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Joined:
September 2004
Posts: 777
Location: East Wenatchee, WA | I have been buying Adamas "lite" 1818 strings for my 2080 and have generally found them to be a decent string for a few weeks at a time.
When I bought them bulk, they were cheap enough to change regularly.
I recently decided to try some lite Martin bulk strings from stringthis.com and must admit I am generally pleased. They are not as bright as the Adamas string when first put on, but they maintain themselves for a bit longer. I play all told about 2 to 3 hours a week, and I now have a month on them, and they are holding tune well and still don't sound muddy.
I have not tried Elixir's on the 2080 yet and that is next. I had them on a W597 and hated them, yet my 1537 sounds fantastic with Elixirs, so I will slip a set on when I swap out of these Martins. I bought 10 sets of the Martin's so should get nearly a year out of them. |
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Joined:
January 2002
Posts: 14127
Location: 6 String Ranch | I only like Elixers on Nationals. |
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April 2004
Posts: 13303
Location: Latitude 39.56819, Longitude -105.080066 | I don't think Elixers and Adamas go very well together. |
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Joined:
March 2002
Posts: 15664
Location: SoCal | Originally posted by stephent28:
I don't think Elixers and Adamas go very well together. Not true. Try Elixir phospher bronze lights on an Adamas. They sound great on my OFC guitar (ding!)... |
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Joined:
March 2008
Posts: 2683
Location: Hot Springs, S.D. | If you can find SIT strings, you should try those. The SIT stands for "Stay In Tune", and they do. You can put them on, and ten minutes later, you can go play a show. They sound good too, and last at least as long as the Martin strings. I myself, hate Elixers. The only reason I can see that people like them is that they last a long time. They don't go dead, because they were already dead when you took them out of the package. |
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March 2002
Posts: 15664
Location: SoCal | Have you ever tried the Elixir phos/bronze lights? They feel and sound like uncoated strings but last forever. I suspect that most people who put down Elixirs have never tried them.
However, Canterbury, if you tell me that you have tried them, then I'll bow to your superior knowledge. You run a music store. I'm just a thug (but I am a professional thug). But you sound (and I don't know you, this is just how the last post sounds), like a salesman in a GC who's only played Celebs but rips all Ovations. And I know you don't follow that screwy logic...... |
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Joined:
March 2008
Posts: 2683
Location: Hot Springs, S.D. | Hi Moody. Yes , one of my regulars uses them. He has a beautiful hand made guitar, and he swears by elixers. I KNOW that guitar would sound better with different strings. Of course everyone has different taste. There's an old guy who comes into the shop, who is an excellent guitarist, and he prefers dead strings. I mean DEAD, as in years old! I used to put on a new set every week because I just love that bright crisp sound. Sorry if I sound like a know-it-all. It's just my personal taste (combined with a lot of good natured ribbing between me and the guy who swears by Elixers.)But then, I know a lot of people who like D'Adario strings, and I don't care for them either, except for their "Chromes", which are a smooth as silk flatwound. I have also noticed that different guitars sound better with different strings. I still like Martins on my O, but I love the SIT's on my Morgan Monroe. Same with picks. I hardly ever use them, but my O sounds better with a nylon pick, and my friend Glenns O sounds better with a plastic pick. |
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March 2002
Posts: 15664
Location: SoCal | CS,
You're points are well taken. Bottom line, if I read your post right, is that it's all personal preference. Agreed.
Of course, some people's personal opinion is that I should never pick up a guitar......... |
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Joined:
October 2005
Posts: 4048
Location: Utah | My everyday electric guitar is a headless Hohner, which uses strings with balls on each end. The strings stay in tune forever! The guitar has a zero fret, no traditional nut.
So, strings that go out of tune might be something other than the string stretching along the playing length. Perhaps slipping on the tuning peg, slowly stretching on the tuning peg, slipping/binding on the nut or bridge, tuners that slowly unwind, etc. |
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Joined:
April 2004
Posts: 13303
Location: Latitude 39.56819, Longitude -105.080066 | Originally posted by moody, p.i.:
Originally posted by stephent28:
I don't think Elixers and Adamas go very well together. Not true. Try Elixir phospher bronze lights on an Adamas. They sound great on my OFC guitar (ding!)...
but have YOU ever tried Blue Peacocks or Red Devils or Black Beauties or Evergreens.
probably not.....but you have played a Taylor :eek: |
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Joined:
April 2004
Posts: 13303
Location: Latitude 39.56819, Longitude -105.080066 | Just put John Pearse Baritones on the 2080D and I think they suck too.
YMMV |
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June 2006
Posts: 7307
Location: South of most, North of few | ...and the ugly Taylor thing rears it's head again. |
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March 2005
Posts: 5563
Location: Blue Ridge Mountains | Paul (nice to have ya back) I agree with you: Elixir Phos/Bronze Lt's sound great on the 1687 and I use Elixirs on the 1688's: I love the sound. BTW, the 1687-7 had Elixir's on it at Amelia...Matt sounded great using it at the concert on Sat night...
I am not too fond of Martin strings in general...they sent me a new set to try out and the A string was dead from the getgo...but the others dodn't sound bad...soemthing new they're coming out with...
I do like the D'Adarrio's that Ovation ships on the guitars...they last for about a week or two and sound great for that time only.
YMMV |
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March 2002
Posts: 15664
Location: SoCal | Mikey,
I'm not a huge D'Addario fan, but I sent my OFC gitter back to the factory to fix an electrical problem. It came back with the D'Addario EXP's on it late in March and I haven't changed them yet. I've always had bad luck in the past killing EXP's in a matter of days. These really surprise me. But I'm about the change them for Elixir phos/bronze lights this weekend..... |
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Joined:
September 2006
Posts: 10777
Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | I wouldn't buy elixers, cuz I can buy a 3-pack of D'addario's for the same price or less... So much for saving money...
Also when I got that Takamine EJ561C, I was told that it had new elixers on it... But I put a set of EJ15's on it and it sounded much better, until I sold it. |
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Joined:
March 2005
Posts: 5563
Location: Blue Ridge Mountains | Paul, try a set of elixir phos/brnz nanos (lt or med lt). I think you'll like 'em if that's not the set we're talkin about...(I can get so confused...lol) |
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Joined:
March 2002
Posts: 15664
Location: SoCal | Mikey, I use the Elixir phos/bronze strings, lights on several guitars, medium lights on a couple of others.... |
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Joined:
March 2005
Posts: 5563
Location: Blue Ridge Mountains | ;) |
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January 2006
Posts: 5881
Location: Colorado Rocky Mountains | I'm amazed at how often some of you change strings. Maybe it is because I'm always plugged in and can cover tone with equipment, but I'm positive that strings last me much longer than 10 or 12 hours. I've been thinking about creating some form of use tracking system that would allow me to log string changes and hours of use on a particular guitar so that I'm not guessing on the age of strings. At present, I only change them when they're totally in the coffin, and my ears aren't what they use to be. |
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Joined:
April 2004
Posts: 13303
Location: Latitude 39.56819, Longitude -105.080066 | Brad, I have a log book that I have used for years with each page set up for a particular guitar.
That way I not only know when I changed the strings but also what type/gauge/brand, etc that I used along with comments on the sound. That way I know which strings I like on which guitars.
Never really logged the hours of playing time. I guess that was too anal even for me! |
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Joined:
March 2005
Posts: 12759
Location: Boise, Idaho | I've got several sets of D'Add EXPs left. I also bought 3 sets of John Pearse .10 to .47s out of a clearance bin. I couldn't pass up $1 per set even if they might suck. I haven't figured out what to put them on yet.
I don't change strings enough to keep track and I don't play one guitar consistently enough to warrant changing strings often. I probably go close to a year on average, which is probably about as much guitar playing as some of you guys do in 2 weeks.
I have been using Martin Clapton's Choice on the 12 fretters and like the way they sound. |
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Joined:
March 2002
Posts: 15664
Location: SoCal | I've thought about keeping a log on my guitars. I do keep logs on my cars. But I have so few guitars compared to you guys that it's not all that difficult to remember what's on each and when they were changed..... |
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Joined:
March 2005
Posts: 12759
Location: Boise, Idaho | For awhile I was buying guitars so often, which either came with new strings or came with an extra set of strings, that I had several sets laying around. Can you believe it's been a year since I bought a guitar (excluding the 83C I got for my daughter)? My OFC is a year old this month. |
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January 2006
Posts: 5881
Location: Colorado Rocky Mountains | Nice record, Mark. Is it tough to stand up and say that you've been clean for a year? I can't even say that for the past hour. Seriously. |
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Martin Bulk strings
