Coated strings - yay or nay? - GuitarTalk Community

Jack-Flash-Jr · 2010-06-21T12:15:55+00:00

Popped on a set of coated Elixir .10s yesterday and is it my imaginaiton or are they a little... slimy? Usually use D'addarios but they didn't have coated in...

Coated strings - yay or nay?

Warren

I'm probably going to change back from the Elixir nanos on my Epi LP, since they're very light guage (9s) and with the action set so low I find them to be a bit too slippery.

I've really liked the D'Adarrio EXP coated 11s and 12s on my Takamine, so will stick with those. They just feel good, and have a great tone.

Loving the 11s (non coated D'Adarrio Blues / Jazz Rock) on the strat. They're much heavier than I'm used to on electric, but I love their tone, and I'm persisting with them even though some bends hurt.

So yeah, coated on some, not on others. ?

Bob-Dubery

Coated strings are not all equal. There are different brands and different methods, so because we couldn't get on with Elixir Polywebs we shouldn't tar all coated strings with the same brush.

It's not even a case that all Elixirs are equal. I'm not wild about Polywebs, but I get on fine with Nanowebs.

The D'addario coated strings are coated via a different method than Elixir use (maybe a different material too).

Squonk

I battled with the Elixir nanowebs so have gone back to phospor bronze on my Acoustic.

I prefer the brightness and they bend a whole bunch better. I also play quite percussively and slap and tap, so the PB suits me.

On the the other hand , I only gave the nanowebs a month at the most!

Bob-Dubery

Squonk wrote: I battled with the Elixir nanowebs so have gone back to phospor bronze on my Acoustic.

You can get phosphor bronze nanowebs.

AlanRatcliffe

I just fitted a new set of .012 gauge nanoweb to my steel string (replacing the Ernie Ball Titanium coateds, which I really don't like the feel of). Yup, I still like the Elixirs...

Ray

If I may I would like to digress just slightly. Does anyone here have experience of D'Addario solk and steel for acoustic. I ask this because I saw on Roy Rogers site that he endorses these on his acoustics. Now, I am a bit bamboozled or maybe just kaksleg becasue I think these are not very how do you say "stiff" or rigid or what would you call it. So surely it would require a hellish light touch to play slide on? And he gets quite excited when he plays so not sure how that works.

Jack-Flash-Jr

Alan Ratcliffe wrote: I just fitted a new set of .012 gauge nanoweb to my steel string (replacing the Ernie Ball Titanium coateds, which I really don't like the feel of). Yup, I still like the Elixirs...

I actually like the feel but the strings started shedding (note nano, not poly) between my pups (and I don't strum THAT hard), +- 1 month in.

AlanRatcliffe

Ray wrote: If I may I would like to digress just slightly. Does anyone here have experience of D'Addario solk and steel for acoustic. I ask this because I saw on Roy Rogers site that he endorses these on his acoustics. Now, I am a bit bamboozled or maybe just kaksleg becasue I think these are not very how do you say "stiff" or rigid or what would you call it. So surely it would require a hellish light touch to play slide on? And he gets quite excited when he plays so not sure how that works.

They are very low tension thanks to the silk making up part of the gauge. Quite a nice feel actually, but they don't last very long in my experience - I was only getting two weeks play out of them before they went dead.

singemonkey

Did Hendrix use coated strings? Did Django? >☹

?

Hmm. This may work for me. I'm not even going to tell you how lazy I am about changing strings. For me it wouldn't be a case of changing less often, just having a playable guitar for longer.

Until my strings are so vrot that I stop bothering, I wipe them down with a micro-fibre cloth - which - given it's detergentless de-greasing properties, seems to keep the strings going for three times longer than when I used to use nothin' or a normal cloth. At least they seem less inclined to turn pitch black. It's also doing a wonder for the monkeyjam that used to build up on my fretboards too :? - so please no-one suddenly explain that this is the worst thing you could possibly use on a guitar...

Ray

Alan Ratcliffe wrote:
Ray wrote: If I may I would like to digress just slightly. Does anyone here have experience of D'Addario solk and steel for acoustic. I ask this because I saw on Roy Rogers site that he endorses these on his acoustics. Now, I am a bit bamboozled or maybe just kaksleg becasue I think these are not very how do you say "stiff" or rigid or what would you call it. So surely it would require a hellish light touch to play slide on? And he gets quite excited when he plays so not sure how that works.
They are very low tension thanks to the silk making up part of the gauge. Quite a nice feel actually, but they don't last very long in my experience - I was only getting two weeks play out of them before they went dead.

Sol I bought a set of silk and steel and they are blind hey. I hate them more than anything and I'm gonna write a song like seventhson did about these strings.

Bob-Dubery

singemonkey wrote: Did Hendrix use coated strings? Did Django? >☹

Ag jirra NO!

I been doing some googling, and there's no reference to Jimi or Django using Guitar Rig, a tuner pedal, acoustic guitars with microphones inside or digital modelling amps.

I'm going to have to get rid of a PILE of stuff.

Warren

I just bought a pile of regular D'Addarrio strings for all of my guitars, and hell they start rusting almost immediately ☹

Back to coated it is, then.

Jack-Flash-Jr

Warren wrote: I just bought a pile of regular D'Addarrio strings for all of my guitars, and hell they start rusting almost immediately ☹

Back to coated it is, then.

That can't be right? Acid fingers? ?
I have had the experience of D'ads looking tarnished upon opening but hasn't affected playability or tone...

Warren

Jack Flash Jr wrote:
That can't be right? Acid fingers? ?
I have had the experience of D'ads looking tarnished upon opening but hasn't affected playability or tone...

Ah, maybe just some tarnishing then. Sets on my LP and my Strat both look quite sad already, though they sound ok. Funny enough only the unwound strings too.

Squonk

Must be the East Rand climate ?

Mine dont rust at all, my Peavey has had a set on for at least 6 months :-[

AlanRatcliffe

It's sweat composition and everyone is different. I rust D'Adds pretty quickly too (within a week), but Ernie Balls last me three weeks to a month and merely go dead. I have a friend who is the other way round - If he plays one of my guitars, the Ernie Balls are shot the next day (and I mean shot - they turn black and start to rust overnight).

Warren

Alan Ratcliffe wrote: It's sweat composition and everyone is different. I rust D'Adds pretty quickly too (within a week), but Ernie Balls last me three weeks to a month and merely go dead. I have a friend who is the other way round - If he plays one of my guitars, the Ernie Balls are shot the next day (and I mean shot - they turn black and start to rust overnight).

I will maybe give the EBs another run, I haven't used them in a long time. Just struggle with the slimey feel of the Elixirs ?

[deleted]

Well, Warren, you played both my EB-equipped guitars and the strings didn't fall off...so maybe they're immune to your weird toxic mojo. ?

Warren

Stratisfear wrote: Well, Warren, you played both my EB-equipped guitars and the strings didn't fall off...so maybe they're immune to your weird toxic mojo. ?

?

I didn't change from EBs for any sane reason, I think one day I just felt like trying something new, so used GHS for a while, then Elixirs, then D'Addarrio etc. Maybe time for an EB reunion ?

Malkav

To be honest I find coated strings on electric just horrifying, the elixirs always snaked - cause I have floyds on most of my guitars and that means the metal and the coating are forced to undergo sudden tension changes and the coating just snaps...

On acoustic I also don't really like them, I use something special ? so here's my recommendation - http://www.deanmarkley.com/Strings/Acoustic/GoldPhosAc.shtml

Dean Markley make an acoustic string set called the Alchemy series, I personally love them, they have this warm rich sound with a nice breathy midrange. They perform miracles on guitar tone and they're not coated they're plated in some space age something or other that apparently gets used on satelites - don't care, bottom line is that they normally last me about 3x longer than normal strings and don't feel like a ~~condom~~ mobile chat application, where all the intamacy is removed from contact ? Also I think they're about R20 cheaper than the Elixirs, Daddarios and Ernie Balls.

For electric they make this marvelous brand called Blue Steel: http://www.deanmarkley.com/Strings/Electric/BlueSteelEl.shtml

They're really alive sounding and sustain like crazy, also harmonics pretty much just jump out of them ? They're put through a cryogenic freezing process which realigns the steel on a molecular level or something like that - I thought this was probably bullsh!t so I spoke to my dad, who's job is quality control at one of the biggest arms and ammunition making companies in S.A, and he said it's quite a common practice and that under a microscope at a billion times zoom (made up figure) you can actually see that the structure of the steel becomes smoother with less jagged protrusions running along it's surface. He also said that he'd imagine in terms of a musical instrument this would help by allowing the wave a more even surface to travel along which may translate to an improvement of certain tonal factors - though this was just his theory as he is not a musician and wouldn't claim expertise in the matter. I'd been warned that they're a pain to intonate but didn't really experience this at all, a quick setup with a TU-12 and my guitars have been great ever since. They're also quite a high tension which I like for playing fast (shredding or rhythm) as the string doesn't bounce back at you too much when you're trying to pick it.

I could sing their praises all day long - so I'm just gonna recommend if you've never given them a try it may just be worth the effort, especially if you play metal or fast lead - though I'd use them no matter the circumstances. Funny enough before Guthrie Govan got endorsed by Rotosound these were his strings of choice, like wise with Steve Vai (I think :?)

Now Dean Markley are making these new Helix HD strings that they're claiming are years beyond any other string: http://www.deanmarkley.com/Strings/HelixHDStrings.shtml

I would explain but I don't care - just find what you like and stick with it ?