Elixirs Strings --are Condom strings

[MIKE 450]

I recently put on a set of Elixirs which where £11-oo on my Aavalon, after tunning up I realized this was a mistake the guitar sounded dead. I should have know better as I made the same mistake a year ago, but like most guitarist who love there guitar I thought "nothing but the best" for my guitar. I was lucky this year to meet the worlds greatist acoustic guitarist Tommy Emannuel who's analogy of Elixir strings was condom strings. What a night we had at the Waterfront watching Tommy beat the living daylight's out of he's tiny guitar and then switch to playing some beautiful mellow tunes,if only I could play like that. Anyway the great man prefer's Martin's saying they bring his guitar to life.
So I was thinking after the show when sat playing my guitar with the new Elixirs still on. I think these strings should be called Music Shop Strings. I've been playing for 38 years which means I remember the days when you'd go into a music shop and even the best acoustic's where unplayable because of corrosion and dirt on the strings. These days however most shops have the Elixirs on which because of there coating prevent contamination and corrosion. Very good idea you say and you'd be right, they are also easy on the old fingertips YEAH that may also help guitar sales. When was the last time you saw a music shop assistant cleaning strings and then there's the PRICE £11-00 is someone taking the piss here £11-oo Quid WOW! nanoweb coating cost's an extra £8-00 quid. Unfortunatly it also drown's the sound a bit- enough to put not only me but Tommy Emannuel off. I'm not saying there bad strings what I am saying is they are way to expensive and not as bright as other cheeper strings. When I busking for four to five hours realy playing hard my strings take a lot of abuse no matter who makes them, my hands and throat and legs are working overtime but I love it. What I don't love however is the snobbery if you like about using Elixir.As I've said guitarist want the best for there guitar but I get the feeling Elixir are laughing the whole way to the bank and the music shops with them. And I don't want to hear any retort about Tommy's endorsed by so in so, I'm certently not. So don't encorage these people who make over the top priced strings if we don't buy them the price will come down suiting the part timer's and most importantly preventing other string manufacturers from robbing us all.

[Loki]

Now, gently, and calmly, take a long deep breath,
let it out slowly,
again...

and could we also try paragraphs?

[JB]

I quite like Elixir's because they stay alive for me longer, they give me more play time between changes and that suits me fine but then I'm not performing to an audience so I'll not be to worried as long as I'm happy

As for cost, I've seen Elixir's for about £9 online, that ain't too bad.

[MIKE 450]

Yes sorry Loki your right, but I never realy went to school sorry. And yes John if your not bashing them for 4 hours they could last for year's.
Again I'm saying there not bad strings and thank you for telling us about the price on line-I won't mention the music shop I got them in although I think you may know it well. I just think there to expensive.
I'm one of these guys who does pay his TV License but I'd love it if we all refused because it's to expensive, then the BBC would lower it's price. And I think Elixir have cracked the guitar in the music shop thing, but again sound wise I'd buy martin- because after I play a gig there going in my bin.
The main reason for posting is to get other player's views which I value, and I do think other player's should share any info they have. I forgot to mention the D string broke on my new set of E's after half an hour.
I look at this forum like a bunch of guy's sitting in the pub talking guitar's and must thank everyone for all the advice I've recieve, Thankyou!

[SeanTracey]

I agree with Mike about the Polyweb Elixirs, they arent great (love the Nanos though, and as far as I know I've never paid more for them than the Polys). Just goes to show, everyone certainly has their own preference for sound and feel of their guitars!

About six months ago someone recommended them D'Addario EXP Phosphors to me and I decided to buy a set, along with the faithful Elixir Nanowebs. The guy in the shop rang them through and the total was something like £22 and I remember him saying "£22 odd for strings like..." so even he knew the price was mental. I brought the strings home, stuck the Elixirs on the Avalon, sounded gorgeous, and the D'Adds on the Maton - and I've yet to experience a grubbier, more bogging sounding string. They even felt stinkin! Disgusted with them, they came straight off after I bought another set of Elixir Nanos - the guts of £35 already spent lesson very well learnt.

I used to use the standard Martins years ago but even then I knew they died very quickly, no longer than a week, and I fell in love with Elixirs then. The Elixir Nanos give me sound and lastibility I like, they hold up for a few gigs at least and to me that's more cost-effective than a set of cheaper strings every time you gig. I have a set of Martin SPs here which I'll stick on when the Elixirs I have on at the minute die, and I'll see then...all will be revealed.

[Loki]

I had, for some time, pretty much settled on D'Addario EJ16s, and in fact still rate them very highly.

With the number of guitars in this household,however, all needing string maintenance it caused a shift to something coated, for convenience as much as anything.

I don't think that it'll be permanent though, I'm already fancying trying something different on some of the instruments - like being dead lazy and putting Silk'n' Steels on the Little 'Un.

I'm sorry if it looked like I was getting at you Mike. The plea for paragraphs was really caused by my problem - big blocks of text like that make me eyes cross and I can't read it


btw Seein' we're here in the pub I reckon it must be about your round

[Ross A]

Ah, the never ending search for the 'right' strings! Tommy Emmanuel is a great guitar player - but does he now which strings sound best on your guitar, with your style of play?

I'm not a massive Elixir fan, but I have used them and been satisified with them. I'm not a massive fan of Martin strings either. Each to their own, just use what you feel comfortable with.

[MIKE 450]

Luki you plea for paragraphs was spot on. I just have a bad habit of putting my head down and going for it. If you ever check out my web site you will notice I'm also a horseman.

I grew up in a horsey family, I could ride a horse before I could walk.
I went to England to be a jockey at the age of sixteen. At my interview in Newbury I was told "we are aware that your one of the best horsemen in Ireland but unfortunatly you will grow to be almost six feet"

So that was that, and they where right. I wore a size five shoe then I was very small, then when I turned nineteen I grew and grew and grew size ten shoes five foot eleven.

During my horse riding days I broke almost every bone in my body. My second home was the Ulster Hospital God bless them. So I never went to school that much, but I can ride a horse backwards and I loved every moment of my childhood horsey days.

[adhamh]

This is a great thread. I love talking about strings!

Im gonna set my stall out right from the onset, Elixirs changed my life! That's it, plain and simple. I love them.

I started using Elixir Polywebs just over a year ago now when I bought my Lowden. I previously used mostly Martins. However, I spent a ridiculous amount of money on this fantastic guitar and was gutted to find that after several days it just didnt sound like the guitar I had played for hours in the music shop. It seemed like a totally different, much duller, guitar. A good friend of mine suggested that I buy some Elixirs. I did, and I was delighted with the results. My expensive guitar now continued to sound like an expensive guitar. And even straight after putting the new strings on I found that I liked the sound of them much more than the Martins. However, I wasn't convinced about the feel of the strings, as they're a bit bulky and kinda sticky.

So, Christmas last year I got my first Avalon (what a joyous day that was!) and (on JB's wise recommendation) I decided to put a set of nano web Elixirs on it. I found that these strings had the best of both worlds. Great sound AND great feel.

I find that Elixirs are bright and responsive. Which I love. And they last for much longer than any other strings.

However, there's no such thing as a perfect product. So I have found SOME possible faults.

It could be argued that the strings are TOO bright. Of course, this is a matter of preference. I found it very odd that MIKE450 described them as dead! I have only ever heard people complain about them being too bright. Maybe the strings were part of a bad batch? Could you explain what you mean when you say the strings sounded dead?

Another thing I have noticed is that when you start to thrash out some chords it looses some of its depth and starts to sound thin and trebley (is that a word?).

Of course, Im not an expert guitar player, Im only 22 and am still learning (as I suppose we all are). I've been playing for about 14 years now, but Im a singer/songwriter, so Im no Tommy Emmanuel. Therefore my comments may not be relevant to all playing styles. And Im sure you more experienced and mature guitar players will have a more reliable opinion on these matters than a young whipper-snapper like myself.

One thing I've certainly noticed, as was very interestingly pointed out by MIK450, is that I have major problems with the D string breaking! This has cost me a FORTUNE as Elixir nanowebs cost €22 in Dundalk! (Although JB has since directed me to a website which offers them at a MUCH more reasonable price.) I think that the reason I constantly break the D string is more to do with my bad habits as a guitar player. But I just thought it was interesting that MIKE has encountered the same problem.

All that said, I would HIGHLY recommend Elixirs to anybody. I love the tone and playability of these strings for the type of style I play. And as I am a proud owner of 2 beautiful Avalons, I would putting nothing other than Elixirs on them. Partly because Im a guitar snob (Lol...but it is true. Haha.), but mostly because Im the fussiest person alive!

I hope I haven't bored you all with my extremely long post.
Its been ages since I've posted anything...so Im making up for it. And also avoiding coursework.

[Ross A]

We all know Taylor make some fine guitars? We know they use much different methods to say Avalon to produce and build their guitars? The problem, I find, with Taylor guitars is that they lack character.

Elixir are the Taylor of the string world!

[SeanTracey]

I have a set of Martin SPs here which I'll stick on when the Elixirs I have on at the minute die, and I'll see then...all will be revealed.

To quote myself, I restrung the Maton with the Martin SPs last night - picked up the guitar not five minutes ago for a quick pick and they're dead as a dodo, the bass strings just thud and squeak like mad, no definition or crisp punchy tone. Definitely not for me, back to Nanowebs. They were only good for the first five minutes after stringing! For the extra fiver I'd rather the Nanos.

[lewddude]

Ok, I'll bite. I have been a fan of Elixir strings from their beginning! We all know sound is subjective, and let’s face it; the instrument is only one part of the equation. The other big part is the player and his/her technique. A good guitar player can make a crappie guitar sound good, but not the reverse. Back to the strings, Elixir strings FEEL great, and squeak less, and last longer hands down. So play what you like, and what ever is best for YOU, and your wallet.

Merry Xmas to all, and to all a good night,

Ron

[MIKE 450]

What a great post from my good friend Adhamh, a wonderful guitarist/singer/sonwriter may I add. But 22 euro 22euro- this is exactly my point. Someone is taking the piss.Then Ross goes right to the point with a cracker-Elixir are the Taylor of the string world yes yes yes!

The only Taylor guitar I liked was one I seen in a music shop --Marcus Music-I'd bought my Avalon with me, I went upstairs where you find the goodies Taylor -Gibson etc I plugged them all in sorry I told the young guy who shadow's you while you play, I prefer my Avalon.

Back down the stair's I meet the owner who shows me his Taylor. I strummed the thing--fantastic yeah this is it I said"how much" £4000 he said infact it was over 4 grand I can't remember. I told him I wouldnt busk or even gig with it, but it did sound good. But then so does my Avalon I picked up second Hand for £3oo yeah ha!

When Adhamh says Elixirs changed his life it reminded me of one of my frriends who fell inlove with a girl married her infact, he is continualy skint. He could have married someone else and made love with her, or sorry loved her- anyway he's skink. I must admit he's wife wears lovely Nano stockings sometimes but she's still a girl.

Guitar strings are guitar strings it don't matter if you put stockings on them, that only means there TART strings and should not be 22 euro. I can assure you Adhamh the next time your on youtube playing one of your fine songs NO one will know or give two----- what strings your playing your beautiful Avalon will sound great with almost any make of string.

The real reason my guitar sounded so fff dead was the D string broke just before I was getting on stage to play to a packed growd of six people and a jack russell. But these where Nano£11-00. I am so tempted to make my own strings "MIKE450'S" THE REAL PROFESSIONAL STRING- and charge 44 euro or £23-00 and I'm almost sure some daft idiot would buy them. People like the best-- Marks&Spencer etc-- but at the end of the day I just want steel strings. I want to hear steel strings not nano coated can't hear the steel no more Elixirs.

[adhamh]

When Adhamh says Elixirs changed his life it reminded me of one of my frriends who fell inlove with a girl married her infact, he is continualy skint. He could have married someone else and made love with her, or sorry loved her- anyway he's skink. I must admit he's wife wears lovely Nano stockings sometimes but she's still a girl.

What a fantastic analogy! Well done!

[Darach]

I'm with adhamh on this and know exactly what Seán means on instant rigger mortis with some strings, which can also be related to how acidic your hands tend to get.

However, it's horses for courses and it can actually depend on the guitar, same way one type of tyre doesn't suit all cars for all terrains, certain strings just work well on different guitars and wood combinations. Elixirs can put an extra zing into a martin with a tendency for wooliness, bronze can inject richness into a walnut/cedar combo.

Tommy Emmanuel is definitely not an Elixir fan and stated it publicly last time I saw him, but he qualified it by saying that he changes his strings before every gig so the long lasting factor didn't factor in his requirements.

On the value side of it, I get about 2 weeks out of a set of Martin's, few more out of D'adds, but can get a few months out of a set of Elixirs for casual playing before they start getting tatty and find the Nano's a big improvement on the Polywebs.