Ernie Ball Everlast :)

[Davis Webb]

After years of busking in the heat, I mean 90+ degrees heat, and breaking A, D and G strings (never high B or E strangely)...I resigned myself to either getting 2 gigs out of Elixirs or just changing with cheap Martins each gig and carrying tons of spares. Its the heat. I never break ANY strings during the other 3 seasons. I also have high uric acid levels and that probably makes my sweat the same.

This year my store was out of Elixir 12-54s in PB, so I tried a cheaper coated string, I randomly picked up the Ernie Ball Everlasts, $10 cheaper then Elixirs.

I have done 3 gigs in scorching heat playing aggressively and not a break. No signs of dirt or wear on them. But that is not the whole story.

1. They held their tuning from the time I put them on. With other brands it takes about a half hour or more of playing in the heat to stabilize the tuning. These were good to go within minutes.

2. It usually takes an hour of playing or more to get the new sting jingle out of a set of strings. These sounded like nicely worn in PB right away.

3. The tone is really pleasing, they fill all registers with a unified sound, giving me the wall of chords i need as I vamp over partial chords doing lead lines.

Give these a try if you get a chance. For me they are a life saver.

Now, back out to the predicted 92 degree temps predicted for my gig tommorow.

And yes, I wear a cowboy hat. Try playing in that weather in a baseball cap....!

[NoodleFingers]

I'll second you on the Ernie Ball strings. But I think the reason that they were so much cheaper was because the Everlasts have been replaced with the (I think even better) Paradigm strings. A new pack of Paradigms is usually about as much as a set of Elixirs, maybe a little less.

I do wish more people here on AGF would give the Paradigms (or Everlasts, where you can still find them) a try. I find that they feel and sound great, with the longevity of a coated string but no slipperiness that first week and no difference in sound from an uncoated string.

[12barBill]

Originally Posted by NoodleFingers

I'll second you on the Ernie Ball strings. But I think the reason that they were so much cheaper was because the Everlasts have been replaced with the (I think even better) Paradigm strings. A new pack of Paradigms is usually about as much as a set of Elixirs, maybe a little less.

I do wish more people here on AGF would give the Paradigms (or Everlasts, where you can still find them) a try. I find that they feel and sound great, with the longevity of a coated string but no slipperiness that first week and no difference in sound from an uncoated string.

Hi Noodle. I'm pretty certain the Ernie Ball Everlast strings were not discontinued or replaced by the new Paradigm strings. The Everlast strings are still being made and available in PB and 80/20.

[Davis Webb]

The shop has both Paradigm and Everlast. I tried Paradigms and to be honest, they did not last as long as the Everlast...

[NoodleFingers]

Originally Posted by Bill Sims

Hi Noodle. I'm pretty certain the Ernie Ball Everlast strings were not discontinued or replaced by the new Paradigm strings. The Everlast strings are still being made and available in PB and 80/20.

Looks like you're right. My bad. They have been slowly disappearing from the places I usually look for strings, so I assumed that was just stock running out.

As far as I understand, the difference between the two is that the Paradigms undergo some sort of annealing process before they are coated, which strengthens them but also smooths out the surface (at the microscopic level) so the coating covers and protects better. I have noticed that the Everlasts--while lasting much longer than non-coated strings--didn't seem to have quite the long life that Elixirs do. But the Paradigms seem to last at least as long as Elixirs, though my fingers do discolor them a bit over time.

[Davis Webb]

This is now 3, 4-hour gigs in 85+ degrees with lots of sweat. Finally broke a G. Nothing else. Strings still sound good and playable. That is a new record in these here parts!