Coated strings are a thing of the past.

[GnLguy]

Or so the advertising says…..

I’ve not been a fan of coated strings – I know many here on the forum are but I’ve not been overly impressed with them especially considering the price.

I’ve been using La Bella phosphor bronze acoustic strings for a couple of years now, definitely my go-to set for tone and feel. They have proven to be long lasting and retained their tone well.
I’ve recently learned of La Bella’s Vapor Shield acoustic strings, strings that are treated in an electro-magnetic process so after chatting with the friendly folks at La Bella, I decided to try them.

Out of the package, they are louder & brighter than the regular phosphor bronze strings and I’m especially impressed with the bass response, much deeper. Sustain is exceptional

So, we’ll see how they do over time. I like that La Bella makes their own strings and use American made wire, rep went on to say that since their factory is in New York, they specifially use wire made in New York as well.

From the La Bella website
https://www.labella.com/vapor-shield/

LA BELLA STRINGS INTRODUCES “VAPOR SHIELD” TREATED STRINGS;

“THE FUTURE OF COATED STRINGS ARE NOT COATED”

La Bella Strings is taking a new approach to extended-life strings, adopting a technology superior to typical coated strings. La Bella Vapor Shield™ strings are like no other string on the market because the surface of the string is modified during the treatment process.

Using a highly sophisticated Ionic Vapor Process™ developed by Acoustic Science™, proprietary compounds are activated in a glow discharge electromagnetic plasma, modifying the string’s entire surface. The result is a string protected from grime, tarnishing, and oil residue. Most importantly, string playability and life is extended without flaking or compromising tone.

Unlike typical coated strings, the entire surface and full length of all Vapor Shield™ strings are treated with a nucleated polymer vapor – no spraying or dipping. The results are unrivaled:

Tone : Brighter than typical coated strings AND non-treated strings. Unlike competitors, plain steel strings are also treated, resulting in even tone.

Feel : The Ionic Vapor Process™ improves the string’s surface properties, resulting in smoother plain steel and wound strings vs. typical coated and non-treated strings.

Life Span : Lasts 5x longer than non-treated strings.

Endurance : No flaking after extended play. Impervious to grime, tarnishing, and oil residue.

Vapor Shield™ strings are available in electric guitar, acoustic guitar, and electric bass, in multiple gauges.

[sunjamr]

Very interesting. According to their information, they are actually coated strings, so coated strings are not a thing of the past. But what they don’t talk about is rust. For those of us who live on islands or in high humidity environments, rust is the biggest problem. That’s why I use coated strings (Elixir Nanowebs). That, and the fact that the string noise is only about half that of uncoated strings. In the past I have bought many kinds of uncoated strings, only to find that they are already rusty straight out of the package….even in sealed plastic packages.

Here’s why you should use Elixir Nanowebs:

Here’s why you should not use Elixir Nanowebs:

Sunjamr Steve

[GnLguy]

Opinions vary – Elixir strings is what turned me against typical coated strings LOL It was just a very short amount of time that the ones that I was using started peeling…… haven’t used them since

The coating that La Bella is using seems to be more like electroplating that is seen on various metals instead of the typical polymer material that is being used by Elixir and other companies. According to their description, there is nothing to peel

AS I said – time will tell if they live up to the advertising claims.

[sunjamr]

Mmmmmm….they say “the entire surface and full length of all Vapor Shield™ strings are treated with a nucleated polymer vapor”. Speaking as a person trained in chemistry, that IS a nano-coating of a polymer. The only difference is it’s applied by allowing a vapor to condense on the metal, as opposed to a dip. Both methods are well-known in the world of chemistry. My guess is the vapor application would result in a thinner coating, which would give the brighter tones mentioned. Also, they probably won’t peel or get fuzzy, because the coating is too thin. Once they arrive in New Zealand, I’ll definitely try some to see how long they remain rust-free.

Thanks for the heads up!

Sunjamr Steve

[JohnStrat]

I think from memory Ernie Ball have gone that way in as much as they are treating with a plasma jet of some nature to get a high quality surface finish in their new Paradigm range.

I have been using Elixir nanoweb for a year or more and have not had the trouble shown and am very content with their quality. But always willing to compare against any new innovations like this. I dont reacall seeing this brand in the UK but I am sure they must be about.
JohnStrat

[GnLguy]

I had read that description several times and hadn’t seen that statement that you mentioned… Concentration is out the window in recent years……..

I can only find these strings at a couple of online dealers here in the States. I don’t know why La Bella doesn’t push their products more than they do
I bought my strings thru Strings By Mail in Michigan. Domestic flat rate is $3.95 on any size order and they do international shipping
https://www.stringsbymail.com/shipping.html

[Billy]

Needs more reading up on on my part, strings and finishings are so far for me as individual as the guitars I like, but as i said I will need to read up more about string coatings.

..Billy..

[richard t]

I have been using Elixir nanowebs on my Taylor acoustic for a few years now and am quite pleased with them.
I finally started using them on my Martin D-28 and have been happy with the results.
They don’t last as long as advertised in my experience, but do last a lot longer before going dead.
I wear the coating off before they go dead. Like Steve, I am pleased with the reduction in string noise screech.
I just finished replacing my first set of Electric coated strings on my CS-336 this morning. I was pleased with the way they played and sounded. They were Elixir Optiweb strings.
I also put a set on my Gibson The Paul model this morning.

I will probably try the new La Bella strings eventually, but I still have a set of Paradigm coated strings, by Ernie Ball.
All these strings are expensive and there is nothing wrong with good old Ernie Ball Slinkys. They are great strings for a very reasonable price.
There is an endless variety of strings available. I think it comes down to personal preference most of the time.

[GnLguy]

Billy wrote:

Needs more reading up on on my part, strings and finishings are so far for me as individual as the guitars I like, but as i said I will need to read up more about string coatings.

That’s a good point Billy and similar to my path to find what I want to use. I don’t follow trends – I don’t have to have a certain brand name on the headstock of my guitar or on the name plate of my amp just because a famous player used it or a large number of people tend to buy those guitars or amps

At one point, I had probably gone thru 12-15 different string sets of different brands and/or formulations before I decided on Ernie Ball Earthwoods. I had been using Earthwoods for probably a year when I happened to see La Bella Phosphor Bronze strings and tried a set.
The tone & feel of those strings clicked with me and I’ve used them for about 2 years now and very satisfied with them.

Being open minded, I recently bought a set of Dean Markely Vintage Bronze strings – I had used them years ago – left them on my guitar about 5 minutes and put a set of La Bella’s on. The Dean Markley strings are on a 2nd acoustic that I use to study DADGAD tuning

I decided to try La Bella’s Vapor Shield to see if they would last as long as they are advertised to. I have 2 sets of them and I’ll give them a fair shot to prove themselves. If I don’t think they live up to their claim and price – I’ll go back to the original formulation of La Bella strings.

[GnLguy]

richard t wrote:

All these strings are expensive and there is nothing wrong with good old Ernie Ball Slinkys. They are great strings for a very reasonable price.

Ernie Ball Classic Rock’n’Roll Slinky 2251 Pure Nickel electric string – great strings

Had been using DR Pure Blues, which are really good, but not worth the extra money that they cost over the Ernie Ball. To my ears, I don’t think that the DR strings sounds any better than the Ernie Ball

[Author]

Posts