Strings

[dmccombe7]

3 Weeks old set of elixirs. Not played aggressively (jazz, chords & little funk slap etc) Not gigged. Coating is showing signs of fraying.
Loved the feel and sound of these strings so its a shame about the quality control.
I know this has been posted on B.C. before but does anyone have any suggestions on a good quality equivelant with similar feel and sound.

Have contacted Strings Direct and Elixir for advice - am I wasting my time with this avenue. ???

Sorry if this is going over old stuff but would appreciate any help or advice.

Cheers
Dave

[alanbass1]

I have used Elixir Nano-web strings for several years now and have not have any issues.

[bobbass4k]

DR's have the longest life of any normal string I've ever played and they sound amazing.

[fatback]

Sounds like something isn't right. Could anything be damaging the coating?

I can bash mine for a year before that happens.

[dmccombe7]

Don't use a pick only fingers and thumb plucking.
Possible finger nails might be catching ?

Surely that would only be same as using a pick and should be able to handle as normal wear and tear.
I've contacted Strings Direct and Elixir themselves to see what they say.
Will keep everyone posted on outcome.

Dave

[bolov]

[quote name='dmccombe7' post='1066090' date='Dec 21 2010, 08:03 PM']3 Weeks old set of elixirs. Not played aggressively (jazz, chords & little funk slap etc) Not gigged. Coating is showing signs of fraying.
Loved the feel and sound of these strings so its a shame about the quality control.
I know this has been posted on B.C. before but does anyone have any suggestions on a good quality equivelant with similar feel and sound.

Have contacted Strings Direct and Elixir for advice - am I wasting my time with this avenue. ???

Sorry if this is going over old stuff but would appreciate any help or advice.

Cheers
Dave[/quote]

I too use Elixirs. I notice the coating frays where I pluck with my right hand and on the most used parts of the string but even though they fray they still keep their tone longer than anything else I have ever used.

[fatback]

Probably a silly Q, but there's no cleaning solvents or anything being used, or exposure to sunlight?

[markstuk]

They do tend to shed fur without much noticeable effect on the sound.. Have you noticed a difference in the tone?

Cheers

Mark

[quote name='dmccombe7' post='1066090' date='Dec 21 2010, 08:03 PM']3 Weeks old set of elixirs. Not played aggressively (jazz, chords & little funk slap etc) Not gigged. Coating is showing signs of fraying.
Loved the feel and sound of these strings so its a shame about the quality control.
I know this has been posted on B.C. before but does anyone have any suggestions on a good quality equivelant with similar feel and sound.

Have contacted Strings Direct and Elixir for advice - am I wasting my time with this avenue. ???

Sorry if this is going over old stuff but would appreciate any help or advice.

Cheers
Dave[/quote]

[dmccombe7]

I guess what I'm seeing is what's been described as "furring" rather than fraying.
It does appear in most played areas.
No solvents used. They haven't been on bass long enough to get to bass cleaning stage yet (3wks) and Warwick is cleaned with Warwick beeswax although I would normally remove strings before cleaning to allow easier access to fretboard areas.

The furring does appear to be more on outer edges of strings.

From the feedback so far it sounds like the furring is quite common and as no change or loss of tone maybe I'm over-worrying.

Dave

[stevebasshead]

I used Elixirs on all my basses for about 2-3 years, they always went furry in the most oft played areas. Sometimes it would take weeks, sometimes months before it appeared but never to the detriment of the sound. I suspect the coating is applied in layers and the furring is just the topmost layer coming off which is why the strings were still protected and the sound wasn't affected.

Personally I found it mildly irritating because being so close to the strings I could see it all the time, but from any distance beyond a couple of feet away it's invisible.

I wouldn't fret too much if I were you. Oh, look. A pun! And not a very good one. I'll get me coat(ing). Bugger, done it again.

[dmccombe7]

[quote name='stevebasshead' post='1067812' date='Dec 23 2010, 02:32 PM']I used Elixirs on all my basses for about 2-3 years, they always went furry in the most oft played areas. Sometimes it would take weeks, sometimes months before it appeared but never to the detriment of the sound. I suspect the coating is applied in layers and the furring is just the topmost layer coming off which is why the strings were still protected and the sound wasn't affected.

Personally I found it mildly irritating because being so close to the strings I could see it all the time, but from any distance beyond a couple of feet away it's invisible.

I wouldn't fret too much if I were you. Oh, look. A pun! And not a very good one. I'll get me coat(ing). Bugger, done it again.[/quote]

Appreciate the feedback - settles my mind a bit and yes the fret pun was good too even though it was pretty bass-ic. Still you sometimes need a pick-up at this time of year. Oh Nuts that's a bridge too far !!!

Cheers
Dave

Edited December 23, 2010 by dmccombe7

[KERMITNT]

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change them every month is cheap......................

[Chris2112]

They've always done that. They did that on my Ibanez BTB405QM many, many years ago! I did find it somewhat irritating so I ran a razor blade over the strings, cutting most of it off.

[dmccombe7]

[quote name='Chris2112' post='1067975' date='Dec 23 2010, 05:19 PM']They've always done that. They did that on my Ibanez BTB405QM many, many years ago! I did find it somewhat irritating so I ran a razor blade over the strings, cutting most of it off.[/quote]

Thanks Chris
It hasn't reached the trimming stage yet but razor is a good tip if it gets to the really annoying stage.

Cheers
Dave

[dmccombe7]

Had email from Strings Direct and they have confirmed what most of you guys have been saying - that its quite normal for strings to fur slightly provided the tone doesn't change.

Thanks for all the feedback - much appreciated and my mind is far more at ease than it was 2 days ago.

Cheers all
Dave

[Doddy]

I put a set on my Fender Jazz 5 about two weeks ago.The coating started to peel after a couple of days-especially over the back pickup,where I pluck. They've also tarnished quite a bit in the same place-more than I've ever noticed on other strings.
I must say,I'm dissapointed with them.

[Faithless]

Don't worry too much about it - coating may come off fast, but strings will still sound good.

I have been using Elixirs for years now, and haven't looked back since. They're probably smoothest strings in the business (I think that's also due to coating) and they sound good for ages - a few 'dedicated' slappers tried my Ibby some time ago, which was equipped with more than year old Elixirs, and they said 'wow, they still zing"..

I also came across to the fact, that, when I played in rock band, and used to do lots of slides/slurs on B and E strings, coating would come off them so much faster..

[dmccombe7]

Can't say I've noticed any tarnishing and after 4 wks it hasn't got any worse than when I first posted on BC.

It does appear nearer where I pluck though and slightly more on the E & A strings where I use my thumb to pick over the bridge pick up.
Not sure if on occasion my thumb nail is catching the string and maybe causing the furring.

Based on what I've read they do seem to have varied quality control issues although majority of feedback is positive and generally good if not excellent.
I'll keep with them cause after 4 wks the tone hasn't faded at all so guess that's a major plus.

Cheers
Dave