Customer Reviews

Elixir Strings Acoustic Guitar Strings, 6-String, Extra Light NANOWEB Coating

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I got these for my dad for christmas. He loves them. He's been a musician for about 50 years and says that these are the best strings you can get. If he's happy with them, I'm happy with them.

I put a set of Elixir Nanoweb custom light strings on my main acoustic guitar maybe a couple of months ago. Although I don't play gigs on it, I play the guitar just about every day, or maybe every other day. The custom lights are wonderful: great durability, nice tone and projection, easy on the fingers. I bought a set of the Elixir extra lights for a Laguna 3/4 size travel guitar I have. The reasoning was that the lighter body guitar with a shorter scale could use lighter strings, thereby putting less stress on the body. Compared with the light D'Addario strings that came with the guitar, these have a more muffled low E string. The A string, too, doesn't project as much as the standard strings. Although I've not tried the extra lights on my full-sized acoustic, I suspect that there, too, the lower strings would not have the presence or ring of other brands. Even with the custom light set--where the lower strings are a heavier gauge than a normal light set--the bass notes have a slight hint of that muffled quality. The thing that most players of Elixirs seem to talk about is the playability and the durability. They are smoother feeling than non-coated strings, and certainly don't degrade because of perspiration nearly as quickly as regular strings. The other thing that's important to know, though, is that the Elixirs are excellent at holding a tune, once they're stretched and broken in. That being said, I'm not sure that I would put the extra lights on the Laguna again because of the bass projection issue: a small guitar has little enough bass to begin with and these strings don't help. As you might have guessed, though, I'm thoroughly convinced about the custom lights on the full-sized acoustic.

Although the title of this item says "Nanoweb", the picture and the item I received were "Polyweb". Now that I have had both kinds, I will say that they are both great strings and I will continue buying Elixir - however, the Polyweb strings are a lot harder on my fingers than the Nanoweb, almost to the point of not wanting to use the guitar as often. Unfortunately I bought two sets so it looks like I will be learning to deal with it ;)

I would say that these strings are slightly overrated for the sound they produce. Though they last long and sound nice, I feel I can get an equal if not better tone out of a pack of Martin Phosphor bronze strings.

Tone and "feel" are often subjective to the player's ear, so I won't comment on those. However, few will argue that Elixir (either nano or poly) offer the best longevity. Your strings will sound great throughout the expected life (how hard you play).

If you are a professional this review may not pertain to you as I'm sure you have developed your own preferences by now. However if you are an occasional player (3x a week or less) longevity matters as much as anything else. Asides from that some of the other objective reasons to buy elixirs are:
- Easier on fingers
- Brightest sounding strings compared to other Coated including D'addario, Cleartones, etc...
- Prevents fret board stains
- dampens chord change squeeks or sounds.

I've been playing for 14 years and don't have a problem switching strings manufacturers. But in my opinion until someone builds a product that sounds as good and lasts as long as Elixirs I will remain a happy customer of theirs.

My wife enjoys playing on these because they are so easy to press. They have a clean feel and bright sound. I have not been disappointed with the life or sound of these compared to diadarios or martins.

Would not recommend for more aggressive strummers or loud play. I have broken a couple of these with my heavy strum -- need to go light or mediums for that.

This new Nanoweb coating promises to make the strings last longer due to slower oxidation which normally coats the strings over time and dulls the sound. Having used Elixirs with the thicker coating, I thought they were actually inferior when they were new to Martin SP Phosphor Bronze strings which had been played for several months. I'll report this is no longer true with the new thinner coating. Now, on my Yamaha Compass South acoustic, playing finger style or with a plastic pick, they sound approximately as loud, though not quite as rich, IMHO, when compared to the Martin strings when both are new. The price, which used to be about double, is now only about 30% higher than the Martin SP's. So if you want strings which should last longer on a guitar you don't play every day, these are a good alternative.

After putting these string on about 16 days ago and playing maybe around 10 of those 16 days. The G-string broke while trying to tune down a step. EXTREMELY p****d off and don't think ill be buying this junk again. Long lasting? Could have fooled me.

I don't have a very nice guitar, but these strings make it sound a lot better than typical $7 ones. Since they're so light they will probably tend to snap more easily if played hard, but I don't expect that will happen for a casual player. The coating on the strings will probably keep them from feeling old and coarse for much longer than normal.

good strings. But I find this kinda slippery. Maybe some people will like it. I'm just not used to it yet. sounds cool , of course. These are the most expensive strings out there.THey look like they will last long too!