Elixir Acoustic Guitar Strings, 80/20 Bronze, Light 12-53

I have used D’addario J17’s (medium) for decades on all of my acoustic guitars. I have a lot of live guitar performing experience in front of large crowds as well as more intimate smaller settings. One day I bought a used D-28 after thinking about it for days. I asked my buddy Josh to install these strings (light) rather than my standard J-17’s. I was blown away immediately, with just how silky they are to play on and they just brought out the tonaliscious sound that waiting to be discovered on my Martin. I played a concert with them (American roots/bluegrass) and they really bring out the musical part of my playing. Additionally, they last for about 30-40 hours of playing/practicing. In the past I would replace my J-17’s a few days before every gig. Now I just don’t have to. When I first performed in the ’60’s, there were far fewer choices of strings. You may be faithful to your own brand of strings, but I encourage you to at least try these one time and see if they don’t bring out the magic and tone of your playing more than ever. They stay clean longer too and I’ve seen no corrosion. I’ve played mediums all of my life. When I discovered the beauty of lights in this string it relieved all the tendon pain and arthritis pain I had started to have. Highly recommended!!!

I purchased the Elixir Polyweb strings to tone down the sound on my Yamaha LL16D Black guitar I recently modified with a bone saddle and ebony bridge pins which initially brightened up the sound a bit too much. The Polyweb light 12/53 bronze strings definitely warmed up the entire sound and tamed the highs and mid tones enough to compensate.

I got these strings, so it wouldn’t be quite as painful, working up callouses on my fingers on the guitar. I’m a cellist, so I had callous, but the feel of guitar strings is quite rough on the hands. I split the difference between a rough string and a more coated string. It’s a happy medium. I thought I’d already have the callouses since I play another string instrument, but I had to learn a different ‘feel’. Definitely better that just wrapped strings, at least to start with. Don’t get me wrong, these are GOOD strings, good quality, and they also produce a good sound. They’re just a bit easier on the hand.

I own several guitars, and I found that the Elixir Polyweb light strings really bring out the sound, and character of some of my guitars. It made a HUGE difference in the quality of sound on my Taylor, and Epiphone Masterbuilt series guitars. These guitars really resonate, and now sound like they were meant to sound! I just can’t bring myself to try them on my high end Gibsons yet – but maybe someday. For now, I am sticking to Gibson strings on those – that’s what they came with, and I want to keep that factory sound that I fell in love with on those for now.

Lots of folk’s complaints center on string degradation – coating coming off, corrosion (rusting), etc… There are 3 things you MUST do if you want your strings to last any fair amount of time:

1. Wipe your neck, and your strings off after you finish playing – EVERY TIME. Get anal about it, and make it part of your routine – before long, it will become a standard part of playing any guitar. It will just feel natural to wipe everything down when finished – including the strings!

2. Control humidity! High humidity is a string killer! Don’t just control humidity in the case – if at all possible, control the humidity in the room you are playing, and storing your guitar in. I know this is not practical for everyone, but if at all possible – do it – especially if you have high end guitars, and play them a lot. If not possible, at least keep a de-humidifier/humidifier in your case, and keep the sponge moist (humidifier), or change the desiccant out regularly (dehumidifier). Store your guitar in the case when not playing it to keep it in the correct humidity level.

3. The lighter you play, the longer the strings last. I know players that really “dig in” to their strings when they play – they get very aggressive and dig into each string almost to the point of breaking it. When practicing, or playing for enjoyment, try to lay off the hard strumming or picking. This aggressive attack on the strings shortens their lifespan considerably. It is especially destructive to Polyweb and Nonaoweb coatings – you are literally “ripping” the coatings off the strings. If you play venues, or record a lot, and aggressive playing is just your style – go for it! Just be aware that you will go through strings like crazy (but you already know that ; ) )

I play my guitars 2 to 3 hours every day – 7 days a week. I do rotate them when playing, so there is not a single guitar that gets the bulk of the playing time. They all have their purpose and distinct sound, so depending on the type of songs I play that day determines which guitar(s) I will play. My strings last 3 to 4 months before I need to change them out. Before I learned to clean the strings, control the humidity, and control the aggressiveness of my playing, I was changing strings every 2 to 4 weeks. That was getting expensive quick!!

Die Saiten haben einen tollen Klang. Hatte schon viele von anderen Marken und da haben auch leider meine Finger nach einiger Zeit dunkel verfärbt. Das passiert bei dieses Saiten nicht. Auch bei längerem Spielen nicht. Würde sie immer wieder kaufen

They sound good overall and the squeak a lot less than the strings that came on the guitar