Elixer Strings and Freedom guitars:

aussieteacherPMMD · Post by **aussieteacherPMMD** » Thu Jul 01, 2010 12:36 am

Anyone use 'em? I love Elixers- pricey but remarkable strings.

mikeyBoab · Post by **mikeyBoab** » Thu Jul 01, 2010 7:47 am

I'm more of a D'Addario kind of guy, don't think I've ever tried elixirs. Good sound then?

Post by **Olly** » Thu Jul 01, 2010 7:51 am

Is it the sound/tone the primary reason you choose these?

Often strings for me can be dead in a week which makes guitar playing particularly pricey, so I tend to buy 20 packs at a time of cheaper strings so I don't mind changing them so often.

I have never really noticed too much difference in tone but I haven't experimented that much - so what are your views?

And out of curiosity, what gauge are you both using?

mikeyBoab · Post by **mikeyBoab** » Thu Jul 01, 2010 9:30 am

Olly wrote:Is it the sound/tone the primary reason you choose these?

No, not at all. If I'm to be perfectly honest I think D'Addario's marketing techniques got me hooked when I was an impressionable youngster - they always had massive full-page ads in Guitar World with the latest star of the day looking all cool with his D'Addario strings.

I use a 9-guage on electric, they bend more than a 10 but stay in tune longer than an 8.

I can't actually remember what guage I last bought for the acoustic. I bought a 9 by accident for it once years ago, wasn't thinking! It didn't work out . . . .

Post by **Olly** » Thu Jul 01, 2010 3:20 pm

Aren't they the ones with the little coloured ends. Make it nice and simple for those simple ones to see which string is which!

I'm on 9s on electric too though I fancy changing to 10s and dropping down a step on one of my guitars.

aussieteacherPMMD · Post by **aussieteacherPMMD** » Fri Jul 02, 2010 1:19 am

Olly wrote:Aren't they the ones with the little coloured ends. Make it nice and simple for those simple ones to see which string is which!

I'm on 9s on electric too though I fancy changing to 10s and dropping down a step on one of my guitars.

Hi fellas- Elixers are an expensive string here- $AUD35.00, and have a polymer coating. They have exceptional tone, the accoustics in particular, and the coating reduces finger-scrape to almost nothing and extends the string life. In the process of teaching I can be playing around 5 hours per day, and I still get a couple of months from a set. I use .011 sets on my accoustic, and .010 sets on the electrics.
They have a distinctive sound- have a listen to Hey Hey frpm Clapton's Unplugged album..that crisp sound and slide up to the 7th and 12th fret without scrape is Elixers.
Freedom guitars- are they sold up there?

mikeyBoab · Post by **mikeyBoab** » Fri Jul 02, 2010 8:19 am

aussieteacherPMMD wrote:the coating reduces finger-scrape to almost nothing

Now that is good to know . . . scraping can be incredibly distracting. I might be tempted to try them now.

Post by **Olly** » Fri Jul 02, 2010 8:23 am

aussieteacherPMMD wrote:In the process of teaching I can be playing around 5 hours per day, and I still get a couple of months from a set

This certainly tempts me, as when I was playing even three hours a day it would be a change of strings once every week. I couldn't seem to stop this even with the more expensive strings so I just went cheap and stayed there ever since.

Perhaps I will give the Elixers a go

aussieteacherPMMD · Post by **aussieteacherPMMD** » Fri Jul 02, 2010 3:14 pm

Olly wrote:
aussieteacherPMMD wrote:In the process of teaching I can be playing around 5 hours per day, and I still get a couple of months from a set
This certainly tempts me, as when I was playing even three hours a day it would be a change of strings once every week. I couldn't seem to stop this even with the more expensive strings so I just went cheap and stayed there ever since.

Perhaps I will give the Elixers a go

I used to use D'Addario as well, and Martins. Elixers are worth a try, for sure.
Before I started using Elixers I used DR's or Plectrum /Dr Tomastic's.