I'm actually interested in this. Strings for my 8-string cost nearly $80 and if it managed to make them last longer i'd be keen to give it a try.
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No more need to pay up for coated strings????
- Thread starter vindibona1
- Start date
Every word of this...
"Stringlife liquid polymer coating bonds to strings by causing the positive charge of electrons in your strings to attract to the negative charged polymer. This creates a process called electrovalent bonding."
...is nonsense.
Whether it works or not is a different topic.
"Stringlife liquid polymer coating bonds to strings by causing the positive charge of electrons in your strings to attract to the negative charged polymer. This creates a process called electrovalent bonding."
...is nonsense.
Whether it works or not is a different topic.
I call shenanigans on this one. If you want a coated string you are not going to be able to replicate a factory applied coating at home.
Yeah, that's what I did.
Yep, I use FastFret (same deal) to add a little bit of zing back to dead strings. Usually put it on right before the set starts. They're back to dead the next time I take the bass out of the case though.
That's fine if they don't last any longer for you, but for me the difference is outrageous. 2-3 gigs on a set of non-coated strings. I bought some elixirs last august, and they are still giggable. I'm not going to do the math, but that's significant money saved in my book, which is pretty close to the definition of value, afaik.
As far as this stuff, I don't believe it could work as well as the coating on their strings. I have used 2 sets of black beauties, and had no problem with flaking or longevity, but the coating affects the tone way more than with elixirs. The black beauties are coated sunbeams and they don't sound anything like sunbeams, but I will say they sound good in their own way. Elixirs sound like your basic roundwounds. Not quite as good as some uncoated, but good enough considering how long they last. YMMV, etc.
Why not? Do you have any anecdotal or other evidence that it won't work? If the Elixirs work for you, fine. I have them on my two Taylor acoustics, but only because the way they affect the tone suits these guitars, but don't appreciably make them last longer for me and I wouldn't use them if I couldn't get them for far lower than the $16 set/retail. The Stringlife costs $10 and could probably be used for a dozen sets or so (just guessing). If you tried it and it worked you'd be golden. If not you'd only be out $10. Personally, my strings last me long enough that I don't need coating... though I do use Finger-Ease to make it easier to get around.
Thanks for sharing that information. I was wondering what was under the Black Beauties' coating. I've got Sunbeams on my two Jazz basses right now and want a little different, more subdued sound on my Jazz 4. Perhaps Black Beauties are the ticket?... But as far as Quote: "the coating [on the BB's] 'affects the tone more than with the Elixirs' ". Sorry to pick nits, but how would you know how much difference the coating makes on Elixirs; as Elixirs aren't produced in a non-coated version. I do accept that you like the tone of the Elixirs better, which is perfectly valid.
I can tell you for a fact StringLife effects the tone. As per my above post, I've used Chromes both with and without, ages them by about a week in 24 hours.
Good points. No I've never used the stuff. I doubt it would work because I've tried most coated strings and none of them work for me, but the elixirs. If it worked the same as the coating on DR strings, that wouldn't work for me. I doubt it works better than what's on their coated strings, but technically I guess I can't say it doesn't (I didn't say that btw). I can usually find the elixirs for around 25.00, so I don't see a lot of reason to screw around, but you never know. How could it work much better?
My thinking on the black beauties is that they don't sound anything at all like the sunbeams. I don't think they sound mellower either, but they definitely don't have the high end. I think they're a little grindy, myself. As far as the coating, the elixirs I would bet use rounds that somebody else makes. People have said that SIT makes the string, but I don't know. But assuming they are just a normal round under the coating and not some bizarre sounding string that the coating turns into a normal sounding round, I would say the coating has less effect on the elixir because the black beauty sounds quite a bit different from your average roundwound, to me. Obviously, that's just a guess, but it seams reasonable to me.
So how do you make sure each string is coated exactly the same? How much is enough? How much is too much? Too many variables for me to think about.
If I may offer: in the vast array of automotive products I have encountered, Only one out of hundreds worked. All the others only separated me from my money.
Flats last forever, who cares about coating.
EBMM Regular Slinkys last for about 10 weeks. 5 changes per year. That's $100. What's the need for coating strings?
EBMM Regular Slinkys last for about 10 weeks. 5 changes per year. That's $100. What's the need for coating strings?
Careful...someone might get the impression they don’t have to play their bass at all for perfectly broken in flats. Just pour some of this goop on them every other day and it’s instant Jamerson in less than a year!
Heh except Chromes aren't the flats for Jamerson. They only reach maximum "thump" around year 2. Brand new they don't sound far off from rounds.
You need one of these- an ultrasonic cleaner. I bought a smaller, $25 model and regret not having something larger because it is difficult to clean an entire set at once with the smaller tank. But the ultrasonic cleaner seems to do a very good job of getting the gunk out of the strings based on the residue in the water after the process. The strings do sound fresher after a good cleaning. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07MDF5K4W/ref=ox_sc_saved_title_1?smid=A2HWBNP392YUZT&psc=1
Not to digress too far, but may I ask, which strings do you use for your 8 stringer? I have a 6 string bass that I got used and have never changed the strings. Frankly, I'm not sure what to do with it, but it was a deal that I couldn't pass up.
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I don't use coated strings on my basses as I have flats on all my 4 strings and they don't make coated strings for my 8-string.
Our guitars on the other hand are all strung with Elixir's. For us they last around 10 times as long as uncoated strings. On my rarely played 12 string I've had a set on it for around 6 years or more and they still sound bright and have zero corrosion on the plain strings.
