How do strings die?

[LITTLEWING]

Okay, I understand that when skin and other unmentionable crud gets into the windings it hinders the natural vibrations, but how does my Elixer coated E string go dull after a while if it can't get dirty? I'm contemplating cutting a bit of the coating off that goes over the saddle to see if the zing comes back for a while. Anyone tried this?

[Stub Mandrel]

1 hour ago, LITTLEWING said:

but how does my Elixer coated E string go dull after a while if it can't get dirty?

Metal fatigue.

[fleabag]

I get metal fatigue as soon as i listen to some

[Stub Mandrel]

20 hours ago, fleabag said:

I get metal fatigue as soon as i listen to some

Philistine 🙂

[Maude]

I've never really thought about it but when are the strings coated? Is it before they're wound, in which case crud will still get into the windings, or is it after they're wound, which surely would inhibit the strings ability to vibrate freely? 

BTW, there's a bunch of old guys locally playing classic rock and metal called 'Metal Fatigue'. 

[itu]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_TxIBJ7T0M Allan Holdsworth - Metal fatigue

Metal string loses its flexibility over time. If the string is taken off from a bass, it will get some of its flexibility back, but that tiny amount will be lost pretty fast after the reinstallation.

[Doctor J]

On 07/06/2019 at 07:09, Maude said:

I've never really thought about it but when are the strings coated? Is it before they're wound, in which case crud will still get into the windings, or is it after they're wound, which surely would inhibit the strings ability to vibrate freely?

Elixir own the patent for wrapping the whole string after it has been wound. All other manufacturers coat the outermost wrap before it gets wound onto the string. In my experience, the Elixirs work and the others (I've tried D'Addario and Warwick, won't be squandering any money on this kind of string anymore) are pointlessly expensive with no discernible benefit.

[markdavid]

3 hours ago, Doctor J said:

Elixir own the patent for wrapping the whole string after it has been wound. All other manufacturers coat the outermost wrap before it gets wound onto the string. In my experience, the Elixirs work and the others (I've tried D'Addario and Warwick, won't be squandering any money on this kind of string anymore) are pointlessly expensive with no discernible benefit.

Imo they are all pointlessly expensive, they coat them with a coating that probably costs pennies and then charge twice as much 

[ped]

3 hours ago, Doctor J said:

Elixir own the patent for wrapping the whole string after it has been wound. All other manufacturers coat the outermost wrap before it gets wound onto the string. In my experience, the Elixirs work and the others (I've tried D'Addario and Warwick, won't be squandering any money on this kind of string anymore) are pointlessly expensive with no discernible benefit.

Exactly this

 

21 minutes ago, markdavid said:

Imo they are all pointlessly expensive, they coat them with a coating that probably costs pennies and then charge twice as much 

Actually the coating is very expensive and a closely guarded secret (Elixir won’t even let me visit their factory because they also do military applications of the Gore coating there). Given the tech in these strings and how long they lash, I think the price stacks up well in comparison to others. 

[Doctor J]

1 hour ago, markdavid said:

Imo they are all pointlessly expensive, they coat them with a coating that probably costs pennies and then charge twice as much 

Not for me. I like zing, I hate a dull thud, so the money spent on one set of Elixirs definitely pays for itself over the lifespan of the string. I would go through multiple sets of standard strings in that time. They're brilliant.

[Stub Mandrel]

4 hours ago, ped said:

Exactly this

 

Actually the coating is very expensive and a closely guarded secret (Elixir won’t even let me visit their factory because they also do military applications of the Gore coating there). Given the tech in these strings and how long they lash, I think the price stacks up well in comparison to others.  

"The coating material is preferably a U-V or EB curable coating selected from one of the following chemistries: silicone acrylate, urethane acrylate, epoxy acrylate, polyester acrylate, vinyl ethers and cationic cure epoxides."

Full details of the process here:

https://patents.google.com/patent/US20060174745

The irony of patent protection is that to get it you have to detail the process sufficiently well enough for others to copy it.

[ped]

7 minutes ago, Stub Mandrel said:

"The coating material is preferably a U-V or EB curable coating selected from one of the following chemistries: silicone acrylate, urethane acrylate, epoxy acrylate, polyester acrylate, vinyl ethers and cationic cure epoxides."

Full details of the process here:

https://patents.google.com/patent/US20060174745

The irony of patent protection is that to get it you have to detail the process sufficiently well enough for others to copy it.

Stay right where you are 

[T-Bay]

4 hours ago, Doctor J said:

Not for me. I like zing, I hate a dull thud, so the money spent on one set of Elixirs definitely pays for itself over the lifespan of the string. I would go through multiple sets of standard strings in that time. They're brilliant.

How long do you get out of them out of interest? Just a rough idea would be useful. I have wondered about trying them, I presently use Warwick reads and get about 2 months and they come in at less than a tenner. That’s playing approx an hour a day on average.

[Doctor J]

I hover between a few basses but the answer is counted in years.

Edit -> I don't use a plectrum, which does cut through the coating quite quickly.

Edited June 9, 2019 by Doctor J

[itu]

3 hours ago, Stub Mandrel said:

The irony of patent protection is that to get it you have to detail the process sufficiently well enough for others to copy it.

I think Lexicon does not patent their reverb stuff because of this.

[LITTLEWING]

FWIW, I've had a year out of a set and then transferred them to my old trusty 'go-to' Toby Deluxe (for the odd moment and CBA opening a case!) and they still sound and feel good.

It is a bit of a wrench shelling out nearly fifty vouchers but equate that to half a dozen sets of medium quality wires and it's a no -brainer.

(They do record well too and always EQ nicely in the mix).

[skidder652003]

my next set will be the nano's, got them for my guitars and they're amazing.

[rmorris]

Beyond contamination of the windings a metal string is liable to loss of tension over time.