FEATURE > STRINGS
they seem to be more widely used in the
acoustic realm) claiming they muffle the
string’s natural tone or sometimes have a
bit of a sticky feel. However, some manufacturers claim there isn’t an appreciable
difference, while others say a different feel
was precisely the goal for developing coated
strings in the first place.
“It’s about giving players options,” says
Steve R. Rosenberg, project manager at
Elixir Strings, the company that pioneered
coated strings. “Originally, it was about the
feel of the string—the idea that it gave you
a different feel. [But] after tens of thousands
of strings, [we realized] this long-tone-life
benefit trumped the original concept.”
Today, depending on target markets and
branding strategies, some companies choose
to highlight the difference of a coated string
while others downplay the difference between
the playability of coated versus uncoated.
D’Addario’s Vance says, “Our EXP
coated [acoustic] strings look, sound, and
feel like traditional strings, while providing
a barrier against corrosion and wear. They
retain their new-string tone and last three to
four times longer than traditional strings.”
Actual coating methodologies vary
from manufacturer to manufacturer. Elixir
Strings, for example, owns a patent on
materials and technologies that coat the
strings’ cracks and crevices.
“As you play, dirt and gunk accumulates
between the windings, in the gaps,” says
Elixir’s Rosenberg. “What that does is add
mass, but more importantly, it’s restrict-
ing the motion so your string can’t freely
vibrate. That’s what’s causing those highs to
roll off and lose that bright tone people are
looking for. Unless you are protecting the
gap between the winding—physically pre-
venting material from accumulating—you’re
not significantly changing tone life.”
Colored strings, such as the Neon series
from DR Strings or the guitar and bass sets
from Srings by Aurora, illustrate another
reason to balance coating size with playabil-
ity and longevity. While enabling players to
customize instrument appearance, colored
strings also reveal the worn spots. “If you
have a coating you’re saying is really thin, but
you can’t tell it’s there, if you put pigment
in it, you’d see how fast it went away,” says
Thomas Klukosky, factory manager at DR.
“If you’re going super thin—down to micron
coatings—you’ll rub off the plating. As soon
as your string hits the fret, it starts wearing
away whatever the string is made of.”
Machinery and construction practices factor into quality of string production, says Jason How
of Rotosound, which controls all of its hardware in-house, from machine design to operation
speed. Photos courtesy of Rotosound
Smart Tools to Aid Your Search
Big-name guitarists (and their techs) get
courted by reps from every imaginable string
company, so they have it a bit easier when
it comes to selecting their go-to strings. But
how should a weekend warrior go about it?
“Patiently,” says Dean Markley’s Vittek.
“Developing as a musician is a long process.
Finding the tools you need to do so can be
even longer. Try them all. Trial and error
will be the only way you come to a conclu-
sion of what string works best for you.”
Russ McFee, president of GHS Strings,
agrees with the trial-and-error nature of the
process. “The best advice is to experiment.
Strings feel different to every player, and
you have to find the one that fits your own
playing. In our opinion, a new player should
keep the gauge of the string on the lighter
side—for both electric and acoustic. As
the player gets more experience, then he or
she can try heavier gauges for a little more
punch and volume or for different tunings.”
Many guitar companies help beginners via
interactive website tools that help you zero-in
on a particular type of string. For example,
GHS features a graphic of a string delineated
with various string models along a con-
tinuum from bright to mellow. D’Addario’s
website has a similar string-selection tool that
also enables you to add filters for coating,
wrap material, and construction. Ernie Ball
offers three different web tools: The Tone
Universe and String Player offer different
ways to listen to clean or distorted record-
ings (single-string or chord) of various string
types, while the String Finder lets you refer-
ence the company’s diverse roster of famous
endorsees to help you decide which string
type and gauge might work for you.
The Future of Strings
The string industry has invested millions
of dollars in research and development to
bring us some pretty cool innovations over
the years—innovations that are easy to
take for granted or overlook. A medieval
traveling minstrel accustomed to stretch-
ing gut strings across his lute would be
shocked at the variety and combinations
of alloys, gauges, and coatings available in
the 21st century. And if one thing’s for sure
after talking to reps from so many of these
companies, it’s that we can count on them
continuing to blaze new trails.
118 PREMIER GUITAR JUNE 2012
premierguitar.com
