Can anyone help identify these guitar strings?

[David Imrie]

Hi.
OK, this is a bit of a long shot...
Two years back I bought a Hummingbird vintage. It was love at first sight and sound and nothing has dimmed since then!
When it arrived (from ebay) the strings seemed fine so I didn't change them. And then they just lasted and lasted, and even though they grubbed up a bit they tuned perfectly and sounded good.

Then a few days ago I decided it was time to change them. I put on a set of the new style Gibson acoustic strings, phosphor bronze, light gauge (12-53)....and what can I say - apart from the nice packet design they're a disappointing string (more expensive than the discontinued Masterbilt ones and not as good) and I don't enjoy playing my Gibson as much (now it sounds more like my Takamine, with too much mid range generally and without that defined, accurate feel I loved where you heard every nuance). I mean small differences of course, but this is why we shell out used car money (and risk divorces) for guitars, isn't it?!

So I'm actually contemplating cleaning up a set of 2+ year old strings (that I got second hand) and putting them back on, which would be ridiculous. The obvious solution is to buy a new set of the things, but the problem is I have no idea what they are!!

Here's a picture - on the guitar are the Gibson acoustic phosphor bronze lights, coiled up are the strings I actually want.
They're pretty certainly phosphor bronze: the colour is maybe just a tiny bit more pink than the Gibson strings.
The gauge is maybe a touch lighter, although not much.
The wind looks a little bit flatter (but this might be the coating - see below) .
And then we have six identical ferrules (whatever the little things the strings are wound round is called) that are a natural bronze colour.
Peering closely at them, I think maybe they have some kind of coating - you can see on the picture that there's a change of colour about an inch from the ferrule on all of the wound strings, and that's where what looks like a thin, plasticky coating starts.

My best guess based on all of this is Elixir custom lights 11-52...but I'd really love not to have to slowly and expensively work my way through every string brand until I find what these are, so my hope is some kind Gibson aficionado out there recognises the ferrules and also the coating starting 1 inch up the string and can either confirm my guess or tell me what these are.

Many thanks in advance.

David

PS. If I find a set (I'll know when I hear them) I'll report back here what they are, and IMHO they bring a Hummingbird vintage to life (and hit a 7th fret barred B and it's like the Rolling Stones late 60s are right there!)

[ksdaddy]

That's a fairly distinct winding pattern near the ball. And the fact that they change color a short distance away tells me they are a coated string...

I can tell you that one of my guitars has had the same  Nanoweb 13-56 since 2018, and ONLY because I had broken one of the same brand/gauge as when I bought the guitar in 2017. They are losing their skin in the cowboy chord area and are turning black there, but I won't change them until they are a problem. My LP has had the same Elixir 10-46 since 2016.

I have some new Elixirs at home. I'll open up a package tonight and see what they look like. Unless someone beats me to it.

[slimt]

If you bought off of ebay.   Are you able to go back in your feedback area and message the seller to see if maybe he remembers what he may have put on?   Just a thought.  

[kidblast]

I've used elixir strings since dirt was young.  Those do look like a set.

 

Edited April 1, 2021 by kidblast

[Jinder]

Very distinctive and visible coating...those are Elixir Polywebs, the original ones. Judging by the colour, 80/20 bronze. And judging by the fact the bottom E is a shade narrower than the incumbent set of 12-53s on your guitar, I’d say 11-52s.

Problem solved! 🙂

[Twang Gang]

I'd agree 100% with KSDaddy and Jinder - Elixir all the way.  Makes sense as you said they lasted a long time, and when you changed the guitar was not as bright and clear.

[slimt]

Elixers are Nice strings.  I did put a set on a D45 I had. They did not work very well.  Not sure why.  
But I have put those on a few AJs and J200s with good results. 

 

[Sgt. Pepper]

16 minutes ago, slimt said:

Elixers are Nice strings.  I did put a set on a D45 I had. They did not work very well.  Not sure why.  
But I have put those on a few AJs and J200s with good results. 

 

I only tried Elixirs once and they feel like there is snot on the strings, they are so slippery. Every time I play a Taylor in a shop they are on them. I'll tell you one thing they are not the kind of strings Andres Segovia used.

Edited April 3, 2021 by Sgt. Pepper

[slimt]

26 minutes ago, Sgt. Pepper said:

I only tried Elixirs once and they feel like there is snot on the strings, they are so slippery. Every time I play a Taylor in a shop they are on them. I'll tell you one thing they are not the kind of strings Andres Segovia used.

I think there to eliminate the squeek.  Daddarios I use mostly. They work fine without the additional price 

[Sgt. Pepper]

1 hour ago, slimt said:

I think there to eliminate the squeek.  Daddarios I use mostly. They work fine without the additional price 

I'm currently into Cleartone and I really like their EQ line.

[David Imrie]

Thanks so much to everyone for all these comments. I'm going to order some Elixirs today and we'll see.

I'll post back in this thread when I have them on and HOPEFULLY hear that clarity and balance that the Gibson strings took away. The way I'll know is that with these old strings on I basically couldn't come in the room without picking the 'Bird up and having a quick play...but now I'm kind of not bothered. That isn't right!

 

[Sgt. Pepper]

4 hours ago, David Imrie said:

Thanks so much to everyone for all these comments. I'm going to order some Elixirs today and we'll see.

I'll post back in this thread when I have them on and HOPEFULLY hear that clarity and balance that the Gibson strings took away. The way I'll know is that with these old strings on I basically couldn't come in the room without picking the 'Bird up and having a quick play...but now I'm kind of not bothered. That isn't right!

 

So go online or down the nearest guitar store and order or get a set of Elixirs and swap them out with what is now on. Strings are and picks are the two cheapest ways to change the tone of your guitar. Its an easy fix its only gonna cost you about $15 or so.

Edited April 3, 2021 by Sgt. Pepper

[David Imrie]

Just reporting back for anyone who's interested.

Yes, those old strings were definitely Elixirs - the winding pattern, the little brass ferrules and where the coating started all matched exactly.

What I ended up buying were Nanoweb 11-52 custom lights. I reckon what I took off was also Nanoweb, because the phosphor bronze colour matches exactly, and maybe even an XL gauge.

The second I hit the first chord, there's that sound I wanted! (with a little new string ring over the top, but that will soon go). And really precise - when you tune the harmonics just hum out of the guitar.

So in case it helps anyone, to my ears the tone, accuracy and balance of these bring the absolute best out of a 2016 Hummingbird vintage. They also probably work out as the cheapest string you can buy because it seems like you only need to change the things once every 2-4 years!

Thanks once again to everyone for their help here.

PS. Gibson, you should be ashamed to put your name on those phosphor bronze acoustic strings that replaced the old Masterbilts - nice packet design, but that's where it ends: never tuned with the precision of the Elixirs and killed the tone of my lovely guitar.

[kidblast]

1 hour ago, David Imrie said:

 Gibson, you should be ashamed to put your name on those phosphor bronze acoustic strings that replaced the old Masterbilts - nice packet design, but that's where it ends: never tuned with the precision of the Elixirs and killed the tone of my lovely guitar.

That is interesting.

I am using a set of coated PBs (12s) on my 2016 J200,   I didn't come away with quite the same results.   I like them so far. 

Hey, to each their own right?  Did you use the coated or uncoated ones?  (I did like the Masterbuilts I wish they were still available)

And so far, the Gibson Coated haven't started shredding yet, which is one my dislikes with Elixir Nanos.  I won't use the Poly's.     I hear they eventually will but for me not yet.  Elixirs start shredding after just a few weeks.  I hate that.. 🙂

my current stand by for long life strings is Cleartone PBs,  I think those strings actually might last for ever.

 

Edited April 9, 2021 by kidblast