Members recordingtrack1 Posted March 28, 2015 Members Share Posted March 28, 2015 I bought my first set of Lifespans today and strung'em up. They were about 3 bucks cheaper than Elixirs, which is an obvious positive. I can't actually tell that they have a coating on them like Elixirs. Like new guitar strings should, they sound decent, probably too bright, and in a day or two, should start to settle down some. So far I like them. I put this first set on my old Yairi. I also bought some Nano's for the Taylor and will be putting them on next. The Taylor gets mediums but I've been using lights on the Yairi for a long time. I'm not sure I can get a decent comparison between the two, based on gauge, but we'll see. I recently bought a new set of the cheap Martin strings from my buddy's shop and they were crappy, dead and discolored from day one. Likely had been hanging in his shop for a long time. I used them anyway for a few weeks. From now on, the only way I'm buying strings (other than Elixirs) is in vacuum sealed packages. Just food for thought, we need to support our local mom and pop shops as they are struggling against the interwebz stores and ebay. Anybody else use Lifespans, and if so, what are your thoughts on them?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DeepEnd Posted March 28, 2015 Members Share Posted March 28, 2015 I generally buy plain old 80/20 lights, usually Martins but my last couple of sets have been d'Addarios. I nearly always buy from local mom and pops. Never tried coated strings so I can't comment on the Lifespans but I wanted you to know you're not alone in supporting local business. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members recordingtrack1 Posted March 28, 2015 Author Members Share Posted March 28, 2015 One nod in favor of the Elixirs. The set on my Taylor have been there about 2 months. I've played them in church a couple of times and they were starting to discolor along the first four or five frets pretty badly. When I went to change them a little while ago, I couldn't bring myself to take them off. The tuned up straight away still seem to have decent life in them. I think I'll wait a few days. So much for a one to one comparison. Actually, I'm thinking the Martin strings won't measure up against them. Dang, I might be biased....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members katopp Posted March 29, 2015 Members Share Posted March 29, 2015 Not a fan of Elixirs. They feel too soapy. The Polyweb's coating flakes off and the Nanoweb feel bad and sound bad to me. And they charge a hefty surcharge in price for the privilege.Not a fan of the MSP Longlife, either. I do not like Martin Strings, they sound bad to my ear. The Lifespans are the exeption, they sond horrible when new, but once played in, they sound good and they keep that sound for very long, probably the longest living strings I've ever had. Unfortunately it takes AGES until they sound played in. Ages. And I do not want to wait for that long. So I stick to D'Addario EXP. Cheap enough to make restringing 26 guitars not a bank-breaking effort and they sound good to my ears. Lifespan is good, too. And, due to their unique packaging, I can keem them on stock wihout fear of corrosion. And the new "NY Steel" EXPs are even better than the old ones. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Idunno Posted March 29, 2015 Members Share Posted March 29, 2015 I still use D'Addarios. Cheapest brand around. I'm only playing one steel string now. I change strings on it every 3 weeks so they always sound new. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members recordingtrack1 Posted March 29, 2015 Author Members Share Posted March 29, 2015 Not a fan of Elixirs. They feel too soapy. The Polyweb's coating flakes off and the Nanoweb feel bad and sound bad to me. And they charge a hefty surcharge in price for the privilege. Not a fan of the MSP Longlife, either. I do not like Martin Strings, they sound bad to my ear. The Lifespans are the exeption, they sond horrible when new, but once played in, they sound good and they keep that sound for very long, probably the longest living strings I've ever had. Unfortunately it takes AGES until they sound played in. Ages. And I do not want to wait for that long. So I stick to D'Addario EXP. Cheap enough to make restringing 26 guitars not a bank-breaking effort and they sound good to my ears. Lifespan is good, too. And, due to their unique packaging, I can keem them on stock wihout fear of corrosion. And the new "NY Steel" EXPs are even better than the old ones. I agree with almost all of this post. It's funny, I never thought of Elixirs as feeling "soapy", but you are absolutely right! Especially polywebs. I don't use them anymore, though I used to. Fuzzy strings just don't look right, LOL. This morning, after installing the Lifespans yesterday afternoon, they seem to be settling down a bit. Nanowebs are the same way. They sound almost "clangy" at first, but that goes away. I'm gonna try a set of the D'Adarrio strings on my Alvarez MF-80c. Since you and I dunno both like them, I'll have to try them out. I have used them on Electric guitars and they are okay. I'm a loyal Ernie Ball user when it comes to electrics, especially now that they come vacuum sealed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members FretFiend. Posted March 29, 2015 Members Share Posted March 29, 2015 Elixirs are okay... if the damn B string wouldn't snap after a week or so. Plain old bare strings seem to last just as well as coated strings... at considerably less cost. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Idunno Posted March 29, 2015 Members Share Posted March 29, 2015 I had a B-string snapping problem that ended up being the saddle. You wouldn't think a polymer saddle would cause that but a little polishing and no more breakage. Very odd. Also had a new nut (wider) cut for a nylon string guitar that had the D string slot a smidge too narrow. Opening that solved breakage of that string. Elixirs-wise, I'd have more of an idea bout them if, like the D'Addario brand, they had a selection of uncoated strings out and carrying a decent rep by the time they launched their coated strings lines. I think that's the proper order of introducing coated strings. Give people what they know, prove their worth and then move to the hybrid products. Feels like soap? Like...pasty? Slick? I used the ones that shred the coating quickly. They had a dusty tone I like to think the coating is okay for the low-time player who's sketchy about everything DIY including changing his own strings. How many threads have I read (ceremoniously) declaring first string changes? Lots. Those are people who would appreciate the coated strings more, I would think. I will also say that I've tried all the brands/strings/gauges/price ranges. Home base is the D'Addario product. I remember DR Dragon Skins. Really? I still can't figure why anyone would coat guitar strings with a material that felt like fine carborundum abrasive. I had them on for one solid hour and biffed them on feel alone so I never really new what they sounded like. I was afraid a premature fret dress would be the result of using them. Some people's kids... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members EdBega Posted March 29, 2015 Members Share Posted March 29, 2015 To me Elixirs sound the same through out their life no break in and easily last months. D'Addarios have a brighter sound more jangly then I prefer. The Martin strings I've tried don't last not sure if I've tried the Lifespans though. The cheap Martin M540 phosphor bronze are the best sounding strings I've tried but they only last me about a week. Elixirs are a good compromise ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Etienne Rambert Posted March 30, 2015 Members Share Posted March 30, 2015 If Martin Life Spans are the same as their SP line - they are the WORST acoustic strings I have ever purchased. I put them on. I took them off in 2 hours and threw every pack I had away the same morning. They were unfit to even use for spares. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members recordingtrack1 Posted March 30, 2015 Author Members Share Posted March 30, 2015 If Martin Life Spans are the same as their SP line - they are the WORST acoustic strings I have ever purchased. I put them on. I took them off in 2 hours and threw every pack I had away the same morning. They were unfit to even use for spares. Thanks for your observations Etienne, So far that hasn't been my experience. BTW, they are SP's. I must admit that right at first they were rather "clangy" or "jangley" sounding, but they are settling down today. I don't dislike them and by today, they are have calmed down considerably. I do believe that they are not going to measure up to the life of Elixirs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members FretFiend. Posted March 30, 2015 Members Share Posted March 30, 2015 Why the hate for SP strings? They settle in quick, sound fine, and last a long time. What's not to like about that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Etienne Rambert Posted March 31, 2015 Members Share Posted March 31, 2015 Why the hate for SP strings? They settle in quick' date=' sound fine, and last a long time. What's not to like about that?[/quote'] Mine settled in real quick, FF. So quick, they sounded dead when I first tuned them to pitch. And I do mean D-E-A-D. I should have had a taxidermist mount them. I took 'em off within an hour or two and put on a set of EXP's. Threw every Martin SP I had in the trash. Never looked baĉk. There is only one string brand I reufuse to buy now - Martin SP. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members katopp Posted March 31, 2015 Members Share Posted March 31, 2015 If Martin Life Spans are the same as their SP line - they are the WORST acoustic strings I have ever purchased. I put them on. I took them off in 2 hours and threw every pack I had away the same morning. They were unfit to even use for spares. Etienne, those LifeSpans sound horribly - like ALL Martin strings - when new. Amazingly, they are the only strings that I know that actually improve with age. And I don't mean improve as in losing the first brashness. They sound more and more bal;anced the older they get. Issue is, they start to sound acceptable after about TWO WEEKS of more or less occasional playing. Then they keep that up for about four to six months without a lot of change. Which is impressive. Obviously, those timeframes depend on climate, playimg style and skin chemistry. So YMMV. In fact, they last longer than even the EXP's - but the price I have to pay in terms of having that "Martin SP sound" for a fortnight is more than I want to pay. EXP's sound good almost out of the packaging and they keep that up for long enough. Not as long as Martin Lifespans, but then without the initial £$*&^!%"... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members FretFiend. Posted March 31, 2015 Members Share Posted March 31, 2015 ...D-E-A-D... Well there's your problem. You're tuning it wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members guit30 Posted March 31, 2015 Members Share Posted March 31, 2015 Well, I tried the Martin coated strings once, and just did not like them, and I do like regular SPs though I haven't used them in awhile. I have used Elixir Polywebs for years, they came on the Alvarez I have now, I was going to sell the Alvarez, so I put a set of nanowebs on and was surprised that I liked them. I had the guitar on consignment for a month ,and I said "I miss my guitar", so I ran up to the store and thankfully no one had bought it. I was to try a smaller guitar going to a smaller size, but it would not give me that big sound that you need for bluegrass. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members WhiskyKId Posted April 1, 2015 Members Share Posted April 1, 2015 I also have the Alvarez RD 20S and prefer the Martin Bronze strings which are cheap and last ok just takes a day or two to settle , I use D'Addarios on the Yammie I have which sound best for me on that guitar. But all to their own in what they prefer as one persons liking for a particular string choice is anothers hate Be an odd World if we all liked the same thing eh lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members recordingtrack1 Posted April 2, 2015 Author Members Share Posted April 2, 2015 Well said WhiskyKid. Welcome to the HCAG.......you don't own a Zager....do you? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members WhiskyKId Posted April 2, 2015 Members Share Posted April 2, 2015 Recording track - Cheers for the welcome - A Zager , Not as yet > Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members recordingtrack1 Posted April 3, 2015 Author Members Share Posted April 3, 2015 For anyone who may be interested: Last Saturday was the install day and today is (obviously) Friday 04/03/15. I have played the Yairi roughly 20 to 30 minutes each evening and my Taylor about the same. The Martin strings are still doing well at this point and this afternoon, particularly, they seem very settled in and have a nice sparkle to them that is not over powering. I like it. On the other hand, for some reason, they feel stiffer than the Elixirs on the Taylor...and they are mediums. I'm not thinking this is a good sign, though not really a problem yet. I was pleased to find the guitar only a tiny bit sharp when I checked against my tuner. All that said, remember the Elixirs are at least a couple of months old and still sound pretty good. It may be all down hill from here, but we'll see. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Etienne Rambert Posted April 9, 2015 Members Share Posted April 9, 2015 Well there's your problem. You're tuning it wrong. FF is a font of wisdom here. Maybe I should have tuned it to A440. Hey wait, I DID tune it to A440. They still sounded D-E-A-D. My theory: They come in paper packaging. I live in a hot humid place. The SP strings I bought sat at least a year in my string box before I put them on. OTOH, Elixirs are paper-wrapped too. I have not had the experience with any string but Martin SP. D'Addario strings are wrapped in plastic. The heat & humidity don't affect them in storage.That's why I buy EXP's. I still buy some Elixirs too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members recordingtrack1 Posted April 10, 2015 Author Members Share Posted April 10, 2015 FF is a font of wisdom here. Maybe I should have tuned it to A440. Hey wait, I DID tune it to A440. They still sounded D-E-A-D. My theory: They come in paper packaging. I live in a hot humid place. The SP strings I bought sat at least a year in my string box before I put them on. OTOH, Elixirs are paper-wrapped too. I have not had the experience with any string but Martin SP. D'Addario strings are wrapped in plastic. The heat & humidity don't affect them in storage.That's why I buy EXP's. I still buy some Elixirs too. Actually the set I just purchased came vacuum sealed in plastic. Truth is, they are almost gone at this time. I could have gotten the same mileage it appears from the basic run of the mill Martins. So it goes. I'm back to Eixirs in a few days. I'm gonna get all the mileage I can out of them and it was worth a shot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Etienne Rambert Posted April 10, 2015 Members Share Posted April 10, 2015 Actually the set I just purchased came vacuum sealed in plastic. Truth is, they are almost gone at this time. I could have gotten the same mileage it appears from the basic run of the mill Martins. So it goes. I'm back to Eixirs in a few days. I'm gonna get all the mileage I can out of them and it was worth a shot. My experience w/SP's was in 2010 or 2011 maybe. But I might have bought them as far back as 2008 or 2009. Maybe they're better strings now. Dunno. I haven't bought any since. Mine did not prominently feature the name Lifespan either - just SP. And they were wrapped in paper. Looking at this page, http://www.martinguitar.com/acoustic-strings.html , the packaging and logo are completely different. SP Lifespans are coated. SP's? I don't know. But my old SP's came in a cardboard box. They looked like this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.