BabyBlueSound Posted November 23, 2021 Share Posted November 23, 2021 Could someone post a macro of their Elixir nanoweb strings, do you think I have been scammed? I bought a set of cheap ones on eBay and might have been scammed. I do not see nor feel the nanoweb coating at all, although I'm not sure how visible would it be to the naked eye. I should be able to see it at least a little in the gaps between the rounds, no? I have only seen Elixirs years ago when their coating technology was very different. First photo comparing it to some regular strings, rest is just macros where I'm trying to catch a glimpse of the coat from various macro angles but without success. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ped Posted November 23, 2021 Share Posted November 23, 2021 Can you show the box, front and back? You can't see the coating between the windings because the coating is applied to the wound string as a whole. Other brands coat the winding before it is wound around the core, which doesn't work at all IME. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doctor J Posted November 23, 2021 Share Posted November 23, 2021 I got a set of fakes from an internet-based vendor before. The windings at the ball end were the real giveaway. The brass ball was different from the real thing, as was the winding pattern. The packaging was low quality too. The vendor did not question when I went back to them complaining they sold me fakes. As Ped says, post pics of the packaging too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BabyBlueSound Posted November 23, 2021 Author Share Posted November 23, 2021 Thanks Guys, here are some additional pics Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mudpup Posted November 23, 2021 Share Posted November 23, 2021 How much were they? If it looks too good to be true applies here….. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ped Posted November 23, 2021 Share Posted November 23, 2021 They look legit to me. How do they sound? I think they feel very slightly 'slicker' than uncoated rounds. I love them. How much of a bargain were they? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BabyBlueSound Posted November 23, 2021 Author Share Posted November 23, 2021 Just now, Mudpup said: How much were they? If it looks too good to be true applies here….. It was £27, some eBayer had like a single set, was not a "vendor" per se nor one of the suspiciously cheap ones, where some Chinese vendors are selling them for like £10 - I can't imagine those being real. 1 minute ago, ped said: They look legit to me. How do they sound? I think they feel very slightly 'slicker' than uncoated rounds. I love them. How much of a bargain were they? Thanks, good to see they seem legit. I don't know how do they sound yet, as I still got my black tapes on. But will definitely give it a go in the next few days when I'll have the time to properly re-string. I only thought I should be seeing something with the naked eye as I've seen a few photos online like this, but I definitely can't see such a film neither with my naked eye nor with the crappy macro camera: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ped Posted November 23, 2021 Share Posted November 23, 2021 2 minutes ago, whave said: It was £27, some eBayer had like a single set, was not a "vendor" per se nor one of the suspiciously cheap ones, where some Chinese vendors are selling them for like £10 - I can't imagine those being real. Thanks, good to see they seem legit. I don't know how do they sound yet, as I still got my black tapes on. But will definitely give it a go in the next few days when I'll have the time to properly re-string. I only thought I should be seeing something with the naked eye as I've seen a few photos online like this, but I definitely can't see such a film neither with my naked eye nor with the crappy macro camera: I've been playing them for as long as I can remember and I've never 'seen' the coating - maybe some pictures show the older polyweb coating which IIRC was thicker. £27 sounds like a decent price rather than a total scam bargain, but I suppose time might tell if they last a advertised... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ped Posted November 23, 2021 Share Posted November 23, 2021 I'll take a pic of mine later - they came direct from Elixir so it'll be interesting to compare. They changed the packaging to include the chrome sticker 'seal' to put off counterfeiters at some stage, and I thin fakes are more likely to be found in the old packaging: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ped Posted November 23, 2021 Share Posted November 23, 2021 Just a thought - you can sometimes see the coating when you wind the string at the peg, where the windings get stretched. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BabyBlueSound Posted November 23, 2021 Author Share Posted November 23, 2021 1 minute ago, ped said: I've been playing them for as long as I can remember and I've never 'seen' the coating - maybe some pictures show the older polyweb coating which IIRC was thicker. £27 sounds like a decent price rather than a total scam bargain, but I suppose time might tell if they last a advertised... Just now, ped said: I'll take a pic of mine later - they came direct from Elixir so it'll be interesting to compare. They changed the packaging to include the chrome sticker 'seal' to put off counterfeiters at some stage, and I thin fakes are more likely to be found in the old packaging: Thanks for all this, glad to hear you can't see it either on yours either - and curious if your ball-end windings look a bit off too. I heard they improve the coating tech every few years, so yeah the extra layer might be just a lot less visible now. And I'll be looking out for the coating stretching at the peg when I'm re-stringing, good idea too! I had an un-opened seal on the back of the box, but that's not very secure, I could still easily open the packaging on the top or the bottom without really damaging it, leaving the seal intact. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BabyBlueSound Posted November 29, 2021 Author Share Posted November 29, 2021 Ok, they're on, and they sound amazing, so that's a good start. Although visibly I still can't identify anything that would suggest this has a nanoweb coating, not even around the windings, so I guess only time will tell if the sound becomes dead or not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ped Posted November 30, 2021 Share Posted November 30, 2021 Here’s what you should see at the peg where the string first bends at 90 degrees into the post Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BabyBlueSound Posted November 30, 2021 Author Share Posted November 30, 2021 3 hours ago, ped said: Here’s what you should see at the peg where the string first bends at 90 degrees into the post Thanks, it does not like this, I don't see a thing at all I'll do a macro shot once I get home to make sure but I'm thinking it's more and more possible I bought some fake ones without the proper nanocoat... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ped Posted November 30, 2021 Share Posted November 30, 2021 Ah well at least you purchased on eBay, so you can easily get a refund. I'd recommend buying from Stringsdirect or similar in the future just to be sure - yes they might cost more but they do last forever, so a bit of man maths and you'd be silly not to Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BabyBlueSound Posted November 30, 2021 Author Share Posted November 30, 2021 The core seems fully visible to me, not a sign of coating: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodinblack Posted November 30, 2021 Share Posted November 30, 2021 8 hours ago, ped said: Here’s what you should see at the peg where the string first bends at 90 degrees into the post Like a little string condom! 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marty Forrer Posted December 1, 2021 Share Posted December 1, 2021 I have seen fake Elixir guitar strings, so there's a strong possibility that bass fakes are made too. Do not buy strings from Aliexpress because fakes is what you will get. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BabyBlueSound Posted December 1, 2021 Author Share Posted December 1, 2021 I realised I have one of those crappy "microscopes" you can attach to your phone... still no coating. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ped Posted December 1, 2021 Share Posted December 1, 2021 Ah time for a refund methinks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassAdder60 Posted December 2, 2021 Share Posted December 2, 2021 (edited) I wonder how many have tried them and thought wow they are no better than uncoated strings ! The loss of product status and revenue is huge Please report this to EBAY to save other folk also being ripped off Basically it’s fraud Edited December 2, 2021 by BassAdder27 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gjones Posted December 2, 2021 Share Posted December 2, 2021 So who was the seller we should be beware of on Ebay? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BabyBlueSound Posted December 2, 2021 Author Share Posted December 2, 2021 4 hours ago, gjones said: So who was the seller we should be beware of on Ebay? I don't want to expose him as he provided a refund after seeing my photos and will take it to his supplier who recently changed. I did not see him sell any more Elixir strings now. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pete.young Posted December 3, 2021 Share Posted December 3, 2021 £27 quid? Last time I bought a 5 string set (normal strings plus an extra .125) it was £49 quid. That was at least 2 years ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BabyBlueSound Posted December 3, 2021 Author Share Posted December 3, 2021 5 minutes ago, pete.young said: £27 quid? Last time I bought a 5 string set (normal strings plus an extra .125) it was £49 quid. That was at least 2 years ago. Well I have good news for you, now you can get them for only £11.99, it MUST be the real deal! (reported this one) https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/403263812809 One thing is sure, once my fake ones went dead, I'll go the Stringsdirect way. They sound pretty good for now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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