What Are Guitarists Buying? Guitar Center’s Top 5 Strings + Brad Gillis’ Famous Hamer!

On this episode of Talking Guitars on Johnny Beane TV, we’re talking guitar strings, legendary guitars, and one very cool piece of Night Ranger history! 🎸 Guitar Center’s Top 5 Best-Selling Electric Guitar Strings Guitar Center analyzed sales data from more than 300 stores across the U.S., along with its online business, to reveal the electric guitar strings players are buying the most. 🥇 Ernie Ball Regular Slinky 10–46 — The longtime industry standard takes the top spot. 🥈 GHS GBL Boomers Light 10–46 — A surprising second-place finish with their bright, snappy tone and pronounced attack. 🥉 D’Addario NYXL Light 10–46 — The premium NYXL set beats D’Addario’s more affordable EXL series. 4️⃣ DR Strings PHR10 Pure Blues Medium — A wildcard pick featuring a vintage-style round core for a warm, punchy tone. 5️⃣ Elixir NANOWEB Light — The only coated strings in the top five, offering longer life while maintaining a traditional feel. And there’s one interesting thing they all have in common: 10–46 gauge. Ernie Ball may still be king, but the GHS Boomers taking the silver medal is definitely one of the biggest surprises on the list! Then, we take a trip back to 1989 and the famous Guitar World cover featuring Night Ranger guitarist Brad Gillis and his custom 1985 Hamer S-style. Gillis was famously devoted to his 1962 Fender Stratocaster, “Bubba,” so it took a special guitar to get him to put it down. Paul Hamer built the custom Hamer for Gillis, and it featured similarities to Bubba, including PJ Marx pickups and a wireless switching system developed by Gillis’ brother. So why did Brad choose the Hamer for that famous Guitar World cover? His answer says it all: “I was just stroking Hamer, to be honest!” 😂 We also look at the interesting story behind the guitar, the magazine’s original identification mistake, Gillis’ Hamer Scepter, and what eventually happened to the famous 1985 Hamer. What strings are YOU putting on your guitar—and which guitar would you rather own: Brad Gillis’ Hamer or “Bubba”? #GuitarStrings #GuitarCenter #ElectricGuitar #TalkingGuitars