The pronounciation is Mon-el, with equal emphasis on both vowels. They sound very good to me in that they are warmer than most and woodier than most. My concern would be longevity. When I use monel strings on my dreadnaught guitars, they last much longer than uncoated phosper/bronze strings, but not as long as Elixirs. I have the same set of Elixir nanoweb strings on my mandolin for like the last couple of years and I'm afraid to remove them because they still sound so good! I think the Elixirs are hard to beat, but I haven't seen them in the stores recently and I'm concerned that they are no longer made. Monel may be my next go-to for mandolin, but I'd be interested to know which strings you think are best for F style bluegrass.
Hi Jeffrey! Thanks for clarifying the pronunciation! I was surprised how much I liked them. They’re not my forever string, but they could be for somebody. Sadly, the Elixir strings have been discontinued. Losing those, and the EXP strings was a big blow for the mandolin world. I’m liking the Mapes Octocore right now. Have you tried those? They’re not coated, but I like them a lot. - Nate
Of course the A and E sound good. They're the same as on all the other sets of that gauge, being plain music wire. The only difference/s will be in the wound courses. I can recommend the Curt Mangan Monels for less course windings and warmer tone. I have tried D'Addario, Martin and Mangan, and the Mangan were in a different league. They even lasted longer.
I tried the Mangans and liked them. It was one of my first tries after the EXP line was discontinued: th-cam.com/video/xBsnuH3-0Nw/w-d-xo.htmlsi=YnXWutIWDLf1BRRi The only thing I didn’t like about them was the tone was a little thin compared to the EXPs. Less complex. They were still great strings though. I’ve been using the Octacores exclusively for months now except for when I do string test videos. I think the Octacores will be my forever string, but I will keep doing the reviews because I’ve had a lot of requests to review other sets. - Nate
@@PlayNately I am surprised that you found the tone 'a little thin', Nate. That was certainly not my experience, 'though I have found that it can depend on the individual mandolin. Mine were used on Collings and Brentrup F5 models. I've not tried Octacore. Where do you get them from? I should check them out! Thanks, mate...er.. Nate!
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The pronounciation is Mon-el, with equal emphasis on both vowels. They sound very good to me in that they are warmer than most and woodier than most. My concern would be longevity. When I use monel strings on my dreadnaught guitars, they last much longer than uncoated phosper/bronze strings, but not as long as Elixirs. I have the same set of Elixir nanoweb strings on my mandolin for like the last couple of years and I'm afraid to remove them because they still sound so good! I think the Elixirs are hard to beat, but I haven't seen them in the stores recently and I'm concerned that they are no longer made. Monel may be my next go-to for mandolin, but I'd be interested to know which strings you think are best for F style bluegrass.
Hi Jeffrey! Thanks for clarifying the pronunciation! I was surprised how much I liked them. They’re not my forever string, but they could be for somebody.
Sadly, the Elixir strings have been discontinued. Losing those, and the EXP strings was a big blow for the mandolin world.
I’m liking the Mapes Octocore right now. Have you tried those? They’re not coated, but I like them a lot. - Nate
I can't use Elixir strings. For some weird reason they are really "grippy" and won't let me slide over the strings. Must be my chemistry?
@@geofflongford2008 That's quite possible. I can't use uncoated P/B strings for the same reason. My chemistry eats through them in a matter of hours.
Of course the A and E sound good. They're the same as on all the other sets of that gauge, being plain music wire. The only difference/s will be in the wound courses. I can recommend the Curt Mangan Monels for less course windings and warmer tone. I have tried D'Addario, Martin and Mangan, and the Mangan were in a different league. They even lasted longer.
I tried the Mangans and liked them. It was one of my first tries after the EXP line was discontinued: th-cam.com/video/xBsnuH3-0Nw/w-d-xo.htmlsi=YnXWutIWDLf1BRRi
The only thing I didn’t like about them was the tone was a little thin compared to the EXPs. Less complex. They were still great strings though.
I’ve been using the Octacores exclusively for months now except for when I do string test videos. I think the Octacores will be my forever string, but I will keep doing the reviews because I’ve had a lot of requests to review other sets. - Nate
@@PlayNately I am surprised that you found the tone 'a little thin', Nate. That was certainly not my experience, 'though I have found that it can depend on the individual mandolin. Mine were used on Collings and Brentrup F5 models. I've not tried Octacore. Where do you get them from? I should check them out! Thanks, mate...er.. Nate!