Elixir Strings will be launching a brand new range of Obtiweb strings at this year's Winter NAMM show.Starting life off in 1995 as the creators of push-pull strings for use in Disney animatronics, Elixir has since been on a mission to perfect its coated guitar strings for a more musical purpose.Engineering long-lasting and great sounding guitar strings has been the firm's agenda since 1997, with Elixir expanding its ranges to include electronic and acoustic guitar and bass strings.During that time the brand has launched a number of advanced strings for various uses and in 2017, it will launch its latest innovation at the biggest MI show in the world.MI Pro caught up with Elixir's Justin Fogleman to find out more about the new range and what he's looking forward to at NAMM 2017.Tell us about Elixir's new Optiweb strings.Elixir OPTIWEB Coated Electric Strings challenge everything that uncoated string players ever experienced, thought or heard about coated electric guitar strings. Our new OPTIWEB Coated Electric Strings give electric guitarists the performance of a natural string - that crisp tone, natural feel and playable grip electric guitarists know and love - without sacrificing the signature long-lasting tone life of Elixir Strings.Our OPTIWEB Coated electric strings were designed from input of over a thousand electric guitarists. Their feedback was clear: they wanted the performance of an uncoated string with the long tone-life of an Elixir String.With this, our team went to work to develop a thin, lightweight coating to meet the needs of uncoated guitarists who wanted more from their string. Our OPTIWEB Coated electric strings have the tone of an uncoated string with the tone-life of a coated one. They have a natural feel that's more like an uncoated string than anything we've previously offered. With that, they provide the same long tone life that players have come to expect from Elixir Strings.Tell us a bit about the new string packaging.OPTIWEB Coated Electric Strings debuted a new modern packaging design for Elixir Strings that has a premium look and feel. Extended as well to NANOWEB and POLYWEB Coated Electric Strings, this simplified, updated packaging is both eye-catching and easy to read. The result is improved shopability for customers and clerks alike on the full range of Elixir Strings that now meet the playing style of every electric guitarist.Can you give us an overview of the differences between your coatings?Whether you choose our OPTIWEB, NANOWEB or POLYWEB Coated electric strings, you can rest assured that they all provide the long tone-life players have come to expect from Elixir Strings. There are some differences between them though.Our OPTIWEB Coated strings are our newest offering. These strings sound like an uncoated string, with a crisp tone and natural feel. Our NANOWEB Coated strings have a bright tone and smooth feel. While the POLYWEB Coated strings have a warm tone with a slick, fast feel.How has the MI market been for Elixir over the past year?In short, it's been really good. Elixir Strings is gaining momentum and has had several record sales quarters recently. As you may know, Elixir Strings is the #1 selling string brand for acoustic guitar players, loved for their tone and feel combined with long tone life. In prepping for the OPTIWEB Coated electric string launch, we've been overwhelmed by the positive feedback we received in our field trials from guitarists worldwide on Elixir Strings as a whole. And it's really encouraging to see how much demand there is for a string with the performance of an uncoated string coupled with the long tone-life of a coated one. What are you most looking forward to at NAMM 2017?We'll be officially launching our OPTIWEB Coated Electric Strings at NAMM 2017 and are very excited to see the reaction from players, retailers and distributors alike. NAMM is always a great place to connect face-to-face with customers around the globe.What's next or Elixir?We're always looking for new ways to meet the evolving needs of players. We'll continue to listen to players' needs and expand our products accordingly.
