Elixir strings: Polyweb or Nanoweb?

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pennylink

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I know there are different opinions about the sound quality of Elixir strings, but for those of you familiar with their acoustic strings, what's the difference between the Polyweb and Nanoweb ones, and why do you prefer one over the other?

I've visted their website, but I can't really tell from the descriptions what their practical differences are.
 
I have played on Elixer strings only for about five years now. I play them on everything I have including my mandolin. Best strings ever! The first set of nanos I bought was for my Acoustic / Taylor. I play on 13 to 56 guage which is pretty heavy. I broke the high E string putting them on (a first for me). Then I purchased a second set and broke the same string within a few days. I play hard but I usually don't break polys at all. So it was back to the polys in a hurry. On my electric I play 11 guage strings. Since polys are hard to come by in an 11 guage, I play on nanos on my les paul and I haven't ran into any problems yet. The nanos just weren't strong enough for my acoustic style. They say that nanos are brighter but to tell you the truth I really can't tell that much on my electric and my acoustic sounds bright enough anyway. I can tell you that polywebs are coated thicker and will last longer. Other than that it's just a matter of taste

Good Luck
 
The unwound strings do not have the coating on them so they are just like any other string. If you break an unwound string you can replace it with a less expensive string rather than worrying about replacing it with one from an Elixir set.

The nanos are brighter than the polys. I like the nanos. I only put Elixirs on acoustic. For electric I use regular old Ernie Balls.

fizbin
 
I tried the polys on acoustic and they sucked the life out of the sound in a recording sense although it was like the mute button had been pushed as far as string noise went, so I went to the nanos and they sounded a little harsh to me.

In the end I returned to normal strings but I am going to get some nanos for my crap guitar that I only play every 6 months as I'm sure they'll last forever.
 
I like my dental floss between my teeth...Not my strings.

I still have a can of the promotional dental floss they gave away to the first customers that tried them.

Just because they last a long time and I have them on a few of my guitars that sit around for everybody to play, doesn't mean I have to like them.

I must have lost the memo.....When did it become ok to compromise sound over cost.

C
 
CGibson said:
I like my dental floss between my teeth...Not my strings.

I still have a can of the promotional dental floss they gave away to the first customers that tried them.

Just because they last a long time and I have them on a few of my guitars that sit around for everybody to play, doesn't mean I have to like them.

I must have lost the memo.....When did it become ok to compromise sound over cost.

C
Click to expand...

I am sorry did I miss something? You seem to say that elixer is compromising sound over cost? They are one of the most expensive strings on the market! They ain't cheap in sound and they sure as hell ain't cheap in cost
 
I use the poly's exclusively on my acoustics. The nano's didn't feel right to me. To paraphrase "The Simpsons":

Best strings ever.
 
jonhall5446 said:
I am sorry did I miss something? You seem to say that elixer is compromising sound over cost? They are one of the most expensive strings on the market! They ain't cheap in sound and they sure as hell ain't cheap in cost
Click to expand...

I wasn't referring to Elixer as the one compromising anything.

It's the consumer that will buy a string that will last for several Months no mater what it sounds like. Just as long as we don't have to change strings once a week in order to maintain a fresh sounding string.

Am I saying the Elixer strings don't measure up to other brands? Yes
Do I use them on some of my guitars? Yes
Am I compromising ? Yes

C
 
You must be reading my mind I was looking to buy the elixirs but did not know the difference between nano and poly.I play Dean Markley Blue Steel Light ...Should I change to elixir?No big deal if I try them and don't like them they will just come off but for the price if I can get some feedback and save the cash.Any opinions would be great.
Thanks
 
Neither, they both suck.

And I don't know that they compromise cost to sound, because they cost twice as much. I am in no way convinced they last twice as long. And even if they do, they still sound like shit.


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi
 
Even though I hate the strings I do admire the marketing genius behind the product.
They’ve set new records as far as one of the fastest growing and most successful companies related to this industry.
All based on a product that almost everybody hated when they first came out.

Example: The first year they hit the market I gave away ten sets of acoustic strings as well as ten sets of electric to local players. Every player came back with negative results. Nobody liked them….not even one. At that time the price was less than half of today’s list. And nobody would consider paying anything for them.

The genius part was the deal with Taylor Guitars.
I can only guess how this played out.

Elixer/Gore – Please Mr. Taylor put our strings on all of your guitars
B. Taylor – We’ll put tags on all of our guitars telling people that we only use Elixir as long as we get a five-year supply for free.
E/G Free?
B. T. Free!
E/G ahhhh OK we’ll raise the price to the consumer to help offset this plan.

And poof, they went from a string that nobody would consider to one of the most talked about string on the planet in the last thirty years.

I’ve personally borrowed this same marketing technique to give my business a boost during slow times of the year. Just Grab the coattails of an established industry giant and hang on for the ride.

C
 
I bought a Larivee guitar several years ago that came strung with Elixirs, just like Taylors. I was pretty skeptical about the strings to start with. But there is no question for me that the tone stayed fresher much, much longer than regular strings. I've tried Elixirs and regular strings on that guitar since then.

I find that most new strings sound ugly the firstday or two, then they get better once they break in and lose that tinny brightness. After that honeymoon they slowly start to break down within a short time but you keep them on because of the hassle of changing them (unless you got a gig coming up). I agree Elixirs don't sound as bright as a brand new regular strings but for me that just means they're more usable right out of the box as they don't have that brand new string sound. (I know some people love that sound so it's really subjective.)

By lasting, I mean they sound relatively new as opposed to dead and burnt out. I hardly ever break strings. I have been playing acoustics for over 30 years (which makes me a pretty old fart) so I've been through hundreds of restrings. The other thing I notice is less string noise in recording--i.e. finger squeaks. As for the difference between Poly and Nanoweb, I can't really tell to be honest.

Here's an interesting test which I have done myself. Go to a guitar store that sells Taylor or Larrivee guitars. Try a number of guitars that have both Elixir and regular strings. My experience is that those with regular strings usually sound dead because the strings are fried, whereas those with Elixirs still sound decent. Even look at them...you can tell the age of a string by its visual appearance. Elixirs look newer longer. That being said, once they start to break down they look like $hi+ as the web starts to go frizzy. But that's only one person's experience--more than interested to hear from others who have had either the same or different experiences.
 
Whoa- their website looks like a Trojan ad-regular or thin for extra sensitivity.

The store I used to work in started restringing all acoustic guitars on the walls with elixirs- made sense from the view of making things even from a string point of view, cause like you said, strings get old quick. Except all the high-end customers complained about them. So for the nicer guitars, Breedlove, Gibson, Guild, Taylor, and some of the Tacomas, we had to go back to a decent quality bronze string and change them regularly.

Me, I never liked them. Their tone stays the same for a long time, but they just don't sound like guitar strings to me.
 
Ditto to what Tapehead said about the Elixirs being quiet while recording! Especially the polys. I recently bought a Morgan acoustic and paid 2 grand for this handmade beauty. It came strung with Elixirs. I'll put my Morgan up against any acoustic in the world and I want to believe that Elixirs come along with it for good reason. Fuck string life...I wouldn't care if they only lasted a month...the Elixirs are for those who can hear the difference (like Neumann mics). I would never string my Morgan with anything else. I'll tell you what sounded great on my old Martin D16 though...Daddarrio flatwound strings...a bit brassy but very quiet for recording.
 
Did you find your Morgan in Maine? Just wondering because they're made out here in the Vancouver area. I have to agree, they are fabulous instruments.
 
to tapehead:

Hey man! Glad to hear from someone who's heard of the Morgan. There's a music store in East Winthrop, Maine called Perkin's Music House and one of only half a dozen dealers in the U.S. I still can't believe I own it! The builder-David Iannone was an apprentice of Jean Larrivee before striking out on his own. While my old Martin was out getting a neck reset, I went to this store to check out Matons. The owner asked me to check out this Morgan...and I was blown away! Most powerful acoustic I've ever played and also the most beautiful. And the action...oh, man. To anyone looking for an acoustic, the Morgan will just blow you away. The Maton guitars from Australia, by the way, were nothing special...weak tone and poor fit and finish...but very affordable.
 
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Great to hear Morgans have made it out to the East Coast. I've always wanted one but given my budget I settled for a Larrivee (a close second). I discovered Morgans about five or six years ago just by accident in a little music store and couldn't believe my ears. As you said, gorgeous instruments, light as a feather, action like butter and a tone to die for. Someday...

Enjoy your Morgan!
 
My roomate loves elixers, but I'll take my D'Addario stings anyday. I like the 80/20s for recording. A little wear reduces the initial string noise. But hey, that's what guitars do! You don't take the breath noises from horns!
 
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