How to identify guitar string make?

[SH73]

Over a year ago I bought a second hand Dave Murray Sig strat from a shop. It had new strings in and they still sound great but could do with a replacement for recording etc. I contacted the shop and they say if it was restrung by them, they'd use Ernie Ball or rotos. Alternatively, they could look at the string and tell me, but it's over an hour drive. They're definately not Ernie ball as my other guitars have these and they are softer to feel. The factory fitted are Fender 250L but again I can't tell what these are. Obviously the colour coding has been cut off now due to Floyd rose attachment etc.

Is there a way to identify the make and model of a string? I can measure up with Digi calipers...

[Dad3353]

In the case you've described, I'd recommend starting afresh with strings that you buy yourself. A starting point would be, in my view, any set with a '10' for top 'E'. I used Fender Bullets for several years, until I found them starting to go rusty in the packet, from new. I've since gone for Elixir, which cost slightly more, but last, for me, much, much longer (I don't play that much, so I don't change that often...). If you've a set on that lasted a year, I assume you're not one of these bods that changes every week-end. A set of Elixirs will do the job, whatever strings you're taking off.
Other than that, just go with whatever your budget allows, and learn from it. It's not all that critical; new strings sound better than year-old strings in any case.
Just my tuppence-worth. 

[Dom in Somerset]

Measuring with callipers will tell you the string gauges but not a lot besides, most brands do a 9-42 and a 10-46 set and the gauges are the same. If you guitar is strung with standard 9-42 0r 10-46 it would be hard to tell the brand.
You can sometimes identify Ernie Ball strings because they do some hybrid sets , skinny top heavy bottom etc and the mix of gauges is (as far as i know) unique to those sets.
 

[SH73]

On 11/03/2021 at 14:51, Dad3353 said:

In the case you've described, I'd recommend starting afresh with strings that you buy yourself. A starting point would be, in my view, any set with a '10' for top 'E'. I used Fender Bullets for several years, until I found them starting to go rusty in the packet, from new. I've since gone for Elixir, which cost slightly more, but last, for me, much, much longer (I don't play that much, so I don't change that often...). If you've a set on that lasted a year, I assume you're not one of these bods that changes every week-end. A set of Elixirs will do the job, whatever strings you're taking off.
Other than that, just go with whatever your budget allows, and learn from it. It's not all that critical; new strings sound better than year-old strings in any case.
Just my tuppence-worth. 

Thanks for response, the budget is not an issue here. I use Ernie ball slinky on most of my guitars 2221 or 2222 as I'm a Maiden , they use them and they sound and feel great. The fella from the shop said they could be Elixir then said they're not Elixir but likely to be Fender, as the guitar is strung up at factory with Fender string, but as you say they go rusty in the packet and I bought the guitar 18 months ago with no sign of rust on strings.

I should have asked what strings they were, I think I even did from the younger lad but my memory doesn't serve

Suppose lesson learnt. I just go with Ernie's

[SH73]

On 12/03/2021 at 07:52, Dom in Somerset said:

Measuring with callipers will tell you the string gauges but not a lot besides, most brands do a 9-42 and a 10-46 set and the gauges are the same. If you guitar is strung with standard 9-42 0r 10-46 it would be hard to tell the brand.
You can sometimes identify Ernie Ball strings because they do some hybrid sets , skinny top heavy bottom etc and the mix of gauges is (as far as i know) unique to those sets.
 

The chap said they're likely to be 9's. They don't feel like hybrids though. I will measure them up. The reason I like these , I bend the hell out of them and they just take so much with the Floyd's rose and nut lock. They feel harder than Ernie's but sound great. He even asked me to bring strings down the shop and he could identify them , unfortunately it's a 3 hour round trip. I might sent them in and envelope once I am ready to restring.

[SH73]

They can't remember whether the guitar came in the shop (second hand) with new strings or they re strung.

[EdwardMarlowe]

I started with 9 when I first played electric. I moved up to tens because I kept snapping the high e on a 9, and I liked that the 10s overall provided that bit more fightback. I've tried a lot of string brands over the years; as a non-pro and not gigging or playing out at all these days, I find whatever is cheapest works well enough for me. IMO, the chief thing with strings is to find a brand that works well for you in terms of durability and that don't snap all the time and whatever. Beyond that, I'm not convinced there's any difference made to the sound (unless a la Eric Johnson your dna has enough canine that you can hear a difference!). 

For my money, Ernie Ball, Rotosound, D'addario, Dean Markley... all decent, go for the cheapest one. I remember I stopped buying Dean Markleys years ago for no reason other than that I took offence at the tedious sexism in a lot of their advertisements, but the strings themselves were decent enough.