Customer Reviews

Elixir Strings Acoustic Guitar Strings, 6 String, Light POLYWEB Coating

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

 

 

There's NO SUCH THING as a "best string". From experimenting over the years, I've found that, while I have "old standbys" that will be the first thing I try, often there is a string that is just right for a particular guitar and it varies from guitar to guitar.

Coated strings have become all the rage over the last few years. They're expensive, but they last a lot longer, especially if you have the kind of body chemistry that causes them to corrode quickly. Also, they minimize the amount of finger noise you get if you slide on the strings.

Elixir Polywebs were the first coated string. The coating is much heavier than that of other strings. This produces a much less bright, more muted sound. I have an old koa guitar that is so bright I can't stand it with standard strings. The Elixir Polywebs tone it down to the point where it's perfect.

If you're looking for a darker sound, then Elixir Polywebs are definitely worth a shot. If you want a coated string but prefer the brighter sound of uncoated strings, then you definitely don't want Polywebs.

The 4 stars applies if you want this particular type of sound. If you don't want this sound, you could end up awarding them 1 star.

These acoustic strings are used on a Laguna acoustic guitar. They are just the right weight, and just the right amount of flex. We've tried D'Addario, brighter sound (D'Addario Acoustic Guitar Strings Set, EXP 80/20 Lite), and Martin, a little stiff (Martin Strings SP Phosphor Bronze 12.5-55 MSP4150). In the end, these Elixirs sound and feel best on this guitar.

As has been said, there is no perfect guitar string for everyone. The perfect guitar string is the one that feels and sounds right to you on your guitar. For the combination we have, these are outstanding strings.

On the strings lasting longer, that's hard to say. Fresh strings do sound better. It's clear that the wound strings do not corrode like non-coated strings. But I'm not certain these last so much longer. We buy them because they sound good and have the right amount of flex to them - playability. Corrosion or crud on the string isn't the sole factor in changing strings.

June 15, 2010 Update: Elixir is a wonderful company. On my third or fourth sets of Elixir strings, the G string snapped as my son was tuning the guitar for the first time. Elixir is outstanding, they will replace any string that doesn't perform up to your standard.

The other amazing thing - I've watched tons of videos and watched a lot of guys change strings, and I'm still very confused. The Elixir website (it's pretty simple elixirstring dot com) is outstanding. Ther is a two part video from the Taylor factory on how to change strings. I swear that if you follow those instructions, you will change strings in minutes. It is so simple and so reproducible. I love this technique.

I'm a huge fan of these strings now!

I love the way these strings sound and they last forever. No. They really do.

My acoustic has had the same strings for 2 years. 2 years!! That's absurd. They still sound good, too. In fact, they sound better than they did new because they have lost that tinny "new-string" sound. Now they sound like normal phosphor bronze strings that have been on a guitar for 3 weeks.

I was traveling in Europe with one of my guitars that had a 2-month old set of strings. Somebody plucked a few notes and looked up to exclaim, "new strings"! I kind of laughed to myself. These strings have completely changed what I consider to be a "new" set.

Granted, they are not cheap, so if you break strings a lot it can get expensive. Clearly, I do not break strings a lot, so for me they are awesome.

Purchased these strings after having tried the Blue Steel strings. My son much prefers the Elixir strings. They last a lot longer than the Blue Steel strings did and he says the Elixir sound better, too.

These strings are very good! I've used them for years now. :-) I recommend these strings to all guitar players.

I've had this set of strings on my guitar for 15 months and they still sound great! I will buy these strings again.

My husband is a player & teaches private lessons; he recommends this to all. And yes, he prefers polyweb to nanoweb.

Not much to say here - they are good strings. If you've never used elixirs it may take some time to get used to, but it's definitely worth a try. One of the selling points is that they last longer - they may last a little longer, but hey, strings are supposed to be replaced, so that's not why I buy these. Rather, they sound nice and I'm used to the slippery feel now.

I've been playing guitar for over twenty years now and I've tried just about every guitar string in existance and even these Elixir coated strings. I've come to realise that the benefits for a slightly longer life barely makes sense given the much higher price you have to pay for it. Eventually, all strings corrode and lose their lustre and if you are a professional playing gigs, you change your strings so often anyway that to pay much more for polycoating doesn't make any sense. If you are the kind that occasionally takes out the axe then maybe this would make a difference but what I do is I get the least expensive ones and make sure I wipe down and clean them, even using products like string cleaners and Fast Fret to reduce finger squeak if necessary and my strings last for quite some time as well except at a much lower cost.

Few people know this but only a few guitar stringmakers exist in the U.S. and many of them that are retailed are actually the same strings with different brand names. Granted Elixir probably isn't one of these as they try to make hay with the time they have left on their patent of this polycoating technology but my thing is why pay so much more for strings when the benefit you get is really not so substantial as to justify the price? I myself use generic Kyser stings for my classical and acoustic guitars and Memphis Electrics for my electric just because they are the cheapest I could find on the web and my sound has not been detrimentally affected in any way. In fact, you are much more likely to improve upon your sound by using better amps and guitar cables than you are with strings; at least most people would be able to hear the difference. Don't get me wrong these Elixir strings are not bad but you are much more likely to get a better sound by improving your technique (practice), getting better cables, pickups, amps, guitars etc than from just using these strings. For better string life, just wipe down and clean the strings before and after use. This discipline once a habit is good enough.

Peace!