Members Glenn F Posted March 29, 2008 Members Share Posted March 29, 2008 Hi all, Just wondering if anyone prefers these to Elixirs. They are about Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bobc Posted March 29, 2008 Members Share Posted March 29, 2008 I have tryed them several times, but I keep going back to elixers. The sound is good but the finger squeek is ungodly. I thought it was just me, but asking other people, they all say the same thing about the ungodly squeek.The only thing I don't like about the elixers is that, if I let a hard strummer play my guitar, the G string will almost certainly break just about every time. I personnaly have never broken a string while playing guitar, so the G string is not an issue, and now that I own a $2,500.00 Taylor GS5e, I will only let a select few play it. And hard strummers are not included...The EXP also do not last as long as the elixers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members roughtrade Posted March 29, 2008 Members Share Posted March 29, 2008 I like them. I used EJ16 before. I have never had the coating come off in strips like elixer coatings. Thay last me for about six months at an hour or so a night. YMMV Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Etienne Rambert Posted March 29, 2008 Members Share Posted March 29, 2008 D'Addario EXP 10's are the only coated string you can buy in Saigon. And they only come in .10's. I've used them several times. I don't like them. They don't sound good when you put them on and they don't seem to last. When I went to the States last Fall, I stocked up on coated strings. I bought about $300 worth. I spent most of that money on DR's & Elixir .10's, .11's, .12's. My favorites of all of them - Elixir Nano 11's. They've lasted forever on my Guild. I also like the DR red devils. I bought just one set of EXP .11's (I believe on the box they're called EXP 13's). I'll try them out. I'll definitely not use the .10's anymore. BTW, D'Addario is a US company that is kicking *ss in the world economy. They're the only decent string you can buy in this part of the world. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Hudman Posted March 29, 2008 Members Share Posted March 29, 2008 I use D'Addario PB EXP's and Elixir Nanoweb PB's. It is rumored that D'Addario makes the Elixier strings. The only difference is in the coating process. Both use a very thin coating. They feel similar and sound similar. I give the Elixirs a slight edge in tone and feel (the Elixirs are a bit brighter and feel more like uncoated strings). I get the same amount of playing time out of both brands (about 3 months). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Broadus Posted March 29, 2008 Members Share Posted March 29, 2008 I use EXP16's, but they do squeak. I had a set of Elixer's, but they felt "gooey." They may have been Poly's and not Nano's, but I don't know. The EXP's sound good and last well. Do Elixer Nonowebs squeak less than D'Addario EXP's? Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bobc Posted March 29, 2008 Members Share Posted March 29, 2008 Do Elixer Nonowebs squeak less than D'Addario EXP's?Bill The elixers squeak way less (nanu or poli). It's not realy that the elixers squeak less, it's that the D'Addario squeak more than any other string I've ever tryed. They are like finger nails on a chalk board compared to other strings (coated or non coated). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members StringJunky Posted March 29, 2008 Members Share Posted March 29, 2008 You know, I was just griping about this last night. I put some EXP medium tension nylons on the Navarro last night, and after some initial stretching, I have to say I'm less than impressed. They sound pretty decent on my Yamaha CG171SF, but the trebles sound muffled on the Navarro. The wounds sound tight and bright on both guitars. I guess I'll try a set of Savarez or La Bella next. After that, I guess I can start cannibalizing different sets if I have to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members kwakatak Posted March 29, 2008 Members Share Posted March 29, 2008 I've tried them and don't like them. They just don't last as long and I didn't care for their tone either, so off they came in about two and a half weeks - about the same as Martin SP strings but without that week and a half period of tonal bliss. BTW - I heard that that rumor about Elixirs being D'Addorio strings coated by Gore is false. I'm going by what the owner of my local mom n' pop shop told me. He carries both brands and he prefers Elixirs so I'm assuming that he'd know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jwm1958m Posted March 29, 2008 Members Share Posted March 29, 2008 Personally I am not fond of any coated strings. They feel funny and I think they all squeak more than non-coated strings. I have never really understood what the fuss was about. I guess they are supposed to last longer and apparently they do, but I would rather stick to my regular D'addarios PB's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members daklander Posted March 29, 2008 Members Share Posted March 29, 2008 Though I don't use coated strings I have tried most of them. The EXP's are, IMO, better than the Elixirs, last longer than the Black Diamond coated and are, maybe, a bit better than the DR coated strings. I have not tried the Dean Markley Alchemy strings yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Terry Allan Hall Posted March 29, 2008 Members Share Posted March 29, 2008 Prefer Elixer Polys, but EXPJ16s are my 2nd choice...decent sounding and long-lasting. I use D'Addario PB EXP's and Elixir Nanoweb PB's. It is rumored that D'Addario makes the Elixier strings. The only difference is in the coating process. Both use a very thin coating. They feel similar and sound similar. I give the Elixirs a slight edge in tone and feel (the Elixirs are a bit brighter and feel more like uncoated strings). I get the same amount of playing time out of both brands (about 3 months). Been meaning to inquire how you liked that set I sent you for the Martin "Fingerpicker" sets...they're not too bad and if I can't buy Polys or EXPJ16s, I can certainly live w/ a set of these... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members guitarist21 Posted March 29, 2008 Members Share Posted March 29, 2008 As a proud member of the E.S.C., I tried to stay away from coated strings as long as I could. However, when I got to music school last year, I was playing guitar every day for much longer than I normally did. My good old Martin SPs were unusable in less than a week so I had to switch to something coated in order to keep my wallet happy. Hudman recommended the EXPs to me and I've used them ever since. I think that when I go home this summer, I'll go back to my beloved SPs. I love the tone and they compliment my Epiphone Masterbilt EF-500R perfectly. But right now it just doesn't make sense financially. I can stomach the tone of the EXPs. I actually like them quite a bit better than Elixirs, which I find to be too bright. Plus they're less expensive. Ellen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Glenn F Posted March 29, 2008 Author Members Share Posted March 29, 2008 Thanks for your replies, everyone! Well, I hit the order button on a couple of sets before I was able to get back to read this thread, so I guess the lesson won't be too expensive. I would prefer to use uncoated strings too, but my sweat kills them within a week. I put a set of Daddario PBs on my D-15 just after I got it, and the sound was very dead and thumpy within 3 or 4 days. The Elixirs kept the sound of that guitar in its happy place for at least a month, and I was playing it a few hours everyday. Money is a little tight at the moment, so I thought I'd try these out. I should probably try out a set of normal strings on my Lakewood, though. Cheers, and, again, thanks! Glenn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members MattSkibaIsGOD Posted March 30, 2008 Members Share Posted March 30, 2008 I like them, but not as much as John Pearse PBs. I should give the EXPs and some Elixirs a fair shake soon. Like others said though, they do squeak a whole lot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Hudman Posted March 30, 2008 Members Share Posted March 30, 2008 Prefer Elixer Polys, but EXPJ16s are my 2nd choice...decent sounding and long-lasting. Been meaning to inquire how you liked that set I sent you for the Martin "Fingerpicker" sets...they're not too bad and if I can't buy Polys or EXPJ16s, I can certainly live w/ a set of these... I'm planning to put them on my Alvarez at the next string change. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members kwakatak Posted March 30, 2008 Members Share Posted March 30, 2008 Prefer Elixer Polys, but EXPJ16s are my 2nd choice...decent sounding and long-lasting. Been meaning to inquire how you liked that set I sent you for the Martin "Fingerpicker" sets...they're not too bad and if I can't buy Polys or EXPJ16s, I can certainly live w/ a set of these... ..yeah, but aren't they really squeaky in comparison to the Polys? FWIW I like them once that squeak dies off. BTW - my next set on the Larrivee is gonna be plain old uncoated D'Addorio PB's (EJ16?). If they only last a month so be it. I need the practice on changing the strings. Have you ever tried these so that you could compare the tone to the EXP16's? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members roughtrade Posted March 30, 2008 Members Share Posted March 30, 2008 ..yeah, but aren't they really squeaky in comparison to the Polys? FWIW I like them once that squeak dies off. BTW - my next set on the Larrivee is gonna be plain old uncoated D'Addorio PB's (EJ16?). If they only last a month so be it. I need the practice on changing the strings. Have you ever tried these so that you could compare the tone to the EXP16's? I like the tone a little better. They don't last as long, but they are pretty good strings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Queequeg Posted March 30, 2008 Members Share Posted March 30, 2008 I use EXP23s on my baritone. You don't have a lot of options when you're shopping for baritone strings (.016-.070).Any way, I like them just fine and the ones on there now are 6 months old, which probably doesn't equate to regular guitar strings being 6 months old (sorta the dog years thing, I expect).bethatasitmay, I've had another new set of them ready to go here, but thus far, the set on there now is chugging along just fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Terry Allan Hall Posted March 30, 2008 Members Share Posted March 30, 2008 ..yeah, but aren't they really squeaky in comparison to the Polys? FWIW I like them once that squeak dies off. Somewhat, but not too bad...BTW - my next set on the Larrivee is gonna be plain old uncoated D'Addorio PB's (EJ16?). If they only last a month so be it. I need the practice on changing the strings. Have you ever tried these so that you could compare the tone to the EXP16's?Oh, yeah...until I started using Polys, EJ16s were what I used (for about 20 years), unless the store was out of 'em, then I try others (John Pearse PB, Guild PB, Martin PB, etc.)...Can't really tell much difference, tonally, between the EJ-16s and the EXPJ16s but that the EXPs last about twice as long. D'Addario is an excellent brand...still use their banjo, mandolin, mandocello, dulcimer and uke strings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Raj Posted March 30, 2008 Members Share Posted March 30, 2008 Martin Simpson uses them exclusively and avoids the squeaks somehow. Personally they drive me loopy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members dhopkins Posted March 30, 2008 Members Share Posted March 30, 2008 At the moment, I have a Epiphone EL-00 and a Gretsch Synchromatic. What strings would you recommend for these two models? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members larry50 Posted March 31, 2008 Members Share Posted March 31, 2008 I didn't like the EXP's. I thought they sounded dead. Otherwise, I like the EJ-16's and 17's, although I've been using Martin SP Fingerstyle's on my OM's lately and they sound really good. I'd rather my strings sound better for a shorter period of time than sound average or below average for a longer period of time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Glenn F Posted April 1, 2008 Author Members Share Posted April 1, 2008 Lesson learned. I just put a set on my Martin D-15, and I would have to say that the Elixir bluegrass (Lt-Med) set that I had on before sounded much better. Meh. I think I'll keep the second set for an emergency or somethin'. Cheers, Glenn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members missedmyexit Posted April 1, 2008 Members Share Posted April 1, 2008 Thanks for your replies, everyone!Well, I hit the order button on a couple of sets before I was able to get back to read this thread, so I guess the lesson won't be too expensive. I would prefer to use uncoated strings too, but my sweat kills them within a week. I put a set of Daddario PBs on my D-15 just after I got it, and the sound was very dead and thumpy within 3 or 4 days. The Elixirs kept the sound of that guitar in its happy place for at least a month, and I was playing it a few hours everyday. Money is a little tight at the moment, so I thought I'd try these out. I should probably try out a set of normal strings on my Lakewood, though.Cheers, and, again, thanks!Glenn If you like the sounds of the Elixirs (I do but its all opinion) it's the more cost effective way to go. If they last two months where usually others last a week you are saving a ton of money and time. I tried the Daddario PB's and the EXPs I didn't really see must of the difference in the life of the EXPs over the PBs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.