New Haven, CT, October 17, 2007 — While the cities and sites changed for musician Shawn Persinger during his four month excursion to 14 countries, including Egypt, China and India, one element remained consistent throughout — his Elixir Strings.
Suited with POLYWEB Coating on Elixir Strings for both his electric Traveler Guitar’s Escape EG-1 and acoustic First Act’s Discovery series 34″ guitar, Persinger set out on a mission to demonstrate how a musician is able to travel as a backpacker with only guitars in hand and without any chauffeurs or roadies.
An avid Elixir Strings user, Persinger says his trip gave new meaning to the strings’ reputation in exceptional performance and durability. “I’ve used other strings in the past that became unusable after playing them for a couple of days in extremely wet and humid conditions, but through my experiences with Elixir, I knew that Elixir would be able to withstand constant playing and weather changes,” he explains. “Elixir Strings proved durable not just over time, but through all different types of weather conditions. It was fantastic not having to change my strings while facing the intense desert dryness or tropical humidity.”
During his four month journey, Persinger played his guitars at least every other day between practicing and performing with local musicians, cultivating an international fan base. While he packed backup strings with POLYWEB Coating, he never needed to use them and continues to use the same set since his return. “I could always play my best even with my strings being four months old; there was never a difference in tone.” Persinger adds, “I never had to worry about the strings and that’s one less thing you have to concern yourself with when on the road, which makes the trip much more enjoyable.”
When not traveling abroad, Persinger shares his passion for guitar as an instructor, which is how he learned of the First Act’s Discovery acoustic guitar, also known as a signature KISS student guitar. “I sampled half a dozen different guitars before picking the two that I was going to take with me on the road,” explains Persinger. “In using the Elixir Strings on the First Act’s Discovery starter guitar, I was able to raise the bar in my performance and capabilities, a trick I learned while teaching some of my younger students.”
About Elixir Strings
Elixir Strings is the pioneer in coated string technology and is available in two string ‘flavors.’ Ultra-thin NANOWEB Coating provides the bright tone and punch of uncoated strings, yet keeps their lively tone three to five times longer than ordinary strings. The thin coating is nearly undetectable — providing the feel of traditional strings. Elixir Strings with original POLYWEB Coating also sound great three to five times longer than ordinary strings, have a balanced tone with smooth response, feel comfortably smooth, and reduce finger squeak. Elixir Strings are available in a full range of gauges for acoustic guitar, electric guitar, bass, banjo, and mandolin. Today, Elixir Strings are installed as original equipment by a growing list of discriminating electric guitar and bass manufacturers including Ibanez, Tom Anderson Guitarworks, Brian Moore Guitars, Carvin, Melancon Guitars as well as premium acoustic guitar luthiers such as Taylor Guitars, Santa Cruz Guitar Company, Alvarez-Yairi, Lakewood Guitars, RainSong Graphite Guitars, Carvin, and Goodall Guitars. Elixir Strings are endorsed by popular artists such as Melissa Etheridge, Train, Dave Mason, Michael W. Smith, Jim Messina, Christopher Cross, Bob Seger, and Drowning Pool.
Elixir Strings are manufactured by W.L. Gore & Associates, Inc., the company widely known for such innovations as GORE-TEX fabrics. For more information, please visit www.elixirstrings.com.
