Are you looking for the best pure nickel electric guitar strings? Then, you’re in the right place: we found and reviewed the top five sets for you.
Professionals will agree that the best way to give an electric guitar a new lease of life is to install a set of new strings. Unfortunately, like all other musical instruments, an electric guitar or bass loses its edge with time, requiring you to change the strings periodically. In addition, like acoustic guitar chords, bass strings tend to attract dust, sweat, microbes, and other rubble invisible to you.
The dirt and debris debilitating affect your instrument’s cords, making the guitar go out of tune. The heat and humidity of the surroundings where you perform or the place where you store your bass also hurt strings. If you want your electric guitar to consistently ring out crystal clear and well-balanced notes, you must opt for fresh strings.
Best Pure Nickel Electric Guitar Strings – Comparison
1. Ernie Ball Classic Pure Nickel Regular Slinky Set (Editor’s Choice)
A sizeable proportion of guitarists swear by Ernie Ball, easily one of the most popular bass strings brands. The Classic Pure Nickel Regular Slinky Set comprises premium nickel steel around a core of tin-plated high carbon steel. The nickel-plated strings judiciously blend acoustics, sturdiness, and performance, helping reproduce a rich and full tone ideal for playing numerous musical genres like blues and jazz.
The cords’ brass wire ball end boosts surface finishing while the lock twists check slippage and guarantee extended functional life. The ground wire and the hex-core, crafted from high carbon steel, ensure durability, resilience, and vintage tone. Regardless of your playing style, you’ll have it remarkably easy to accomplish a well-balanced tone with spectacular highs and lows.
To say last but not least, you have the option of selecting from a broad gauge range; 17 different gauges in total-the Extra Slinky 8-38 gauge right up to Mammoth Silky 12-62 gauge.
Features
- Regular/custom gauge; from .010 through to .046
- Precision wrap with nickel steel
- High carbon steel hex core
- Well-balanced vintage tone
- 3-packs included in a flow-wrap pack
Pros
- 10-46 gauge super light and slinky strings suitable for almost all playing styles
- Perfectly balanced tone easily configurable and exploitable by amps and pickups
- Very pocket-friendly
Cons
- You’ll have to pay separately for coated strings
2. Fender 150R Pure Nickel Electric Guitar Strings (Close Runner-Up)
If you’re looking for a purely classic, warm, and lush sound, you can never go wrong with the Fender 150R.  The Fender 150R Pure Nickel Electric Guitar Strings take inspiration from the Original Pure Nickel Vintage 150s. These 150R guitar strings are the go-to cords for bassists excelling in classic rock, jazz, R&B, country, and blues.
The production of these nickel strings has been based on Fender’s tried-and-tested designs that enable the delivery of classic rounded tones. This set includes strings with a thickness starting from .010 going right up to .046, making them suitable for both greenhorns and accomplished guitarists. Every string has round-wound wiring together with a steel hex core and ball ends.
The core of the strings is of highly durable steel, while the wrapping is of pure nickel. The hex-core gives the tonal palette a better consistency compared to round cores, and at the same time, the tone is brighter.
Features
- 150R pure nickel electric guitar strings’ design based on time-honored Fender original 150s
- Â Premium wire and advanced fabrication technology used for making strings
- String gauge: .01
- Size: 10-46
- Available in sets of 6 strings
Pros
- Reproduces round, full, and vintage tones
- Get the best of both worlds-strings help belt out the classic as well as contemporary notes.
- Ideal for players specializing in classic rock, jazz, and blues
- Better low-end frequency response, hotter output, and by and large a heavier tone
Cons
- If you prefer playing latter-day music styles, look elsewhere
- These strings are not for purists
3. D’Addario EPN115 Pure Nickel Electric Guitar Strings
The EPN 115 Pure Nickel Electric Guitar Strings from D’Addario hark back to the 1950s when almost all electric guitars featured nickel strings. Then, with the advent of the 60s nickel-plated steel, strings replaced the pure nickel strings in line with bassists’ need for a more colorful tone. Now, pure nickel reemergence means you can play jazz-rock, classic rock, and blues to good effect.
The EPN 115 guitar strings of pure nickel reinstate the harmonious and warm timbres typical of rockabilly, classic rock, and vintage blues. In addition, these electric guitar strings have been precision wound on digitally-controlled D’Addario machines that guarantee extraordinary consistency, clean fundamentals, and superior intonation.
Features
- String size: 11-48
- String gauge: custom
- String material: Nickel
- Construction: Round wound
- Uncoated
- Warm tone
Pros
- Warmer classic timbres which underline genres such as classic rock and blues
- Every string ensures balanced notes with crisp fundamentals and superb intonation
- Â Suitable for nearly all playing styles
Cons
- Without coating, the strings’ may not last long
4. DR Strings Pure Nickel Electric Guitar Strings
Designed and chiseled out of 100% pure nickel, the DR Pure Blue guitar strings aid in reestablishing your Strat’s natural tone. Once you replace the worn-out strings in your instrument with these nickel cords, you’ll feel the rich and consistent sound. In addition, the loaded overtones have a unique feel, with the triads sounding crystal clear, well-rounded, and harmonious.
On the other hand, you can quickly notice the strings’ excellent sensitivity even when you strum them softly.
These electric guitar strings by DR have been shaped out of pure nickel wraparound wire with a round hub. Your Stratocaster or Telecaster reproduces tunes that are in perfect harmony and reminiscent of a classic vibe. The distinctive tenor and pitch remind you of the traditional American R&B with subtle hints of jazz, rock, reggae, and pop.
At the same time, the leads have a more hard-hitting quality with excellent sustain that feels intensely soft and soothing.
Features
- Constructed from pure nickel wrap wire over a round core wire
- String size range: 10-46
- String gauge: .01
- String material type: Nickel
Pros
- Strings with a rounded core guarantee an unmistakable thickset classic tone with more sustain.
Cons
- Not sturdy enough
5. Thomastik Pure Nickel Flat Wounds
The pure nickel flat wounds by Thomastik have been specially designed for acoustic and semi-acoustic guitars. Hardcore players warm up to these authentic cords with dead flat polished nickel spiraling on a round core. These nickel flat wound Thomastik strings go a long way in enabling your instrument to deliver tones with a seamless balance of fundamentals to overtones needed for vintage jazz.
Features
- Pure nickel strings for acoustic and semi-acoustic jazz guitars
- Flat wound wire
- The smooth and rich timbre
- String Size: 0
- String Thickness: Medium
- String Material: Nickel
Pros
- Smooth and expressive
- Crunchy response yet mellowed attack
- Extraordinarily distinctive midrange with a reasonable balance between punchy lows
- Designed exclusively and configured for bebop, swing, jazz, etc
Cons
- The somewhat lighter gauge makes the tone a bit thinner
- Quite expensive
Are Pure Nickel Strings Better?
This topic is very controversial. We discussed it in detail in our article about the best guitar strings for Fender Strat, but there are several additional things to note.
Purists and classicists with an intransigent penchant for vintage tones always settle for pure nickel strings for electric or acoustic guitars. So what’s the big deal about manufacturers claiming their guitar string sets being chipped out of ‘pure nickel’? When you go out shopping for a fresh set of strings for your bass, remember what you see is not what you get, not always.
You’ll come across many products promoted as ‘pure nickel,’ but more often, you’ll find wrapped steel wires with nickel electroplating. But as a perfectionist, you won’t settle for anything other than flatwound nickel wires, and definitely for a good reason. Strings made out of pure nickel help reproduce a warm and smooth tone with moderate output, while electroplated nickel cords have a better output and lighter tone.
That’s why we think that the Ernie Ball Classic are a masterpiece and the best pure nickel strings for your guitar.