Cleartone Strings

[DHopkins]

I haven't seen anything on this in the last 5 years.

Someone gave me a couple of sets of Cleartone strings and I'm due for a string change. I'm debating on testing them. Previous comments were mixed. Some said they broke easily, some said they liked them, etc., but a lot can happen in 5 years.

Do I put them on or do I set them aside and maybe use them as broken string replacements after I put on the Gibson Sam Bush strings?

[Billy Packard]

You got 'em--try 'em! I'm curious.

As you may know, I'm a Mapes fan. Have you tried any of their products?


Billy

billypackardmandolin.com

[DHopkins]

I have tried Mapes mandolin strings and I probably didn't really give them a chance when I judged them prematurely. Originally, I wasn't terribly impressed and I changed them in less than 24 hours. That says a lot when you consider that I'd rather be set on fire for 15 minutes than change strings on a mandolin. I still have a set of Mapes and I promise to give them another chance.

[Louise NM]

I have tried Mapes mandolin strings and I probably didn't really give them a chance when I judged them prematurely. Originally, I wasn't terribly impressed and I changed them in less than 24 hours. That says a lot when you consider that I'd rather be set on fire for 15 minutes than change strings on a mandolin. I still have a set of Mapes and I promise to give them another chance.

I'm hoping it will get more pleasant with time, but at the moment, I'm right there with you!

[Phil Goodson]

I've used Cleartone strings off & on over the past decade on both mandolin and guitar. I like them better than any of the other coated strings I've tried, including Elixirs, and EXPs. My main objection to coated strings is that they FEEL coated. Elixirs are too slippery for my tastes and EXPs have always felt little 'sticky' to me. The Cleartones have a coating that is much less noticeable to me.
As far as sound, I think Cleartones sound pretty much like J74s to my ear.

I tend to change strings every 6 weeks or so, and don't feel that the coated strings offer me much benefit. Sometimes I put them on instruments that I don't play very often, just because I probably won't change the strings often. That seems to work for me.
BTW, I actually liked the Cleartones on guitars more than on mandolins.
YMMV