Elixir strings....an argument

[olectric]

Okay, I've always had this beef with Elixir strings. Before I explain, let me offer a disclaimer: I have never heard these on an electric guitar--only on acoustic. Now, I've always felt that the company that makes Elixir strings is just flat out robbing people. I know that they are coated, and I know that the coating is fairly resilient to wear. This supposedly makes them last longer, so a player is allegedly compensated for the much higher price. To my ears, that coating takes away from the sound of the wood of the guitar. Those strings add a fake sound to the instrument. Now the coating may last a long time and may hold this particular sound for a while, BUT, the strings in fact do not last longer (IMO). A string's life is not only limited by its tone, but by its shape as well. The more you fret a string in the same spot, the more it gets bent out of shape by that fret. This creates a non-uniform shape down the length of the strings, and you get poorer and poorer intonation the more you play. So, Elixirs may hold a particular tone for a while, but there is no lengthening of the string's life due to this fact of intonation.

If this reasoning is correct, then playing Elixirs would actually decrease the life of the string more rapidly! This is because the coating gets rubbed off in the spots that are played more than others, which again results in an inconsistent shape down the length of the string. Bottom line: Elixirs can't protect from intonation decay that comes with just playing your guitar.

Okay, so these are my feelings towards Elixirs. Remember that I've never heard them on an electric, so I don't know what the sound is like.

What do you think about Elixirs???

[dkaplowitz]

How much do they cost?

I have no argument, I've never used them. I bought that tag you have when they were coming with SIT strings. Now good luck finding a set of those anymore! ;) They actually have/had a web site up at one point, but you couldn't order from them. I've had no gripes with the D'Addario XLs that I've replaced them with, but I'm not recording any more, so maybe I'd feel differently if I were.

[olectric]

Elixirs are usually $12-18, depending on the store. I buy my strings (DR Sunbeams for acoustic, GHS for electric) from juststrings.com for $6.75 per set.

[tom]

i don't agree with your intonation argument, since we have tuners set up ready to go all the time, i will check mine often just to see how it is. i seldom have to change anything after extensive playing. i love the way the electric strings sound. i like the acoustic nano's as well. i will say that i do not like the brashness of regular strings for the first 30 minutes of playing though. elixer electric strings can be had fo 10 bucks, they easily last me 4 times as long, and the uniform tone would be worth the price alone for me. imho

[olectric]

I'll try out the electric strings.

[jimmieb]

When Elixirs first came out I didn't like them and still don't care for the original thicker Poly Web coating especially on acoustics. When they came out with the Nano Webs I had to eat my words. The Nano are amazing on electrics they last me for 4 weekends of 4 hours playing. The Nanos now are my standard on my Martins. They do sound thinner and balance out the Martin's bigger bottom. If I want a pure Martin tone I use John Pearse Phospher Bronze. The tonal difference isn't noticable live anyway. Anyway I'm jonesin bad for a Crowdy.

Jimmie B

[morty]

I love the Elixir strings on my Tylor accoustic, and th long lasting..

I have tryed the Elixir on my Fender electric, but did not like the feel

I usually use Blue Steel(0.10-0.46 on my electric guitars. I play with my band almost every weekend and sometimes I play in the middle of the week with a choir, or practise for some revue.the strings last about two or three weeks.The problem is not wear on the strings, but sweat and dirt from my fingers..

I think the strings have to be realy worn out if you have intonation problems.. My ears is sencitive for pitch, and I can`t hear it from my elixir`s

[bruce]

Olectric,

I don't think I've ever seen a string that has bent inbetween the frets unless the guitar took a fall face-down...When you take your old strings off, do you actually see this? If so, (read my lips), you need to change string brands. Your "fact" of intonation doesn't hold true... We have guitars old and new around the shop and never have we seen old strings read differently on a strobe than new ones...beleive me, I love to strobe everything...and we have tried more than a couple of brands.

Elixir makes two different coatings..Nanoweb and Polyweb. They are basically different thicknesses. Olectric, you should try the "Nanowebs"... They are the thinner coating of the two and have more brightness to them than the "Polywebs". I promise you they will outlast your strings, (intonation and briliance)..electric or acoustic.

Elixir is not robing people at all, and it's not marketing hype. I will stop here..

[dpeterson]

i agree with tom.. i've never used them till i got my custom drop top, and they were on there for 4-5 months, with lots of playing. I eventually took them off so i could lemon oil the fretboard as it looked really dry, so i'm on my second set on that guitar, and i got it nov 2003. they always sound the same day in and day out. i'm interested in getting a set of the new ones, that have the special plating on the unwound strings. i used eb regular slinkys up until that point. I also get them for around 10 bux a set, if i buy like 4 or 5 from gc they will cut you a break per set as well.


Dave

[Stan Malinowski]

I got my first taste of Elixirs back in 2000 when I bought my first new Anderson. At that time I believe they only had what is referred to today as the "Polywebs". To be honest, I really didn't like the tone or the feel. From that point on I changed the Elixirs for my normal D'Addario XLs as soon as my new Andersons arrived. I really have not given the nwe "Nonowebs" a chance but I plan to. Because of a busy work/home schedule I never did get to change the strings on my new HDTC that I picked up a couple of weeks ago. I think I will leave them on a give them a honest try.

One thing I did notice this morning when looking at the Elixir website is that only the wound strings are coated, the high E, B and G strings are listed as plain steel. I found this kind of strange since I think that the Elixir concept leaves half of the strings prone to the bad effects that they aim to prevent. Anyone else think this is a little strange?

[Casper]

I gave Elixrs a few chances. Yes, they last longer than traditional, but after 4 or 5 gigs, the feel changes, I can't explain it, but its not good. Everybody is different it seems. I can buy my SIT power grooves for 3.50 a set at JustStrings.com vs. over 10 for elixrs.
Since I enjoy changing strings (therapy), it works out.
just my 2cents...
Shaun

[mbrown3]

I LOVE the nanowebs, and yes, they do last longer. Olectric, your argument makes some valid points. But the simple fact is that the amount of deterioration from pressing a string down is so minimal that any atmospheric "contaminants" will wear out your strings LONG before pressing them down will. The effect is minute. These strings do indeed last much longer, and intonation stays intact (I've checked too).

Give them a try, but I would suggest the nanowebs...great feel, great tone, and check the intonation for yourself. Make sure the guitar's setup is spot-on too, though. ;)

For me, they really are worth the price.

[olectric]

I see what you're saying...the deterioration is so minute that it probably doesn't make a difference anyway.

[mbrown3]

Yeah, exactly...it would take a LONG time to notice any effects of that...and by that time, the strings are worn by natural atmospheric things anyway...grease from fingers, sweat, cold/hot air, moisture, salt (for those who live by the sea), etc.

Actually, I think the two biggest factors in intonation (other than the guitar and setup itself) is consistent quality in strings and fret wear (I've seen intonation several cents off just by regular fretwear). In my experience, Elixers are one of the most consistently manufactured string brands I've played. And with TA's stainless frets, that's not really an issue. Put the two together, and you've got one heck of a combination!

[tom]

stan, elixir is now shipping improved plains. i have used a few test sets and they have made a final decision on what they are going to sell. i am not a plain string killer, so i did not notice a difference in feel or sound. some of their early samples did feel funny, but the final version is cool. i notice my wound strings going way faster than my plains.

[Stan Malinowski]

i notice my wound strings going way faster than my plains.

I never gave much thought to whether my wound or plain strings "died" first. Guess I just assummed the string set as a whole was the culprit.

[sylvanshine]

I personally don't use Elixirs because my 3 main Andersons have Floyds. Breaking a string in the middle of a set is never fun, but it hurts less when you paid $4.00 for the set. Plus, for every 333 sets of GHS Boomers I buy I've saved enough for another Anderson!

However, with all the attention that Tom and Bruce pay to details I would imagine quite a bit of comparison testing went on before they decided on Elixirs.

[MapleGuitar]

Stan wrote...

> One thing I did notice this morning when looking at the Elixir website
> is that only the wound strings are coated, the high E, B and G strings
> are listed as plain steel. I found this kind of strange since I think that
> the Elixir concept leaves half of the strings prone to the bad effect
> that they aim to prevent. Anyone else think this is a little strange?

That's why I don't use Elixirs. Only half the strings are coated. The 3 treble strings are pretty much like any other brand. The premium Elixir charges ($9.98 vs. $3.92 for D’Addario, at JustStrings.com) for half the strings to last longer isn’t worth it, to me. Lively plain strings matter more for my playing style.

Having said that, I noticed Tom’s post about “improved plains.” Maybe Elixir came up with a way to coat the plains. If so, I’ll give them another try.

[guitarzan]

this is TOTALLY speculation, but I would have to assume that there's no conspiracy with Elixer's 3 wound strings being the only benifit for their high price tag. If you think about it, the wound strings are going to be the culprit in ANY set of strings because of the ability to catch dirt, grime, and flesh in between the windings. The fact that Elixer is prividing a coating for those just shows that they're dealing with the most prominent of problems. - That wound strings lose tone and brightness quickly due to the abundance of OPPORTUNITY to catch smut in there.

I guess you could look at it and ask why you're paying so much more when there's only protection on half of the strings, but it seems to be the same question as asking why God ruined roses with thorns. I think a better way to look at it would be that a company has engineered a way to protect those pesky wound strings from catching so much build-up. Hallelujah! I personally feel that just the coating on the wound strings is reason enough for the price increase.

[mbrown3]

I don't even know about the why (or, know that I even care about it), I just know that they actually do have good tone longer than any other string, and it's (in my experience) all the strings. I haven't seen the unwound strings wearing sooner than others...they all seem to last longer. Maybe it's just my experience...

[Stan Malinowski]

The fact that Elixer is prividing a coating for those just shows that they're dealing with the most prominent of problems. - That wound strings lose tone and brightness quickly due to the abundance of OPPORTUNITY to catch smut in there.

As I said before, I never gave any thought to whether the wound, unwound or all strings "die" at once. It now makes perfect sense to me that the wound strings would probably "die" first becuase of their propensity to pick up grime & dirt. Good points for thought!

[jimmieb]

There is actually a Gore Tex coating on the wound srtings. The same stuff thet keeps your rain jackets and snow parkas dry on the inside. It is semi permiable, meanig it will let moisture out but not let moisture in. The Poly web is thicker and the Nano web is thinner.
I'm sure it's not the eaeiest thing to snitch up that coating on the string and the price is proportional to the amount of effort.
All I know is one time I tried to put on some womans stocking and couldn't do it and riped them up in the process... Soooo.... it must be a difficult process. Anyway, I'm sure that now dispells al those conspiricy theories. And that's all I have to say about that...

Jimmie B

[guitarzan]

All I know is one time I tried to put on some womans stocking and couldn't do it and riped them up in the process... Soooo.... it must be a difficult process.


lol. hilarious.