Anyone Else Hate Elixir Strings???

[dwasifar]

Elixir Nano were the stock strings on my Taylor so I used them for a few years. Then I discovered how much better the guitar sounded with uncoated strings.

So I won't say I hate them, but I prefer uncoated.

On a related topic, I asked Strings and Beyond what their best selling brands of acoustic strings are, and they said Elixir, D'Addario, and Martin, in that order. I know Elixir has a lot of fans but I did not expect them to outsell D'Addario.

[Everton FC]

They sound good on my Recording King. But I prefer D'Addariom and the Martin Lifespans. But I don't "hate" Elixirs...

[Mark Stone]

I love Elixirs and use Nanoweb 80/20 mediums (12-56) on both my Taylor 814ce DLX and my 110e.

[Emil]

I like them alot.
No they dont sound as good as some non-coated strings but i get so much more milage out of them compared to anything else.

And during the last year that has become even more important since i play more then ever. So for me it’s worth getting a bit less tone compared to having to change strings once a week on my guitars.

I’ve been playing coated strings for a really long time. I started with Elixir when the came out. Then i found the Dean Markleys Alchemys that to this day still is the best coated strings for me. A bit squeeky but they didnt feel or sound like coated strings and they were half the peice of Elixir. When they stop producing them i did Lifespan for a couple of years but when the switched to the Lifespan 2.0 i went back to Elixor since the new Marting formula didnt sound good and they lasted a week for me.

Now days i find that Elixir dont sound as chimmery as they used to do. The PB has a warmer tone compared to before and they still last a month for me.

[hatamoto]

Don't hate them. I actually like them and use them 95% of the time. It could be better tonally but I understand there's a trade off for it's lifespan. My hands sweat alot and it's very humid where I live so I would prefer something good sounding for a long time vs changing all the time with great sounding strings.

Sometimes I would change it up though. The best one I've tried so far are the new Martins. It's also coated but not like Elixirs.

I'm interested in trying out the Daddario XT's.....

[jontewright]

I’m a fan of the nanoweb 80/20 (12-56) on my Taylor gs mini. They sound ok on my other guitars (Waterloo’s and Kalamazoo kg-11) but I prefer monels on these. Monels don’t sound good on my gs mini.
As this thread has proved in spades, we are all different as are our guitars of choice! That is a good thing.

[Ugly Dougling]

I have tried Elixirs and don't dislike their sound and playability, but oh that shredding - like there have been buzzards roosting on my strings.

I am always surprised by the great many people who stick with OEM strings. Maybe their thinking is "the manufacturer had the choice of any string, and if they chose these they must be the best for this guitar". Sure they are - the best if you're selling guitars, and want the supplied strings (try selling guitars WITHOUT strings!) to have good shelf life until somebody buys the thing. At which point to the seller it is "mission accomplished".

The old axiom is true: "A good guitar, well cared for, will never sound worse than the day you take it home."

If this means you are content with the originals then more power to you. If it's a really good guitar it will improve with age even if you make no changes (except occasional new, OEM strings). Should you dare to explore other relationships and they don't work out, with guitars it's easy to go back. Maybe you've done that already.

Parting shot: The one thing to take to heart with your OEM strings is the gauge the builder chose. You don't want to stray too far from those values.

[Nymuso]

I tried the polys when they first hit the market. Hated them, yanked those babies off pronto. Only recently tried the nano PBs, and I like them a lot.

[dwasifar]

Originally Posted by Emil

Then i found the Dean Markleys Alchemys that to this day still is the best coated strings for me.

Really? I tried those once and they were far and away the worst strings I had ever used. Unplayably stiff, pathetic sustain, and the coating was so inconsistent that every string was a different color yellow.

I don't know how anyone could have liked them. Now I'm starting to wonder for the first time whether they were counterfeit.

[Larry Pattis]

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🤣🤣🤣🤣

[Daddyo]

don't hate them but I think they sound bleh blah and bleck

[Rudy4]

Every time I change strings I put on a set of Elixir Nanowebs I'm reminded of how much I hate these strings...

I hate the way they sound great when installed and then last pretty much forever. This causes me to play my guitar more and I end up getting a lot less done around the house and in the shop.

I do dislike the the longevity because I have more time to do other things instead of changing strings.

Each time a guitar is re-strung there's a small amount of extra wear on the bridge plate when the new balls re-seat. How am I supposed to develop enough bridge plate wear that my guitar needs repair? I don't have enough repair work to do to keep me busy...

The lack of strings squeaking as I slide my fingers on them encourages me to spend more time doing audio and video recording, which further cuts into my productivity towards reaching the bottom of the job jar.

The smooth feel of the strings does nothing towards wearing down my calloused fingertips, further encouragement to play longer.

The infrequent string changes also prevents me from ordering string sets by the dozen to save money, and the money I do save by not appropriating funds for the necessity of changing often means I buy more fresh flowers for my wife. That causes her to want to spend more time with me, further cutting into my playing time.

I can't get any chores done and my wife wants to spend more close-up time with me.

I'm gonna have to go with uncoated 80/20s or PBs if I want any semblance of a normal life.

[jcpharm]

Originally Posted by Rudy4

Every time I change strings I put on a set of Elixir Nanowebs I'm reminded of how much I hate these strings...

I hate the way they sound great when installed and then last pretty much forever. This causes me to play my guitar more and I end up getting a lot less done around the house and in the shop.

I do dislike the the longevity because I have more time to do other things instead of changing strings.

Each time a guitar is re-strung there's a small amount of extra wear on the bridge plate when the new balls re-seat. How am I supposed to develop enough bridge plate wear that my guitar needs repair? I don't have enough repair work to do to keep me busy...

The lack of strings squeaking as I slide my fingers on them encourages me to spend more time doing audio and video recording, which further cuts into my productivity towards reaching the bottom of the job jar.

The smooth feel of the strings does nothing towards wearing down my calloused fingertips, further encouragement to play longer.

The infrequent string changes also prevents me from ordering string sets by the dozen to save money, and the money I do save by not appropriating funds for the necessity of changing often means I buy more fresh flowers for my wife. That causes her to want to spend more time with me, further cutting into my playing time.

I can't get any chores done and my wife wants to spend more close-up time with me.

I'm gonna have to go with uncoated 80/20s or PBs if I want any semblance of a normal life.

nice, Rudy! i "hate'em" as much as you

[scriv58]

I don’t hate nuthin’ except hatred

[Laughingboy68]

For me they sound fine, but I can't stand the feel. The Nanowebs are better than the Polywebs, but I still don't choose to use 'em.

I don't hate all coated strings - EXPs feel great for me. I just hate the slippery feel of Elixirs, especially while string bending.