optima gold strings?

[gwEm]

anyone try these? how do they sound/feel?

they are slightly pricey, and normally i couldn't care less about gold coating, however they have an unusual steinberger size i am interested in.

the theory is the gold doesn't tarnish, so they last longer.

thanks, G

[HTH AMPS]

I'd imagine that the gold will wear off VERY quickly and you'll see very little difference in string life.

I just use Pyramid strings and they last ages - even when I gig every weekend, I leave them on for two months easy.

[Philly Q]

I'd imagine that the gold will wear off VERY quickly

Just as it does on gold hardware!

Are the plain strings gold-plated, or just the wound ones?

[gwEm]

It seems as if all the strings are plated.

I've done some googling on forums, and only found one person to actually use the strings. He felt the gold give a smoother tone than nickel (probably since gold is quite a soft metal?) and found they lasted about a month.

[Brow]

Those strings are quite popular amongst the Brian May/Red Special Guitar crowd as he was/is using them at 1 point.

I've only ever used them on 1 guitar, a Red Special, and as I hadn't played the guitar with 'normal' strings on I can't really say how long they last or how they impact the tone.

They were very easy to bend but that's alot more likely due to the 24" scale of the guitar and the fact that they were 8 gauge strings. Just for reference: when I had a 24" scale guitar, Fender Music Master, I used 11s on it in standard tuning so the 8s felt very un-natural to me.

[Lucas]

To be honest, I wouldn`t trust any coated strings. At some point other guitarist from my band used white coated DR strings, at the beginning they looked interesting, sounded not too bad, but after a little while, that coating started to come off very quickly. And I mean quickly making strings looking terrible and making them pretty much unusable.]

I`m afraid that the same thing could happen in that case.

If you are looking for strings that last really long and retain that clarity and feel of new set, try DR Dimebag signature set. I`ve been using them for about 4 years now (obviously not the same set :lol:).
They last much longer than other strings that I used. For example I sometimes change those DR once every 2 months even (usually month and a half or so), while for example D`Addarios that I used for nearly a decade ware useless and ready to be put into bin after week and a half max 2 weeks of intensive playing.

[Kiichi]

Ainīt those Dimebags also coated? I think to recall something like that but I am not sure. Liked em when I tried em...well as much as I like hex core strings, I always come back to roundcore.

[Lucas]

Ainīt those Dimebags also coated? I think to recall something like that but I am not sure. Liked em when I tried em...well as much as I like hex core strings, I always come back to roundcore.

They are nickel plated which I find totally different to some weird white, green and whatever color you fancy dodgy candy coating.  :D

apparently Elixir strings last ages but cannot confirm it, never used them and don`t believe in adverts that much.

Recently the same friend/guitarist have started using Ernie Ball Cobalt set and believe me or not those strings make huge difference.
That guy keeps changing sets/brands/type of strings due to the fact that he`s never found strings that really meet his needs, always keeps looking for improvement in that aspect.

Once I came to his house and he started playing some random riffs. Instantly I thought that he`s changed some settings on his Line6 HD500 pod (even that he swears that he never would after finding the right ones...). I`ve heard huge improvement in his sound even that he was goofing with the guitar and using Line 6 pod and EMGs. New strings, again...! Ernie Ball Cobalts.

Clean/distorted/lead tones just sounded better with those new COBALT strings. Cleans had distinctive 'twang' and distorted parts were more defined and clear, just better sounding overall.
I haven`t tried those new EB Cobalt strings but will do for sure.
The only bad thing is that they are not as long lasting as my DR Dimebags. If they would it would make them pure gem indeed.

Check what Ernie Ball says on their website about them. Quite interesting.

[dvorak]

I didn't buy into the hype either, until I tried the Elixirs.

I have been a D'Addario user for years. I normally try a bunch of different strings every now and then just for the sake of it. A normal set of strings last me around 2-4 weeks, and the clarity is lost quite quickly.

I put on a set of Elixirs on my Mira last Easter (!), they are still on it. They are getting to the point where the unwound strings are feeling like I need to change them now. They had that nice crispy bright clearness of new strings well into October. I would have gone through atleast 4-5 sets of normal strings in that time. It's amazing.

[gwEm]

thanks for the thoughts guys, Brow's post was pretty handy.

for what its worth, i think i will try a set. the reason is that its rather hard to get double ball strings in an 11-50 size. newtone do a 11-52 which i'm also auditioning.

i'll let you know how it goes with them.

[miguelbatalha]

wow, gold coating? I wonder if they will feel a lot different than the average steel string...

[Slartibartfarst42]

LUCAS

I have tried the Elixir strings and have just gone back to them. I can confirm that they last for a long time. I usually play every night for an hour or two and when I last had Elixir strings I only had one guitar so the strings were in very regular use. In fairness, I still looked after them carefully but I found that a set could last me up to six months. There are strings with better ultimate tone but what I liked about the Elixir strings was their consistency. They sounded good when they went on and still sounded much the same months later. I did eventually change to DR Tite Fits and liked them, even though they didn't last as long but the last few sets I tried had issues with them so I started searching for an alternative again. That took me to the Ernie Ball Cobalts and I'd agree that the tone was fantastic but there were issues. The first set of Cobalts I put on each of my guitars rusted in no time at all. I kid you not, in less than 2 weeks they were so rusty they were all completely useless. As I'd originally bought six sets I changed them all and this second lot seems to be doing rather better but the damage is done now and I won't ever buy any more. I can't justify that kind of cost for something that is worn out in such a short space of time and I've also found that the longer they stay on the guitar, the less tonal advantage they produce. I've now returned to Elixir strings because they work out quite cost effective given how long they last and the tone is consistent.

[Lucas]

Slarti, I totally agree with you.
I know where you`re coming from. Even that I haven`t used EB Cobalts myself, visiting that friend of mine quite often and being concerned about those Cobalt sets, I agree that they rust in no time. Surprisingly even faster than D`Addario. And Addario in my case were good for nothing in about two weeks or so.

I was putting my new set of DR Dimebag exactly on the same day as my mate was putting Cobalts, DRs lasted at least twice as along. That`s a big issue indeed, but on the other hand they sound brilliant and make huge difference even on cheap studio monitors, Line 6 plugged into PC and sets of EMGs. honestly. I was blown away, no joke, when I firstly heard Ernie Ball Cobalts, but there`re issues, big ones.

Ill try one set myself, `cause rusting is really an incommensurable factor and differs from one person sweat to the other, but for now on Ill be loyal to DRs, they are really good and last realy long.


What other strings (more unusual than regular sets) have you played? Any interesting recommendations?

[Slartibartfarst42]

The thing with those Cobalts was the extent of rusting that took place. On normal strings, they can start to feel a little poor as the rust starts to take hold but in no time at all the Cobalts felt like they were cheap iron that had been left out in all weathers for a few months!

I think the most unusual strings I've tried were Skull strings. If I remember correctly they claimed that something about the strings made them last longer but I can't remember exactly what it was. Anyway, the tone was good and they did last quite a long time. Unusually, I found that after 2-3 months the tone started to go off and then for some reason I can't explain, a couple of weeks later they started to improve again. They never got back to their original tone but it was good. I stopped using them after only one set simply because they're so hard to get hold of in this country.

[Lucas]

Slarti,
which Elixirs have you used? Poly or nanoweb? Apparently as I read in some reviews poly ones makes you sound a bit dull in comparison with more vivid nano.

Has anyone tried those cryogenically frozen Dean Markley Blue Steels? They`re on my radar as well even that I don`t like changes  and would rather stick to old well-tried for years things  :D

Coming back to rusting and so on, funny enough DRs Dimebag don`t rust at all! Seriously, after about 2 months (!) they become lifeless sound-wise but look and maintain the feel of new ones anyway! I highly recommend them as I use them for about 4 years now or so.