SOAKING SETS IN ALCOHOL, BOILING
the buggers, scrubbing ’em after every session—
tone tweakers can get carried away
making sure our beloved bass strings stay
bright as the day we first plucked, picked,
pounded, or popped them. When Elixir
introduced the first coated bass string in
1997, it brought welcome relief to those
who would rather spend time and money
in more productive ways. By glazing each
string in polymer, thus covering the crannies
where vibe-dampening detritus doth
go (we’re talking dirt, dust, dandruff, and
other mucky stuff), Elixir hit upon a formula
that prolonged string longevity in a
pretty profound way.
Elixirs have long been a top choice for
bassists going the coated road. This year,
after consulting more than 1,000 players and
processing their feedback, the company is
expanding that low road in a big way. Elixir’s
comprehensive bass string redesign involves
changes in construction (winding formulas),
composition (now in both nickel and
stainless steel), and coating (new Nanoweb
for Bass). To get hip to Elixir’s new trip, we
checked out a medium-gauge set of its new
stainless steels (.045–.130).
The new coating gives the stainless steel
Elixirs a feel that’s smooth, but easy to
grip. String tension on the set I put on an
active 5-string felt familiar and comfortable.
Uncoated stainless strings can feel rough to
my tender tips, especially when I play slapstyle;
after several hours of play, the Elixirs
felt no more punishing than non-coated
nickel-plated strings. Sonically, the Elixirs
have a little less bite than uncoated steels,
but still maintain a satisfying toothiness that
cuts through clean and clear. Notes sounded
fat-bottomed and well endowed with upper
partials, and the strings rang clearly all
the way down to the open B. After about
six weeks and approximately 20 hours of
play (30% of which with a pick), the string
coating showed no signs of flaking, a testament
to the set’s durability. Throughout
testing, changes in the strings’ sound and
feel were negligible.
The issue of string construction and composition
poses a Goldilocks-like conundrum
for many players: stainless steels sound bright,
but feel rough to the touch; coated strings
last a long time, but many have a peculiar
finger feel and muted highs; standard nickelplated
strings are “just right” to some, but
have short, dull lifespans in the opinion of
others. Perhaps there’ll never be a string
that satisfies every bass player’s thirst for
tone. But by creating a long-lasting coated
string that sounds lively and feels smooth,
Elixir has hit on a recipe that’s sure to thrill
throngs of thumpers. Cheers to that!
ELIXIR
STAINLESS STEEL STRINGS
Street 5-string, $45; 4-string, $40
Pros Bright sound, smooth feel
Cons None
Contact elixirstrings.com