Extended-life strings—especially in the coated category—remain a hot debate. Visit almost any players’ forum and you’ll find a passionate thread about the subject. Some guitarists really love them, some really don’t. The bottom line is there are a number of options like the 10 here that offer longer life, so you can spend more time working your strings—not changing them.
ERNIE BALL
Everlast Phosphor BronzeThese strings use nanotechnology to repel unwanted moisture and oils that can negatively impact tone. The proprietary treatment is applied to both the inner-hex core and outer-wrap wire to provide protection without compromising tone or feel.
$16 street
ernieball.com
ELIXIR
Acoustic 80/20 BronzeThe 80/20 coppper/zinc ratio and ultra-thin Nanoweb coating of this set was designed to deliver bright and lively tone together with extended tone/string life. The coating provides reduced finger squeak and a smooth feel for enhanced playability.
$14 street
elixirstrings.com
CLEARTONE
Heavy SeriesBoasting heavy-duty reinforced construction and enhanced core-to-wrap ratios, these strings are intended for hard-playing guitarists. For extended life, the strings are “treated” with a 1-micron-thin application that’s guaranteed not to flake.
$13 street
cleartonestrings.com
GHS
Coated BoomersMade with top-quality, nickel-plated steel wire, these strings are produced using a process that coats the outer wires before wrapping them around the core wire. The plain steel strings are also coated for a well-balanced feel.
$8 street
ghsstrings.com
D’ADDARIO
EXP16 Coated Phosphor BronzeThese strings feature break-resistant, high-carbon steel wire for advanced strength and pitch stability, and the high-quality wrap-wire materials are micro-coated on D’Addario’s proprietary machinery for a set that boasts uncoated tone and four times more life.
$11 street
daddario.com
DR STRINGS
Black BeautiesProprietary K3 coating has been shown in factory tests to last at least nine times longer than the company’s previous coatings and with no stripping away or peeling under any playing condition, yet players still report greater clarity and volume than uncoated strings.
$10 street
drstrings.com
BLACK DIAMOND
Black Coated Phosphor BronzeDesigned for dramatically longer string life and to bring clarity to a guitar’s tone, all six strings in this set are treated with Black Diamond’s black coating for a balanced feel and full protection from hand oils and environmental decay.
$15 street
blackdiamondstrings.com
ROTOSOUND
NexusThese strings feature a polymer coating that’s intended to offer a smooth feel, windings that are almost self-cleaning and unaffected by perspiration, and tone that will outlast most conventional strings.
$12 street
rotosound.com
C.F. MARTIN & CO.
Lifespan SPThe SP core wire in this set is engineered to resist breaking and for superior tuning hold with a rich tone and responsive attack. All six strings are treated with proprietary technology to help deliver the longest possible string life without sacrificing tone or feel.
$9 street
martinguitar.com
CURT MANGAN
Nickel Wound CoatedThe proprietary in-house coating process for these strings, which was developed in 2008, is four-to-five times more resistant to tarnish and corrosion than an uncoated string, and was designed to not compromise tonal quality or alter feel.
$12 street
curtmangan.com
![Jerry Cantrell Rig Rundown [2024]](https://www.premierguitar.com/media-library/youtube.jpg?id=53714787&width=600&height=600&quality=85&coordinates=0%2C0%2C560%2C0)
Diamond Pedals Dark Cloud
True to the Diamond design ethos of our dBBD’s hybrid analog architecture, Dark Cloud unlocks a new frontier in delay technology which was once deemed unobtainable by standard BBD circuit.
Powered by an embedded system, the Dark Cloud seamlessly blends input and output signals, crafting Tape, Harmonic, and Reverse delays with the organic warmth of analog companding and the meticulous precision of digital control.
Where analog warmth meets digital precision, the Dark Cloud redefines delay effects to create a pedal like no other
But by gosh, if delay—and its sister effect, reverb—haven’t always been perfect for the music I like to write and play. Which brings us to the Fishman EchoBack Mini Delay. The EchoBack, along with the standard delay controls of level, time, and repeats—as well as a tap tempo—has a toggle to alternate between analog, tape, and digital-delay voices.
I hooked up my Washburn Bella Tono Elegante to my Blues Junior to give the EchoBack a test run. We love a medium delay—my usual preference for delay settings is to have both level and repeats at 1 o’clock, and time at 11 o’clock. With the analog voice switched on, I heard some pillowy warmth in the processed signal, as well as a familiar degradation with each repeat—until their wake gave way to a gentle, distant, crinkly ticking. Staying on analog and adjusting delay time down to 8 o’clock and repeats to about 11:30, some cozy slapback enveloped my rendition of Johnny Marr’s part to “Back to the Old House,” conjuring up thoughts of Elvis trapped in a small chamber, but in a good way. It sounded indubitably authentic. The one drawback of analog delay for me, generally, is that its roundness can feel a bit under water at times.
Switching over to tape, that pillowy warmth evaporated, and in its place came a very clear replication of my tone—but with just a bit of the highs shaved off the top. With the settings at the medium-length mode listed above, I could see the empty, glass hall the pedal sent my sound bouncing down. I heard several pronounced pings of repeats before the signal fully faded out. On slapback settings (time at 8 o’clock, repeats at 11:30), rather than Elvis, I heard something more along the lines of a honky-tonk mic in a glass bottle. Still relatively crystalline, which actually was not my favorite. I like a bit more crinkle—so maybe analog is my bag....“That pillowy warmth evaporated, and in its place came a very clear, pristine replication of my tone—but with just a bit of the highs shaved off the top.”
Next up, digital. Here we have the brightest voice, and as expected, the most faithful repeats. They ping just a few times before shifting to a smooth, single undulating wave. When putting its slapback hat on, I found that the effect was a bit less alluring than I’d observed for the analog and tape voices. This is where the digital delay felt a little too sterile, with the cleanly preserved signal feeling a bit unnatural.
All in all, I dig the EchoBack for its replications of analog and tape voices, and ultimately, lean towards tape. While it’s nice having the digital delay there as an option, it feels a bit too clean when meddling with time of any given length. Nonetheless, this is surely a handy stomp for any acoustic player looking to venture into the land of live effects, or for those who are already there.
