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Joined:
July 2003
Posts: 3111
Location: Nashville TN. | Hate every coated string I have ever tried.
They ALL sound 1/2 dead when they go on.
Think 3 day old Martin Marques
I had brand new EXP string on an Ovation.
(after they came back from the mothership)
Month old Adamas strings still sounded better than new EXP's.
The EXPs now are taken off right away. |
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Joined:
March 2002
Posts: 15664
Location: SoCal | PEZ, don't mince words. What do you really think? |
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Joined:
January 2004
Posts: 1225
Location: Lake Hiawatha, New Jersey | I've been gigging twice a week lately and have a full time job and a 3 year old at home. I have very little time for changing strings these days, and the coated strings sound OK to me. Not quite as good as uncoated, but still quite good. I'm on 5 gigs on my 12 string and 3 on my 6 string and they still sound good. I used to get one or two gigs out of a set. |
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Joined:
July 2005
Posts: 3410
Location: GA USA | Guys, EXP's are buy-one-get-one-free in April at GC, and PEZ has a birthday in a few months.
Actually... I use EXP's. |
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Joined:
January 2006
Posts: 5881
Location: Colorado Rocky Mountains | Originally posted by PEZ:
Hate every coated string I have ever tried.
I don't hate coated strings. I just won't use them, even when received free of charge, which is my favorite kind of string. |
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Joined:
December 2006
Posts: 6268
Location: Florida Central Gulf Coast | "Hi. My name's Iffy... and I use EXPs..."
... although lately I have been trying other types. Still experimenting...
BTW, I've tried some classical D'Ads Pro Arte composites and me like 'em! |
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Joined:
September 2006
Posts: 10777
Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | Originally posted by ProfessorBB:
I don't hate coated strings. I just won't use them, even when received free of charge, which is my favorite kind of string. The only EXP's that I have used came with New or Repaired Ovations from the Mothership.
I never waited for them to wear-out before changing them to EJ16 or the 12-sting counterpart.
I also have assorted packs of strings that I have received with other used guitars that I have bought...
I send them out with my evilBay offerings. :D
Although I do have some Silk-n-Steel's that I will use one day, I am a dedicated D'Addario user.
Someday, someone might send me something that I like better, probably not 'coated'. |
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Joined:
May 2008
Posts: 1555
Location: Indiana | In the interest of full disclosure and kicking expired equine's...
I don't care for EXP's or Cleartones. There are wide differences in sound between brands of coated strings to my ear.
I need to try some of those PB elixirs, Paul.
I've heard good things about them. |
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Joined:
April 2009
Posts: 27
Location: southeast michigan | Time for me to chime in, I've tried coated strings (didn't work for me YMMV). That said I didn't enjoy the D'adrios on my 1869, switched to Martin SP's. They work for me, I've got some Zebra strings I'm going to try next, and if I can get up to Elderly's in Lansing anytime soon, I plan to pick up some Pyramid strings for my strat and some Pyramid strings for the 1869. Great thing about guitar strings is that they are a relative inexpensive and very nondestructive way to mod any guitar.
By the way, I love the Taylor humor--talk about folks who can't take a joke! |
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Joined:
March 2002
Posts: 15664
Location: SoCal | Originally posted by Jonmark Stone:
In the interest of full disclosure and kicking expired equine's...
I don't care for EXP's or Cleartones. There are wide differences in sound between brands of coated strings to my ear.
I need to try some of those PB elixirs, Paul.
I've heard good things about them. Good point JM. I've got Cleartone mediums on the rebuilt Legend and one day it sounds good and the next day not.
Elixir PB's a very consistant (in my opinion). A very good, bright sound. I've got some Ernie Ball coated strings that I need to try.
I've never like EXP's.
Just before the NAMM show, I put some GHS Laurance Juber's (non coated) on the Legend. Sounded great. Temp spent a couple of nights and played that guitar and it was wonderful (not certain it's possible for him to sound bad). Except the strings ended up dead.
The only way to figure out what works best for you is to try a lot of different strings and keep a record. Lights, mediums? Coated, uncoated? etc..... |
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Joined:
October 2006
Posts: 5575
Location: big island | for you d'addario coated string fans, www.stringsandbeyond.com is selling them bogo currently, plus free shipping if the order is over $35.00. |
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Joined:
May 2003
Posts: 4389
Location: Capital District, NY, USA Minor Outlying Islands | First quality music is having a two for one special on the exp coated's, but I think you gotta buy like 75 bucks worth to get free shipping. |
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Joined:
January 2004
Posts: 1225
Location: Lake Hiawatha, New Jersey | Thanks Randy! I just stocked up. |
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Joined:
May 2003
Posts: 4389
Location: Capital District, NY, USA Minor Outlying Islands | Also, I'm with the professor, except I use 'em if I get them free. |
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Joined:
August 2002
Posts: 8307
Location: Tennessee | Hurricane, juststrings.com carries a good selection of Pyramids. I have some of the PBs on my CL12 and they are very good. I also have used the Silver plated and they are different but still good. On your Strat, you might want to try out some D'Addario Chromes if you like flatwounds.
I normally don't used coated strings, but I ordered some real unusual and possibly very interesting ones that should arrive any day. I'm going to put them on the OFC and maybe the EF75. I'll report back. |
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Joined:
April 2009
Posts: 27
Location: southeast michigan | Hi Folks--Changed strings today, tring DR Zebras for the first time on an Ovation. They are a little darker than the Martin SP's but in a good way, we'll see after afew days. |
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Joined:
December 2003
Posts: 1889
Location: Central Massachusetts | looks like the EXP's have been reformulated to use 50% less coating starting this year. Perhaps closer to the Elixer Nano's now. |
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Joined:
March 2005
Posts: 5563
Location: Blue Ridge Mountains | I was having some serious tuning problems on the '48 Martin...the D and G strings were not intonating correctly and it was driving me nuts...I tried everything I could think of but no joy. I went back to Wayne Henderson's yesterday to see if possibly a new bone nut was in order (although I really didn't want to change the original); at first Wayne was stumped just like me...finally after 30 minutes of remeasuring and checking (everything was spot on) he asked me if I had changed strings...I thought about it and told him that yes, Martin had sent me several different free sets (through the Martin Owners Club) and I had installed one set on the D-28. Turns out they were some new coated set. We took them off (D and G first and then the whole set) and installed John Pearse 700M's (Phosper Bronze). WHOA! The intonation problems were gone! The guitar again gave me goose bumps...Wayne sat down and played it for 45 minutes and what a treat that was! I can't describe in words the tone of this guitar: but incredible is certainly one.
I don't know what the Martin set was called but Crap would be a good name...
I do use Elixir's on several othere guitars but I really like D'addario's esp on Ovations...
I think its a preference issue but obviously, some guitars will not tolerate the coated strings...
What a lesson learned! |
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Joined:
December 2008
Posts: 1453
Location: Texas | MusicMishka,
Are you saying that with the same gauge strings, you had intonation problems with a coated set which were solved with a standard set? |
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Joined:
April 2009
Posts: 130
Location: London, UK | My strings of choice with my setup are DR Rares. Couple o times I've tried the coated version, but they're nothing special - certainly not worth the extra cost IMO. What's the point of a longer life when they don't have such a lively sound?
I'm back to the standard Rare set now. |
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Joined:
April 2006
Posts: 848
Location: Munich, Germany | When having a certain amount of guitars, that you don't play regularly, say 10 to 20-something, coated strings make sense.
With non coated, the guitar you grab 3 month after you restrung it sounds dead - even when not being played in the meantime.
I use coated strings on nearly all of my guitars and they always sound fresh.
Maybe not as fresh as fresh non coateds would, but much better than old non coateds.
Different with the regulars. Some of them have non coated, silks and so on...
Best regards,
Kurt |
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Joined:
September 2005
Posts: 3618
Location: GATLINBURG TENNESSEE :) | Aside from Kurt's good points above, I don't see a need for coated strings. I believe (imho) that if I just wash my hands before playing (and sometimes I even use a silicone hand coating lotion from AVON(Silicone Glove) that dries on, My strings seem to last quite a while. If they start going flat I just change them. I once heard an old mechanic say that the brand of oil you use in a car is not as important as frequently changing the oil. The same argument could probably be made for strings. |
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Joined:
January 2004
Posts: 1225
Location: Lake Hiawatha, New Jersey | I've been using them for about 6 weeks now (EXP's on the 6, and Elixer Nano's on the 12) and although I don't think that they sound the same as a brand new uncoated string, they do sound good. I from changing (18) strings before every gig (which, admittedly, probably was overkill), to changing them every 4 or 5 gigs.
I think there are very good points on both sides of this, but for a working musician, I think that these strings are a viable option. To be honest, playing through a P.A. in a crowded (hopefully) bar, it's very difficult to tell the difference in strings anyway. If I were playing unplugged, or recording with a good condenser mic, I'm sure I would go for the uncoated strings. |
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Joined:
June 2006
Posts: 106
Location: UK | I'm a beginner so can't tell the difference anyway - although I do feel, just a bit, that the new silk n steel that I strung on my celebrity make it sound better - or maybe it's because I hadn't changed the strings since I got the guitar. |
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Joined:
August 2006
Posts: 3145
Location: Marlton, NJ | Anyone ever heard of or have experience with these?
Aurora Strings
I know there were varied opinions ( :eek: ) about the other colored strings, so I wondering if these were any better, worse, the same... |
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coated strings
