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Elixir strings


kevham
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Last month I splashed out and put a set of Elixir coated nickel roundwounds on my Spector Euro LX. Six gigs in and they still sound like new. Normally I change strings every two gigs. I didn’t like the feel at first but I’ve got used to it. My new favourite string!

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I have had a set on at least one bass for over ten years now and I can’t see that changing anytime soon. I just love the soft slinky feel of the strings, and the tone just last so long.

They are well worth the investment if your body chemistry ‘kills off’ other strings. I did a price comparison to another brand and in the same period I had one set of Elixirs on, I would easily have been through  four sets of the other brand which would have cost me a chunk more than the Elixirs.

Just as a side note, I can highly recommend D’Addario NYXL strings too, great feel, brighter tone out of the gate than Elixirs, and I have had a set on my stingray since August last year. Yes they have lost a bit of zing but they still sound good, feel good, and no signs of any corrosion, which for me is unheard of. They aren’t even advertised as a long life string either!

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I can’t believe it took me so long to try these. I’ve used them on acoustic guitar for years.

I’m now 8 gigs in and they still sound and feel like new. I’d have gone through 3 or 4 sets of Rotos or EBs by now.

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16 minutes ago, Aliwobble said:

What’s the feel like on the elixirs? I find that normal round-wounds chew through the finger tips on my right hand, so I’m using  semi-flats which feel good but loose a little top end.

They have a texture to them, unlike flats of course, but they're not abrasive on your fingers. 

I too find they last for years without going flat.
If you're looking for a real "zing" of new round-wounds, they might not be up your street,

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I found the feel slightly ‘slimy’ to begin with. They certainly don’t have the abrasive feel of stainless roundwounds.

I have also tried the coated Rotosound Nexus strings on my Stingray and the Elixirs are far superior in my opinion. The Rotos only lasted 2 gigs before sounding ‘woody’. The Elixirs are now 12 gigs in - they are starting to go off but still useable.

I might try the Ernie Ball coated strings next or maybe a set of colbalt flats for a change......

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  • 4 months later...

i'm a convert for elixir strings too!

i've had them on my jazz for months now and they still sound like new.

just put them on my other sandberg TM bass too.

wont ever look back now :)

string search over.

 

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On 20/01/2019 at 10:12, kevham said:

The Elixirs are now 12 gigs in - they are starting to go off but still useable.

 

I've been tempted to try Elixirs but am still unsure. I generally get 8 gigs out of a set of D'addario EXLs - that's wedding/function length gigs.

Strings Direct sell my current EXL165 choice at £22.99 and the equivalent Elixir strings are £42.99 so I would need to be getting 15 gigs from the Elixirs to break even as it were so I would be disappointed if they started going dull after 12.

I don't use a plectrum, I don't really sweat and I make sure that my hands are always clean so should I expect more than this?

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I use a plectrum, I sweat (tho my hands are always clean) and I like a bright aggressive sound (mostly). I have Elixirs on all my three main gigging basses, I generally take two to a gig and I'll switch between them randomly/on a whim. I've had the same Elixirs on them all for pushing a year now, so that'll be kinda twenty to twenty-five gigs each bass. Plus several hours a week noodling. Only now am I considering replacing the oldest set, which have been on that particular bass for nearly two years.

I find EXLs go off after about ten or a dozen gigs, tops. NYXLs are nice, but don't last anywhere near as long as Elixirs. 

It'd be worth one shot to find out, I'd say...YMMV, etc, etc...

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51 minutes ago, Delberthot said:

I've been tempted to try Elixirs but am still unsure. I generally get 8 gigs out of a set of D'addario EXLs - that's wedding/function length gigs.

Strings Direct sell my current EXL165 choice at £22.99 and the equivalent Elixir strings are £42.99 so I would need to be getting 15 gigs from the Elixirs to break even as it were so I would be disappointed if they started going dull after 12.

I don't use a plectrum, I don't really sweat and I make sure that my hands are always clean so should I expect more than this?

until you try a set you'll never know, I used to use Elixirs, and they did last about 4 times longer than the Rotosounds I was using,  I play with a pick, I went onto DR neon greens (more punky everybody thought) also coated but a completely different animal, not smooth like the Elixirs

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On 11/06/2019 at 07:50, Delberthot said:

I've been tempted to try Elixirs but am still unsure. I generally get 8 gigs out of a set of D'addario EXLs - that's wedding/function length gigs.

Strings Direct sell my current EXL165 choice at £22.99 and the equivalent Elixir strings are £42.99 so I would need to be getting 15 gigs from the Elixirs to break even as it were so I would be disappointed if they started going dull after 12.

I don't use a plectrum, I don't really sweat and I make sure that my hands are always clean so should I expect more than this?

Only way is to try. The Elixirs are still on my no. 1 bass. I did try coated EB strings but they didn’t last and I put the Elixirs back on. Must be up to 20 gigs now.

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  • 2 weeks later...
1 hour ago, LiamPodmore said:

PMT in Salford seemed to have a fairly substantial range when i was in there last weekend. I think Symphony in Wigan also does.

No Elixirs at PMT, the richest they do is NYXLs...I'll phone Symphony, cheers

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16 minutes ago, miles'tone said:

Just wondering what the tension of Elixirs feel like. Can you compare them to any other brand so I can get a bit more of an idea? Cheers. 

the only way to satisfy your curiosity is to try a set, they're not like normal strings, a lot smoother, some like them, I did, some don't, can't say I noticed anything unusual about the tension

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On 02/07/2019 at 19:19, miles'tone said:

Just wondering what the tension of Elixirs feel like. Can you compare them to any other brand so I can get a bit more of an idea? Cheers. 

I would say tension is slightly lower than the nickel Rotosounds.

They are definitely an acquired taste in terms of feel. They are smooth, almost like a flat but not quite. Tonally, they start off like a week old nickel roundwound set and stay that way for literally months and months of playing.

same set still on my Spector - 25 gigs roughly.

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I bought a bass which has Elixirs on it. I loved the feel, the sound and the low tension, so much that I recently bought a set for my main Jazz. I like them more than my usual DR Hi Beams..

They are expensive though and I'd warn people off buying them at knockdown prices from Ebay, as they're probably fake..

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