I 100% agree with this comment. Taylors with the spruce tops can be(and have a tendency) super bright. The string joys really help to sweeten the tone and balance the guitar. Still very bright but less of the sparkle frequency that is really easy to turn into crashing/clanging if you lean in too hard. I’m interested did you break these in for a period before shooting? I will say they are soo different that I would be worried of a tone bias with the comparison instead of a performance difference.
I play a Furch Yellow Masters Choice which has a cedar top and Indian rosewood back and side which come from Furch withElixir 12’s. The Elixirs are definitely MUCH brighter. I sold my Taylor guitars because I though they were to bright. But that only happened after my 2 month old Taylor 814ce deluxe was devalued a $1,000 because Taylor had solved their intonation problem, which they didn’t know they had until the new “V” bracing. But also I played the Furch guitars. So, I would definitely go with the String Joy. Ed Gerard, who is an amazing guitarist say he only uses Daddarios. I don’t have a long of acid in my hands so strings don’t corrode on me like other guitarists. Thanks for doing the comparison.
I think a fair comparison would be stringjoy coated vs. Elixirs nanowebs, interesting to see how much squeak stringjoy would be without sacrificing the sound
I have a Taylor 714ce. My favorite strings for it right now are the Elixir Phosphor Bronze with .013-.053 HD (16182). However I do find them a bit on the bright side and sometimes maybe even a little harsh, especially when recording. I’ve been thinking of trying Stringjoy. From your examples I think I preferred the sound of the Stringjoys because I thought the Elixirs sounded too bright. I really do like the feel of the Elixirs though. I have not tried Stringjoy yet. I hope I don’t have to chose between sound and playability. If Stringjoy make the Taylor sound like a Martin, that’s a plus for me. I like the sound of Martin, but i find the Taylor much easier to play.
I feel like I am still looking for the perfect blend of feel and tone. I think elixir is close but just a tad too bright. I honestly didnt like anything about the string joys. But still, give them a try. Experiment. Let me know what you think.
@@JTravlos I'm with Jose on this one, preferring the Stringjoys over the Elixirs. Which surprised me because, having never heard Stringjoys, I just "knew" Elixir would come out on top --- until I watched the video. As a sidenote, I too have a 714ce.
Used elixir on my acoustics for years. Typically went cheap ddario and earnie ball on electric. recently tried string joy on my electric and they noticeably lasted longer but more so retained tone longer. No fuzzy coating worn out string sound like elixir that I experienced on acoustic. Regardless, using cheap strings and changing once a month will beat any superior brand. If the fresh sound is your cup of tea, depending on how much you play.
Neither is right or wrong. It depends on the sound you are going for. I’d probably go for the stringjoys if I was playing more mellow, romantic acoustic songs that needed a soft touch, especially for fingerpicking. For songs that need a kind of bright, ethereal ambience to them, like the mid-section of Stairway to heaven, I’d go for the Elixirs.
@@Jayfoto3 I feel like the Elixer's coating is heavier, so they are a bit slicker feeling to me, but the foxwoods sound more clear or defined to me, it's more noticeable with the low E.
Stringjoy is the clear winner for amore balanced tone. One thing to remember is that Elixir is not a string manufacturer they just buy strings in bulk from another manufacturer and coat them. So we should be referring to Elixir as a string coating company. Stringjoy is involved in the actual manufacturing of their strings from the ground up. To me that carries some weight.
Great demo! Although you actually convinced me to reorder the String Joys. I play in a duo (guitar/singer) with no bassist. So I prefer the fuller sound of the String Joys. Maybe if I had a bassist, I’d prefer the extra zing of the Elixirs. My own experience has been String Joy=more body and Elixirs=more zing, too. But it’s always hard to be sure when replacing old worn strings with a fresh set. Your video confirmed it more scientifically.
Wasn’t expecting the Elixirs to sound so tinny. Almost sounded like you cranked the treble knob on an amp lol. The Stringjoy had a nice warm natural sound. I have 12-53 nanowebs on my Washburn acoustic right now and I think they sound great, but I’m gonna give Stringjoy’s new coated strings a shot and see how they are
That was my reaction to the Elixirs as well. I’ve never heard a fresh set of Nanos lacking low end frequencies. Not once. I can’t help but feel a bit dubious about the audio presented here. That said, the Stringjoys were very tonally pleasant. They managed to give that Taylor a sound closer to what I associate with Martin, which I find impressive given how different the typical sounds of those two builders are.
Sorry but if you adjusted the trust rod a quarter turn with the elixirs and tuned it better with the elixirs it would be fairly the same.. Are you selling these???😂
Jeremy, I think you would need to use the Stringjoy brights to compare to the Elixir's. That way your comparing 2 brands of apples. In the video you compared StringJoy "Naturals" to elixir brights. I think you inadvertently compared Apples to Oranges. Just an opinion... However, I do like the way you go back and forth between each brand a couple times each. Thanks, Chris
Thanks Chris! Elixirs lean toward bright but the main thing I was comparing is the material they are made of. In this case, they are both made of phosphor bronze (or a more closely related mixture of phosphor bronze). Thanks for watching!- Jeremy
3/19/23 sun. On the very first comparison , the stringjoy had a warmer rounder sound….Elixer sounded normal …but a bit tininer…. Overly bright….In compairson…. I just recieved 2 sets of stringjoysʻ Foxwoods coated strings , but had just changed two guitars with my normal Dladdario ACOUSTIC XS (coated ) So when they need changing in 2 months or so, Iʻll put on the Fowoods…. KEKAI CHOCK 2022 Nā Hōkū Hanohano Jazz (Hawaiian) Recipient “ALOHA JAZZ LOUNGE”
I know it's pretty subjective, but I think the stringjoy sound much more balanced and warm. The elixirs sound so bright as to be tinny and shallow to my ears.
The stringjoys make the elixirs sound thin.... I always thought that 11s was too light in elixirs... (And many strings...11's didn't often sound full, IME.... Though it could totally work on a mix..... Guitar isn't meant to be to thick in a mix. Stringjoy makes a coated string... I'm not sure if they're super smooth though
StringJoy all the way.. they sound better all the way around imho, but you might prefer the other sound and that’s cool. It’s not really an apples to apples comparison though. You should put the Foxwoods up against the elixers they are a lot brighter
I have no choice but to use coated strings. My body chemistry will tarnish non-coated strings after playing for only a few minutes. I've been using Elixirs for years. Is there any coated strings that compete with them for sound and quality?
Have a good day Jeremy. I still wonder that you have to buy new strings for each video comparison? Or you just record it once for many videos? ( I think the second one is possible).
The sj sound dead. Makes that guitar sound like a cheap piece of wood rather than a well designed instrument. The tinny sound on the elixirs goes away with the right pick and strum. Elixir make the guitar come to life.
I’m trying to find some great American made strings to replace the Martin Lifespans I use on my acoustic guitars. Especially my HD-28 “Bill”. So far I haven’t been able to find anything that sounds as good to me as the Martins. I have a set of Stringjoy Naturals I’m going to try next string change. Hopefully they’ll sound great but I’m worried they won’t last very long because they are uncoated. I tried the Elixir’s several times to try to like them and I just couldn’t get along with their tone. The string tone always seems to overpower the natural tone of the guitar. Stringjoy, I hear, is coming out with coated strings. I’m hoping they use the type of coating that Martin uses. It’s pretty perfect. Regardless, I do love the Martin Lifespan phosphor bronze. They sound great! I would just like to use American made strings. I don’t care to pay a couple extra dollars for them either.
@@JTravlos , I haven’t tried the D’Addario XS’s yet but I have tried the Cleartones. I didn’t like them as much as the Martins. Thank you. I’ll give the D’Addarios a try. Yes, they’re American made.
A huge difference! Thank you for the review. The Elixir sounds jangly to my ear, and the Stringjoy had a much rounder sound. I do understand if you are used to the Elixir strings, that the Stringjoy strings would sound dull, but I way prefer the Stringjoy.
not a big fan of the string joy as they go dead way to fast the elixirs sound overly lively, but as they break-in the tone riches and matures I'd go with the Martins
To my ears, Stringjoy was a clear winner. Especially on a Taylor with a Spruce Top. It helped mellow the Taylor’s brighter sound down a bit.
My 812 is really bright!
I 100% agree with this comment. Taylors with the spruce tops can be(and have a tendency) super bright. The string joys really help to sweeten the tone and balance the guitar. Still very bright but less of the sparkle frequency that is really easy to turn into crashing/clanging if you lean in too hard. I’m interested did you break these in for a period before shooting? I will say they are soo different that I would be worried of a tone bias with the comparison instead of a performance difference.
Loved the warmer tone of the Stringjoys. I think they will sound awesome on my Furch cedar top acoustic.
I play a Furch Yellow Masters Choice which has a cedar top and Indian rosewood back and side which come from Furch withElixir 12’s. The Elixirs are definitely MUCH brighter. I sold my Taylor guitars because I though they were to bright. But that only happened after my 2 month old Taylor 814ce deluxe was devalued a $1,000 because Taylor had solved their intonation problem, which they didn’t know they had until the new “V” bracing. But also I played the Furch guitars. So, I would definitely go with the String Joy. Ed Gerard, who is an amazing guitarist say he only uses Daddarios. I don’t have a long of acid in my hands so strings don’t corrode on me like other guitarists. Thanks for doing the comparison.
I think a fair comparison would be stringjoy coated vs. Elixirs nanowebs, interesting to see how much squeak stringjoy would be without sacrificing the sound
I have a Taylor 714ce. My favorite strings for it right now are the Elixir Phosphor Bronze with .013-.053 HD (16182). However I do find them a bit on the bright side and sometimes maybe even a little harsh, especially when recording. I’ve been thinking of trying Stringjoy. From your examples I think I preferred the sound of the Stringjoys because I thought the Elixirs sounded too bright. I really do like the feel of the Elixirs though. I have not tried Stringjoy yet. I hope I don’t have to chose between sound and playability.
If Stringjoy make the Taylor sound like a Martin, that’s a plus for me. I like the sound of Martin, but i find the Taylor much easier to play.
I feel like I am still looking for the perfect blend of feel and tone. I think elixir is close but just a tad too bright. I honestly didnt like anything about the string joys. But still, give them a try. Experiment. Let me know what you think.
@@JTravlos I'm with Jose on this one, preferring the Stringjoys over the Elixirs. Which surprised me because, having never heard Stringjoys, I just "knew" Elixir would come out on top --- until I watched the video. As a sidenote, I too have a 714ce.
Apples and oranges. Coated vs non-coated. Do this again with Stringjoy's new Foxwood coated strings vs Elixers.
Definitely! Glad they came out with a coated string. I'll add these to my cart.
Used elixir on my acoustics for years. Typically went cheap ddario and earnie ball on electric. recently tried string joy on my electric and they noticeably lasted longer but more so retained tone longer. No fuzzy coating worn out string sound like elixir that I experienced on acoustic. Regardless, using cheap strings and changing once a month will beat any superior brand. If the fresh sound is your cup of tea, depending on how much you play.
Neither is right or wrong. It depends on the sound you are going for. I’d probably go for the stringjoys if I was playing more mellow, romantic acoustic songs that needed a soft touch, especially for fingerpicking. For songs that need a kind of bright, ethereal ambience to them, like the mid-section of Stairway to heaven, I’d go for the Elixirs.
wow. literally my favorite song to play on guitar right now.
Please revisit this comparison concept with the stringjoy foxwoods as they are the coated PB counterpart to the Elixer strings.
How do the PB compare to the Elixer nano in your opinion?
@@Jayfoto3 I feel like the Elixer's coating is heavier, so they are a bit slicker feeling to me, but the foxwoods sound more clear or defined to me, it's more noticeable with the low E.
Stringjoy is the clear winner for amore balanced tone. One thing to remember is that Elixir is not a string manufacturer they just buy strings in bulk from another manufacturer and coat them. So we should be referring to Elixir as a string coating company. Stringjoy is involved in the actual manufacturing of their strings from the ground up. To me that carries some weight.
Honestly, elixirs sound too bright for me. Have to give stringjoy a try
Yea, Stringjoys or even the Daddario XT's. I liked the Xts better but they are still brighter than stringjoys.
Great demo! Although you actually convinced me to reorder the String Joys. I play in a duo (guitar/singer) with no bassist. So I prefer the fuller sound of the String Joys. Maybe if I had a bassist, I’d prefer the extra zing of the Elixirs.
My own experience has been String Joy=more body and Elixirs=more zing, too. But it’s always hard to be sure when replacing old worn strings with a fresh set. Your video confirmed it more scientifically.
thanks for watching! Glad it helped!
I like the nanowebs personally.. can you please do an 80/20 version
Much preferred the stringjoy strings. the elixirs sound like well, you know.
They are pretty much on opposite sides of the spectrum I find.
Wasn’t expecting the Elixirs to sound so tinny. Almost sounded like you cranked the treble knob on an amp lol. The Stringjoy had a nice warm natural sound. I have 12-53 nanowebs on my Washburn acoustic right now and I think they sound great, but I’m gonna give Stringjoy’s new coated strings a shot and see how they are
That was my reaction to the Elixirs as well. I’ve never heard a fresh set of Nanos lacking low end frequencies. Not once. I can’t help but feel a bit dubious about the audio presented here.
That said, the Stringjoys were very tonally pleasant. They managed to give that Taylor a sound closer to what I associate with Martin, which I find impressive given how different the typical sounds of those two builders are.
to my ears the elixirs sounded more like 80/20's than phosphor bronze. I've never heard a set of PB elixirs sound as tinnie as in this video
You just like really, really bright strings! It's not a sound I would go for unless I was intentionally recording and wanting a break guitar
Sorry but if you adjusted the trust rod a quarter turn with the elixirs and tuned it better with the elixirs it would be fairly the same.. Are you selling these???😂
Jeremy, I think you would need to use the Stringjoy brights to compare to the Elixir's. That way your comparing 2 brands of apples. In the video you compared StringJoy "Naturals" to elixir brights. I think you inadvertently compared Apples to Oranges. Just an opinion...
However, I do like the way you go back and forth between each brand a couple times each. Thanks, Chris
Thanks Chris! Elixirs lean toward bright but the main thing I was comparing is the material they are made of. In this case, they are both made of phosphor bronze (or a more closely related mixture of phosphor bronze). Thanks for watching!- Jeremy
The Stringjoy brights are 80/20’s I believe. It would not have been apples to apples to compare them.
Sincerely I prefer the Stringjoy set for the tone and the Elixir set for long life… it depends your playing live frequency…
3/19/23 sun.
On the very first comparison , the stringjoy had a warmer rounder sound….Elixer sounded normal …but a bit tininer…. Overly bright….In compairson….
I just recieved 2 sets of stringjoysʻ Foxwoods coated strings , but had just changed two guitars with my normal Dladdario ACOUSTIC XS (coated ) So when they need changing in 2 months or so, Iʻll put on the Fowoods….
KEKAI CHOCK
2022 Nā Hōkū
Hanohano Jazz
(Hawaiian)
Recipient
“ALOHA JAZZ
LOUNGE”
I know it's pretty subjective, but I think the stringjoy sound much more balanced and warm. The elixirs sound so bright as to be tinny and shallow to my ears.
Yea, I am starting to see that the elixirs do not record well but I like them better in person. Opposite for most other strings IMHO
I was impressed with the Stringjoy and liked their sound better
Great job reviewing
thanks!
Spring joy sounded like a piano, elixir sounds like a harpsichord
Preferred the Stringjoy sound but I will agree that Elixirs feel great to play.
In this particular video the elixirs sound like bed springs. I'm used to 13s.
lol, yea i know.
The stringjoys make the elixirs sound thin.... I always thought that 11s was too light in elixirs... (And many strings...11's didn't often sound full, IME.... Though it could totally work on a mix..... Guitar isn't meant to be to thick in a mix. Stringjoy makes a coated string... I'm not sure if they're super smooth though
StringJoy all the way.. they sound better all the way around imho, but you might prefer the other sound and that’s cool.
It’s not really an apples to apples comparison though. You should put the Foxwoods up against the elixers they are a lot brighter
I have no choice but to use coated strings. My body chemistry will tarnish non-coated strings after playing for only a few minutes. I've been using Elixirs for years. Is there any coated strings that compete with them for sound and quality?
I think the daddario xs come close.
Wouldn’t it be better to compare the Foxwoods to the nano webs?
Yes! Not sure I saw them when I made this video. Ill have to pick up a pack.
You deserve one more subscriber 😊👍
You just made a friend!
Have a good day Jeremy. I still wonder that you have to buy new strings for each video comparison? Or you just record it once for many videos? ( I think the second one is possible).
I just record it once and then compare the new strings to strings I already recorded.
The sj sound dead. Makes that guitar sound like a cheap piece of wood rather than a well designed instrument. The tinny sound on the elixirs goes away with the right pick and strum. Elixir make the guitar come to life.
On this very specific guitar, Elixirs are a bit too chimy and thin. I do love my Elixirs on other guitars
I’m trying to find some great American made strings to replace the Martin Lifespans I use on my acoustic guitars. Especially my HD-28 “Bill”. So far I haven’t been able to find anything that sounds as good to me as the Martins. I have a set of Stringjoy Naturals I’m going to try next string change. Hopefully they’ll sound great but I’m worried they won’t last very long because they are uncoated. I tried the Elixir’s several times to try to like them and I just couldn’t get along with their tone. The string tone always seems to overpower the natural tone of the guitar. Stringjoy, I hear, is coming out with coated strings. I’m hoping they use the type of coating that Martin uses. It’s pretty perfect. Regardless, I do love the Martin Lifespan phosphor bronze. They sound great! I would just like to use American made strings. I don’t care to pay a couple extra dollars for them either.
I just realized that Stringjoy coated strings are available. Sorry, I’m a little behind lol. I’ll have to give them a try.
Daddario XS's were good too. Are they American made? Cleartone is also another brand to check out. I remember liking the Cleartone EQ's.
@@JTravlos , I haven’t tried the D’Addario XS’s yet but I have tried the Cleartones. I didn’t like them as much as the Martins. Thank you. I’ll give the D’Addarios a try. Yes, they’re American made.
I hear what you mean about the SJs sounding a bit deader, but they are more even across the strums than the elixer's So might be better for recording
Yea, I think everything has a good case use. Maybe elixirs for live to cut through the band?
STRINGJOY COATED HANDS DOWN!
I think the elixirs are too bright and not dynamic for the already bright Talyor. But, that's probably why Taylor people play them.
Stringjoy sounded more focused. Elixir sounded more harsh.
A huge difference! Thank you for the review. The Elixir sounds jangly to my ear, and the Stringjoy had a much rounder sound. I do understand if you are used to the Elixir strings, that the Stringjoy strings would sound dull, but I way prefer the Stringjoy.
not a big fan of the string joy as they go dead way to fast
the elixirs sound overly lively, but as they break-in the tone riches and matures
I'd go with the Martins
Good information for this Noob.
great!
I liked the Stringjoys better.
Good job most people want catch you but money’s money I guess..
These Stringjoy's made your Taylor sound like a Martin.
Yea! Would elixirs make a Martin sound like a Taylor?
@@JTravlos Yes, Elixir strings have become a hallmark of a Taylor sound.
The Eixirs sound terrible on this guitar. There, I said it.
Hmm neither on this guitar sound brittle no dynamics like a tin can.