Official Luthiers Forum!

I've not kept up as diligent lately on the forum, so forgive me if I'm behind. I just got in the trial set from the promo offer on the web several months ago. Hell, I'd completely forgotten about filling out the survey. I haven't strung them up, yet. Anyone else get some?

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DES - Shepherd, MI

I got mine today too, but haven't put them on a guitar yet. However they end up performing, a free set of Elixers is not to be refused!

Larry

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http://www.presnallguitars.com

Got mine too. I am in the same boat. I have not strung them up yet.

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Brock Poling
Columbus, Ohio
http://www.polingguitars.com

I tried Elixers some time ago. I found that to my ears they sounded like strings that were just about ready to be changed when they were new. They never changed an lasted a long time but I finally took them off as I didn't like the sound. I now use Firewire Strings and love them. They sound great right out of the box and keep sounding that way. They last at least 6 times longer than other strings I used (probably as long as the Elixers) but I love the sound. Half the price as well.

So was the trial for Nanoweb or Polyweb. I have high ph skin and dull none-coated strings fast. I use the Nanoweb and like them. They seem to last longer than anyothers I have tried.

Phospher Bronze Nanoweb

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Brock Poling
Columbus, Ohio
http://www.polingguitars.com

I like em. Really picky player say they sound a bit dead but I don't here it. The Polyweb coating seems to break down much faster than the Nanoweb, and I hate the pits hanging off the strings when it does. That has to affect tone.

to me, straight out of the box they sound like year old strings that have been played constantly by a sweathog simultaneously eating glazed doughnuts at every rest for the year, and never been wiped down. i have the sort of sweat that takes gold plating off of watch cases, and my playing is of the most mediocre sort imaginable, but i would rather spend a couple of dollars every week and play strings that sound like they want to sing, not gargle!

But the elixers never seem to change their sound, they start off sounding bad and never get any worse. As I mentioned earlier, look into these firewire string. I'm not sure how easy they are to find yet but you can buy them on line. They sound new right off but last forever (well not quite forever). What I like about them is that when you take demos to shows where hundreds of those sweathog simultaneously eating glazed doughnuts at every rest for the year (not to mention wearing sunscrean and insect repellent) will play them and yet they seem to keep sounding good. They also seem to stay in tune really well. They are a small company in canada but I suspect they won't stay small. Shoot I bet if you contact them and let them know you are a builder they would probably give you a demo set to try out. The only complaint I have heard about them is that some people find them a little too bright.

They had a promo over here, they said if I bought two sets of elixers and sent in my receipt, I'd receive a free T'shirt. So I did. Pity, if I had kept my receipt, I might have been able to get a refund on some really crap strings. The nanowebs were better, at least they didn't get fuzzy like the polywebs. The coating on the polywebs all frayed, and then turned green. Just what I need, fuzzy green strings.

I used to use Elixir nanoweb because I don't change my strings often enough. The nanowebs don't sound too bad to me. The original polyweb were way too dead for my taste. I now get my strings in bulk from Euponon. At $2.00 a set, I can get six sets for the price of one set of Elixirs.

I've given my Elixirs to my nephew. Once when I was visiting them I noticed that his strings were black and dead as baling twine. WHen you have no money, it is hard to change your strings when they go dead.

the idea that sweat, etc. is the only cause of string deadening is falacious. you can put a new set of strings on with inspection gloves, leave it in the case at pitch and the strings will still go dead, coated or not.

most performing musicians that i know put on fresh strings for every gig. it's not for the exercise. even my hearing impaired ears notice a difference in tone, sustain and response in less than a week.

i second mike's endorsement of euphonon's strings. i've posted about them before. first started using them perhaps 7 or 8 years ago and have had no need to change. great, old fashioned to deal with folks, i.e. no cards, snail mail payment, but well worth the effort. and as the recent posting of don's guitar shows, also a great souce of wood, with the best prices on fret files and top quality bone stock i've seen anywhere without having to buy lifetime supplies. crazymanmichael38507.7162847222

I use elixirs on some guitars and mostly in the summer when the sweat
level is higher. For un-coated strings, I've found that round core strings
last longer than hex core ones, and sound a little "sweeter".
If I was a pro (I'm not) I would gig with un coated PB strings.
-C

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Freeborn Guitars
and home of BeauGuard©

I use Elixirs on everything I own. Most professional players I know do so, too. Some love them for their tone, others for how long they last, and still others have mentioned that they can overdub parts of songs the next day, readily, because the strinsg don't drop off. Used to be that studio playing meant new strings just about every take, in case you needed to over dub a part. But now, they can lay down all the tracks, and go back and overdub the next day, with the same strings....

They never have that metallic tone that fresh "regular" strings have, but, many players(me included)don't like that tone, anyhow. These are consistent, sounding like day-old strings, but sounding the same way for 6 months without changing a single one.

I have a friend and excellent player who had never heard a good sounding guitar for more than 5-10 minutes, because that's all it would take for the strings to go absolutely dead on him. He would come over, and just look at my work, because he knew he'd kill the strings in one tune of he as much as held the neck. Honest, I heard brand new strings go dead mid-song, more than once. When I discovered Elixirs, he nearly cried. Polywebs last for about 2 months for him, now. He can come over and play my guitars, too. When I head to festivals or other gatherings, I used to go through a couple boxes of strings in a few days, trying to keep fresh strinsg on the guitars. Now I can swap a fresh set of Nanowebs on them, and come back home with a couple month's use left in them.

Yes, the tone isn't for everyone, and certainly not for every guitar. They work best on bright, clear guitars, especially using a pick. On guitars with little note to note seperation, or lacking even a little clarity, or played fingerstyle with only the fleshy part of the fingers, they can be terrible. And if you're used to fresh strings every week or more, and are the type that doesn't kill strings quickly, they will sound odd at first, for sure.
If you don't like them, fine, that's a personal choice, and maybe one made because of the guitar they were on not being right for them. But please don't discourage others from trying them; for many players, they are a God send. I encourage everyone to give them, a fair shot.

Nanowebs sound great on my D-35, played with mostly a pic. But sound terrible on a smaller OM...fingerstyle. Same as Mario explained.

I'll be the 3rd to chime in on the Euphonon bulk strings. It's just too good to be true!

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JJ
Napa, CA
http://www.DonohueGuitars.com

Mario Makes a good point. It really depends on the sound you are going for. Most Professional Musicians Mario Playes use them. Most of the Professional Musicians I know curse them but then I cater to the Blues and Folk players, especially finger style where as I believe Mario would be dealing more with flat pickers playing large guitars. I tried Elixers on my guitars at one festival and changed them all after the first day as I just didn't like the way they sounded on my guitars. It is so subjective.

Anybody taken the new ones for much of a test drive yet? I
thought they were decent at first. A little dead as expected. After
about 6 hours I broke the D string. Not 10 minutes later I broke
the G string. One broke at the nut and one at the saddle. It
would get pretty expensive if you had to replace them every 6
hours of playing.
Not terribly impressed with them.