# Cleartone v/s Elixir?



## JMP2203 (Jun 18, 2009)

im curious about Cleartone strings,

are these better than other coated strings(elixir,ernie ball)?

Cleartone Strings - The Difference is Clear


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## Scar Symmetry (Jun 18, 2009)

I used these strings exclusively for about 3 years and I was very, very happy with them when I was using them.

I can't comment on Elixirs because I've never used them, but Cleartones are much, much better than Ernire Ball strings.


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## Cheesebuiscut (Jun 19, 2009)

I tried out cleartones and hated them.

Very noisy and I'm pretty sure they don't coat their high strings since mine started getting rusty and making my hands smell by the end of day 1 with them.

Elixir was the last string brand I tried and I regret not trying them first SOOO much better than anything else out there Imo.


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## Scar Symmetry (Jun 19, 2009)

^ I had the exact opposite experience.

to me, these strings sounded amazing and lasted for ages.

try em out man, if you like them then great and if you don't then it's not going to have cost you much


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## Cheesebuiscut (Jun 19, 2009)

Only 1.5 - 3 packs of normal strings since cleartones are like 15$ around me where elixirs and DR's are 10$ and uncoated are 4-7$.

I had a conversation about cleartones with the samash guy I had bought them from a week after I got them (I went back for new strings displeased) and he had told me he strung up all the new expensive ass guitars they keep behind the counter with cleartones figuring "well they're the most expensive strings there they must be pretty damned good" and had the exact same result I had with all the guitars.

The strings start out overly bright but once the initial brightness goes away the tone is good. They are very noisy strings even more than uncoated strings which surprised me I guess they are more like uncoated strings than even uncoated strings are, and all 3 of the high strings got rusty REAL fast.

Me and the guy at samash both have "acid hands" though which is specifically why we use coated strings. Uncoated strings will turn rusty for us in a week or two but cleartones really outdid uncoated strings in the rust-to-time ratio.

When I did switch the strings off I kept the low string on since it was heavier than the pack I bought and I drop tune. It worked just fine but by no means justifies the HUGE price for 1 pack where half the strings are duds. 

I bought my first pack of elixirs two months after my cleartone experience (I was annoyed I spent 15$ on a pack of 'coated' strings that didn't even last a week and went back to DR extra life for a while) and just loved them instantly. I loved my DR strings but they were just lacking a tiny bit of brightness and elixirs were just right. The tone is atleast for me prefarable to every other string brand (and I did try every string brand cleartones were the second to last I tried) and they've lasted me about a month so far and theres 0 rust and the tone is still 'fresh out the box'.

Maybe I just have high standards for strings because of my acid hands though  I just cant justify the price of cleartones when they dont even last as long as uncoated strings for triple the price.

Though I did like the fact that cleartone made specific packs for dropped tunings even though they have no concept of string tension with the packs.


They're good, but they're not 15$ good at least not to me.


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## Setnakt (Jun 19, 2009)

I might be interested in trying Cleartones if they had a wider variety of gauges. Until then I'll stick with Elixirs, and if I decide I need to change those, I'll try SnakeOil which I may just do anyway.


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## ZeroSignal (Jun 19, 2009)

Slightly off topic but how do DR strings compare to Elixirs and which ones would be the longest lasting/smoothest?


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## Cheesebuiscut (Jun 19, 2009)

DR's are mellower than elixir nanowebs (which is what I've been using) I've only had the elixirs for around a month and I usually changed the DR's every 2 months anyway so they seem to be holding up just as well as DR's would. I really only changed the DR's just because I liked putting fresh strings on but I never actually needed to.

I'm not entirely sure how to accurately put it but the DR's reminded me more of classic acoustic strings vs steel string. Elixirs were more "metally" sounding (not the genre but the material) where DR's sounded more like nylon strings. They were both around the same with the slimy smooth feeling. Slide around on both just the same without any noise.

I really like the elixirs tone better and I was using DR's for the past 2 years (my entire experience xD) 

The only thing I would say about the elixir is yesterday during practice I actually had my low string break at the saddle which is the first string I've ever had break for me. Never once broke a string with DR.


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## Setnakt (Jun 19, 2009)

If it broke at the saddle it's likely that the saddle is at fault, not the string, and which brand you were using at the time would have been immaterial.


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## Cheesebuiscut (Jun 20, 2009)

Setnakt said:


> If it broke at the saddle it's likely that the saddle is at fault, not the string, and which brand you were using at the time would have been immaterial.



Thing is only the core of the string broke and then the winds popped loose because of the tension on the string.

I doubt the saddle could have ninja'd its way through the winds without damaging them cut the core in half and then slipped back out.


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## MTech (Jun 20, 2009)

^That's cause from a bad batch of steel.


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## Nylis (Jun 20, 2009)

I really really like the elixirs.


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## Konfyouzd (Jun 20, 2009)

does elixir make 7 string packs? does either brand, for that matter?


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## ZeroSignal (Jun 20, 2009)

Konfyouzd said:


> does elixir make 7 string packs? does either brand, for that matter?



Unfortunately Elixir don't but you can order strings of .052 and .056 gauges.


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## All_¥our_Bass (Jun 21, 2009)

ZeroSignal said:


> Unfortunately Elixir don't but you can order strings of .068 gauge.


Fixed


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## AeonSolus (Jun 21, 2009)

The wear really depends on how corrosive your sweat is, and i guess both brands use diferent coatings that react different to each kind of sweat i guess 

But for me it's Elixir, just because i've played them for ages now and they never let me down once


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## Cheesebuiscut (Jun 21, 2009)

^
Yeah thats what it is, and I have extremely corrosive sweat hence the "acid hands"

and cleartones don't put up well vs that


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## Scar Symmetry (Jun 21, 2009)

^ that would explain our difference in experience with them then.

so OP, if you don't have 'acid hands', then go buy a pack!


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## ZeroSignal (Jun 21, 2009)

All_¥our_Bass;1556069 said:


> Fixed


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## Cheesebuiscut (Jun 21, 2009)

Imo I would stick with the string brand that can put up with the worst possible circumstances and still prevent rust and last long as hell.

Thats just me though maybe I'm


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## MetalGuitarGuy (Oct 1, 2013)

I love Elixir strings  I use the Baritone 12-68 set on my Epi LP and tune it to Drop Bb/A# (Whatever you like to call the tuning), absolutely amazing  Sounds chunky and beefy yet bright like a uncoated string  But I am curious on a Cleartone 7-string set for my Schecter Hellraiser C-7, are they good?


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## wat (Oct 1, 2013)

Both were bad and lack the snap and punch punch of non-coated strings so for me, it's kind of all the same.


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## chassless (Oct 2, 2013)

13-70 for drop C ? now THESE guys know proper string tension


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## Dani2901 (Oct 6, 2013)

> does elixir make 7 string packs? does either brand, for that matter?





ZeroSignal said:


> Unfortunately Elixir don't but you can order strings of .052 and .056 gauges.



Of course Elixir make 7-String packages!






I've played these strings for 5 or 6 years. The good thing on them is that they are absolutely "long life" strings. The bad thing on them for me was the sound!
A few years ago I ordered a brand new guitar from a guitar shop. It was my Ibanez UV777PBK. I plugged it in and played a few seconds. I was so impressed by the sound... I called the guitarshop and asked for the strings they put on the guitar. They told me that they used d'addario. On the same day I changed the strings on all my guitars and never used coated strings again since that day!
A few weeks ago I got a new guitar. It was the J custom from "Adam of Angels". The first second I played it I recognized Elixir coated strings. Same thing again... I hated that sound of coated strings!
 

But as we all know: Every ear hears in a different way!


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## Jonathan20022 (Oct 6, 2013)

^ They do make them, their selection of large gauges is pretty much the dullest selection out there though. 56, then 68. So unless those gauges are exactly what you need for your 7th string, just order single strings from somewhere else. I've got 10 sets of single .60 strings for my Low B/A on my 7's, and I use the normal 10 gauge Elixir 6 string pack for the rest. Works great for me, my issue is corrosion on the higher strings anyways so it works out fine for me.

Been playing them for quite sometime, and I absolutely love them. I'm very used to the slick feeling the wound strings have, makes playing an uncoated set of strings feel very harsh to the fingers but it's nothing I can't adapt to. Lately though, both of my Musicman JP's have come with Ernie Ball Strings, uncoated and they've been holding up fine with the same amount of play I used to give them.

I think it's inversely related to my health, as I used to have severe "acid-hands". While restringing the acidity of my sweat even in those small amounts would make any uncoated strings have the black/grey spots where I touched them the most. It's the reason I've moved onto coated strings, but now that I've lost more weight and started eating more healthy, the strings on my JP's have been there since I've bought them on the JPXI, and about 3-4 months now on the JP12. I have a stockpile of Elixir Strings in my guitar drawer, but it's nice to know I'm improving on that issue, I'll start using D'Addarios again when I record!

This of course won't apply to everyone, but changing my eating habits and experiencing weight loss has helped quite a bit with the acidity of my sweat.


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## chassless (Oct 6, 2013)

^ you make yourself sound like an alien being with corrosive bodily secretions 

EDIT: neg rep ? was that comment bad ?


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## Jonathan20022 (Oct 6, 2013)

Everyone's sweat is corrosive and acidic to a degree, some more than others as mentioned by even others in the thread lol. So it's a common issue anyways.

Don't know where you pulled that out of


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## Negav (Oct 6, 2013)

I still use Elixir but this is a very insightful video by Ryan Bruce

Coated String Corrosion Test! - YouTube


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## jfrey (Oct 6, 2013)

i've heard some bad things about cleartones on this forum....
haven't had a chance to try them out but anyway.....i love elixirs


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## DevourTheDamned (Oct 9, 2013)

not sure if its been said, but i used to work at GC and have extensive experience with both.
cleartone doesnt have the funky, shreddy-over-time coating like the elixirs do. i believe they're 'treated' not 'coated'.
elixirs, from my experience, are duller and more subdued sounding with ever so slightly less sustain than a cleartone set.
cleartone also has newer 'heavy' type strings for us metal ppl that actually have REALLY nice tone as well as string life.

and of course all this goes without saying, YOU HAVE TO TAKE CARE OF YOUR ....ING STRINGS.
wash your hands if you have to, for BALLS sake get yourself some FastFret [only product for string greasing/cleaning thats worth a flip, ive literally tried them ALL] use it EVERY time you play.

then you can make a set of whatevers last for a longggg time.

but either way, forget coated bullcrap strings, go for TONE and buy Ernie Ball Cobalts.
theyre just the best sounding, hands down.

2cents


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## HeHasTheJazzHands (Oct 9, 2013)

I agree with everything above. Lots of useful informati-



DevourTheDamned said:


> but either way, forget coated bullcrap strings, go for TONE and buy Ernie Ball Cobalts.
> theyre just the best sounding, hands down.



I stand corrected.


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## Matthew (Oct 9, 2013)

Hahaha, cobalts don't even last a day with my hands.

I use elixir 11-49s for drop c and I love 'em. The slippery feeling is perfect and I hate playing guitars without it. I do wish they had more options for 7s though; .56 can get sketchy in drop a.


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## wat (Oct 10, 2013)

I swore by elixer for a long time but then one day I put on a set of uncoated DR's as a last resort and it sounded like my guitar strings, literally, had a coating lifted off them  From then on, I use uncoated strings and use GHS fast fret on them religiously




DevourTheDamned said:


> <snip>
> 
> elixirs, from my experience, are duller and more subdued sounding with ever so slightly less sustain than a cleartone set.
> 
> ...




I agree with everything especially GHS fast fret, except, I personally think stainless-steel coated string do what the cobalts claim to do, but better, and last longer.


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