Coated strings

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VTgreen81

VTgreen81

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Do you really notice a big difference in playability? Do they make it easier to play longer? Is there much difference between Black Diamond and Elixir?
 
Never knew Black Diamond made coated strings, but I have tried the Elixirs and the D'addarios. I have mixed feelings about them. The Elixirs are on my Taylor because that was the sound that made me buy the thing in the first place. I don't put them on any of my other guitars. They are good, basically, if you want to reduce string squeaks while recording. They do last longer than ordinary strings, but when they go, they drop off rather quickly, and often still look 'ok' so you don't get the usual cues for when they are dying. One day, really, you wake up, strum a chord, and it sounds like shit. I am thinking of just putting some phospho-bronzes on my Taylor for my next recording.
 
They don't have as much of the "clink" sound when the pick hits them, but some guitars sound better without it. I like the Elixirs polywebs. I've tried the D'Addario EXP's and they sound like someone laid a wet towel over them.
 
I've been thinking about getting some for my acoustic because I'm too lazy to change strings on that guitar that I almost never use. But as for my electrics, I've tried elixirs, and I'm still surprised by the people who say you can't tell the difference in feel or sound, I can atleast respect people not wanting to always change their strings, but theres definitely a trade off.

When I bought them I was dumb enough to get two sets, and after I put the first set on I gave the second set away. The best way I can describe the sound is to say that they sound like month old regular strings, at that point where you're just about to change them but still not bad enough that its urgent. They also feel different, you're clearly not touching metal, theyre a bit smoother feeling.
 
ibanezrocks said:
I've been thinking about getting some for my acoustic because I'm too lazy to change strings on that guitar that I almost never use. But as for my electrics, I've tried elixirs, and I'm still surprised by the people who say you can't tell the difference in feel or sound, I can atleast respect people not wanting to always change their strings, but theres definitely a trade off.

When I bought them I was dumb enough to get two sets, and after I put the first set on I gave the second set away. The best way I can describe the sound is to say that they sound like month old regular strings, at that point where you're just about to change them but still not bad enough that its urgent. They also feel different, you're clearly not touching metal, theyre a bit smoother feeling.
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Did you try the nano-web or the poly-web? I believe they coat the windings on the nano web before winding, and with the poly-web they coat the string after winding. I tend to like poly-webs better, I tried the nano-webs and got the impression you are describing.
 
coated strings! don't do it man! :eek:

they sound unnatural to me compared to regular strings. kind of like a piezo in an acoustic guitar vs. a mic. i don't really think they have any playability benefits, they just last a long time. if you want your guitar to sound unnatural for a really long time before having to buy new strings, get em.
 
I'm gonna disagree with a few here and say that I like nanowebs alot. Polywebs always sounded dull and felt unatural to me, so I never used them, but when they started making nanowebs I tried them and I really like them. They stay bright for a long time in my opinion and feel natural to me. I have nanowebs on my taylor, I switch between nanowebs and some DR's on my electric.....I can't make up my mind...
 
Coated strings stay the same for a long time, sure, but they never sound good, so is that really a good thing? Or at least, I never like them.

The real question is this: They cost more than twice as much; so, do they last at least twice as long? If not, then they are, at the least, not finacially reasonable.

Personally, I never use them. I don't mind changing strings - I can do a twelve string (including retuning) in about 15-20 minutes, and a 6 in about 5 minutes - so I don't see any reason to bother with them.

Oh, and as for playability, they do feel different (I don't like it) but they are not any easier to play. Remember, at least with Elixir, they buy the strings from D'Addario or GHS, and all they do is coat them. They are the same strings you are getting from every one else.


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi
 
Light thats an interesting point, I never knew that they didnt make the strings themselves.

As for the feel, I'd say its mostly just more slippery,though you can also notice its a more consistent thickness since the windings are filled in with their junk.
 
I've never tried coated strings on acoustic or electric but I have used them on bass. They tended to soften or mellow the sound a lot and cut down on fret and finger noise which is what I wanted them to do.
 
I've always liked the Elixir strings. A new set always sounds much fuller to me than other brands. The nanowebs have a brighter tone to them than the polywebs - not sure which I like the best. Yes, while they do last longer, the sound does become somewhat unpleasant with time.
 
I've been using Elixir's for years on all my acoustics. I get about 3 times longer life out of them over regular phosphor bronze strings, and I personally like the sound. YMMV. I don't like the Nanoweb's, they feel too thin for me. I use light or medium guage Polywebs. I don't use them on my electrics, mostly because I can't find 12's in their electric strings around here (if they even make them).
 
I use Elixirs on both acoustic and electric. They don't squeak and the last a long time. Tone is fine for me.
 
i play martin SP phosphor bronze lights on my martin d15. i tried the SP Plus (coated) strings once b/c that's what came on my guitar. i noticed one thing about them--they sure lasted for a long time. sure they sounded like absolute shit.....but it took em forever to die.....i couldn't WAIT for them to die so i could change them, and that seemed like an eternity. and when they died, they DIED....and i went back to my regular strings immediately.

prior to that, after hearing a buddy of mine (whom i have since determined to be somewhat tonedeaf) rave about Elixirs for ages, i gave them a shot on my yamaha plywood acoustic. i had just couldn't see what he was talking about--those things also sounded like crap. of course, he's got no money and i've since determined that he can't distinguish good tone from bad, so i suppose a string that "sounds the same" for months on end was perfect for him since he never had to change them and had no clue they sounded like ass. that, and since he never changed his strings on that guitar before the coated strings came out (his strings were always nasty and rusted and full of fast frets goo), this was an improvement for him.....

i suppose that's the tradeoff--if you want strings that'll have a mediocre tone out of the box and will hold it for ages, then by all means, get coated strings. for me, though.....there's no way i can sacrifice tone for longevity. just buy strings in bulk. :D


cheers,
wade
 
I've been using the Elixir Polyweb Custom lights for years now, and I really like them. My guitar is a Washburn EA26 Craig Chiquito (SP) sig. model. It's a smaller depth body so it doesn't have that "full bodied" tone anyway, but they work great for me using the onboard preamp and eq. Probably not everyones ideal "acoustic" tone though.

I tried them on my electrics...once! I didn't care for them at all in that application. I've been using BlueSteels exclusivly for almost 15 years on the electrics..........I don't know what it is that they do to those suckers, but since I've switched to them I quite breaking strings almost all together. And that's no JOKE!

Rick
 
mrface2112 said:
i play martin SP phosphor bronze lights on my martin d15. i tried the SP Plus (coated) strings once b/c that's what came on my guitar. i noticed one thing about them--they sure lasted for a long time. sure they sounded like absolute shit.....but it took em forever to die.....i couldn't WAIT for them to die so i could change them, and that seemed like an eternity. and when they died, they DIED....and i went back to my regular strings immediately.

prior to that, after hearing a buddy of mine (whom i have since determined to be somewhat tonedeaf) rave about Elixirs for ages, i gave them a shot on my yamaha plywood acoustic. i had just couldn't see what he was talking about--those things also sounded like crap. of course, he's got no money and i've since determined that he can't distinguish good tone from bad, so i suppose a string that "sounds the same" for months on end was perfect for him since he never had to change them and had no clue they sounded like ass. that, and since he never changed his strings on that guitar before the coated strings came out (his strings were always nasty and rusted and full of fast frets goo), this was an improvement for him.....

i suppose that's the tradeoff--if you want strings that'll have a mediocre tone out of the box and will hold it for ages, then by all means, get coated strings. for me, though.....there's no way i can sacrifice tone for longevity. just buy strings in bulk. :D


cheers,
wade
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yep, those martin sp's are nice sounding strings. i've been using them on my beater guitar, yamaha f310, for quite a while.
 
I've used both Polyweb and Nanoweb on a rosewood Larrivee dreadnought. As claimed, they last easily 3 times longer than other strings before they fade.

My preference is for Nanoweb, I actually like the sound and they are brighter (than Polyweb) which suits the rosewood body more. I'm not sure if they would sound as good on a Mahogany body. I also found that the Polyweb squeak more, especially when they're new, which can be annoying for recording.
 
Guys, these are the best strings made..period. I tried a set about 2 years ago and I can't stand playing on anything else any more. They absolutely make a guitar come alive. Its nearly unbelievable how great they sound, and they last forever it seems. You owe it to yourself to order a couple sets to try out from Dean. These are custom made strings from an individual, not a big company, so they're more $$. But they are SO worth it.

http://www.sobstrings.net/

The website is new for him, and not yet complete, but you can order by emailing leomuser@aol.com .

You can read this forum for some real life user reviews.
http://thegearpage.net/board/showthread.php?s=&threadid=35949&perpage=15&pagenumber=1

Dean Farley is the guy who makes these. He used to make Scalar strings. Here are some articles on strings that he has written:
http://www.custom-sounds.com/epages...df52c047c08382741d94dcd0105e9/UserTemplate/10

H2H
 
I'm surprised to hear so many people who think the Nanowebs sound brighter that the poly's. Maybe I got a bum set, but the ones I tried really sucked the life out of the tone. Next set, I'll have to give them another try. :confused:
 
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