Thoughts on Nano vs polys?

Re: Thoughts on Nano vs polys?

It's got nothing to do with looks.

Yes, the Optimas are gold plated. As we all know (assuming here), gold never tarnishes.

I have tried elixirs and my last Gibson I bought was fitted with "Cleartones" (string company founded by one of the Everly bros IIRC)... the coated strings are dull.

For a real-world example, I've had a set of Optimas (.009s) on my Firechicken since late October and they're still good (of course, the brightness has mellowed somewhat). I figure I can get another couple months out of them.

I dig into my strings (too) and I was concerned about the gold flaking off, etc... but none of that has happened. They are the real deal.
 
Re: Thoughts on Nano vs polys?

LLL said:
It's got nothing to do with looks.

Yes, the Optimas are gold plated. As we all know (assuming here), gold never tarnishes.

I have tried elixirs and my last Gibson I bought was fitted with "Cleartones" (string company founded by one of the Everly bros IIRC)... the coated strings are dull.

For a real-world example, I've had a set of Optimas (.009s) on my Firechicken since late October and they're still good (of course, the brightness has mellowed somewhat). I figure I can get another couple months out of them.

I dig into my strings (too) and I was concerned about the gold flaking off, etc... but none of that has happened. They are the real deal.
Click to expand...

How do they sound compared to say a Phosphor-Bronze set?
 
Re: Thoughts on Nano vs polys?

sosomething said:
They do look nice, but there's no reason to go that expensive just to prevent the corrosion from acidic sweat.

I have pretty acidic body chemistry myself - such that normal steel alloy strings and even coated strings will corrode in my hands after less than a couple of hours of playing time. The solution is a pure nickel string. DR Pure Blues, Gibson Classic Reissues, Ernie Ball Rock Classics, Pyramids - any pure nickel string will completely alleviate the problem.
Click to expand...

I use pure nickel strings (besides the Optimas). My favorite for decades has been GHS Burnished Nickels. They corrode just as fast as anything.
 
Re: Thoughts on Nano vs polys?

treyhaislip said:
How do they sound compared to say a Phosphor-Bronze set?
Click to expand...

Since I haven't owned an acoustic for about 25 years, I couldn't tell you.

I have a recorded example, however, where every guitar part features Optimas.

This is my version of Steve Morse's Highland Wedding.

The clean parts were done with a strat with Optimas (.009s) a month old.

The distorted (and solos) parts were done with my Firechicken (as mentioned above) with Optimas (.009s) four months old.

LLL - Steve Morse Highland Wedding

I got my Optimas from Amazon. You can always try just one pack to see.
 
Re: Thoughts on Nano vs polys?

LLL said:
Since I haven't owned an acoustic for about 25 years, I couldn't tell you.

I have a recorded example, however, where every guitar part features Optimas.

This is my version of Steve Morse's Highland Wedding.

The clean parts were done with a strat with Optimas (.009s) a month old.

The distorted (and solos) parts were done with my Firechicken (as mentioned above) with Optimas (.009s) four months old.

LLL - Steve Morse Highland Wedding

I got my Optimas from Amazon. You can always try just one pack to see.
Click to expand...

No worries! Thanks for the info and I'll check the link out--very cool song
 
Re: Thoughts on Nano vs polys?

I've quit using Elixirs on my acoustics, and wouldn't use them on my electrics.

My Taylor 710CE came with Elixir Medium nanos, and after a year of it sounding dead and breaking strings left and right, I went to using the D'Addario Phosphor Bronze strings that I was using on my Martins. The D'Addarios outlasted the Elixirs--had a warmer tone, sustained better and didn't break since they have less tension than the Elixirs--easaier to play, too! I use both the J-Series and the coated EXPs, and even the standard J-Series perform better than the Elixirs. I've got two or three Elixir sets sitting in a drawer and won't use them.

On my electrics, I use Fender Super Bullets or Original Bullets on my G&L guitars with the vibrato. The Gibsons and everything else get D'Addario XL strings. These are consistently good, they have great tone, and they are available everywhere for a very reasonable price. I use a little bit of the Dunlop 65 String Cleaner on a rag after each session to remove any grime and to protect them from corrosion, and they'll hold their tone for quite a long time with this regimen, even if I'm not playing them everyday. Even with 55 guitars, I can't justify using the coated strings on my electrics--it just isn't necessary.

Bill
 
Re: Thoughts on Nano vs polys?

It's great how many people in this thread are incapable of answering the op's question.
 
Re: Thoughts on Nano vs polys?

I don't know about the polys but I've just switched to using elixir nanowebs. Before these I've been using eb slinkies and sometimes d'addario XL's. I'm loving them since I hardly ever break strings, they just rust under the super humid weather where I live. Whereas the slinkies start to rust and turn all black and stiff after 3 or 4 days of playing the elixirs have stayed clean after 2 months of daily usage. I don't like the added tension and how after a while they start to flake where I pick though. Tone-wise I think it's a personal thing but I haven't found anything I liked better than the eb's, the elixirs are kind of bright too but they just don't have that responsiveness the eb's have.

slightly off-topic, but how do you guys think the cleartones compare to the elixirs? I've heard alot of people praise them, and they don't seem to flake so I'm thinking of switching to those.
 
Re: Thoughts on Nano vs polys?

They're much brighter but they still rust as fast as anything else.

At least, that was my experience when I tried them.
 
Re: Thoughts on Nano vs polys?

gottalovethe80s said:
slightly off-topic, but how do you guys think the cleartones compare to the elixirs? I've heard alot of people praise them, and they don't seem to flake so I'm thinking of switching to those.
Click to expand...

Cleartone nickle plated strings sound brighter, like Nanowebs, and I could believe the nickel plating lasts longer than the nearly invisible rubbery coating on the Nanowebs, but their oddity is that they have a sticky feel. If you do a lot of string bends and the like, the extra grip is actually somewhat welcome, but if you prefer to have your finger glide effortlessly over the strings, it's a draw back. I'd say the grip is great for SRV type blues playing, but not so good for speed metal solos.
 
Re: Thoughts on Nano vs polys?

Thanks for the input everyone, I guess it may just be best to try them myself and see if I like them. The cleartones do look like another option, so I may give them a spin also. Don't get me wrong I have stuck with EB supers for so long cause they work well. I just feel I may be short changing myself if I don't branch out a little here and there to experience something different. I mean just recently I branched out when it came to picks and have fell in love with the changes made.

I am set on going thicker gauge though even if I stick with EB's again, if I don't try something else I may never know what I am missing out on.

Again thanks everyone!
 
Re: Thoughts on Nano vs polys?

Thanks for the input everyone, I guess it may just be best to try them myself and see if I like them. The cleartones do look like another option, so I may give them a spin also. Don't get me wrong I have stuck with EB supers for so long cause they work well. I just feel I may be short changing myself if I don't branch out a little here and there to experience something different. I mean just recently I branched out when it came to picks and have fell in love with the changes made.

I am set on trying a thicker gauge though even if I stick with EB's, again if I don't try something else I may never know what I am missing out on.

Again thanks everyone!
 
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