Elixir Nano Lights vs EFW74

[Cenycal]

I'm normally a rhythm guitarist but I play mandolin on the side. I've recently decided to start honing my mandolin skills and put more effort into it's sound. I have an Epiphone MM50. Currently I'm using Elixir Nano Lights, which basically what I use on my guitar. I play for church and I end up doing a mix of Folk and Rock styles. I'm not a bluegrass player. I play many chords and some tremolo melody lines.

I've read threads here about the EFW74's but not much on how the Elixirs compare to the EFW74's in terms of sound and style. Anyone have feedback between the 2 before I try the 74's?

[mandobassman]

I wouldn't think there would be much of a comparison. It seems to me they would be very different sounding strings. I've been using the FW74s for some time now and, although I haven't used the Elixir's on my mandolin, I have used them on others and I think they would be very bright and thin sounding compared to the flatwound FW74s. The FW74s have a very rich and warm tone. Many players don't like flatwound strings for Bluegrass, but since you don't play Bluegrass they might be perfect for your style. One big benefit of the FW74s is that they last a VERY long time. I've had mine on the mandolin for as long as 16 months of regular playing.