Elixir strings?

I’m not a fan.
They sound dead and feel weird
I like fresh, lively sounding strings.
If you have acidic sweat, and you “kill” string quickly, they may work for you.
They are made for infrequent players, and people who hate to (or can’t) change their strings, IMO.
I’ll say it again, they are The Emperor’s New Clothes.
Nothing to see (or hear), again, just my opinion.

 

I recently tried some elixirs, I thought they sounded good and lasted a long while, I think you should give them a try just to see for yourself
Some people don’t like them and some do , I think they are good strings but D’addarios also last a long time and cost a third of the price so I stick with them most of the time

I didn’t have any problem with them sounding dead right away I’ve had a set on a strat for probably about 2 months or so and they still sound decent

The only problem I have is that the coating does eventually start to come off a little it’s not as bad as when they first came out though

 

I thought they sounded good and felt nice on my acoustic, except I found they get this furry covering on them when they start to wear. Hard to justify the price though they are expensive here in Oz.
Never tried them on Electric guitar though.

 

I've used the 12's on my acoustic for years and really like them. I keep meaning to try a set of 10's for electric I got free in a multi pack but keep forgetting.

 

I also found Elixirs to sound somewhat dull (dead) from new.
That may be why they claim they last a long time.
Like brookadellbill, I like strings that ring like a bell.
The best I have found (without a ridiculous price) are Pyramids. I use these on my electrics and acoustics.

 

I don't care for them. Feel weird. And, I think the coating adds fractionally to the string diameter.

The set I tried "pinched" in the nut. And having cut the nut very precisely, even a little would be noticed. Which makes sense....I doubt the manufacturer compensates string diameter to accommodate the coating.

A friend was given a set years ago and tried them...it's been six years and they still sound good enough to him that that original set is still on the guitar, in regular use.

And having putzed around with him recently, they sounded fine to me as well.

Try em, you might like em. And if they really do extend the life of a set, then that easily compensates for the price.

 

I'm a big fan of them. I can go through a set of D'addario EXPs in under a week with my caustic swamp monster sweat. BUT, the only Elixirs worth using are the Optiwebs. The others are gunky feeling and very dead. Optiwebs feel and sound very nice to me and last forever. I've had the same set on my Strat since I did the day 1 set-up on it back in June and they're still crust free and plenty lively. I highly recommend.

 

I use Elixr strings on all of my guitars, both acoustic and electric and have for years. I won't use anything else. I have never found them to sound dull or lifeless even when they've been on for a long long time. I absolutely hate string changes and with Elixrs I can avoid doing them for a long time with no downside. But hey, that's just me.

 

Depends which ones, there are three varieties. Didn't care for polyweb or nanowebs but like Optiweb ones.

Only the wound strings are coated. The plain ones are simply treated like all teh other more expensive strings.

 

been using nanoweb since day 1 it's release, atleast here in my country.
I love the slinky feels the nanoweb have. also tonewise is what I just wanted.
my squirty hand can't even stand ernieball slinky for 1 week.
you might try yourself; a pack of nanoweb or optiweb is a must try

 

There you go .... shows how out of touch I am.
Never heard of (or tried .. obviously) Optiweb's.
The Elixir website shows these as brighter than the other two types, so ....

 

Now on all my electrics.

They last forever, they stay bright and they don’t break. They record well. They have a certain focused sound. Maybe fewer clangy overtones you get with some new setts lots of say Ernie Ball which I always used to use. I got frustrated with quickly dulled lower strings.

They feel a little bit different but nothing I had to adjust to and I don’t notice now.

I rotate my (very many) guitars. Some stay in a case for many months and then get suddenly get used for 6 months and are always out. I just want to choose a guitar and know it will sound good straight away.

I think I’ve only changed a couple of sets in 4 years since using them so they are cost effective over the medium term.

Always wipe them down and clean after every play too just like normal strings.

Highly recommended.

 

I was not an early adopter.

But I like the latest version.

I only use the top three, G, B, and E strings. I wish I could buy singles instead of having to buy a whole set.

They work well on a Tele, but I'm not convinced with my Strats yet.

Like @rolandson, I find the coated strings tend to bind in the nut, which is a no-no for keeping a tremolo in tune.

 

I tried them and liked them, but not enough to pay the amount they cost. I paid something like £25 for 2 packs, with a 3rd set thrown in for free...hmm, free. Anyway, I just still use D'Addario 10 46, but it was worth a punt I suppose, just to see if I liked them or not, but I doubt I would buy again.

 

Re use with trem systems - I haven’t noticed that but then I’m in the Bigsby and Jazzmaster subtle wiggle camp rather than heavy use. Might be other factors as I find the strings to be very smooth. If the coating starts to fray in places then that’s the time change strings.

 

About six months ago I bought a Yamaha FSTA that came with Elixir Nanoweb 12-53. This was my first experience with Elixir Strings. I had heard the hype but was not sold to the point of trying them.
I have only played this guitar a moderate amount of time, but I have not noticed any discernible amount of change in the tone.
I have a new set of Elixir’s ready to put on as soon as I feel like the strings need changing, but as of now I haven’t reached that point.
I’ve tried every premium brand string on the market on my other guitars over the years and if I really think that one string is far superior to any other I wouldn’t let the price tag get in the way. But so far I’m not so impressed with Elixir that I think the sound and longevity justify the price.

 

I haven't tried them in a long time, but I didn't care for them. As others have noted, I didn't like the way they felt (reminded me of nylon strings).
I've found that DR Tite-fits work well for me, and don't break/need changed as often as other brands I've tried (Ernie Ball, D'Addario, Dean Markely, DM Blue Steel).

 

I've had them on my six string acoustic since I bought it...I hate to record in public how long each set was on it, but they last a really really really long time ( your mileage may vary )...I usually change them when they start looking bad, not because they sound bad. I have several sets of strings laying around I need to use up, but once I do I'll probably put Elixir back on that particular box.

 

There have been a couple of threads on Elixirs in the past and the responses are pretty much as on this one. Some like them, others don't. I don't, they felt stiff and the sound was a little dead compared to the Rotosounds I've been using for many years.
Try them for yourself, I don't think you'll find a definitive answer here.