D,addario strings.

[discodj78]

Hi all.A few months ago I restrung my Epi with d,addarios phosphers and if I'm honest they were pretty poor.They dulled out very quickly and lost there brightness within a week or so.I changed to Martin which are perfect.Just a question.I hear the exilrs are ace.Is it worth me investing in these in bulk? Does the coating on them sort of lose a bit of sound? Many thanks

[GuitarLight]

Martins strings will dull in about two or three weeks, including their treated strings which are not coated, but have some horrible chemical treatment sprayed on them....I use only Elixir nanoweb lights >12-.53 on all my guitars...they last and last. My Epi 220 now has its Elixir strings on it for over 18 months...they are due for change now but still sound amazingly good. The Elixir nanoweb coating is the thinnest elixir coating...while the polyweb is a thicker coating. The thinner nanoweb is very thin and invisible, it does not diminish sound or tone...the 80/20 elixirs are brighter sounding and settle in at about 10 hours of play...and will remain that way 10 times longer than Martin or Dadario. ...the PB Elixirs are great too if you like the PB deeper sound. I've used elixirs for 12 years, and after trying all the others..and waisting my money, and being disappointed in how quickly they all fade out...I found the Elixirs to be a blessing. It cuts my need to change strings 5 times less that ALL other strings...yes..Elixirs are as you put it , ACE. But before you buy them in bulk, try a set first. They will last you for months on a single set and you may not need to buy in bulk. I use Elixirs on all my Epiphones, and Masterbilts...and all my other guitars as well...including Martin, Gibson, Taylor, and Guild, and Rainsong graphite. They are Ace! ..Also note that when Elixir strings do show some normal coating wear, it does NOT mean that they are wore out. !! Slight wear where fretting occurs and pick strikes occur is totally normal and harmless to tone. Just keep playing them till they no longer hold tune on your tuner. You'll save mega bucks over time by using Elixirs. And yes, Elixirs sound great too..the coating does not diminish the tone or volume. Good luck!

[discodj78]

Brilliant insight guitarlight.Thanks for you're detailed response.I'm going to try those and see how I get on.I think the exilrs are the way forward.Thanks again for you're advice.much appreciated.

[DennisB643]

Martins strings will dull in about two or three weeks, including their treated strings which are not coated, but have some horrible chemical treatment sprayed on them....I use only Elixir nanoweb lights >12-.53 on all my guitars...they last and last. My Epi 220 now has its Elixir strings on it for over 18 months...they are due for change now but still sound amazingly good. The Elixir nanoweb coating is the thinnest elixir coating...while the polyweb is a thicker coating. The thinner nanoweb is very thin and invisible, it does not diminish sound or tone...the 80/20 elixirs are brighter sounding and settle in at about 10 hours of play...and will remain that way 10 times longer than Martin or Dadario. ...the PB Elixirs are great too if you like the PB deeper sound. I've used elixirs for 12 years, and after trying all the others..and waisting my money, and being disappointed in how quickly they all fade out...I found the Elixirs to be a blessing. It cuts my need to change strings 5 times less that ALL other strings...yes..Elixirs are as you put it , ACE. But before you buy them in bulk, try a set first. They will last you for months on a single set and you may not need to buy in bulk. I use Elixirs on all my Epiphones, and Masterbilts...and all my other guitars as well...including Martin, Gibson, Taylor, and Guild, and Rainsong graphite. They are Ace! ..Also note that when Elixir strings do show some normal coating wear, it does NOT mean that they are wore out. !! Slight wear where fretting occurs and pick strikes occur is totally normal and harmless to tone. Just keep playing them till they no longer hold tune on your tuner. You'll save mega bucks over time by using Elixirs. And yes, Elixirs sound great too..the coating does not diminish the tone or volume. Good luck!

 

Thanks for the advice. Do you use the 80/20 or the Phosphor Bronze strings?

[kidblast]

Hi,

 

So, this debate comes up a lot in the Acoustic Forum, not everyone who tries them is on board.

 

I've been using the Nanoweb coated strings for a long time for the acoustics. I happen to like them.

The Polyweb coated strings - imho - are a little dull sounding, and the coating tends to shred off the windings sooner then the nanoweb (eventually that coating wears off, but the strings live on a while after with no really noticeable degradation, (at least in my experience)

 

I also have used Cleartone, and I liked them too. They're definitely another brand to try.

 

I have not tried Martin Life Span. I think I will tho. A lot of folks like those.

 

I've tried the D'Addario EXP's and I did not like them. The just didn't feel right to me, they sounded ok but they felt kind of sticky. But I use D'Adarrio XLs for my solid bodies, and their Flatwounds on my archtops, so it's not like I don't use D'Addario, quite the contrary, just don't like these coated ones.

 

 

It's really a personal preference matter, all the way. Try a few different sets, see what you come away with.

[GuitarLight]

Thanks for the advice. Do you use the 80/20 or the Phosphor Bronze strings?

 

I prefer the 80/20 nanoweb version of elixir..the 80/20's tend to give a bit brighter and clearer sound...others like the PB's because they sound thicker and darker, so that is a personal choice, but as for me I specifically use only 80/20 on all my guitars because I prefer the clear crisp, and brighter sound over the deeper and darker PB's which to my ear, tends to mask the clarity of the notes. Again, that is a personal choice.

[milod]

I've used Elixirs polyweb almost exclusively on all my electrics, solid, semi and archtop. All 9-42 but I'm a very gentle picker. Never ever had the coating come off and they'll last with decent sound to the point that the strings all are "bent" where they've been touching the frets.

 

I just ordered a "a la carte" cupla sets of 9-42 polyweb with three wrapped strings "coated" and three unwrapped. They work well for fingerpicking. Very well.

 

Or... until then I'd used DR Zebra AE strings 9-42 for the same purpose. They are not coated, but work quite well on an AE.

 

My big flattops wear 10-46 or 48 for flatpicking but... again, I'm not at all one to beat on them.

 

m

[bytor1958]

Try Dean Markley Blue Steel. I use those on all my guitars acoustic and electrics.

[old mark]

I use Ernie Ball strings on my electric guitars, and have tried John Pearce, Dean Markley, and lately Gibson acoustic strings...I like the Gibson strings, but have just a few weeks experience with them and can not say how long they last. The Dean Markley strings sound great at first, but do not last long...the Pearce are pretty similar. I will probably just stick with Ernie Ball Earthwood strings...I have used them in the past and have been very happy with them...I tried the others just to experiment.

 

 

mark

[wizardb]

I put Elixir Nanoweb phosphor Bronze Lights on my Epi Hummingbird Pro about a week ago. They cost a little more than what I was used to paying but well worth it. I can't comment on longevity yet but tone and playability is great. I have relatively small hands and since I haven't played in over 40 years I have some difficulty in playing the chords. I started out about a year ago using a Fender acoustic--don't remember the model number but it was in the $200 range. The number one best decision I made was to replace it with the Epi Hummingbird Pro. Much easier to play and considerably easier to hold the chords. The second best decision was to go with the Elixir strings which overall was an additional improvement.