For so long I have been on the Elixir train in terms of the best guitar strings on the market. While I do not feel they have the best action on the neck you cannot beat their tone and long lasting life. Because of the coating it can make the strings harder to press down. Personally my favorite guitar strings for their action are D’Addario. However, they don’t last long. Once you play through a few songs, if you are a fast picker, the tone is shot. So Elixir is by far the best you could have as a guitarist. My favorite Type of Elixir strings are Phosphor Bronze NANOWEB 13|53 HD Light. If you do not have a lot of finesse you will want medium gauge. I thought Elixir was the best hands down until………
Ernie Ball Strings
I came across Ernie Ball Aluminum Bronze medium gauge 13|56. These have a darker sound, more of a drive, are cheaper, and go on SALE! You can get a pack of these for like 10 dollars. When they are on sale you can get them for nearly 7 dollars. Don’t believe me? These strings are used by some of the top guitarists in the world. It’s very common in the world of percussive guitar with guys like Alexander Misko. The strings can even hold tuning in alternate tunings. Elixir are terrible at alternate tunings, going down a half or even a whole step in particular.
Pros and Cons
The only thing I feel these Ernie Ball strings fail at is longer life span. They do not last as long as Elixir strings. But you can get 2 sets of Ernie Ball for 1 set of Elixir strings. So in my mind it more than covers the life span. Elixir never goes on sale. I appreciate a company that puts stuff on sale. In my mind Elixir has been able to keep their prices high because of no competition but with these Ernie Ball strings I feel that could change.
Conclusion
So if you like a darker sound, more drive, alternate tunings, more balanced sound, and cheaper then you will want Ernie Ball Aluminum Bronze Medium 13|56. If you are not a fan of the new coating on strings I feel you might like these. They do have a coating but to me it has the most old school feel with coating as you can get.
If you want longer life span, brighter, and more suave then Elixir is your best choice. Keep in mind with strings the lighter the gauge the brighter the sound, and the thicker the gauge the darker the sound. I have been on the Elixir train for years. I feel both have their place. If I am honest, I have Elixir and Ernie Ball strings on various guitars. I like both depending on the situation. However, for years Elixir has had no competition until today!
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