I use Elixir guitar strings exclusively on all of my guitars both electric and acoustic. Let me be clear, I am not endorsed by this company and unfortunately I am not being compensated for my publicity of their product, but, they are so good I thought you should know abou them.
You wouldn't think that a guitar string could really make a difference in your overall tone but they do something a little unique with these strings that makes a difference.
When I was a lot younger (and broker if that's a word) I used to leave the strings on my guitars as long as possible. What tends to happen over time is that the strings will collect dirt and oil from your fingers. As this happens the strings begin to lose their bright crisp sound. The debris from your hands will deaden the sound and your strings will make your guitar sound dull.
I used to have to change my strings before every gig so that I would have the best possible tone for my shows. I even went so far as to remove the strings from my guitar and then boil them. This works in a pinch to remove the oil dirt and debris so that they get some of their original quality back. The downside is that this is time consuming and only somewhat effective. So even though I was only pay a few bucks for a set of strings I found myself changing them every month or so.
You wouldn't think that a guitar string could really make a difference in your overall tone but they do something a little unique with these strings that makes a difference.
When I was a lot younger (and broker if that's a word) I used to leave the strings on my guitars as long as possible. What tends to happen over time is that the strings will collect dirt and oil from your fingers. As this happens the strings begin to lose their bright crisp sound. The debris from your hands will deaden the sound and your strings will make your guitar sound dull.
I used to have to change my strings before every gig so that I would have the best possible tone for my shows. I even went so far as to remove the strings from my guitar and then boil them. This works in a pinch to remove the oil dirt and debris so that they get some of their original quality back. The downside is that this is time consuming and only somewhat effective. So even though I was only pay a few bucks for a set of strings I found myself changing them every month or so.
Elixir guitar strings use a special coating that prevents dirt buildup, increases the life of the string and maintains the sound of the string for a longer period.
The first image below is of an un-coated guitar string after 15 hours of play. You can see that the string has collected debris in the grooves. This affects the way the string vibrates thereby making the sound dull.
The second image is the same type of string except that this one has the coating. Both strings were used for 15 hours of play. If you were to play only one hour each day you would probably need to change strings every two weeks. I found that to be the case when I used other brands
The first image below is of an un-coated guitar string after 15 hours of play. You can see that the string has collected debris in the grooves. This affects the way the string vibrates thereby making the sound dull.
The second image is the same type of string except that this one has the coating. Both strings were used for 15 hours of play. If you were to play only one hour each day you would probably need to change strings every two weeks. I found that to be the case when I used other brands
UN-COATED STRING AFTER 15 HOURS OF PLAY
COATED STRING AFTER 15 HOURS OF PLAY
I find I can go a few months before changing strings and I play A LOT! I play a couple of shows a month and I practice, write and record almost daily. The only reason I usually change the strings is because eventually the coating begins to wear where the pick strikes the strings but even this takes considerable time.
So the next time you go for some strings grab a set and try them. They are a little more money but you will find you won't need a new set for a long time. These are WONDERFUL on an acoustic especially.
In the meantime PLAY ON!
Lucas
So the next time you go for some strings grab a set and try them. They are a little more money but you will find you won't need a new set for a long time. These are WONDERFUL on an acoustic especially.
In the meantime PLAY ON!
Lucas
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