String Theory...

[merciful-evans]

12 hours ago, jdgm said:

My tip for these  is to buy a gauge lighter than you would normally use on electric, as your normal gauge may feel stiff.

Instead of 0.11s I got 0.10s.   They are good on a semi; incredibly loud and clangy at first and (of course) very long-lasting.   But also more expensive too.

I have yet to try an acoustic set but it's on the list.

If you remember @capmaster - he always used Optima chromes which are harder to find.   I used Strings Direct for the Optima golds.

https://www.stringsdirect.co.uk/strings-c1/optima-m30

 

And yup, coated strings are no longer "new-fangled".   it's just that the last 25 years went by me very fast!

Well looks like they are out of stock of everything ATM. They are cheaper than my usual Paradigms (and Thomastik flat wounds) so that's a plus. I tried getting some from A Strings who do have stock, but their website thwarted me at every turn. 

[zigzag]

I switched back to D'Addario nickels with wound thirds. Love 'em. And I seem to be able to get six months or more out of them.

[Californiaman]

D'Addario strings for me.  I like the wound G on the 10.5s on my ES-175.  On my telecasters 10s are great.

[badbluesplayer]

I put a set oy Elixir Polywebs on my 335.  They're nice and slippery.  Slightly bigger, like about 0.0105" diameter instead of the Slinkys, at 0.0095" - my calipers only read to 0.005".  Definitely quieter than my usual Slinkys, although noise isn't really an issue except when I'm playing by myself.  Nice warm full tone.  I thought I was my Jazz alterego, Jack Hepp, comping out some dental office tunes....  But not really.  Nice strings tho.

Then I saddled up my Telecaster with a set.  Plenty of spank.  Nice solid low end.  As much midrange as that new cashier down at Tractor Supply.  I thought they might be too slippery for flesh picking, like there might be a problem getting ahold of them.  No biggie.  Just dig in and add a little nail in there for attack.  Anyway, the strings are nice and smooth, plenty of twang.  Nice full balanced tone.

So far, so good.

[mihcmac]

I have been using Ernie Ball's for a long time, before that I got hung up on Nashville Straights and Rotosound. I recently started using Elixir coated strings for electrics on my acoustic, the same gage I use on m regular electrics. I don't like wound G strings and found that I am playing my acoustic a lot more with the slippery Elixirs.

[merciful-evans]

On 4/17/2022 at 8:08 PM, jdgm said:

My tip for these  is to buy a gauge lighter than you would normally use on electric, as your normal gauge may feel stiff.

Instead of 0.11s I got 0.10s.   They are good on a semi; incredibly loud and clangy at first and (of course) very long-lasting.   But also more expensive too.

I have yet to try an acoustic set but it's on the list.

If you remember @capmaster - he always used Optima chromes which are harder to find.   I used Strings Direct for the Optima golds.

https://www.stringsdirect.co.uk/strings-c1/optima-m30

 

And yup, coated strings are no longer "new-fangled".   it's just that the last 25 years went by me very fast!

Ok I got some yesterday. I got both 10-46 and (as suggested) 9-46. 

I put them on the Hagstrom Deuce. This desperately needed a clean. I also needed to remove the Fishman Tripleplay. So I removed all the strings instead of my usual one at a time practice. 

I put on the 10-46 for a proper comparison. I cant say they feel any stiffer. In fact they feel the opposite, but this is more likely because the setup has changed (the Fishman PU was attached under the bridge). 

I need longer to evaluate the Optima Golds as I have only played for a few minutes. However, yes I agree they are acoustically loud and clangy right now. They sound different. Surprisingly different. More so than any other electric guitar string I can think of. 

BTW the gold looks great.

 

[rct]

So here we are, 5 months plus later, season is about done for us.  We'll have some nights out here and there, but nothing like the summer.

Since April we had 20 or so nights out, rehearsed in between most weeks.  I was gone for two weeks in May and two weeks in August, so no guitars used at all for those two times.

I used Esquire, Tele, Strat.

June, July, and August each had two weeks in them we were out two nights in a row, so there's a dozen.  Two guitars went to those nights, harder stuff and more thrashing by me so more danger of breaking one.  When I take two guitars I use one for two sets and the other for two sets, alternating.  #1 Tele went to almost all of the 2 guitar nights, so it got beat upon the most, as usual.

Seven nights at the country club, only one electric and one acoustic there, but acoustics don't count in this highly scientific study.

Strat had Elixirs, the other two had D'addario XS.

No string changes on any of them since the fancy strings went on in April.  Without further ado, if the peanut gallery could muster a decent drum roll please, I can provide the results of this closely monitored, highly scientific, double blind. +/- 3.8% margin of error experiment...

MEH.

They were fine, all three, for a couple months.  Once they started to wear it was pretty slow, nothing dramatic.  By this weekend #1 was feeling pretty awful, the other two not far behind in the awfulousness.  They still sound fine, but you can feel the wear on them, feel them gritting on the frets.  You don't have to look too hard to see the wear at all my usual spots, you know, the places I play the same damn licks over and over.  Really heavy spots pretty rough like second fret middle, 5th - 10th A & D & G strings, B & skinny E pretty rough all over.  Wound strings pretty beat up on all three  down by the bridge, my volcanic riffage and low frequency sonic mayhem pick action really took a toll on them.  If I drop the pick I just use my fingers until next song, and these strings were all good for finger pluckage and smackage.

For me, not worth the money or the prestige.  I like new strings, and I usually change them before a gig, sometimes I get two gigs and a couple rehearses out of a set of normal strings.

I'm glad I did it though.  It was fun and interesting to try and make them last all season and by golly they did.

So yeah, ok.  I'll return to normal junky crummy fedner 10 - 46 and rock on with it.

rct

[merciful-evans]

7 hours ago, rct said:

So here we are, 5 months plus later, season is about done for us.  We'll have some nights out here and there, but nothing like the summer.

Since April we had 20 or so nights out, rehearsed in between most weeks.  I was gone for two weeks in May and two weeks in August, so no guitars used at all for those two times.

I used Esquire, Tele, Strat.

June, July, and August each had two weeks in them we were out two nights in a row, so there's a dozen.  Two guitars went to those nights, harder stuff and more thrashing by me so more danger of breaking one.  When I take two guitars I use one for two sets and the other for two sets, alternating.  #1 Tele went to almost all of the 2 guitar nights, so it got beat upon the most, as usual.

Seven nights at the country club, only one electric and one acoustic there, but acoustics don't count in this highly scientific study.

Strat had Elixirs, the other two had D'addario XS.

No string changes on any of them since the fancy strings went on in April.  Without further ado, if the peanut gallery could muster a decent drum roll please, I can provide the results of this closely monitored, highly scientific, double blind. +/- 3.8% margin of error experiment...

MEH.

They were fine, all three, for a couple months.  Once they started to wear it was pretty slow, nothing dramatic.  By this weekend #1 was feeling pretty awful, the other two not far behind in the awfulousness.  They still sound fine, but you can feel the wear on them, feel them gritting on the frets.  You don't have to look too hard to see the wear at all my usual spots, you know, the places I play the same damn licks over and over.  Really heavy spots pretty rough like second fret middle, 5th - 10th A & D & G strings, B & skinny E pretty rough all over.  Wound strings pretty beat up on all three  down by the bridge, my volcanic riffage and low frequency sonic mayhem pick action really took a toll on them.  If I drop the pick I just use my fingers until next song, and these strings were all good for finger pluckage and smackage.

For me, not worth the money or the prestige.  I like new strings, and I usually change them before a gig, sometimes I get two gigs and a couple rehearses out of a set of normal strings.

I'm glad I did it though.  It was fun and interesting to try and make them last all season and by golly they did.

So yeah, ok.  I'll return to normal junky crummy fedner 10 - 46 and rock on with it.

rct

Yes. That coating wearing away is the point I always changed them. Like you I gave them a good go. I think they are mostly useful for players with 'rusty fingers' (acidic sweat).

I've no plans to return to coated strings either. 

[badbluesplayer]

I've worn through a few sets of Nanowebs and I like them.  Not sure if I'll stick with them.  I have a couple sets left.

They're a little less squeaky.  That's good.

I usually wear strings out by mashing through the windings.  These strings are nice and smooth against the frets for awhile until I wear through the coating - which doesn't take long - and then they're like normal strings, with the steel winding grinding against the frets. Then I keep using them until the windings wear thru.  It's like the same routine, only slower.

Like any other strings, if you could buy all the sets you wanted, that'd be great.  But it's not that simple.

[rct]

5 hours ago, badbluesplayer said:

I've worn through a few sets of Nanowebs and I like them.  Not sure if I'll stick with them.  I have a couple sets left.

They're a little less squeaky.  That's good.

I usually wear strings out by mashing through the windings.  These strings are nice and smooth against the frets for awhile until I wear through the coating - which doesn't take long - and then they're like normal strings, with the steel winding grinding against the frets. Then I keep using them until the windings wear thru.  It's like the same routine, only slower.

Like any other strings, if you could buy all the sets you wanted, that'd be great.  But it's not that simple.

Definitely less squeaky and yes, that is good.  The squeak has never bothered me much, even on acoustics.  Recording can be a pain though.

rct

[Larsongs]

I tried out Elixers & other expensive Strings & ended up going back to D Addarrios’s (did I spell that right?).. They work, sound & play great IMO.. They are inexpensive too.. That’s what come on my Gibson’s & Epiphone’s.. What’s not to like..

Why is it guys like Brian Setzer tell their Guitar Techs not to change their Strings? 

[merciful-evans]

9 hours ago, rct said:

Definitely less squeaky and yes, that is good.  The squeak has never bothered me much, even on acoustics.  Recording can be a pain though.

rct

I don't like squeaks. I almost never slide my hand on the strings. I just let go and reposition. I find it quicker that way too.

[mihcmac]

Finger Ease can help with acoustic string noise.

[badbluesplayer]

One thing I realized about the coated strings is that once you get them dirty with some kind of scum from your hands, they're just as bad as scummy regular strings.  D'oh!

[badbluesplayer]

I tried going back to slinkys and I think I'm spoiled by the Nanowebs.  I ordered some more sets.  They're quieter.  That's not really a problem playing at band volume.  But it seems like they're just easier to play. 

[kidblast]

43 minutes ago, badbluesplayer said:

I tried going back to slinkys and I think I'm spoiled by the Nanowebs.  I ordered some more sets.  They're quieter.  That's not really a problem playing at band volume.  But it seems like they're just easier to play. 

as much as I've used PB Nano's on my acoustics, I've only once used Nanowebs on electrics.  I've been pretty solid with D'Addario XL110

Maybe I should venture out of my comfort zone and try some of those.