Coated Guitar Strings - All You Need To Know

If you feel that in a short period your guitar strings tone dies, the playing gets hard on fingers then it is time to switch to coated strings. If you have ever wondered what are coated strings and wish to know more, you are in the right place. Here we are going to learn all about Coated Strings. 

Contents

• What Are Coated Strings?
• Construction Of Coated Strings?
• Difference between coated and uncoated strings?
• Are coated strings better than uncoated strings?
• Some of the best-coated strings you can buy for your electric, acoustic and bass guitars.

What Are Coated Strings?

Strings are made of metal. As you might already know that metals do oxidize and corrode when exposed to dirt, moisture, hand oils, etc. The process of oxidization and corrosion leads to a short string life, which meant annoyed guitar players. To solve this issue, coated strings were invented.

Coated Strings are simply strings that have a coating of a protective layer on them. This layer is generally a super-thin polymer coat that you generally can't feel or see with your naked eyes. This layer helps in extending guitar strings life by protecting them from elements like dirt, sweat, hand oils and in some cases like mine even PIZZA. 

Construction Of Coated Strings?

Like every other string, coated strings consist of two basic wires + a coating layer. So first there is a core wire(some manufacturers coat the core wire as well). Core wire is wrapped using a second wire called a wrapping wire(some plain strings do not have a wrapped wire). On top of the wrap wire, a layer of coating is sprayed. This is called a coating layer or simply a coating. This layer of coating makes all the difference in the world. Some guitar string manufacturers even claim that their coating extends strings life up to 5x. 

 Difference between coated and uncoated strings?

• A major noteworthy difference between coated and uncoated strings is that coated strings tend to last longer. That was the reason behind the invention and that is the big major difference. On average a coated string lasts somewhere between 3x-5x times longer. 
• Another difference that players experience is that coated strings tend to feel smooth and comfortable. This is majorly due to the soft feel of the coating polymer.
• When people think about coated strings, they assume that due to increased mass, coated strings do not resonate as much as uncoated strings. The same might have been true in the early days, but with changing manufacturing techniques this is surely not the scenario in today's market. Some coated strings Like DR Dragon Skin have such a thin layer of coating that you won't even notice it and consider this string as uncoated at first.

Are coated strings better than uncoated strings?

Honestly, this is a question that comes down to a matter of choice. Some players tend to like coated strings over uncoated because of the feel. It plays smoother and sounds a bit different. Also, coated strings last longer. On the other hand, those who are accustomed to uncoated strings tend to like the way uncoated strings feel and sound. This is completely dependent on the player and what the player prefers. I prefer coated strings over uncoated strings. You too should try, experiment and decide what's best for your needs. At the end of the day, a big part of making good music is experimentation.

Some best-coated strings you can buy for your electric guitars.

Here is a list of some best-coated strings you could buy.

Elixir Opti Web Coated Electric Guitar Strings

Elixir Nano Web Coated Electric Guitar Strings

Ernie Ball Coated Electric Titanium RPS Slinky Electric Guitar Strings

GHS Coated Boomers Electric Guitar Strings

DR Strings DRAGON SKIN Electric Guitar Strings

Again, this is a list of strings that I love, yours could be somewhat different. Experiment and let me know in the comment's section below about what is your personal favourite coated string choice. I would love to hear your choices and learn from you.