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*Elixir Strings*

it has drop A tuner/"release" should you so desire for some DEEP gospel tones. holds it fairly well too.

its the nicest B I have heard for MOST music. for electronic music my Thumb has a better GROWL. (The thumb) sounds much like weather reports synth-bass in birdland. but for normal b string play and drop a, the frenz is tighter
 
I'm going to give the Elixirs a good long tryout on my two USA Peavey Millennium 5s. I usually use D'Addario XLs but I kill them in about two weeks with my sweaty hands :(
Right now I have a new set of D'addarios on one bass and a new set of Elixirs on the other. While I think the D'addarios sound a bit better new, I suspect in about 2 weeks of playing the Elixirs will sound better.
BTW does anyone know if the tapered B string is useable on string through body bridges. Just curious. My basses string through bridge or body, so either way I can use it. Just ordered a set with tapered B My other bass has the regular non tapered B strung through body.
 
BTW does anyone know if the tapered B string is useable on string through body bridges. Just curious. My basses string through bridge or body, so either way I can use it. Just ordered a set with tapered B My other bass has the regular non tapered B strung through body.

It can depend on the bass and the string. Only a few taperwound sets are made for string-thru-body. The Elixir taper seems to be for top-load. You can still use it string-thru, but the tapered portion will probably fall behind the saddle rather than over it.

Run a test before you cut and wind the string to doublecheck... maybe I'm wrong. If not, you can always string the B top-load to take advantage of the taper, and run the rest of the strings thru-body.
 
I use them on my Tomkins & love em, Gotta hate how much they cost here in aussie, a 5-string set go's for about AU$130! I import from the states, AU$60 inc postage, gota love evilbay!

Bought a set of the new warwick EMP coated ones to try out, still waiting for the elixers to deaden. Looks like I'll be waiting a while!

Cheers
Rusty
 
If you gotta use roundwounds, use Elixir Nanowebs! They only seem expensive - in the end, you will end up saving a lot of money by not buying strings all the time.

The downside?
* They don't sound like a perfect set of Rotosounds fresh out of the bag; but then I think that's not such a bad thing. They sound like a good, new fresh set of mellow Nickel strings.
* They do feel a little "sticky" on your hands until you get used to them.
* Oh, and of course we all wash our hands before putting them on the bass, but even so, the sheer amount of time you'll have these strings on your bass will make them a little...er...funky. Not funky like Bootsie, funky like a pot of mustard greens. As time goes by, it's somewhere between "greasy hot dog" and "nasty handful of coins."
 
BTW does anyone know if the tapered B string is useable on string through body bridges.

I'm using the tapered 130 strung through-body on my ADJV and it sounds and plays fantastically. The taper is behind the saddle; TBH until Fuzzbass's comment it never occurred to me just where the taper should be in relation to the saddle. At any rate, it is not a problem.
 
It can depend on the bass and the string. Only a few taperwound sets are made for string-thru-body. The Elixir taper seems to be for top-load. You can still use it string-thru, but the tapered portion will probably fall behind the saddle rather than over it.

Run a test before you cut and wind the string to doublecheck... maybe I'm wrong. If not, you can always string the B top-load to take advantage of the taper, and run the rest of the strings thru-body.

It really doesn't matter now because music 123 sent me the wrong B string. They sent the extra long set with just a regular long tapered B string. even though their invoice says extra long B string on it. Oh well, the only reason I bought from them was because they gave me a $10 off coupon from the last string order they screwed up for me. I'll just string it through the bridge and be done with them. I'll use just strings.com from now on. They always treat me right.
 
I use them on all my basses.

My Yamaha have them for almost 2 years and they sound good to me.
On my 3 Carvins they have almost 1 year. I love the sound they have and the silk feeling , much more smooth than regular strings.

Sometime the coating become hairy or the coating just seems to fade and become darker at some places.
 
I had them. They sounded ok and lasted forever, but the coating was peeling which was really annoying. I wouldn't go back. I stick with Rotosound now.

I put a set on my P-bass a month ago and the E and A strings are fraying in several spots. Nice tone, but the fraying is annoying for $45.

I have to ask: what's so bad about the peeling/fraying? You can't see it from a distance, and for the life of me I can't feel it. When I notice the fraying, I simply think "oh well, they're finally dying out on me".

I don't often use a pick, so it takes awhile for the fraying to appear.
 
Sometime the coating become hairy or the coating just seems to fade and become darker at some places.

When they become dark, I think that simply means that they're finally collecting dirt because the coating is wearing off. As you've noticed, it doesn't necessarily mean they're dead, they might just be on their way to becoming dead.
 
I have also been using nothing but Elixirs for a couple of years now. Have em on my Ibanez SR800 bass and an old EX140 guitar. They sound good but what I love em for is the feel. Can't beat that...well, flats feel even better but they sound crap in hard rock and stuff.

So Elixirs it is.
 
I have Elixers on my Schecter, and recently put them on my MTD. Love them! Both of these bases are 35 scale and I use the medium gauge XLong strings. However, I just got a new Bongo, and trying to find which ones to get for a 34 scale 5 string... not sure. Seems like for long scale, only light gauges are available. I was wondering if it really makes that much difference. Anybody have experiences with these on a Bongo? Thanks.

Matt