I dunno, I liked the sound of the Paradigms on both the clean and distorted tones. And especially the distorted tones. It sounded louder and more in-your-face, which I love.
It's amazing how there is such a noticeable difference between slinky and cobalt. And paradigm for that matter. I always thought all these different strings were sort of a scam.
I just can't belive how much of a difference in the tone there is between the Cobalt and the Paradigm, especially with distorsion. It's almost as you switched the cab. Man, the Cobalt's sound is so much more balanced, fat and clear (to my ear) and I love this to the core ! Thank you for that usefull comparison \m/
I really never thought the change in tone would be that dramatic. On cleans the Paradigms seemed louder but i preferred the Cobalts. On the dirt the Paradigms were smoother, after that the Cobalts sounded best. Long time Slinky player but I'm definitely picking up a set of each.
When i change to cobalt after playing 8 years with the only guitar i had, for the first time i realy listened to the real sound of that guitar. Cobalt is simply the thing. Paradigm seems good as well, specialy if your guitar is very bright, you can atenuate that, durability i do not know, i use cobalt almost for 1 and half year and my guitar is unprotected, that guitar suffered a lot. But depends on what is for you strings going bad, for me is when you have corrosion, and my wallet agrees, you can always boil the strings to have them get rid of that corrosion when starts to happen if you have no money or not near a local shop. And for me Cobalt are the best, Paradigm are the best, and the others are and feels cheap. Believe me, i am nobody but have been in the guitar world for 15 years. When internet wasn't the thing.
Like you I can hear the difference but it's hard to pick. If I had to I'd probably choose the Paradigms. I've been using Ernie Ball Coated Slinky which are titanium coated.
Hi Matt , great video , I love the slinky cobalt , I 've got at the moment the Ernie Ball slinky regular , I think next time I will try the cobalt nice for clean , amazing sound , you've got somes cool chords Matt!!!!
Those cobalt strings sound really good on clean tone in my ear and paradigms sound really nice on heavy tone, but i have been using reagular slinkys many ears because they are great basic strings, cheap and you can get those at every music store in planet :D
I have only tried so far the Regular Slinkies. And like them. Will have to try the other two sets. The other two for my ears, Cobalt set sounded slightly louder, and the Paradigm set maybe slightly darker.
For clean, Paradigm wins. For distortion though? Cobalt mids vs Paradigm bass is just...oh man get both! The Regular Slinky does exactly what it's made to be being a wonderful balance which is still very appealing. When in doubt, get a few Regular Slinky and experiment with everything else.
@@mattriffmaster We actually do have Paradigms in guitar stores BUT it will cost a thousand pesos. In America, it will cost only 20-50 bucks. For my country, a thousand pesos. I can't afford it.
I have 9-42 cobalt in my jackson rrt5 and sounds amazing with distortion. Are expensive but they are really works for play metal. The next to try, m-steels series. Somebody knows if that strings make some kind of damage to the frets?
@@JoseTorres-xx7sn hola José, suenan muy bien pero tienden a oxidarse más rápido que las de níquel. Tome la decisión de usar níquel por ser más barato y más neutral el sonido. Por el costo de las colbalto te compras dos de níquel y te sirve más de esa forma por si se te rompe alguna cuerda. Te recomiendo níquel y para metal van bien.
Cobalt have the higher output and are clearer/brighter, good for guitars that sound sorta muddy, also the 64-10 7 string version is really nice, personally m-steels are the better from Ernie ball, not great for dive bombs as the harmonics on the frets aren't that resonant, but the output, mid boost and gain increase is great for fixed bridge and hardtails, really tightens up the bottom end, similar to cobalt sounding but more rounded high end.
I’ve used regular slinky for years, tried the paradigm once and they broke in about 3 days as for the colbalt never tried them but like the tone so might give them a try. 😀🎸
I thought the regular slinky's sounded fine, the cobalts were nice, and bright and the paradigm's sounded was too dark for my liking. If I had to chose one(even though I'm a D'addario guy) I'd go with the Cobalts.
I don’t know if I’m just weird, but...I hated how the Paradigm strings sounded on a distortion setting! Regular and Cobalt were amazing for everything, but I just didn’t like the Paradigms at all. They probably do the job for durability, but the tone...Good video though!
From my experience, EBs are one of the worst strings on the market. Reasons: in the last 15 years I broke a string only twice. Yup, EBs on both accounts. The other reason: they are dull, lacking this "something", they did not give you back what you put into the guitar. If I had not checked, I would say my guitars sound flat and boring, especially on cleans. But no, it was the matter of strings. Thomastik Infeld Power Brights - my track fits the mix perfectly right away. The same stuff played on EBs: tons of EQuing, re-amping, adding emulated preamps to make it sound full and interesting. I am saying this not to offend someone's religious feelings. If EBs work for you - great. As for me, I would love to see a similar video comparing some higher shelf strings.
wrong comparison I dislike this ... when you recorded the riffs hear the diffrence between slinkys and cobalts. ABSOLUTELY the diffrence is not about strings , its Mic-positon(in front of cab) sound diffrence
The Cobalts sounds beautiful!
Distortion
2:17 - Regular
2:34 - Cobalt
2:51 - Paradigm
it’s crazy what a difference strings can make. i’m loving the cobalts on my les paul for shoegaze.
paradime was my fav crisp cleans and great chuggin tone..
CHUG!!!
Cobalts sounded better distorted and the Paradigms sounded the best clean.
I dunno, I liked the sound of the Paradigms on both the clean and distorted tones. And especially the distorted tones. It sounded louder and more in-your-face, which I love.
Somewhat agree. Cobalt sounded more open with distortion almost harsh; but the Paradigms sounded a bit tigther.
I liked the Paradigms in both cases.
It's amazing how there is such a noticeable difference between slinky and cobalt. And paradigm for that matter. I always thought all these different strings were sort of a scam.
I just can't belive how much of a difference in the tone there is between the Cobalt and the Paradigm, especially with distorsion. It's almost as you switched the cab. Man, the Cobalt's sound is so much more balanced, fat and clear (to my ear) and I love this to the core ! Thank you for that usefull comparison \m/
I use Ernie Ball Paradigm strings, and those strings are AWESOME! 🤘🎸🤘
I've tried all three. My choice is Cobalt. Cobalt is suitable for my type of music: Rock and Blues. IMO Cobalt is also better for bending
Paradigms are insanely good
Switched to them recently, and I have no regrets
Tough, slow wearing strings... definitely worth the extra bit of money
It's hard to choose. Every one of them sound amazing!
I agree !
That clean part is.... damn ! I could listen to it all day. Nice vid, as always, Matt !
Thank you! Appreciate it my friend
I've always been an elixir man but I may have to try those paradigms because they sound sweet.
Same. But woman.
So many classics were recorded on slinkys. 🤘🏼🤘🏼
Hell yeah!
Didn't expect the cobalt to sound that good with distortion. And the paradigm for cleans. I thought they were going to sound indistinguishable.
Ernie Ball 10-52 mate all the way! 🤘
I really never thought the change in tone would be that dramatic. On cleans the Paradigms seemed louder but i preferred the Cobalts. On the dirt the Paradigms were smoother, after that the Cobalts sounded best. Long time Slinky player but I'm definitely picking up a set of each.
It's a very useful video!
Thanks!!! 👍👍
Many thanks dude, awesome review! Realy feel the difference, nice work, keep going!
When i change to cobalt after playing 8 years with the only guitar i had, for the first time i realy listened to the real sound of that guitar. Cobalt is simply the thing. Paradigm seems good as well, specialy if your guitar is very bright, you can atenuate that, durability i do not know, i use cobalt almost for 1 and half year and my guitar is unprotected, that guitar suffered a lot. But depends on what is for you strings going bad, for me is when you have corrosion, and my wallet agrees, you can always boil the strings to have them get rid of that corrosion when starts to happen if you have no money or not near a local shop. And for me Cobalt are the best, Paradigm are the best, and the others are and feels cheap. Believe me, i am nobody but have been in the guitar world for 15 years. When internet wasn't the thing.
Cobalts are insane. Idk how they do it.
Cobalts have increased mid-range response. The Paradigms seem to have more low end response. At least that's what my EQ indicators are telling me.
Cobalt hi gain 🤘
Cobalts sound way more pronounced and balanced to me. Tons of dynamics too.
Cobalts are some clear sounding af strings, damn.. they sound the best to my ear
Like you I can hear the difference but it's hard to pick. If I had to I'd probably choose the Paradigms. I've been using Ernie Ball Coated Slinky which are titanium coated.
Haven't used Paradigms yet, after your video I like that sound. Going to try them out. Otherwise regulars have been my mainstay.
Cobalts sound great!
I like the Cobalts
I love the 10 - 52 Cobalts
1:43 yep... Cobalt Slinkys all day long if i have to pick EB 2:35 🤘
Hi Matt , great video , I love the slinky cobalt , I 've got at the moment the Ernie Ball slinky regular , I think next time I will try the cobalt nice for clean , amazing sound , you've got somes cool chords Matt!!!!
Nice! Cheers buddy!
Oh nice. These strings have a mic position effect. /s
Those cobalt strings sound really good on clean tone in my ear and paradigms sound really nice on heavy tone, but i have been using reagular slinkys many ears because they are great basic strings, cheap and you can get those at every music store in planet :D
I have only tried so far the Regular Slinkies. And like them. Will have to try the other two sets. The other two for my ears, Cobalt set sounded slightly louder, and the Paradigm set maybe slightly darker.
Yeah the cobalt are designed to increase output and clarity mate
For clean, Paradigm wins. For distortion though? Cobalt mids vs Paradigm bass is just...oh man get both! The Regular Slinky does exactly what it's made to be being a wonderful balance which is still very appealing. When in doubt, get a few Regular Slinky and experiment with everything else.
i think cobalt sounds the best
Cobalts all the way, I have 3 sets coming in Tuesday!!!
I wish I had The Paradigms. I literally have problems with my guitar strings. And they will break easily. Also, Greeting from the Philippines.
Hey! They are great strings! Built to take a hammering for sure!
@@mattriffmaster We actually do have Paradigms in guitar stores BUT it will cost a thousand pesos. In America, it will cost only 20-50 bucks. For my country, a thousand pesos. I can't afford it.
I love ernie ball strings. For me it's the Cobalts all the way.
Paradigms all the way
I also like them all
Cobalt strings sound so full with distortion 😲
Wow, that was night ans day with the gain turned up. The cobalts have a lot of mid.
Regular one for clean tone / Cobalt one for dirty tone / Paradigm=IDK
Currently using Beefy slinky string but i think i try Paradigm. Greetings from Hungary!
I have 9-42 cobalt in my jackson rrt5 and sounds amazing with distortion. Are expensive but they are really works for play metal. The next to try, m-steels series. Somebody knows if that strings make some kind of damage to the frets?
Do you recommend cobalt strings for metal or are there better ones? I have a jackson js22
@@JoseTorres-xx7sn hola José, suenan muy bien pero tienden a oxidarse más rápido que las de níquel. Tome la decisión de usar níquel por ser más barato y más neutral el sonido. Por el costo de las colbalto te compras dos de níquel y te sirve más de esa forma por si se te rompe alguna cuerda. Te recomiendo níquel y para metal van bien.
@@jorgers3280 Tomaré en cuenta tu comentario. Gracias brother
1:26 1:42 1:59
2:17 2:34 2:52
COBOLT DROVE THE AMP A LOT HARDER, SOUNDED LIKE TUBE SCREAMER PLUGGED IN
Cobalt have the higher output and are clearer/brighter, good for guitars that sound sorta muddy, also the 64-10 7 string version is really nice, personally m-steels are the better from Ernie ball, not great for dive bombs as the harmonics on the frets aren't that resonant, but the output, mid boost and gain increase is great for fixed bridge and hardtails, really tightens up the bottom end, similar to cobalt sounding but more rounded high end.
I'd put the Paradigm's on a Telecaster.
I think the paradighms were my favorite
Nice! They are great strings!
i like the regulars
hey matt did you go to the stonedef festival in nottingham last week
No mate
it was awesome you should try and go next year i know i will
Bought a set of Cobalt after watching this clip.
They last 15 minutes. They were dull and sounded compressed and small.
Nothing like this clip.
Cobalt FTW
I think in my opinion all the strings sound good I can't decide.
Agreed dude
@@mattriffmaster I found a video with someone unblocking a 10 string gutair th-cam.com/video/aHK-CpMF6gs/w-d-xo.html.
I’ve tried all three and love them all but the paradigms broke in a week on me
tbh i only hear big difference with the paradigm strings lol
Cobalts ..no competition
Hello sir I have a Ltd esp ec 256 guitar which string will be best for lead tone chug and clean 🥺pls healp
Depends what tuning you’re in my friend
I'm in standard tuning e pls help i have a show arriving 🤧..
10-46 Ernie ball regular slinky’s work fine for me for standard tuning
I’m allergic to nickel so I’m gonna try out the Cobalts on my guitar
46 is way too light for me😂 I like slinky top heavy bottom’s
54 on the bottom ?
Ernie balls are ABSOLUTELY AWESOME! THE BEST! I use the cobalts, but... They ALL SOUND AWESOME!
I’ve used regular slinky for years, tried the paradigm once and they broke in about 3 days as for the colbalt never tried them but like the tone so might give them a try. 😀🎸
Para digm and cobalt to me sounded the same
If you want the nine inch nails downward spiral sound, go with the regular slinky’s
I thought the regular slinky's sounded fine, the cobalts were nice, and bright and the paradigm's sounded was too dark for my liking. If I had to chose one(even though I'm a D'addario guy) I'd go with the Cobalts.
Cobalts are just too bright for my taste.
Cobalt!
I don’t know if I’m just weird, but...I hated how the Paradigm strings sounded on a distortion setting! Regular and Cobalt were amazing for everything, but I just didn’t like the Paradigms at all. They probably do the job for durability, but the tone...Good video though!
From my experience, EBs are one of the worst strings on the market. Reasons: in the last 15 years I broke a string only twice. Yup, EBs on both accounts. The other reason: they are dull, lacking this "something", they did not give you back what you put into the guitar. If I had not checked, I would say my guitars sound flat and boring, especially on cleans. But no, it was the matter of strings. Thomastik Infeld Power Brights - my track fits the mix perfectly right away. The same stuff played on EBs: tons of EQuing, re-amping, adding emulated preamps to make it sound full and interesting.
I am saying this not to offend someone's religious feelings. If EBs work for you - great. As for me, I would love to see a similar video comparing some higher shelf strings.
wrong comparison I dislike this ... when you recorded the riffs hear the diffrence between slinkys and cobalts. ABSOLUTELY the diffrence is not about strings , its Mic-positon(in front of cab) sound diffrence
Niiice
Ernie ball loved it and blogged it soooooooooo 🤟🏻