Long live the string!

What is the longest lasting strings available?

[Bruce Evans]

Thomastic Infields or Elixrs.

[John Flynn]

Every string is a trade-off based on personal preference. String life is just one trade off. Case in point: The EXP 74's last forever, they can't corrode, so there is only very long-term metal fatigue to wear them out. Unfortunately, they have way too many overtones for me, so I wished they would die a little, but they didn't.

IMHO, T-I's are great, they last a long time, are easy on the fingers and have great bass and mids. But the trebles and the overall volume are weak for my taste.

The coating on Elixers I tried started to shred off after awhile. The strings looked "fuzzy" in heavily played spots. I didn't care for them.

To me, a set of Phosphor Bronze strings that are "slightly dead," with say, at least two weeks hard play on them, but not more than a couple months play, sound the best to my taste. Don't be afraid to change your strings. You may have to give up something to get long string life. Just MHO.

Elixirs! Yea right not on a mandolin. I guess i would say thomasitck or D'Addario.

[phynie]

TI's! they will last 3-4 months before I break em'. And they are fine until the minute they snap. (I pick too hard) That is in comparison to D'addarios, which last a week before they corrode. At least under my fingers.

[Pete Martin]

My for longest lasting is the Gibson Sam Bush Monels.

[Pete Martin]

My Vote that is

[mandoJeremy]

I second that petimar! Monels!

[c3hammer]

Thomastik Infields Starks last almost 6 months for me. Sam Bush monels go about 2 months and J74's about two weeks.

Cheers,
Pete

[davestem]

Thomastik Infelds last a very very long time. And stay in tune amazingly well. And sound sorta wimpy.

[phynie]

wimpy?! Hmmmmm, they sound loud, clear, and woody on my mandolin. They most likley sound better on some mandolins more than others. But I never thought wimpy.

[GBG]

Buy the strings that SOUND the best and don't be too lazy to change them when they need it.

[Scotti Adams]

..uh..was Gibson Monels/Bushs....could very well be D'Addario JS74s now

[mandroid]

They all are at the core, steel, after all, remember, rust never sleeps, Except in an oxygen free world, but I would not want to live there.

[Magnus Geijer]

I have J74s or J75s on mine (can never remember which is which, so I use them somewhat interchangeably) and they've been on there since January. Sound better to me than the Martin Bluegrass I had on there for two weeks.

/Magnus

[wah]

I put a set of T-I Stark's on the '60 Gibson A5 last summer. They sounded great then, and still do. I'm thinking of changeing them just on principle (it has been more than a year). I don't think I'll use anything else on this instrument and I had tried D'Addario's (74's, Flattops, and EXP's), Monels (wrong, wrong, wrong!), Elixer's, and I forget what else.

Wayne

[Unseen122]

You guys know what I'm going to do next time I change my strings I am going to use Violin strings (Gut core). THe story goes like this I was playing yesterday (as I do every day) and I break one of the A strings (the srings I was using were flattops my favorite strings so far haven't tried infelds yet) so I go to where all the instrument strings are and look around I was going to butcher a guitar string but I found a pack of Viola strings and since mand and Viola have some of thesame strings I though this just might work so I strung it up and compare the flattop sound with the Viola sound string sound and it was a big dfference tone wise it was a lot warmer and woodier than ever a little quiter but not much so I though maybe I will try buying two packs of Violin strings (and also pick up some more fiddle strings for my fiddle) and try it out I will start a new topic when this happens.

[mandoJeremy]

You do that and I will tell you the Unseen effects of laying a bow to the mando!