ANOTHER COATED STRING?!?!

[iplaybassguitar]

okay, so elixers are basically amazing, except theyre hard to find and it makes me cry to pay 55 dollars for 5 strings. i think i heard somewhere that d'addario has a similar coated string, not nanoweb, but something close, that will last longer than most normal strings...is this true? if so, what are they called.

do any other companies make strings as good as elixer but for cheaper? i love the brightness and long life, but the price kills me

[Trevorus]

DR has coated strings. They may be a bit cheaper...

[Tony G]

Yup, the DR Extra Life sets can be had for less than $40 usually.

[iplaybassguitar]

are they good sounding though? a string that lasts for 10 years wont do me any good if they sound like monkeys jumping on aluminum cans

[Trevorus]

DR's sound great.






That is all.

[KeithBMI]

I have a set of coated DR Black Beauties on my Fender. They cost me around $35.00

[McHack]

I've been using DR Black Beauties on one of my basses... I really like them quite a bit.

DR's dont coat the whole string. They coat the winding & then wrap the core.

[NJL]

I have a set of DR BB's... although, IMHO, they sound and feel better than my other coated strings... coated strings for me just don't sound right... I'll stick with my Lo-Riders... those sound right - this is just a fact.

[bassist 4 life]

DR stirng rocks, they last for a while...

[McHack]

Originally Posted by NJL

I have a set of DR BB's... although, IMHO, they sound and feel better than my other coated strings... coated strings for me just don't sound right... I'll stick with my Lo-Riders... those sound right - this is just a fact.

Yea, I've noticed the coating does tend to mute any crispness of attack, you might want if you're doing any slap/pop.

[Koa_Top]

Originally Posted by NJL

I have a set of DR BB's... although, IMHO, they sound and feel better than my other coated strings... coated strings for me just don't sound right... I'll stick with my Lo-Riders... those sound right - this is just a fact.

I totally agree. I just put on DR silver star coated, and they do feel much better than, say, the Elixers, but I still prefer the high beams or Marcus Miller Fatbeams. The DR coateds offer a trade off - longer life for some tone.

[bkief1]

Dave Wyre Strings from north of the border, eh?

http://www.wyresstrings.com/

I've tried 'em for guitar...OK, nothing special, but that was about 4-5 years back.

[WillBuckingham]

Originally Posted by iplaybassguitar

if they sound like monkeys jumping on aluminum cans

That is exactly the sound I'm looking for. You guys have any advice?

[BOOCAKE4U]

there is no substitute for the real thing...if you prefer a more active tone, give the monkeys a few shots of espresso first

[SnakeAnthony]

Any word on the new Bootsy Coated Strings from DR? A guy in a shop let me feel one out of the package, because I was wondering if the coating was thick, but it felt like a normal string. I wonder how they compare to DR Longlifes or Elixers.

[Fuzzbass]

IIRC, Elixir has a patent on coating the entire string rather than the winding. And IMO, that's the important thing to do.

I'm just going on theory because I haven't tried other coated strings for any significant length of time. But I believe the secret to extending the life of a string isn't protecting the winding, it's preventing oil and crud from getting between and underneath the windings. This makes sense because, back in the days of heavy metal light shows, I could kill a set of strings in one set. This wasn't from fatigue or wear, it was simply from sweat. So: coating the entire string, as shown in the Elixir ads, would be the best way to do this IMO.

One could easily argue that they prefer DR or other coated strings not because they last longer, but because they sound better. And it makes sense that the better you protect a string, the more you change its tone. But I happen to like the tone of the Elixirs.

[T Man]

Originally Posted by Fuzzbass

I'm just going on theory because I haven't tried other coated strings for any significant length of time. But I believe the secret to extending the life of a string isn't protecting the winding, it's preventing oil and crud from getting between and underneath the windings. This makes sense because, back in the days of heavy metal light shows, I could kill a set of strings in one set. This wasn't from fatigue or wear, it was simply from sweat. So: coating the entire string, as shown in the Elixir ads, would be the best way to do this IMO.

You're right, but the thing is, my hands sweat so much that my Elixirs become greasy and slippery. I didn't really think anything of it at first, but when my friend picked up my bass and said "Your strings feel so greasy," it made me more aware of the problem. It's kinda gross and it even throws off my playing sometimes because my fingers slip off of them too easily.

[davefarrell]

what sucks for me is i use a 5 string and where i get my **** from only has one kind and theyre 48$ d'adarrio

[xshawnxearthx]

Originally Posted by bkief1

Dave Wyre Strings from north of the border, eh?

http://www.wyresstrings.com/

I've tried 'em for guitar...OK, nothing special, but that was about 4-5 years back.

they are still nothing special.

[Fuzzbass]

Originally Posted by T Man

You're right, but the thing is, my hands sweat so much that my Elixirs become greasy and slippery. I didn't really think anything of it at first, but when my friend picked up my bass and said "Your strings feel so greasy," it made me more aware of the problem. It's kinda gross and it even throws off my playing sometimes because my fingers slip off of them too easily.

That's a good point. I've encountered this, and have the same problem with flatwounds. But eventually I get used to the slipperyness.

Perhaps one of the other brands of coated strings won't feel as slippery when you sweat. Still, I have a feeling that you'll have to choose between coated strings that repel sweat and last a long time but feel too slippery, or other strings that absorb sweat and die quicker but retain an adequate level of friction.