What coated strings?

Bidley

So having run out of D'addario EXP110s, I'm looking for some new strings that don't get disgusting after a couple of rehearsals.

Recently tried the D'addario XTs which lasted about as long as the bog-standard XLs, so they're out. Shame they don't do proper coated strings any more.

Is Elixir my only option now? What strings are similar to the old D'add EXPs?

more

I'm not a fan of coated strings  .I believe the coating needs to be a minimum  thickness to be effective , but  it will dull the tone. D'Addario   have been trying to sell  their Hydophobic coating mumbo jumbo  with   XT range . The revues are not trustworthy and to me it looks like a price  raise for the same thing as before , but in a different box . So it going to be Elixir ?

monquixote

I really like Elixir.

They do three different coatings so you've got options as to how slippy you can deal with.

Blueingreen

Big Elixir fan.  Recently recommended them to a mate who's started to play more seriously again after years and he's absolutely loving them.

CarpeDiem

I use Elixir Nanoweb strings, which I generally wipe off after playing. They retain their tone for longer than non-coated strings that I have tried.

PonchoGreg

Elixir Optiweb for sure. Close to a normal string in feel (though not 100% there but the benefits outweigh that, if long-lasting is what you're after), a bit brighter than Ernie balls perhaps but they settle in nicely after a few weeks. I don't know what they use on the plain strings but it really works - no trace of corrosion after months on some guitars, and regular strings usually go grimy after 2-3 weeks of regular use for me.

Add to that the fact that you can frequently buy sets on Amazon for a tenner, it's a bit of a no-brainer.

Corvus

Optiwebs are great, feel good and last ages. Especially with a regular string cleaner wipe.

skunkwerx

PonchoGreg said:

Elixir Optiweb for sure. Close to a normal string in feel (though not 100% there but the benefits outweigh that, if long-lasting is what you're after), a bit brighter than Ernie balls perhaps but they settle in nicely after a few weeks. I don't know what they use on the plain strings but it really works - no trace of corrosion after months on some guitars, and regular strings usually go grimy after 2-3 weeks of regular use for me.

Add to that the fact that you can frequently buy sets on Amazon for a tenner, it's a bit of a no-brainer.

Treble/plain strings are anti rust coated they say. 

Not sure what that entails, as I thought most plain strings are steel.. maybe instead of tin they coat it in stainless steel lol. I dunno. 

rze99

I’ve got a lot of guitars in rotation and I hate the faff of changing strings so they’re pretty much all now Elixr. No regrets ... other than not standardising sooner. 

Bidley

I've ordered a set of optiwebs, will probably go over to them! Cheers all!

Greatape

Elixir all the way. The D'addarios feel horrible.

english_bob

I've tried several different brands of coated strings and IMO the Elixir Optiwebs are the best- sound most like a "normal" string, but with the benefit of the anti-rust coating.

Second place is either Elixir Nanowebs or DR Dragonskins. I like the DRs a little better- they sound a little better than the Elixirs and last just as long, but they're harder to get hold of.

D'Addario coated strings never seem to last much longer than a regular set, although there are a lot of fakes on the internet so it's possible at least some of the ones I've had weren't genuine. The Fender coated strings were OK but I don't think they make them for electric any more.

But don't go near the Elixir Polyweb acoustic strings. I've got an electric set at the moment which is alright, but the acoustic ones sound pretty much like you'd expect a set of strings with a layer of plastic around them to sound.

Nerine

Rotosound 10’s for me. 

The strings on one of my Suhrs were about 6 months old. (Couldn’t be bothered to change them because of lockdown and not gigging every weekend.) 
I played a lot of guitar in that time and they never went out of tune, never broke. They even still sounded alright. 
I did change them the other day because my guitar was starting to look a bit scummy, and the strings were really mucky. But even so. No issues. 

I think the whole coated string thing is a bit of a red herring. Ive tried them and found they were worse in general. The coating lasts about an hour or two before they start to go fluffy and I don’t think they sound as good. 

Rotosounds always feel smooth to me. They don’t seem to cause much friction and the hand seems to slide along them with no effort. I’m not sure what I’d gain by switching to a coated set. 

digitalkettle

Optiweb believer here...I’ve got some sets that have been on for over a year

Something I haven’t seen mentioned regarding coated strings:
they make it a bit harder to stay grounded to the guitar so, most noticeably when recording, one has to be careful to avoid extra buzzes and ‘clicks’ as you break contact

meltedbuzzbox

Nerine said:

Rotosound 10’s for me. 

The strings on one of my Suhrs were about 6 months old. (Couldn’t be bothered to change them because of lockdown and not gigging every weekend.) 
I played a lot of guitar in that time and they never went out of tune, never broke. They even still sounded alright. 
I did change them the other day because my guitar was starting to look a bit scummy, and the strings were really mucky. But even so. No issues. 

I think the whole coated string thing is a bit of a red herring. Ive tried them and found they were worse in general. The coating lasts about an hour or two before they start to go fluffy and I don’t think they sound as good. 

Rotosounds always feel smooth to me. They don’t seem to cause much friction and the hand seems to slide along them with no effort. I’m not sure what I’d gain by switching to a coated set. 

Whilst I am no advocate of coated strings I am surprised by your choice/opinion. For me rotosounds are by far the worst strings out there.

I've not had coated strings go fluffy that quick but equally I just use standard daddario strings. They last long enough for me.

Strat54

None. 

Bidley

Nerine said:

Rotosound 10’s for me. 

The strings on one of my Suhrs were about 6 months old. (Couldn’t be bothered to change them because of lockdown and not gigging every weekend.) 
I played a lot of guitar in that time and they never went out of tune, never broke. They even still sounded alright. 
I did change them the other day because my guitar was starting to look a bit scummy, and the strings were really mucky. But even so. No issues. 

I think the whole coated string thing is a bit of a red herring. Ive tried them and found they were worse in general. The coating lasts about an hour or two before they start to go fluffy and I don’t think they sound as good. 

Rotosounds always feel smooth to me. They don’t seem to cause much friction and the hand seems to slide along them with no effort. I’m not sure what I’d gain by switching to a coated set. 

It's funny because regular strings go gross on me after a month of regular play - much less with gigs and rehearsals.

Coated strings last months and months. I have no problems with "dead" strings but strings that go black and start to drag are a problem.

Blueingreen

I like the Optiwebs best but the Nanos are just fine, for me the difference is pretty marginal.  But then I had years of playing Nanos before the Optiwebs became available so I'm well used to them.

I've had dealers stick a couple of sets of non-coated strings in the case when selling me a guitar and never used them.  Just couldn't be bothered knowing I'd just have to replace them in a couple of weeks, even when they were free.

Bill_S

digitalkettle said:

Optiweb believer here...I’ve got some sets that have been on for over a year

Something I haven’t seen mentioned regarding coated strings:
they make it a bit harder to stay grounded to the guitar so, most noticeably when recording, one has to be careful to avoid extra buzzes and ‘clicks’ as you break contact

I would love to swap over to Optiwebs as I am forever changing strings on all my guitars- I play em all! But equally, all I do is record - is this grounding issue a real problem? Makes me a bit nervous. Guess I could order some and find out...

digitalkettle

Bill_S said:

digitalkettle said:

Optiweb believer here...I’ve got some sets that have been on for over a year

Something I haven’t seen mentioned regarding coated strings:
they make it a bit harder to stay grounded to the guitar so, most noticeably when recording, one has to be careful to avoid extra buzzes and ‘clicks’ as you break contact

I would love to swap over to Optiwebs as I am forever changing strings on all my guitars- I play em all! But equally, all I do is record - is this grounding issue a real problem? Makes me a bit nervous. Guess I could order some and find out...

Not a massive problem...I notice it every now and then. It's just something to add to one's 'keeping stuff quiet' regimen...it's not often you're only touching the wound strings

You should definitely try a set!

Nerine

meltedbuzzbox said:

Nerine said:

Rotosound 10’s for me. 

The strings on one of my Suhrs were about 6 months old. (Couldn’t be bothered to change them because of lockdown and not gigging every weekend.) 
I played a lot of guitar in that time and they never went out of tune, never broke. They even still sounded alright. 
I did change them the other day because my guitar was starting to look a bit scummy, and the strings were really mucky. But even so. No issues. 

I think the whole coated string thing is a bit of a red herring. Ive tried them and found they were worse in general. The coating lasts about an hour or two before they start to go fluffy and I don’t think they sound as good. 

Rotosounds always feel smooth to me. They don’t seem to cause much friction and the hand seems to slide along them with no effort. I’m not sure what I’d gain by switching to a coated set. 

Whilst I am no advocate of coated strings I am surprised by your choice/opinion. For me rotosounds are by far the worst strings out there.

I've not had coated strings go fluffy that quick but equally I just use standard daddario strings. They last long enough for me.

The reason I like Rotosounds, and have always used them is as follows:

I should also add that I have tried a lot of other string brands over the last 30 years or so, too.

Essentially, I do not like the sound of brand new strings and I do not like the feel of them either. I find new strings have too much "zing" to them, they sound too "wiry" and I also believe they have more harmonic overtones in the top end. To my ear, this makes the sound of the guitar unstable. The increased overtones add too much complexity to the notes and I find that the instrument sounds less true. I find the overtones clash with each other and I find it jarring. Not in a huge way. It's very subtle. 

Even so, Rotosounds tend to lose this zing quite quickly and then settle down into a much more controllable string for an extended period of time. I guess the "newness" wears off after a gig and after that I enjoy a much more solid tone, rock solid tuning and a more slinky feel under the fingers. I do stretch the strings a lot to help with this when they are fresh out of the pack. 

Regardless of this, i can't remember the last time I broke one at a gig (I do tend to change them every two or three depending on schedule, and I also clean them afterwards with Dunlop String Cleaner), and I do have quite a tendency to expect quite a lot of the strings. My technique is sometimes quite emotive and aggressive with a wide vibrato and large bends etc. I use a Jazz III XL for all picking duties and I am occasionally very hard on the tremolo.

Rotosound (Yellows) are just my go to string, simply because I like them and I have no reason to change. They last ages if I need them to, and I NEVER have tuning or intonation issues. But then my guitars are probably set up well, too, so I guess that helps a lot.

I do read quite a lot of posts about strings, and I'm always surprised they aren't more widely liked. For me they really sing and sound really solid and true.