coated strings? troubles?

[cporro]

this is long so here is my point up front. i think i'm switching back to un-coated strings based on this experience.

for a while now i have been trying to get my strat to sound more "straty". i'm recording it and it's not doing well. sounds muted etc. so i take it in and have the lace sensors replaced with Dimarzio DP415s. still not right. i adjust the springs so the bridge doesn't float. nope. i mess with every pick, pickup position, picking position. nope.

i start doing some reading and doing some testing. i think maybe it's the nut. so i compare the tone open and fretted at the 1st fret. same dull sound. i think maybe it's the wood so i dampened the whole guitar with pillows... record... then have it balanced on a 1"x1"...record. nope, whatever the dampening takes away from the wood i can't hear.

i just bought my first g&l which i might be in love with (ask in 1 month). it sounds much better then the strat. could it be simply the strings? no, that's too easy. but i swap the low E on the asat with the strat. bingo! the first thing that noticeably changed anything!

the strat has newish elixir nanowebs (these are 10s but i've had 9-12s on over the last few years) the asat has super slinky 10s according to the guy i got it from. so i dig through my string box and find a set of un-coated. i had completely gone coated in the last 2 years maybe more. (all started with a taylor acoustic that came with elixirs and kept the tone forever)

guess what? the strat is a new guitar now.

the thing that really proved this to me was i recorded every test i did. it's obvious when you listen. but restringing takes a while and the ears memory is kinda like that guy's in momento.

has anyone else had this experience? tried recording both and noticed a huge difference? i didn't see anything on my searches. i have read about grounding/noise issues with some coated strings. it might be worth trying a test for yourself.

[helle-man]

I love coated ACOUSTIC guitar strings. Elixers rule on all my Taylors.

But I don't like coated ELECTRIC strings. They just don't have the same twang to my ears.

WR

[bloodied_fingers]

I'm gonna try this.. I'm wondering if I've ever had un-coated strings.

Can anyone recommend some un-coated 11 or 12s to try?

[cporro]

and record them. recording is key imo. there was a big difference. i'm also going to try this on my acoustic guitars because on the electric there was a noticeable acoustic (not from pickups) difference.

[suave eddie]

I'm gonna try this.. I'm wondering if I've ever had un-coated strings.

Can anyone recommend some un-coated 11 or 12s to try?

What are you using now? The vast majority of strings are un-coated.


You will get as many recommendations as there are varieties of strings. Search the archives here--there have been discussions in the past.
Personally, after many years of D'Addarios (which I believe new G&Ls come with) I switched to Curt Mangan Pure Nickle. I was very surprised and impressed with the difference. Many people like Thomastik-Infeld--I'm afraid to try them since they are pretty pricey.

[cporro]

i'm just using what they put on the new guitars from the factory. d'addario elx110 nickel wound right? i'm not going to get into the nuances of uncoated strings for now. just getting the coated ones off made a big difference.

[bloodied_fingers]

I've only used Ernie Ball Slinkys. For a short time I had some 10s, I think they were DR something or other. A friend put them on for me.

I habitually use the 'power slinky' 11s which actually don't seem to be coated. They sure are slippery when new though

[suave eddie]

I've only used Ernie Ball Slinkys. For a short time I had some 10s, I think they were DR something or other. A friend put them on for me.

I habitually use the 'power slinky' 11s which actually don't seem to be coated. They sure are slippery when new though

They would definitely say "coated" if they were. Although there must be others, the only ones I know for sure are coated are Elixers.

I only know one person who uses these on his electric--and only because his hands sweat so much--and also very acidic -- that normal strings do not last very long for him.

[astutzmann]

I use the Thomastik-Infeld. I buy them from Stringsandbeyond.com They are expensive, but they sound fantastic and last a really long time.

I'm not good enough for those strings, but my guitars are, :^))

I like the Elixer on the acoustic too but I tried the THomastic-Infield on those too and amazing.

You want pricey, try their bass strings, ugh!

[bloodied_fingers]

They would definitely say "coated" if they were. Although there must be others, the only ones I know for sure are coated are Elixers.

You're right, I always thought they were coated because they're so slippery but EB has 'coated' strings that are very clearly marked.

I'd like to try some different stuff anyway. Strings have to be a huge factor in sound.

[suave eddie]

I use the Thomastik-Infeld. I buy them from Stringsandbeyond.com They are expensive, but they sound fantastic and last a really long time.

I'm not good enough for those strings, but my guitars are, :^))

I like the Elixer on the acoustic too but I tried the THomastic-Infield on those too and amazing.

You want pricey, try their bass strings, ugh!

Regarding the Thomastiks.........how many of their varieties have you tried?

[Elwood]

I use the Thomastik-Infeld. I buy them from Stringsandbeyond.com They are expensive, but they sound fantastic and last a really long time.

I'm not good enough for those strings, but my guitars are, :^))

I like the Elixer on the acoustic too but I tried the THomastic-Infield on those too and amazing.

+1
Those powerbrights are just awesome, the brass coating on the plains is a little different, they sound like a bell to me .
I'd haven't tried the superalloys, they are a little less ($11 /set) , probably really good .

You want pricey, try their bass strings, ugh!

I need to bite the bullet on a set for the L-2000, and they'll probably sound good for a long time if they are anything like the guitar strings , so $65 + might not be that bad.

When I hit that million dollar note , then 15 dollars on strings seems like a deal.

Try some Curt Mangan strings if you don't want to break the bank .I like the pure nickels. They have a nice feel.

StringsandBeyond ships really fast, I like them.

elwood

[suave eddie]

I use the Thomastik-Infeld. I buy them from Stringsandbeyond.com They are expensive, but they sound fantastic and last a really long time.

I'm not good enough for those strings, but my guitars are, :^))

I like the Elixer on the acoustic too but I tried the THomastic-Infield on those too and amazing.

+1
Those powerbrights are just awesome, the brass coating on the plains is a little different, they sound like a bell to me .
I'd haven't tried the superalloys, they are a little less ($11 /set) , probably really good .

You want pricey, try their bass strings, ugh!

I need to bite the bullet on a set for the L-2000, and they'll probably sound good for a long time if they are anything like the guitar strings , so $65 might not be that bad.

When I hit that million dollar note , then 15 dollars on strings seems like a deal.

Try some Curt Mangan strings if you don't want to break the bank .I like the pure nickels. They have a nice feel.

StringsandBeyond ships really fast, I like them.

elwood

I've been getting the Curt Mangan pure nickels from Stringsandbeyond--periodically they have a Free Shipping on any size order promotion--otherwise it's free shipping for orders $35 or more.

[Elwood]

IIRC I had some 'Cleartones' that sounded good .
I'm gonna have to get some TI's for my Acoustic on the next order . It's easy to hit that $35 with TI's.

[astutzmann]

I like the powerbrights but I prefer the blues sliders.......having a .48 E string is nice! Those are the two I buy, haven't tried the others. Love these.

For bass strings, I have tried the Jazz Bass, Nickel Wound Steel. .43-.100 They are nice, but I am no expert.....

[Boogie Bill]

I'm another one who doesn't like coated strings on my electrics. Since most of the time I wear fret grooves into them, the coated strings are not worth the extra cost, and they do sound a bit muted to me. I use 9-42 Fender Super Bullets on all of my G&Ls. They all have the DF Vibrato. I believe that the bullet end does help with tuning stability.

On my acoustics, I use both coated EXP and J-Series Phosphor Bronze D'Addarios. I mostly use medium gauge, but two use Bluegrass gauge and one uses lights. Since I have several acoustics, the EXPs are nice when I'm not using a guitar frequently, but I might just use the uncoated strings when I'm using a guitar a lot over a short period of time...again, fret wear.

Martin SP and their SP Lifetime strings are also very good. I can use them interchangeably on my acoustic guitars without adjustments. I like the D'Addario packaging better, and the Martin strings are usually more expensive. When the are on a good sale though, I'm not above stocking up.

I quit using Elixirs. My Taylor sounds so much better with PB strings, and I was breaking the Elixirs. They are higher tension than D'Addarios of the same gauge. Better playability, warmer tone, and the EXPs are cheaper...what's not to love?

I am fortunate to be of body chemistry that does not kill strings prematurely. I used to have a friend who worked as an auto maniac...er, mechanic. He could kill a brand new set of XLs in less than ten minutes!

Bill