Do Elixir Strings REALLY last longer?

[vindibona1]

I did something last night that I rarely ever do, played a gig on three week old strings. They'd already been gigged once (2 hours of playing) and practiced on daily since May 21st (today is June 17th).

My role in the small group (last night- me, bass, drums and two singers) can be anything from gentle fingerpicking to pounding out chords. I'm currently playing Elixir Nano 12's on my Taylor 614ce.

Briefly, my perception is that while the Elixir Nano 12's pretty much retained their "settled in" tone (so far), I felt that they lost a lot of projection. I felt that I had to work harder to get my finger picking to emerge and while my Martin (with Sunbeams) will just keep giving the harder I pound. I could only get so much from my Taylor with the Elixirs while I didn't feel that was so much the case 2 weeks ago. And while I could say a lot of that was due to the nature of the Taylor itself, it does project seemingly much stronger with fresh strings.

If you're an Elixir guy, what do you think? What are your experiences and perceptions of Elixir strings as they age? How long do you feel Elixirs sound "fresh" for you? Or, do you prefer them because the mellow with a few weeks of play and you don't like "fresh" sounding strings?

[stormin1155]

I am blessed to have very dry hands, and strings last me for a long time... months rather than weeks. I also have several guitars that I rotate through, so no single guitar gets a lot of play. I change strings about every 2 - 4 months. I've gone as long as six months with Monels. Paying extra for coated strings just isn't worth it.

[ii Cybershot ii]

I wipe down my strings every time I play, and for me elixirs last literally months. Maybe playing 1-2 hours every other day. I feel like regular strings go bad even when I'm not playing them.

[KenL]

I get a year, easy, out of them.

But I rotate between 4-5 guitars. Still, they last a very long time, worth every penny.

[247hoopsfan]

I find they do last a very long time, but I prefer the saound of Daddario.
The EXP NY Steel sound better to my ear, and last for a good long time.

[raggedymike]

I find they do last longer (let's say twice as long but that's just a guess, I don't really keep track) but regular strings just sound better albeit for a shorter time. I just switched back to the regular. If I were a gigging guitarist without a roadie to string my guitar I would likely stick with Elixir. Me, I got time on my hands.

[Norml]

They really don't last any longer for me. Between the cost and not so great tone they really aren't worth it.

[fazool]

flawed poll.. The choices are meaningless because they assume 8 weeks is the maximum.

How about choices like 3 months, 6 months 12 months 24 months?

I measure string life (played every single day) inmonths and quarters not weeks.

Mine get changed twice a year.

[Captain Jim]

I change my Elixirs twice a year, except for the times we are traveling. When home, I rotate between guitars; when traveling, I take one and play it for months at a time, and change strings every three months or so.

[pgilmor]

I'm with Fazool on this one. About twice a year on the guitar I have now. Maybe every 4 months if I'm doing a lot of strumming/picking rather than just using my bare fingers.

[vindibona1]

Originally Posted by fazool

flawed poll.. The choices are meaningless because they assume 8 weeks is the maximum.

How about choices like 3 months, 6 months 12 months 24 months?

I measure string life (played every single day) inmonths and quarters not weeks.

Mine get changed twice a year.

What kind of sound are you looking for? If I were a singer I'd probably be ok with a lot longer time span as a darker sound is needed not to step on vocals but need some drive when I need some drive. And the Elixirs are great for the first week or two. At the third week they have been losing some of their mojo albeit tone has remained fairly consistent.

I know that my hearing is still very good (audiologist approved ) and I'd like to think I have very good ears. Maybe I'm too picky? My hands tend to be dry and I have a low pH level so I'm experiencing the same level of sound degradation on other coated and non-coated strings. I tend to like fresh strings because they have a shimmer that goes away with play time. But if the shimmer is too much I can always control it with pick choice and play style. But once it's gone there's no bringing it back. And projection could probably be covered in a separate thread.

[rokdog49]

I find Elixir Nanos to sound like PB's that have a few hours playing time on them and they pretty much stay that way for at least three months.
I prefer Monels on Mahogany backed guitars no matter what the body shape.
They just have that dry thing goin' on.

[RussL30]

I go about 6 months and sometimes more if I haven't been playing often. I keep the Nano PB .13's on my Taylor. After trying dozens of strings, these sound the best on my DN8.

I usually put the Nano 80/20 .13's on my Gibson but recently tried Monels and love them. I'm going 4 months on the Monels and they still sound great. I hate
changing strings and enjoy the great tone and long life both of these strings
Provide.

[Rev Roy]

Originally Posted by fazool

flawed poll.. The choices are meaningless because they assume 8 weeks is the maximum.

How about choices like 3 months, 6 months 12 months 24 months?

I measure string life (played every single day) inmonths and quarters not weeks.

Agreed. When it comes to Elixirs most folks think in terms months, not weeks. I play on average 1 1/2 - 2 hrs a day and change mine about every two months....

[maxtheaxe]

There certainly are some strings out there that sound a little better...for about three hours of play, then they're going dead...but Elixirs stay fresh for a couple months and are still serviceable for weeks beyond that.