Elixer string debate

[garyko]

I just bought my Taylor 210 and so far, love it! Very nice set up and plays easy. My question is about the strings. Came with Elixer's. I hear a lot of nice things about Elixer's and have actually put them on other guitars. I've never liked the sound in comparison to a plain Martin Bronze style. They just sound muted to me. Is it the coating or am I missing why they are so great? Anyway, thinking of switching the strings on the Taylor to Martin Bronze style. What can I expect from the sound? Any thoughts or am I just nuts?

Thanks!

[onetubetone]

I have the same opinion about Elixirs... they just don't sound right! Long life is no help for me when I'm just thinking that I wish they'd die so I could put some phosphor-bronze strings back on and have the tone I want! Ha anyhow, I now swear by Newtone Masterclass PB strings... one thing that I really like about them is that, while they do lose some high end as they're played, the sound doesnt get muted, just mellow, which is a very nice tone indeed.

[riffmeister]

Originally posted by garyko ....I've never liked the sound in comparison to a plain Martin Bronze style. They just sound muted to me......

 

Well, DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!!!!

 

 

 

 

[JasmineTea]

Elixers suck. I question any guitar co that ships their guitars with them.

 

When trying out a guitar with elixers, one has to listen not to the strings, but to the guitar only. This is not that easy, mabey impossible for some.

 

So you buy the guitar at a gamble, betting that it'll sound good (or hopefully better) with NORMAL strings.

 

I won the bet with a Larrivee OM-03R. The thing sounds WAY better, fuller, warmer, etc, with regular 80/20 or phos/br.

 

Elixers SUCK.

[blackpig]

Elixirs are coated with a rubbery compound that is supposed to protect them from the ravages of sweaty fingers and so on. You put them on and after a while they don't sound any more knackered than when they were new. The trouble is that they sounded knackered when they were new anyway.

[Terry Allan Hall]

I like Exiler Polys, so I use them happily.

[ajames]

I think they're primarily hype.

 

i mean sure, if i wanted to eat barbeque then play my guitar and not have to worry about getting the strings saucy ... sure, they'd be great ... haha.

 

I've been using the Handwound DR's for a change lately. i like them. not much to complain about, but i do like my Phos. Bronze's better ....

 

i went through a Dean Markley Blue Steel craze for a while as well ... its all hype.

 

play what sounds good.

[DLDude]

They make a noticable difference on my acoustic. Gives it a much briter sound (Which i prefer). I also think they improve the tone on electrics. They are worth it to me because i change strings about 2-3 times a year so it isnt a money issue

[Jimboputter]

Don't really like them either. If you play hard strumming rhythm they leave dust on the guitar. They must have a deal with manufacturers. 4 out of 5 doctors recommend kinda deal

[Cldplytkmn]

no debate... they blow.

[Phil O'Keefe]

I guess I'm one of the few who actually like them... but I have caustic fingers, and I eat through strings pretty darned fast, and the Elixirs actually DO last a lot longer for me. And as far as tone, I've been quite happy with them. I started with a set on my '89 Ibanez SR1100 bass, then on my Taylor 510, and I've been slowly adding them to all of my other guitars (about a dozen or so), and I've yet to have a single client (I own a commercial studio and my guitars get used by a lot of clients / artists) complan about the tone or feel of them. I'm actually quite happy with them, but of course, YMMV.

[t60 fan]

Count me is as an oddball on this one - I like Elixers on my 314.

[garyko]

Thanks for all the good comments. Well, I switched to the Martin Phospher/bronze and they sound better to my tin ear. Can't wait for the 214's tone to open up. Been playing all morning!

thanks,

Gary

[35fingerpicker]

Elixers and other coated strings are a godsend for people with "acid hands" but I don't care much for the tone. Their sound is pretty consistent for a long time but they just don't sound as good as PBs on my guitars and they certainly don't last three times as long (which is about what they cost).

[knockwood]

 

Originally posted by Cldplytkmn no debate... they blow.

 

 

See, this is really the crux of the whole debate for me: You say they blow, JT says they suck. I know it's one or the other, but I simply cannot decide which... Suck or blow? Impossible call.

 

I guess beauty is in the ear of the beholder. Never tried putting these things on a guitar, but something possessed me to put them on my mandolin recently. Used them to replace some heavier D'Addario J74's... And instantly regretted the move. They sound like tinsel. If restringing a mandolin weren't such an immense pain in the ass, I'd have slapped another set of D'Addarios on that bad boy on the spot. Have learned my lesson and would rather have my strings live a short but meaningful life.

[woody b]

Elizir's make my ears bleed:o :o

[Andrewrg]

Like a couple of other posters my chemistry eats through strings in days.I use Elixir Nano`s with the thinner coating.I would agree that Polywebs sound a bit rubbery.Now they`re making strings with an anodized coating on the plain strings which is said to inhibit rust.

[RainsongDR1000]

Count me as another oddball (along with about a million others, judging by Elixirs sales last year). I'm a died in the wool Nano fan on my Rainsong. I've tried D'addario EXP's (now THOSE suck!), DM ALchemy Goldphos and I'm through playing around. nanos make my Rainsong sing and they last 4 months. I MAY try the new Elixir Phos bros, but I'm through experimenting. They have the sound I like and if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

[digitalsnipe]

I'm taking off the Polywebs and replacing the guitar...

 

Switched to Martin 80/20 bronze and immediately came to a conclusion about the Poly strings. With that and a some input from another person here I'm going to experiment with the 80/20s and mix up the gauges to try and persuade this guitar that it is indeed a guitar. When you have a guitar that has an inherently quiet response even minor string-based enhancements are noticeable. The Polys sounded muted by comparison and I have to think that some of the frequency transference (harmonics) just might be attenuated by the coating.

[kwakatak]

I'm a reformed Polyweb user - pimarily because the prices are just too high IMO. I liked them because they really cut back on the annoying swiping sounds caused by an excessive left hand grip when fretting. As for their tone, I liked them fine but they sounded the same a set of week-old Martin SP 80/20s. At 3X the price it didn't make much sense to continue shelling out the $$$ so I've since switched to Martin SP Fingerstlyle 80/20s..

[daklander]

If your fingers kill the strings in a short while, use the d'Adarrio or Black Diamond coated strings. They sound much better than either of the Elixirs. DR Strings also now makes a coated string though I haven't played those yet. As good as their other strings, my choice for acoustics, they have to be better, tonally, than Elixir Strings.

[ddlingling]

i used to use elixirs religiously. then i started hating them.

 

since them i've tried over 10 different types. so far i've really enjoyed the DM alchemys, they sound absolutely golden, and they hold up very very well for me, almost as long as elixirs.

 

i just put on some newtones today, you lose some volume because of hte round core but the round core also makes them feel real nice, we'll see how they hold up in the next weeks. also planning to try out DR sunbeams, another roundcore handmade string.

 

but i recommend the alchemys. very nice strings. i'll be going back to them if the round-cores dont work out for me.

[d28andm1911a1]

Do you take showers in your rain coat???

[bjorn-fjord]

OK, here's why manufacturer's ship guitars with Elixers: Because they sound better when they're old. They may not sound as good as PB's when they're new but guitars often hang in a shop for months.

These manufacturer's know that many a guitar has been overlooked in a store because the strings were dead. It's less risky to put much longer-lasting slightly worse sounding strings on a guitar hanging in a retail space than it is to put on great sounding strings that will sound like crap in a few months.

[ddlingling]

 

Originally posted by bjorn-fjord OK, here's why manufacturer's ship guitars with Elixers: Because they sound better when they're old. They may not sound as good as PB's when they're new but guitars often hang in a shop for months. These manufacturer's know that many a guitar has been overlooked in a store because the strings were dead. It's less risky to put much longer-lasting slightly worse sounding strings on a guitar hanging in a retail space than it is to put on great sounding strings that will sound like crap in a few months.

 

 

true. but what doenst make sense is when manufacturers advertise that their guitars have elixirs on them with stickers that say "This Guitar Equipped with Elixirs!"