Opinions on guitar strings are as varied as opinions on the guitars themselves. I've been playing six-string and bass for over twenty years during which time I've tried most popular makes, types and gauges of string across a wide variety of instruments. Being quite lazy, using Fast Fret and the like before and after gigs and rehearsals is too much of a chore, and as such, my guitar strings fade prematurely both in tone and feel and require frequent replacement.

I'd not heard of Elixir until quite recently and it was during a bit of "holy grail of guitar strings" searching did I come across some wonderous claims of increased life span. Probably a gimmick I thought? And besides, surely that patented Nanoweb coating would affect the tone? Not to mention they cost more than usual too. However, I was curious enough to buy a single set for my acoustic just in case my cynicism was ill founded. I hit the BUY IT NOW and eagerly awaited their arrival.

WOW...!!! Within the first minute my worries of affects on tone were dispelled. In fact, the tone was much richer and vibrant than anything I'd tried before. I even got a mate round to listen to make sure I wasn't hearing things. He was in complete unprompted agreement. Within the hour I was back on eBay ordering up another set for one of my electrics. Again, after stringing up, I was amazed by the tone and feel. Both guitars have had them fitted for several months now and the Elixir strings are still as bright as the day they were first plucked.

I have a Rickenbacker 360 six-string and a Rickenbacker 4003 bass that I've only ever loaded up with genuine Ric strings. The Elixirs are the only non-Ric string I've even contemplated using as a replacement. I haven't cracked as yet but watch this space.

As for my other guitars, they are all now strung with Elixirs and I can't see a reason to go back to the way things were. Brilliant.