Best alternative to Cobra Coils...Curt Mangan perhaps?

[Benjamin Wolfram]

I've been using Cobra Coils a bit now but I can't seem to get in touch with Steel Guitar Nashville online to order any more and I need some so I was thinking about getting something else off JustStrings...and I've read a bunch of positive stuff about the Curt Mangan strings.

Just wondering if they are a great alternative and if so, should I go with the Nickel Wound or the Stainless Wound sets? (I don't really know what the difference is...what are Cobra Coils?)

[Jack Stoner]

The general consensus, in another forum thread on these strings, is that they are made by GHS. Just strings sells GHS strings and the nickel would be the closest.

I also noticed that one of the former employees at SGN lists GHS strings in his signature.

Everyone has their favorite string and you will probably get many responses.

[Clark Doughty]

Best strings I've found with no breakage and they play better than any other strings I've tried..........my $.02 worth. And they make their own strings..........clark

I purchased an almost new guitar and when I got it home I couldn't believe the strings on it. They played smoother, sounded better than anything I had ever played. I called the original dealer who sold the guitar and found out what kind of strings they were. This dealer also agreed with me about the best strings he had ever played...........my $.03 worth this time

http://www.curtmangan.com/electric-guitar/

[Mike Wheeler]

I've noticed several people say that Cobra Coil strings are just GHS strings re-branded. OK, so exactly which GHS strings are the Cobra Coils???

No guess work...does anyone know for sure??

[Bob Hoffnar]

The Forum sells strings

http://www.steelguitarshopper.com/categories/Strings/

[Jack Stoner]

GHS makes a lot of different metal composition strings and many custom labeled strings. It may be a custom metal composition or it could just be the labeling and they are not some exotic metal composition. Probably only Bobbe knows.

Perception of string brands can be fickle. In the early 70's when I worked at Little Roy Wiggin's "Music City" music store (on Lower Broadway in Nashville) we had "Little Roy Wiggins" branded strings. They were actually made by Squier strings and the exact same strings as Sho-Bud was selling. However, we had some steel players that bought the Little Roy Wiggins strings and told us they liked them better than the "new" Sho-Bud strings. The original Sho-Bud strings were made by GHS but after George Lewis (George L's) left Sho-Bud and went to work for GHS they changed from GHS to Squier.

[Lane Gray]

ISTR that Cobra coil stood for "copper brass". Which made me curious because there's copper in brass. If so, I don't know of any regular GHS strings with that sort of winding.

[Clyde Lane]

I one of the newsletters Bobbie said the "co" stood for cobalt.

[Lane Gray]

Which makes sense, it being permeable.

[Benjamin Wolfram]

So I'm wondering if anyone can say definitively what kind of strings the ever popular Cobra Coils were so if I (or any of you other slingers) want to get something as similar as possible we know what we're looking for. I'm happy to buy other brands, I just was under the impression the Cobra Coils were something slightly different than the norm...

[Jack Stoner]

A google search turns up Ernie Ball Cobalt strings but no GHS. Maybe they were made by Ernie Ball??

[Ray Anderson]

In Bobbe's news letter he did not say who the maker was of the strings but he did say that it was a formula that he and the maker was working together on and yes he did say they were a combination of Cobalt and brass and that was pretty much all that he said about the composition of them. IMHO they are some of the best I've tried and they last and last. I have yet to break one. Happy Steelin'

[Dana Blodgett]

Bobbe told me about two years ago that "cobra coils" were the same as "George L's", the same thing in other words!?
For the last five years I've been using George L's or Cobra Coils and notice NO difference,no broken 3rd strings either.

[chris ivey]

i've got cobracoils on my zum cause those are the last sets of strings someone gave me for free. that's pretty much how i pick what strings to use.
though the coils seem to be holding up quite well.

also..about all the quotes from bobbe....keep in mind that he was pretty full of it a lot of the time. love ya, bobbe!

[Bob Hoffnar]

also..about all the quotes from bobbe....keep in mind that he was pretty full of it a lot of the time. love ya, bobbe!

Thank you Chris !

[Jack Stoner]

I use George L's, Stainless Steel (wound strings) and I've tried Cobra Coils, after Bobbe sent me some to try. They are NOT the same.

Bobbe sent me at set (E9th and C6th) of the original formula of the strings and then sent me a set (E9th and C6th) of the reworked formula. The reworked were better than the originals, but the sound was more like Nickel strings than Stainless Steel.

I had a very good relationship with Bobbe but I too agree that you had to take a lot of what Bobbe said with a grain of salt. Bobbe would have made a great used car salesman.

[Henry Matthews]

I don't think GHS and Cobra Coil have anything in common. GHS are as good as they get but tried a set of Cobra Coils on E9th and they felt like spaghetti. I took them off and hour later and put on some SIT's. This has been about 10 years ago and haven't tried them since. May have been a bad set or something. A lot swear by them but the set I put on weren't up to snuff.

[Willis Vanderberg]

I always thought GHS and Squier were the same company ?
I belive Mr. Squier's name was George S. The company was in Battle Creek Michigan not far from where I grew up.My best friend's mom worked there making strings for over fifty years.

Old Bud

[Jack Stoner]

Squier was in California in 1971 when Little Roy Wiggins store was having strings custom packaged, and later was purchased by Fender.