Can I Use Elixir Strings On My Electric Guitar?

[Willin]

Doh - I have a floyd rose licensed bridge on my guitar and I was about to replace the strings on it. I've never done this before so while I was researching the process I read that you can't use Ernie Ball Slinkys on floyd rose bridges. Now i'm wondering if I can use this set of 12 dollar Elixirs that I have already bought as well? Can I not use them because they have a coating on them? That would stink. Thanks a lot for any information!

Oh and if anyone is wondering, I read that in this article:

http://www.guitarnoise.com/article.php?id=103

Edited June 2, 2005 by Willin

[frank falbo]

What he said about slinkys is insane. They work fine on a trem. He must be under the illusion that the name slinky means something. It doesn't. They're just strings like any other. I've used them all. Hey I guess that really is "guitar noise" as in "you can ignore it, it's just noise."

As for the elixirs, they shouldn't be a problem either. The only thing I could see is if the wrap loosened from the string. But if you are torquing properly at the bridge that shouldn't be an issue either. At the nut however, if you keep loosening and tightening it there, it could sever the wrap, I don't know. I can't stand the feel of elixirs, so I'm the wrong guy to ask about those in particular.

[crafty]

You should know first of all that you can’t use just any strings with a floating bridge. I particularly like Ernie Ball Slinky strings. They allow you to do all sorts of effects and they just have a good feel to them. Unfortunately, they’re no good with a floating bridge. Because of their elasticity, they can’t keep the bridge in position. Therefore, use these strings only on guitars with fixed bridges.

That has to qualify as one of the DUMBEST statements I've ever seen on the internet. I've never had a problem using Slinkys with ANY guitar I've EVER owned or played--including those equipped with floating trems.

Everyone has their favorite strings, and for me it's DR and GHS, but I wouldn't dare post such a dumbass statement of conjecture as expert advice. Especially because I prefer DR and GHS because of their feel and my opinion of their longevity. It has nothing to do with stupid shill as being better with a Floyd. What a bunch of malarchy.

[Jera Woden]

off topic but still gonna say it.

i have a set of extra light eilixirs on my washburn acoustic and i love them. they are smooth and sleek with a nice bright tone. as for the electrics im not real sure about those, the last set i had looked like an iguana tail after like 3 weeks. erine ball slinkys are ok. and who ever this guy is needs a major kick in the pants.

as for you termolo just remember to shim up under the normal tuned string tenson (standard or what ever) and bring each string up to the right tune before starting a new one. (which is why i hate termolos) and dont lock the nut until after youve tuned it a couple of times (usually 5 for me).

good luck i hope you like those strings.

[marksound]

Yeah, that guy is nuts.

But in a helpful little article about tuning your guitar ...

"Some other places you can find a reference pitch include:

- After the early morning BBC2 Open University transmission the test card with the young girl and blackboard has a 440Hz "A" tone. Useful tuning reference, providing you wake up in time.

- The French telephone dial-tone is also at 440Hz.

- You can dial up 440Hz to tune your violin in Vienna, Austria. "

[Mickguard]

.

[Batfink]

Misguided or what !!! I've used nothing but Ernie Ball's since i started playing in 1981 and 99% of my playing since '87 has been with either OFR or Schaller Floyd equiped guitars. It's quite scary that pillocks like that can make such absurd statements over the internet and get away with it.

Jem.

Edited June 2, 2005 by Batfink

[Mr.Churchyard]

HAHAHA!!!

You can use any strings, except those for acoustics

BUT!!!

Now I thought of something that may be the reason why Mr. DUMBo thought that...

I guess he used a different string gauge!!!

Be sure you use the same string gauge as the ones you have already on.

[mushy the shroom]

I don't know if anyone else has heard this, or if I'm going to get flamed, but slinkys are supposed to be lower tension. Usually the tension depends on the gauge of the string, but Ernie Ball boasts that their strings are softer and easier to bend (maybe because of a different material?). Anyway, that's why they call them slinkys. I don't know if they are more "slinky" than other brands, but they're supposed to be.

On the other hand, what the guy said was false anyway, because the trem unit can counter balance a wide range of string tensions. You can loosen or remove the trem springs if you can't get the trem to lift off the body. Anyway, the only experience I've had with a Floyd Rose was with slinkys, and they seemed to work perfectly for me. A side note, though: lower guage (and lower tension) strings supposedly stay in tune shorter because they are more susceptable to stretching.

[terrax]

i used regular slinkys for years on floyd guitars.. no problem. elixir's are the best out there, best being an opinion, but i've been playing 26 years, and they are outstanding, sound like a good broken in set of strings months after i put them on. I had one set on a guitar for 6 months, only removed because i wanted to oil the board as it was getting kinda dry.

different brands are easier to bend than others, even at the same gauge. back in 92 i was told there were only 3 manufacturers of strings in the world, probably changed by now but thats something to think about

Dave

[GregP]

I, too, could be getting my guitar lore wrong here, but I'm pretty sure that the name "Slinky" came about simply because back in the day they were one of the first companies to make light guage strings. The actual strings themselves are the same as any other string of the material and same guage.

Greg

[frank falbo]

You can vary the tension and feel of a wound string by varying the ratio of wrap size to core size. Also hex core vs. round core alters the overall mass. So you can have strings of the exact same gauge that will have different tension to reach pitch. Still, Slinky is a marketing term only, and bad information is what it is.

[jnewman]

When I started playing the guitar, my second electric was a Hondo Flying V. Beautiful guitar, but on the cheap side. It had a floating bridge and was my first experience with such a thing. Of course, it didn’t have the locking nut at the top, which meant that every three or four times I’d use it, it would go out of tune. And even if I didn’t use it, the whole thing would still have to be retuned every half hour or so.

When I bought my B.C. Rich, it came equipped with a Floyd Rose bridge. A whole different kind of animal. Of course, the Floyd Rose, or any of the more expensive floating bridges, has a locking nut at the top of the guitar to keep the whole thing tuned.

....

But how do you tune it? When I bought the guitar, I tried and tried and couldn’t get the damn thing to work. I ended up putting a few wooden blocks inside the bridge unit to keep it from moving and not using the locking the nut. Which meant I had to tune the guitar several times a day.

Wow. This guy's seriously the biggest idiot I've ever seen.

[LGM Guitars]

1 to 2 hours to reset the bridge??

This guy is on crack. Even restringing, if a bridge takes me more than 15 minutes to set (floyd style) Something is wrong. Even changing string gauges.

Slinky's suck IMO, they lose their tone way to fast. I'm a D'addario guy myself, I also find Slinky's break faster than any other string. Just my experience though.

[javacody]

SOS all the way guys.

People really just need to learn how to set up their guitars properly. I use vintage type trems and my tuning is fine for hours of light trem work. Often times I will try to make my vintage type strats go out of tune with the trem, and I can't. I use all 5 springs and 11's though, not sure if that makes a difference. Great workout though. LOL

Where you run into problems is with too many contact points. The only reason floyd's stay in tune is because you have only two contact points and only two studs. On a vintage strat, you simply back off the four inner screws a couple of turns, lubricate all 6 screws, lubricate the saddles (and make sure they have no burrs), lubricate the nut (make sure its properly cut), lubricate any string trees you might have (or go with Sperzel staggered height tuners and eliminate the trees, I think they are one of the worst offenders in throwing a vintage type strat out of tune!) and you won't have any tuning problems.