The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #92078 Message #1767372
Posted By: GUEST,HipflaskAndy
23-Jun-06 - 07:26 AM
Thread Name: rejuvenating old guitar strings.
Subject: RE: rejuvenating old guitar strings.
Very interested to see folk say above that their Elixirs last a year or whatever... Elixers don't last for me at all. I use 'em on one of my guitars (standard tuning) but phosphor bronze on the other (kept in C modal permanently) where I need custom heavier gauge strings. Yes, they (elixer) keep their 'sound' for longer than all conventional strings I've ever used... but... They WEAR OUT on the area where I strike 'em with my thumbpick. The coating frays and if left long enough (cause they're still 'sounding' OK) snap at that point. My friend Robin Garside pointed this was a problem to him too. The coating can be reet nasty too - a wee sliver of it can get embedded in the skin while playing and is as painful as a splinter or shard of metal - not easy to see to remove either! OK, the sound stays good all the while, but I play that much that I wear 'em out, as said, ending up changing a set (say) every third month instead of about every third or fourth week for the phos bronze strung guitar. Are we alone in this, Robin and I? How are you guys making them last a year????? I rarely use a plectrum by the way - I finger pick (and use a thumbpick) - but surely folks that strum a lot must eat through the coating in the same area? Cheers - Duncan