Elixir Strings - Acoustic Phosphor Bronze with NANOWEB Coating - Elixir Acoustic Guitar Strings - Light (.012-.053)

As a seasoned guitarist who demands nothing but the best from my instrument, I've tried countless brands of acoustic guitar strings over the years. However, none have impressed me as much as the Elixir Strings with Phosphor Bronze and NANOWEB Coating. From the moment I first strung my guitar with these strings, I knew I was in for something special. The tone produced by these strings is simply sublime—rich, warm, and full-bodied, with a clarity and sustain that surpasses any other strings I've used. Whether I'm strumming gentle chords or picking intricate melodies, these strings deliver an unparalleled sonic experience that never fails to captivate me and my audience. What truly sets these strings apart, though, is their remarkable longevity. Thanks to the NANOWEB Coating, these strings maintain their bright, crisp tone far longer than traditional strings, even after hours of intensive playing. Gone are the days of constantly changing strings due to loss of tone or corrosion. With Elixir Strings, I can go weeks, if not months, without needing to replace them—a testament to their exceptional durability and quality craftsmanship. Another highlight of these strings is their playability. The smooth, slick feel of the NANOWEB Coating not only enhances comfort and ease of playing but also reduces finger squeak and fret noise, allowing for a more enjoyable and immersive playing experience. Whether I'm performing on stage or recording in the studio, I can always rely on these strings to deliver flawless performance and pristine sound quality. In addition to their outstanding performance, Elixir Strings also offer excellent value for money. While they may initially cost slightly more than other brands, their longevity means fewer string changes and less time spent maintaining my guitar, ultimately saving me both time and money in the long run—a worthwhile investment for any serious guitarist. In conclusion, I cannot recommend Elixir Strings with Phosphor Bronze and NANOWEB Coating highly enough. With their unmatched performance, exceptional longevity, and superior playability, they have set a new standard for acoustic guitar strings. Whether you're a professional musician or a hobbyist, these strings will undoubtedly elevate your playing to new heights. Try them for yourself and experience the difference!

Been playing guitar for over 20 years and these are my favorite acoustic strings. Sound great, feel great, last a while. Definitely give them a try if you haven’t

I have used Elixir coated strings on my acoustic guitars for years. They last and perform extremely well with great, bright sound over their life.

Really good quality strings even a complete amateur could tell the sound is smooth crisp clear better than and other string I’ve tested

I put these strings on my Fender acoustic guitar. I had been using D'Addario strings for years and decided to try something new. These are amazing strings. The feel is smooth and the tone is bright. The coating on the strings has gone a long way to prevent wear from playing regularly. I was so impressed that I also swapped the strings on my electric guitars for Elixir strings.

These are probably going to be something you end up getting consistently if you don’t care about or can’t notice any significant difference in tone from regular non-coated strings. To me, it defeats the purpose of getting strings that last however much longer if the sound they have to begin with is this brassy, metallic, wholly unimpressive sound that seems to have nothing to do with the characteristics of the guitar anymore because it’s been covered by the coating. That isn’t to say it’s necessarily a bad thing, but you are NOT getting anywhere near the tonal richness and fitting feeling of the sound of an acoustic guitar on a classic record. These strings are for durability and practicality more than anything, but some people really just won’t care as much or won’t notice a difference enough to merit going back to strings that last maybe a week or two before it starts deteriorating and dulling significantly. It’s a shame because I love the strings otherwise. They look so robust and shiny and even though they’re a little stiffer and take some time getting used to, you can easily tell they are high quality and made with that “built to last” mentality, which you gotta give it up to them for. Before assuming that these just won’t sound good at all, I have heard that there is a kind of natural “playing in” and settling the strings have to go through after a bit of time before they start having some more familiar characteristic to them. I’ll see how that goes, but really I think one of the things I go for is an immediate sound that makes me want to play right after the restring. Right now it just feels kind of like a hollow sound to my guitar. It’s a beautiful and amazing sounding Yamaha dreadnought, but whatever tonal characteristics that were present before when I used other strings, which were non-coated, they seem gone now or extremely hollow on account of the coating. It’s a give and take and not something I can blame Elixir for as I imagine that the better the coating, the harder it’s going to be for that sweet classic acoustic sound to come through, and currently there isn’t a way around that, unfortunately. I have tried other strings that were treated to see if the compromise in no coating, but having some treatment to them would be a happy medium between preserving tone an also expanding how long the strings would last, but when I did, there was still a slightly off bit of reduced sound quality compared to those brand of non-coated strings, and the treatment didn’t seem to really hold up that much better, if at all, from the non-coated/non-treated strings of the same brand. I don’t know if these can be updated, but I hope to sit a while with these Elixirs because they are admittedly snazzy and slick. Slick as in cool, but also slick in feeling, as in I feel good about sliding up with ease. Robust would be the word for them, and I’m just trying to see if they’re like a new pair of shoes or something. Haven’t given up on the sound just yet, and I’m hoping they can start to sound better before they start to degrade because that would be key. Please note that the coating does seem to provide a bit more rigidness than what you might expect from the same gauge of non-coated strings, so that is just something else to consider. Projection and volume does seem loud, but the zing really does feel either rounded off or like there is a natural ceiling to how much resonance can come through because of the protection. If you’re like me and you deal with gunk and buildup from your hands that accumulates pretty quickly on the strings, I’d consider giving these ones a go. Definitely a great starting point, but we’ll see if the sound quality improves into something that makes this sound better acoustically, or if the longevity of the strings will be great enough where the difference in sound doesn’t become that negative or unreasonable a factor anymore.

I have cycled through many different acoustic strings over the years from all the major brands to even smaller "boutique" brands and I always return to Elixir Phosphor Bronze. They are what my guitar tech and luthier have always recommended and what they have always put on my guitars when they have done any type of work to them because they know ultimately it is the brand that will bring out the real sound of any acoustic. To me, these strings have a kind of "slinky" feel that makes them easy to install. They wind easily and tune up quickly with very little need of settling before staying in tune. The light coating on the strings helps immensely in calming down that sound of fingers sliding on new strings. That "squeal" that all guitarists know. They don't slip and because of that they hold their tune for a very long time. I switch back and forth between fingerpicking and using a pick and I very rarely need to tune. Usually a quick tune check at the beginning of a set and I am good to go! As I get older I have had to go down a gauge in my electric strings but these are so comfortable and play so effortlessly that I have been able to continue to play a 12-53 set with very little to no hand fatigue at all. I would highly recommend these strings to anyone from a beginner to a seasoned professional without hesitation. Even though they are on the pricier side they are worth every penny. The coating truly does extend the life of these strings far beyond that of regular or uncoated strings. I would describe the tone as warm and smooth. It makes any acoustic simply sing and sound like an old friend. What can I say, they just work!

Wonderful sounds and easy on the fingers