Cleartone strings changed the guitar

[MikeBmusic]

Originally Posted by vindibona1

I guess I can consider myself lucky that my pH is low enough that I don't have to concern myself with needing to buy coated strings and can sympathize with those who must buy them. I haven't tried the Cleartones yet. Elixirs just seem like middle-of-the-road in terms of tone and I have tried them many times in many different gauges. For whatever reason I feel like I've had to change Elixirs out after 3 weeks, so no real savings on that count. As far as the Lifespan strings go, they have never lasted one day longer than the MSP4100's that I can get for under $6.

My big reason for using coasted strings is string squeak. But I bought a set of uncoated Martins recently for my Taylor, just to swap out and see how long they last and how they sound, as I've never used anything but coated strings with it.

[Shadowfox]

So I jumped on the boat with cleartones and ordered a set of the EQ's from Sweetwater. We will see how they sound or if I go back to Ernie Ball AB.

[ParisStarlight]

Originally Posted by Shadowfox

So I jumped on the boat with cleartones and ordered a set of the EQ's from Sweetwater. We will see how they sound or if I go back to Ernie Ball AB.

I wish you luck! I definitely like the clarity I hear from them, though I will admit the Elixirs felt like they had less tension which was nice on the 12. I still like how they feel on my fingers. The big question remains, how long will they last???

[inohuiam]

Originally Posted by ParisStarlight

They are not cheap, but I felt they are worth the extra cost.

I know this is an older thread, but, today you can buy a two pack of Cleartone PhosphorBronze 12-53 direct from Cleartone for less money per set than the Elixir's.

[TBman]

I have a set of Cleartone mediums on deck for the next string change.

[rmoretti49]

Originally Posted by ParisStarlight

They are not cheap, but I felt they are worth the extra cost. I also liked the D’Addario PB, but on my 12 I really want coated since I’m not playing out and I want them to last. I used the Elixirs because they were the only ones available locally that were coated. They still sounded good, but the Cleartones just seem to give it more life.

They definitely do feel like they are stiffer, I’d rate that as the one down side. Not horrible, but on the 12 the elixirs took little effort to fret.

Also, the Elixirs are nice with little noise and how smooth they play. These definitely do feel more like traditional strings though.

They gave it more jangle to me, more of a traditional 12 sound. I play mostly chords with a pick on it, more of a strummer.

I’m excited to go play them again when my little guy naps today and hear the beauty of the 12.

I used Cleartones several years ago on a 6 string, and thought they felt noticeably stiffer. Stopped using them. I had a set laying around for a 12 string, tried them out recently, and definitely feel as if they are stiffer -- not what I want, especially on a 12 string.

[Glennwillow]

Originally Posted by ParisStarlight

Had to order new strings for my 12 the other day and I’ve always used Elixirs...they are what is available locally. I decided to try something different and ordered some Cleartones. Wow! I just put them on a few hours ago.
I feel like they honestly sound less muddy. They definitely feel much less like a coated string also. Maybe it’s just wishful thinking, but they make the guitar sound like it has more definition in my opinion.

My experience with Cleartone strings is that they lack bass response. Sometimes you want that in a guitar, what some folks refer to as "muddiness."

I was just recommending these strings to someone complaining about his Martin D-41 because it has too much bass. These Cleartone strings will definitely thin out the sound of your guitar if that's what you want.

For people with hearing loss issues -- which is a lot of people who are older, like the people on this forum -- they will hear the bass frequencies and not hear the upper, higher frequencies. That will make a guitar sound "muddy" because mostly what they hear are the bass frequencies. Cleartone strings can solve that problem.

- Glenn