Andy- I don't think we are comparing cheap strings versus good quality strings. For the sake of my question let's assume that the only difference between the strings is the coating and the price. I don't think anyone would question that D'Addario makes high quality strings.
But Reiver brings up a good question; buyer expectation. If you decide to buy high end coated strings, we expect them to last longer or we as buyers made a bad "buying decision" common marketing phrase that involves the buyer being constantly reassured that they "bought right".
I figure that the current set of Cleartones I have on my Larrivee have at least an hour a day on them and maybe 1.5 hours per day. I put them on about a month and a half ago. Now the .053 low E strings sounds pretty dull to my old ears. So I got about 60 hours out of them before they died. But if I'm just practicing I may just leave them on for a while longer because I'm cheap and lazy!! :laugh:
One other observation I made is that regular strings continue to oxidize even when the guitar sits in the case. Coated strings only seem to go bad when I play them a lot.
Are coated strings worth the price?
Like I said earlier I use Elixer polyweb normaly, but my friend just got me Dean Markley Alchemy Gold Phos they have a great look for sure Brass looking all the way down from E to E the sound is crisp and clear even the lows, but how long will they last I will see I play every day so time will tell so far I like them.
I have several guitars and I find the guitar I pickup is usually the one with the fresh strings. I get better volume and sound. I would say that coated strings last a little longer but probably not enough to justify the expense.
Lately, I have been using the Cleartones ( 12-53) and the coating is so thin that they don't seem like a coated string. They go dead before they start loosing the coating, etc.
I get around 3 months out of a set of strings before they start to decay. I don't enjoy changing strings because my old guitars make painful noises during the process
bobk
Lately, I have been using the Cleartones ( 12-53) and the coating is so thin that they don't seem like a coated string. They go dead before they start loosing the coating, etc.
I get around 3 months out of a set of strings before they start to decay. I don't enjoy changing strings because my old guitars make painful noises during the process
bobk
The rule I learned was to change them for home use every 20 hours, but now the coated ones last a bit longer so needs to be ajusted. I feel that the search really is what string will sound best on your guitar, find it you found gold!
Reading Bear's excellent thread here I decided to do a bit of research on Elixir strings, which I do have on my Taylor, but what caught my eye was an excellent tutorial on cleaning your guitar and changing strings. I certainly picked up a couple of tips from it, so I thought Bear wouldn't mind me providing the link as it is certainly on the topic of strings and I found it really very useful. There is a 2 part tutorial, I think it's obvious once you are on the page:
http://www.elixirstrings.com/tipsntrick ... ustic.html
http://www.elixirstrings.com/tipsntrick ... ustic.html
I looked deeper into what makes strings go dead, and the role of coatings in this process. The most significant thing I found, which probably isn't a surprise to Elixir fans, is that the word "coating" means something different to Elixir than to D'Addario, DR Strings, Ernie Ball, and maybe others. The three manufacturers I named, other than Elixir, use electrochemical micro-coatings on the wires to prevent corrosion and resist wear. These coatings are not visible to the naked eye, and in other metallic applications, they are very effective. Elixir, however, does not use such a coating. Their coatings are micro-thin polymer sheaths that completely encase the string. These strings are, theoretically at least, impervious to finger oils, and contamination of all other sorts. This is why Elixirs sound a little less bright when new, and why they hold their sound longer. The electrochemically coated strings of other manufacturers resist corrosion, but are still vulnerable to environmental and players' contaminants.
Strings make sound because of vibration from plucking. The vibration will have a signature based on the amplitude of the pluck and the damping properties of the string. That vibration signature is represented by the sound you hear and the graph you can see in a spectral display, such as in Audacity. The damping properties are affected by the mass of the string and its modulus of elasticity.
So what what actually makes the strings sound dead? The short answer is lack of volume and sustain. From a number of sources, both vested and independent, I found three documented root causes of string mortality: dirt packed into windings, flat spots, and corrosion. One can make some direct correlation between the causes and effects. Dirt packed into windings adds mass and damping properties to the string that account for the lack of volume. Corrosion reduces the modulus of elasticity thereby reducing sustain.
So who said flat spots? Elixir. Remember that polymer sheath? Your punchin' holes in it every time you fret a note. This allows corrosion to eventually occur, and severe flat spotting will affect both mass and the modulus of elasticity where the flats occur.
Physical work will eventually reduce the modulus of elasticity, but probably not by a measurable amount in the lifetime of a guitar string. Consider piano strings. They are the same material as guitar strings, and are rarely replaced. Piano strings are not fretted, not touched by human hands, and are hammered by felt.
I attached two files. The image file is a screenshot of Audacity displaying two graphs: a strum across a set of D'Addario EXP11 strings with about 80 hours' playing time, and a strum across a new set of the same model strings. Reiver was quite right about the results; he correctly predicted new strings would look much better on the graph, and the graph clearly shows the additional amplitude and longer decay of the new strings. I also attached the Audacity file itself if any of you would like to load it and compare the individual strings contained within. The sum of the sustain of the six individual strings was just over twenty six seconds greater than the dead strings. The amplitude was -9.5 dB for new strings against -17.5 dB for dead strings.
My conclusion, therefore, is coated strings will last forever. If you do not play them.
wrench
EDIT: Just getting the image file - the Audacity file is too large.
EDIT AGAIN: You ain't gettin' any files - they're all too big
EDIT AGAIN: See my avatar
Strings make sound because of vibration from plucking. The vibration will have a signature based on the amplitude of the pluck and the damping properties of the string. That vibration signature is represented by the sound you hear and the graph you can see in a spectral display, such as in Audacity. The damping properties are affected by the mass of the string and its modulus of elasticity.
So what what actually makes the strings sound dead? The short answer is lack of volume and sustain. From a number of sources, both vested and independent, I found three documented root causes of string mortality: dirt packed into windings, flat spots, and corrosion. One can make some direct correlation between the causes and effects. Dirt packed into windings adds mass and damping properties to the string that account for the lack of volume. Corrosion reduces the modulus of elasticity thereby reducing sustain.
So who said flat spots? Elixir. Remember that polymer sheath? Your punchin' holes in it every time you fret a note. This allows corrosion to eventually occur, and severe flat spotting will affect both mass and the modulus of elasticity where the flats occur.
Physical work will eventually reduce the modulus of elasticity, but probably not by a measurable amount in the lifetime of a guitar string. Consider piano strings. They are the same material as guitar strings, and are rarely replaced. Piano strings are not fretted, not touched by human hands, and are hammered by felt.
I attached two files. The image file is a screenshot of Audacity displaying two graphs: a strum across a set of D'Addario EXP11 strings with about 80 hours' playing time, and a strum across a new set of the same model strings. Reiver was quite right about the results; he correctly predicted new strings would look much better on the graph, and the graph clearly shows the additional amplitude and longer decay of the new strings. I also attached the Audacity file itself if any of you would like to load it and compare the individual strings contained within. The sum of the sustain of the six individual strings was just over twenty six seconds greater than the dead strings. The amplitude was -9.5 dB for new strings against -17.5 dB for dead strings.
My conclusion, therefore, is coated strings will last forever. If you do not play them.
wrench
EDIT: Just getting the image file - the Audacity file is too large.
EDIT AGAIN: You ain't gettin' any files - they're all too big
EDIT AGAIN: See my avatar
tovo wrote:
I watched that ages ago and am going to try stringing like that next change, so easy, plus i have an old rechargeable screwdriver just waiting to be converted to a winderReading Bear's excellent thread here I decided to do a bit of research on Elixir strings, which I do have on my Taylor, but what caught my eye was an excellent tutorial on cleaning your guitar and changing strings. I certainly picked up a couple of tips from it, so I thought Bear wouldn't mind me providing the link as it is certainly on the topic of strings and I found it really very useful. There is a 2 part tutorial, I think it's obvious once you are on the page:
http://www.elixirstrings.com/tipsntrick ... ustic.html
So, based on all the research and such the last couple of days, it comes down to this:
If you play everyday, then likely you will want uncoated strings and change them every two weeks.
If you play occasionally, then you likely want coated strings and change every two or three months.
If you play everyday, then likely you will want uncoated strings and change them every two weeks.
If you play occasionally, then you likely want coated strings and change every two or three months.