Acoustic Strings

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stetto

stetto

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Once again the search function won't work for me...

Dagh...I have a gig tomorrow morning, I haven't changed strings in a month...Spaced it out...I just got off the phone with the music store here in town and all he's got in my guage (.012) is Martin bronze, D'Addario Phosphor Bronze and Elixers...I've been using EXPs for over two years now...

I've heard a lot of not great things about the Elixers, but we're talking about a TV taping to be done tomorrow morning...Anyone have some input on comparisons of the three mentioned above to EXPs (tone, timbre, etc.)? I would suppose the D'Addario Phosphors should work, considering they're the same brand.

...I wouldn't mind some input soon, I gotta get to the store within a few hours...

Thanks
Eric
 
I think the EXPs sound pretty close to the uncoated D'Addarios. The uncoateds are probably a little brighter at first, but don't last as long, obviously. I was a D'Addario phosphor bronze user for many years before the EXPs came out - now I mostly use the EXP. My experience with Elixirs on my guitars was not very positive (just kinda...bleh). Some people love 'em, though.
 
Thanks for the quick response, Scrubs. I am leaning toward the uncoated D'Addarios, I love the bright resonance, even if it won't last long...The EXP seems to maintain that clean tone for much longer...My skin pH turns uncoated strings black pretty damn fast, but after tomorrow morning I'm no longer under the gun...

The Martin strings were never very impressive to me, but it's been such a flippin' long time since I've had a set on...

Eric
 
for what its worth (and thats probably not much) , i love elixirs. :)

Adam
 
Yeah, the store guy was really pushing them (the Elixers)...But I wanted something most akin to what I've been using. Found out that the Phosphor Bronze D'Addarios he had were .014s :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:

I wound up getting D'Addario Bronze .012s...I've got them on the guitar, not really impressed, but I'm not sure if it's pissychological...They sound clean and resonant, but a little buzzy for some reason...

I called my guitar shop guy in CO--He's in Florida this week, but will be shipping me a box of my EXPs next Monday...Whew...

Eric
 
i use the D'add PB's and they do sound a bit funny to me at first, but once they mellow out a bit, i love them. i gotta try the EXP's one of these days, for some reason i kill guitar strings super fast. the strings on my bass will only last me 1 gig, by the end of the night they are completely dead! i must have bad skin or something, haha...
 
zed32 said:
i use the D'add PB's and they do sound a bit funny to me at first, but once they mellow out a bit, i love them. i gotta try the EXP's one of these days, for some reason i kill guitar strings super fast. the strings on my bass will only last me 1 gig, by the end of the night they are completely dead! i must have bad skin or something, haha...
Click to expand...

zed, I think you'll love the EXPs. They age so damn gracefully that I didn't even realize that I'd forgotten to change them out this week...I've used a few others and had noticed their descent into deadness really easily. The EXPs give you a little more time to "get to" a string change...

Eric
 
I can offer some advice that will help tremendously.

Don't listen to Light when he decides to offer another anti-Elixir tirade. :p
 
Huh, Light doesn't like them either, eh?

I've never tried them, that I know of...But I've been waved off by people I trust, and being that there are many, many more strings made out there, it's not all that big a deal (unless it's the only brand in the store... :eek: )

Eric
 
ez_willis said:
Yeah, whatever you do, don't buy a set and judge for yourself.
Click to expand...

Hmmm...Sensing a note of sarcasm...Generating an odd feeling of curiosity mixed with guilt and shame for poo-pooing a product based on the say-so of others...

Damn! Now I gotta go out and buy a $12,000 Martin so I have one to try different strings with!! :D :D :D

Eric
 
i've had EXPs once and i'm not planing on buying them again. the set i had wasn't intonating correctly no matter how i tuned the guitar.

maybe it was a friday afternoon set or something. i dunno. i went back to elixir custom lights and thats that. i might try the new phosphor bronze elixirs in the near future.
 
stetto said:
Hmmm...Sensing a note of sarcasm...Generating an odd feeling of curiosity mixed with guilt and shame for poo-pooing a product based on the say-so of others...
Click to expand...

For $15 or so, it's worth a shot. Like everything else, some people like them and some people don't. If you don't, you still have new strings on the acoustic and when they need to get replaced you can go back to the usual.

I like 'em.

If you try them, report back so we know.
 
ez_willis said:
If you try them, report back so we know.
Click to expand...

Roger and wilco...I'm getting my EXPs for $4.50 a set, though...That $15 seems a bit prohibitive. I'll see what my guy in the Rockies can do for me on a set...

Eric
 
stetto said:
Roger and wilco...I'm getting my EXPs for $4.50 a set, though...That $15 seems a bit prohibitive. I'll see what my guy in the Rockies can do for me on a set...

Eric
Click to expand...

If cash flow is tight right now, you might want to wait. If you really love them, it's gonna kill you to not be able to swing it everytime you need new strings. :D
 
i'm not a big fan of Elixirs, the Martin SP+ or any of the coated strings. sure they last for ages with the same tone........but that tone to my ears just sounds dead coming out of the package.

on my martin d15, i prefer the Martin SP Phosphor Bronze Lights. they sound a little "brassy" for the first 30 minutes or so, but then settle into a beautiful sound. and they last a long time, too--at least a couple weeks of regular (daily) playing for me. but i don't have toxic sweat or anything.

on my yamaha plywood guitars, i like the d'addarios. the d'add's just don't sound very good on my martin--they sound tinny....but they're fine for the yammerhammers.

strings are like drum heads. what works for one guitar might not work for another, and you have to try a bunch to find some you like. thankfully they're cheap enough....


cheers,
wade
 
my buddy uses nothing but Elixirs on his Taylor, but i think he just buys stuff after looking at the price tag and convinces himself that it's the best ever.

he got his Taylor after he had only been playing guitar for like a month. and a few months later be bought a freaking T5. then he sold the T5 and got some expensive ass koa top Taylor after a few more months (which he thinks is the best sounding guitar ever :rolleyes: ). now i dunno if it's the strings or the guitars, but to me they just sound boring, no sparkle to 'em. i dunno if i'd say they are "dead" sounding right out of the package, they still sound clean, but just not very exciting.

that said, i personally haven't tried them on my guitar so i can't say for sure how good or bad they are or how long they last compared to my usuals. i guess i should try em out sometime...
 
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