboard wallet/box, individual paper pockets for each string, 1st, 2nd and 3rd strings in sealed pouches inside paper pockets (no tear notch) with extra 1st string ​
D'Addario	Regular Light	.010 .013 .017 .026 .036 .046	Cardboard wallet with tear strip, sealed pouch with all strings
Steinberger	​Light	​.009 .011 .016 .026 .036 .046	Shrinkwrapped cardboard wallet/box, individual paper pockets for each string, 1st, 2nd and 3rd strings in sealed pouches inside paper pockets (no tear notch) with extra 1st string ​

For the MGR Bridge, what I was mostly interested in was string length.  How good a string sounds is subjective but how good a string will work with a certain piece of hardware, we can measure.  The string length of a double ball end string is really important for ease of installation / removal and for tuning range, especially on the 1st string.  I wouldn't want anyone to run out of turns on a tuner before a string is in tune!  I've heard of people using crazy light strings, so I'll have to test those later too.

To measure string length, I put all of the strings on a nail board with the same starting point and an end point with zero tension to measure the free lengths.​

Once all of the strings were mounted, I drew a line to easily compare the length of each string visually.  Here are the results!
​

ghs

- string length between Steinberger and Labella
​- string length (center to center) is about 696mm (27.40 inch)
- silver ball on one end, gold ball on the other
​- no overwrap or solder on plain strings

LaBella

- shortest strings but not by much
- string length (center to center) is about 695mm (27.36 inch)
- color coded ball ends
- nice overwrap on plain strings

Steinberger (non-calibrated)

- longest strings but not by much
​- string length (center to center) is about 698 mm (27.48 inch)
- gold ball ends
​- nice overwrap on plain strings

D'Addario (calibrated)

- string lengths calibrated for Steinberger TransTrem
- smaller spread of string lengths than Steinbers strings
- string lengths from about 695 to 699 mm (27.36 to 27.52 inch)
- color coded ball ends
​- soldered plain strings

Steinberger (calibrated)

- string lengths calibrated for Steinberger TransTrem
- larger spread in string lengths than D'Addario strings
- string lengths from about 693 to 700 mm (27.28 to 27.56 inch)
- gold ball ends
​- nice overwrap on plain strings

Although I don't like the excessive packaging and the fact that they are made in China, the Steinberger strings appear to be the best value.  There is a nice overwrap on the the plain strings, they come in sealed pouches and an extra 1st string is also provided.

String lengths are more or less the same between the brands of calibrated strings and between the brands of non-calibrated strings.  My measurements are not super accurate and this is just one set from each brand.  How consistent would the string length be for each set from set to set?  I don't know!  We would have to get several sets from each brand to look for consistency.

It's interesting to note that ghs mentions that the standard strings (non-calibrated) do not fit TransTrem unit.  LaBella, on the other hand, mentions that standard double ball guitar strings may be used for the TransTrem, however, for best results, they recommend the calibrated sets.  This might be why the LaBella's are a bit shorter than the rest, just a guess.​