D'Addario vs. Elixir Strings: Which is Best For You?

D'Addario vs. Elixir Strings: Which is Best for You?

Many guitar string brands claim to be the biggest and best — but D’Addario and Elixir have a better claim than most. Both offer a vast selection of strings that consistently rank among the most popular and best-selling at Strings and Beyond.

But which strings should you be putting on your guitar? Each has its loyalists and critics, and the answer isn’t always clear-cut. To help you decide which should be on your instrument, the team at Strings and Beyond put together this overview starting with a quick history of each.

About D’Addario Strings

D’Addario is a family-owned music company based on Long Island (New York). The family has been making instrument strings since the 17 ^th century, and the current company was born in 1973 after several previous ventures. Two prior D’Addario companies, C. D’Addario & Son and Darco Music, were heavily involved in the development of electric guitar strings. Among other innovations, the D’Addario’s invented the nickel-plated steel strings that are now commonplace.

Today, they offer hundreds of different guitar strings for everything from modern rock to classical music. It’s widely believed that D’Addario also makes other brands such as Gibson, although this has never been officially confirmed. Mark Knopfler, Scott Ian, Keith Urban, Pat Metheny, Nita Strauss and The Edge are just a small sampling of D’Addario guitar string users.

About Elixir Strings

Elixir is owned by W. L. Gore & Associates — the same company that invented Gore-Tex fabric. They debuted Elixir strings in 1997, which were an offshoot of research into making push-pull cables with protective coatings. Guitarists on the team got the idea to adapt the coating to strings, and Elixir was born.

While not the first company to develop coated guitar strings, Elixir arguably perfected it. Now from their headquarters in Maryland, they offer strings for all types of guitars. Some notable musicians who use Elixir guitar strings include John Paul Jones, Chris Woods, Miranda Lambert, Phil Kaeggy and Eric Church. Over a dozen guitar brands also come strung with Elixirs, including Taylor, Yamaha, ESP and Keisel Custom Guitars.

Comparing D’Addario and Elixir

Now it’s time for the important part — what strings these companies sell and how good they are. Let’s start with the available products from each.

Product Offerings

In this category, D’Addario is the clear winner. Surely in part because of their centuries-long history, D’Addario offers one of the largest selections of guitar strings and bass strings. Phosphor bronze strings, nickel-plated strings, flat-wound strings, round-wound strings, nylon strings, titanium strings…you name it, D’Addario has it. They make strings for many other instruments as well, including mandolins, banjos, ukuleles, pedal steel guitars and violins.

Elixir, on the other hand, has a sparser catalog. Their strings are limited to acoustic, electric and bass guitars along with their variants such as 12-string guitars. Materials are more limited as well, being limited to the “big four” of steel string materials: phosphor bronze, 80/20 bronze, nickel-plated steel and stainless steel (plus plain steel single strings). If you’re looking for pure nickel, silk-and-steel or other less-common strings, you’re out of luck.

D'Addario also offers more string gauge options than Elixir with a variety of custom setups. Elixir has a few custom options but largely limits you to the standard light-regular-medium-heavy quartet. And finally, while D’Addario offers some coated strings, Elixir doesn’t make any uncoated strings. That’s understandable considering the coating is what they’re known for, but if you’ve sworn off coated strings, then Elixir isn’t for you.

Guitar String Sound and Playability

Because they have more options for materials, D’Addario has more options when it comes to sound. Most notably, D’Addario strings are going to sound brighter out of the package than their Elixir counterparts. This is because the coating on the Elixir strings dulls the initial tone a little bit. (If you’re comparing coated D’Addario strings to Elixir, the gap narrows considerably.)

The strings will also feel different as Elixir strings are considerably smoother than comparable D’Addario strings. As such, Elixir has a “love-it-or-hate-it” reputation among guitarists. If you like fast action and a warmer tone, you love them. If you want more grip and brightness, you hate them. Elixir does have three different levels of coatings (POLYWEB, NANOWEB and OPTIWEB) and claims their OPTIWEB strings feel like natural strings. But the most discerning guitarists will likely still notice a difference.

String Longevity

This is where Elixir is a clear winner. Guitarist after guitarist will agree that Elixir guitar strings will outlast any others. We’ve heard multiple accounts of Elixir strings still sounding good after more than a year of regular use. It’s a boon to professional and semi-professional musicians who gig frequently and don’t have the time (or money) to constantly be replacing strings.

Conversely, uncoated D’Addario strings can last as short as a few weeks if you’re playing them frequently and aggressively. The coated strings will last longer, of course, with D’Addario saying their XT strings last four times longer than uncoated strings. But Elixir remains the leader until proven otherwise.

So Which Guitar Strings Should You Use?

Whether to use Elixir or D’Addario strings ultimately comes down to personal preference. If you don’t want to buy 20 different sets of guitar strings to figure out what your preferences are, though, here are a few rules of thumb:

• If you need or prefer specialty string gauges and materials, go with D’Addario strings.
• If you want the brightest sound and most resonance possible, lean toward D’Addario strings.
• If you want strings that last a long time and maintain a more consistent tone, go with Elixir strings.
• If you like strings that are easier on your hands and feel smoother, use Elixir strings.