Coated vs Uncoated - best economy ?

[Glennwillow]

Hi Andy,

I like D'Addario PB strings. Uncoated, I used EJ16, and I buy these in quantity when on sale. They are not on sale at present, so a 10-pack of EJ16 strings comes to about $7.20/set.

I can accept D'Addario coated strings in PB formulation, and I sometimes buy these strings on sale. D'Addario XT Phosphor Bronze Acoustic Guitar Strings XTAPB1253 Regular Light 12-53 sell for ~$15/set.

I get about two months out of a set of EJ16 strings, so monthly cost = $3.60. I get about 4 months out of the XT coated strings, so monthly cost = $3.75 for 4-month life. Sometimes I get much longer life out of coated strings, and that makes them a better buy.

Coated strings seem to sound more zingy to me. I suspect they are made that way to add extra treble to compensate for the damping of the coating. I don't particularly like the new sound of coated strings.

So for me, it's kind of 6 of one, half-dozen of the other. Mostly, I buy uncoated because when new, I like the sound a little better. But for guitars I don't play as much, I often put coated strings on them because when I pull them out, I want them to be playable without having to change strings.

I always used coated strings on my Guild F-512 12-string and I get a year out those, but my 12-string does not get as much playing time.

- Glenn

[L20A]

First of all, coated and treated strings are the same beast to me.
These strings have protection added that keeps the strings cleaner and lasting longer.

I am one of the players that can kill a set of non coated/treated strings in a 4 hour jam session.

At best, I get 3 to 4 weeks out of a set of non coated/treated strings.
I get up to 4 months from treated/coated strings.
That is 4 times the playing time!

I agree that coated/treated strings do affect the tone of my guitars slightly but not enough for me to go back to changing strings every 3 to 4 weeks on my guitars.

My go to sets are Martin Lifespan or D'Addario XS strings.
Both sets are in Phosphor Bronze.

[steelvibe]

I’ve never hated coated strings but never loved them either. I once had a set of 80/20 XTs that were way too bright on a guitar but didn’t want to remove them hoping they would get better (they didn’t), and so I would not feel so robbed from the expense. They sounded only slightly more reserved after 3 months.

Phosphor bronze XS on the other hand have been a revelation! Love them for the feel, tone and even the tension is better than Elixir set for set. Literally my new string of choice for my carbon.

[JackC1]

Originally Posted by L20A

First of all, coated and treated strings are the same beast to me.

They feel very different to me. Coated strings (Elixir) have a slimy/greasy feel; while treated strings (MArtin Lifespan) have more normal feel.

They also last very differently for me. Coated strings definitely lasts much longer (3x); treated strings lasts only slightly longer (1.5x) than normal strings.

[RussellHawaii]

For me uncoated strings last 1 or 2 months. Treated or coated, such as D’Addario Xs or Xt, or Foxwoods from Stringjoy, last about 4 or 5 months.
So the uncoated might be a better bargain money wise, but the then there’s the time and effort of changing strings.
So it’s a tossup. But I prefer coated for the longer useable life.
For me Elixirs are too-coated feeling, and I prefer the others mentioned now that there are options. I used Elixirs for about 15 years tho and greatly appreciated them in my high corrosion tropical environment.
Foxwoods, by the way, are excellent.

[steelvibe]

Originally Posted by RussellHawaii

Foxwoods, by the way, are excellent.

How would you describe them in comparison to the XS? I prefer the XS over Elixir for the slightly less tension. I guess I could try the Foxwoods too.

[RussellHawaii]

Originally Posted by steelvibe

How would you describe them in comparison to the XS? I prefer the XS over Elixir for the slightly less tension. I guess I could try the Foxwoods too.

I think they are similar in quality. I prefer them so far, but very similar and a bit more expensive. They feel and look especially great when new!
I keep a record of sorts, and when a guitar’s strings feel and sound really good even when not new, I look up the change date and type and put a star by it. Lately I’ve done this for 2 or 3 different guitars with 5 month old strings, and they were all Foxwoods!

[steelvibe]

Originally Posted by RussellHawaii

I think they are similar in quality. I prefer them so far, but very similar and a bit more expensive. They feel and look especially great when new!
I keep a record of sorts, and when a guitar’s strings feel and sound really good even when not new, I look up the change date and type and put a star by it. Lately I’ve done this for 2 or 3 different guitars with 5 month old strings, and they were all Foxwoods!

Plus I heard you can get custom gauges without an upcharge. I'll order a set but I have a lot of strings to burn through before I do.

[Mandobart]

I'm another lucky cuss who doesn't sweat much (certainly not from fingers/paims) and have never had corrosive skin chemistry (my personality however....).

I have never felt the need to try coated strings. I keep my strings on a looong time. Six months to a year plus is not a stretch. I mostly use Curt Mangan phosphor bronze or monel, depending on the instrument.

So for me the "economics" of coated strings don't scow.

[kizz]

Strings have become very expensive here in Europe, so I have bought a set of coated strings now and then, elixir, lifespans and daddario XT's. Unfortunately, they don't stay on for more than a week, then I miss the nuances an uncoated string gives me. I always come to the conclusion that I value sound and playability over economy. A set of uncoated string lasts about a month for me and that's fine.

[BrunoBlack]

I don’t understand the “acid” skin or “skin chemistry” argument. From the little I’ve read, it seems like healthy skin has a normal acid state of 5 or lower to protect against bacteria. In any case, I have no way or interest of measuring my skin condition. What I do know is how long strings last for me. And the only way I know is by trial and error.

I use several brands of un-coated/un-treated strings that I like and they routinely last from 10 hours of playing time to 20 hours of playing time. I also use several coated/treated strings that last from 30 - 60 hours of playing time. Given the cost of a guitar, I do not choose strings based on the pennys-on-the dollar cost differential. Rather, I choose my strings based on the playability, feel, and tone. I don’t love changing strings, so I’ve found a few brands of treated strings I prefer that sound great and last long enough for my liking. I have also found different guitars sound better to my ear with different strings and different alloys.

The only way you will learn what is right is by trying a few different types of strings.

[Scott of the Sa]

When you think of economy, there is another factor. String breakage.
If you tend to strum kind of hard, there is a tendency to break the G and sometimes the D string. So now you have a set with 3 coated strings a new string(often uncoated for me) and two plain strings.
When I was playing alot, I would rather have a newer set of stings that were cheaper and less worn out and likely to break. The ratio was usually 3 to 1. 3 sets of regular stings to 1 set of coated strings.
Life is short: Play what you like.

[Jimi2]

Originally Posted by steelvibe

How would you describe them in comparison to the XS? I prefer the XS over Elixir for the slightly less tension. I guess I could try the Foxwoods too.

I have a custom set of Foxwoods on my OM28 right now - it’s great being able to pick the individual gauges as I wanted to beef up just the trebles and the 6th string for DADGAD tuning. They’re good strings, but honestly I think I’ll go back to XS when they’re done. I find the XS strings to be richer with more overtones; the Foxwoods sound a little drier. Actually, on that guitar they sound a little more like uncoated strings, which might be a good thing for some people, but I prefer the XS. I might try the Foxwoods on a different guitar though.

[SRL]

As with others, I've found coated strings last about twice as long but cost twice as much, so it's a wash — except that you do half as many string changes, and the coated strings are more consistent through their lifespan.

The cheapest way is to buy in bulk, in 10 or 25 pack bulk sets. Easy to find on ebay, Amazon, etc. If you buy 25 packs, you can get strings close to half of the price of a single pack, e.g. D'addario XS for $10.50 a pack instead of $20 a pack, and EJ-16s for $5.20 a pack instead of $10 a pack.

Of course, to make a 25-pack make sense, you need more guitars, always more guitars...

[Forest Dweller]

Uncoated strings last barely 4 weeks, so by your calculations that's about £144 a year. Xs last me 3 months or more, so about £60 to £80. A no brainer really

Robbie