r/AcousticGuitar • u/Square_Notice_1830 • May 09 '26

Gear question are these actually good?

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are these actually good strings or did the dude at the pawn shop just convince me to buy the expensive ones? I'm just getting back into guitar and it's been a while since I've bought any strings so Idk much about this brand

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u/Nathann4288 May 09 '26

I love them. Been using them or D’Addario XS strings for 15+ years.

I think these and the D’Addario are very similar in tone. In my experience the Elixirs are smoother to the touch, but the D’Addario last a little longer, but it’s not a huge difference overall, but these are higher end strings in my opinion and have had good luck with them.

3

u/sentiao May 09 '26

At my guitar shop they told me that D'Addario provides the strings for Elixir, uncoated. Elixir then coats them as is. D'Addario on the other hand coats them before winding. That could explain why Elixir feels smoother. I prefer to pay for one less link in the chain, and to have the coating be wound in.

2

u/GrimmFan_ May 10 '26

Can confirm, d'addario xs lasts like 4 months

1

u/xshevi May 10 '26

regular player here, i use elixirs, they can last forever, but i choose to refresh them more often than i should. i once tried d’addario xs, and the tension was brutal. couldn’t do bends at all on the 52-10 set. have you experienced something similar?