Abbot, you old fool - there a huge difference between Elixir's electric and acoustic strings. I agree that the acoustic ones are poo, but the electric ones are still the finest thing ever IMO. Well, maybe not quite, but you know where I'm coming from.
Elixir strings - yeah right! Nice and expensive and last for .... well in my case the G went withinn minutes. So I bought loads of G spares and they kept breaking - in the midle of a recording session, in the middle of songs at gigs. A total waste of dosh (for me at least) and at £18 a set, that's no joke.
So although I love the concept behind the nanoweb design, I've gone back to Gibson J200 Masterbuilds and at £6.00 a set, they are great value - and you can tow a fecking car with them as well - they are that strong!
I think Mr A (of Highway 5) has seen the light and has recently replaced his Elixir's with Gibson's on his acoustic? What say you Mr A?
I reckon Nut Sauce is better than pencil lead having used both, but that's only my opinion.
I agree that Elixir strings are the absolute business for Bigsby's - they last for ages too. I use them on all of mine now.
I really ought to try those Proplugs....I might go and buy some after that recommendation.
Finally - would superglue improve your callouses when they go soft? I heard that SRV did that to keep his intact. Don't pick your nose when you've just applied it though!
1. Having trouble keeping your guitar in tune? Apart from the usual suspects like dodgy old strings, not settling in new strings etc, your strings will encounter friction against any part of the guitar in contact with them. Try Big Bends Nut Sauce (no joke) - you can get it from Strings Direct or whatever. It's a lubricant (no s******ing) and it really works, especially in the nut slots where the strings can "catch" during bending. It's brilliant - I can do a full gig without even a minor retune. ........................................................................................................
I Have found a Cheeper alternative... use graphite on your nut and bridge as a lubricant. Graphite is found in pencil 'leads' so just draw in the grooves of your nut and where your strings pass over the sadles/bridge for an efeective way to keep a guitar sweetly in tune all night. soft pencils work best...... 7/10
If you use a bigsby style trem and your guitar goes out of tune often.. fit Elixer Nanoweb strings, they are smoother and slicker because of the nano Polymer coating and slide under the bridge bar much better keeping tunings stable longer. Great strings well worth the extra £...... 10/10
Get ringing in your ears?? Doc's Proplugs are a vented re-usable ear plug that reduce Ear damaging Frequancys by 30% and cut 10 % of the overall db's meaning that you can here every detail of your music without damaging your hearing. i use them for practice and save my ears 7 hours abuse a week...... 9/10
Any one have any tip for caloses? mine have a habbit of going soft and falling off meaning that untill i develope new ones i get very sore fingers from my bass.
How about telling everyone about yer trade secrets or even the little things that make live easier.
Here's three from me to start with......
1. Having trouble keeping your guitar in tune? Apart from the usual suspects like dodgy old strings, not settling in new strings etc, your strings will encounter friction against any part of the guitar in contact with them. Try Big Bends Nut Sauce (no joke) - you can get it from Strings Direct or whatever. It's a lubricant (no s******ing) and it really works, especially in the nut slots where the strings can "catch" during bending. It's brilliant - I can do a full gig without even a minor retune.
2. Want a better tone? Try running you amp louder (use master volume not pre amp gain) and turn it down on the guitar itself. Set it up so the guitar volume flat out gives you your lead tone and then back it off on the guitar to get the rhythm tone. Try it - you'll get a lot more dynamics and a fuller sound.
3. Fed up of tangled leads? Go to Halfords and get some Velcro ties. They are a couple of quid for a pack of about 6 multi-coloured ties and you can attach one end permanantly to your lead and then when you've finished playing you can coil them up and tie them to keep 'em tidy.
