I BOUGHT FAKE ELIXIR STRINGS: How to tell if yours are real. 

Got mine from Amazon, it was my first purchase so I was very nervous because I didn't know how to tell the fake from real. But this video helped! The good news is that they're definitely real. The package, font sharpness, shadowing etc were all there. The main thing that others haven't pointed out was the coating part that you did, and I'm glad for that. Because I could definitely see the plastic coating starting on mine after a bit of the uncoated part. :D Now to put them on!

As BangYai pointed out below, there might be more than one counterfeit Elixir manufacturer. My fake strings have a 5 1/2" section of exposed core wire at the end so are not wound all the way to the end like yours are. Also the glued flaps on both the real and the fake envelopes are on the outside so a better forgery. Between my fake and real sets, the silver seal on the back of the real Elixir package has 40 or so tiny dotted perforations (too small to count) while the fake seal has just 9 longer dashed perforations. Also, the seal on the real ones has an embossed circle while the fake seal is flat. The real seal is printed using black ink on silver foil while the fake is printed using black ink over silver metallic ink, which looks more like gray, and then has a UV plastic coating in a failed attempt to make it appear shiny like real foil. Back to the strings, both the fake and real sets are marked; 12/53 Light. Using a dial caliper, the real ones measure; 12, 16, 24, 32, 42, 53, just as indicated on the box and envelopes. The fake ones measure; 11.5, 16, 24, 31, 40, 49. The fake strings will work in a pinch but are squeaky and, due to the lighter gauge bass strings, sound weak. Both of my real and fake sets are supposed to be Phosphor Bronze. The front of the real box at the bottom right corner is marked, RICH & FULL SMOOTH, the fake box is marked, BRIGHT - SMOOTH. Bright smooth is the description Elixir uses for their 80/20 strings, not the Phosphor Bronze. There are other font and graphics differences but, unless you are holding both boxes for comparison, you probably won't notice them. What are the chances that foreign counterfeiters look for these videos and reviews for tips on how to improve their counterfeits?

Brilliant forensic analysis. Great video - you'll know for sure if you've got fakes by the end of the video. Even better fakes (esp packaging) are being produced - but the ultimate tell is whether there is a thin plastic sheath on the low E. Then you'll know for sure

Brilliant post. I just bought some Elixir strings from a local guitar shop. I actually asked the woman who runs the shop if the strings were genuine and she replied "Yes, of course. We buy them directly from the company". I came home, put them on my guitar and realized that they sounded like shit. After watching your video, it turns out that they are 100% fake. Thanks for the knowledge!

I got done with a set of these from ebay today, exactly the same packaging as your fakes and the strings are really awful. I didn't go looking on the packet for clues until I pulled out the stings they are so shoddy. Thanks for helping people with the video dude!

Thanks, really helpful!

The counterfeiters have been watching this video! Mine have everything spot on apart from the circles at the end of the cutaway on the back. The perforations on the seal is far fatter compared to the originals too. No coating on the strings but the colour isn't bad.

Good work, thank you for that.

How interesting it is when the fake one is packed way more carefully than the real one.

I'm comparing two packages now, one fake bought somewhere on the internet, and one original bought at one good guitar store. Everything is as you described with one difference - both packages have flaps outside the internal envelope. And I'm sure my original are indeed original, because there is coating on the strings clearly visible, and on the fake ones there was no. And these original string acts and sounds actually like Elixirs should - so even original packages might have tiny differences. Internal envelope on my fakes was kinda yellow.

How about the barcodes on the packaging? Can it be used to identify fake or not when you scan it?

I got these in today from Amazon and I thought I had received fake ones because I was used to getting the original packaging without all the fancy stuff on the box, hoping the packaging was the only thing that has changed

Ebay is full of them in the UK, always a little bit cheaper than the proper ones, you cant tell till they turn up. Dont trust Amazon either unless it is a connection to a decent music store.

Thanks for sharing. I just received my fake Elixers but I knew beforehand they would be fake. I still wanted them so that I would be better able to tell fake from real in future. One thing I feel is that there is more than one company making fakes and they may not all have the same differences. The fakes I got passed some of the mistakes you point out ( string packet flaps on outside like genuine and amount of bare string on the end also like original ) The real giveaway though is that under a strong magnifying glass you can clearly see that the strings are not coated in any way at all. This is the main thing I will be looking for when I am out for genuine strings. For all the reasons shown in the video plus my own observations I would say that if you really want genuine strings you need to buy them in person and not online.

are the original Elixir sold on the Walmart website?

Hello good morning, my native language is not English but I will try to communicate, I bought some phosphor bronze elixir and I suspect that they are false because two days after they used they began to peel off the coating, as if skinning, like a snake; is this normal? thank you!

Thanks for the video, my initial query after buying 2 sets of 11/52 16027 Nano's, was how do they the do it for the price I bought off eBay at a cost of $19 for both sets including postage, crikey !!! Best shop price is $60 plus. They appear to be the real deal. I'll string up. Thanks

Is 80/20 and phospor bronze has the same string color rose gold? If they are both original

I bought a set of Elixir 80/20 on eBay. They were £11.99, now gone up to £12.99 where they normally sell for £17.99. I’ve just had new frets on my Takamine and the guy fitted my “Elixir” strings. They feel hard and don’t sound great. I don’t have the packaging but they don’t feel like they have any coating at all.

Great topic and research. I would add to try and look for spelling mistakes, accent marks missing in languages such as french or portuguese. Finding these type of mistakes in the back cover can help you to identify fakes before opening the packaging. It must be "revêtement", and not "revetement", or "aço" and not "aco"....

I think the box is different because you're comparing 80/20 strings and phosphor bronze

Thank you for the video, I brought fake elixir strings, whole packing looks like original package but strings are fake and worn as you mentioned

Are they good value considering you can buy 6 sets for the price of two sets?

HI , THANKS FOR THE VIDEO , WHY IS EBAY STILL NOT STOPING SELLERS FROM SELLING ELIXIR polyweb STRINGS ? FOR EXAMPLE 3X SETS OF 9sTO42s for £12 today 28/06/2023 REGARDS TONY

Can’t help noticing that most reviews are about the packaging more than the actual strings. I never liked exiles that much as I found them quite firm to play and the sound not as good as d’addarios. However I have since tried the cheaper fake exilirs at around £4.20 a pop and have found the phosphorous bronze to be excellent. Remains to be see how long they last. Have also got 3 sets of bronze which are a little brassy but ok. Through an amp I doubt most people could tell the difference in sound. Acoustically a difference I would hope would Be more discernible. It is wrong of course and obviously eBay have absolutely no interest in doing anything about and seem to actively promote crooks

Thank you and well done. It would be even more helpful if you could do a straight comparison of the real phospors to to the fake phosphors, or likewise with the 80/20's, but I understand that you might not want to deliberately order another fake set and waste your cash. Again, well done, and thank you.

I have a set of both the real set has made in the USA, the fake ones dont

Bought mine for only 3 US dollars. It played as well as original, but it doesn't last as long. Need replacing every two months.

…..Get a cheap micrometer, and see the coating, I did after being conned, now foolproof.

Also the typo on the envelope

I got a package via Aliexpress very, very cheap. Promo action for less than an Euro. Even the normal price would be only about 25% like the price of the real ones in music stores in Germany. The fake Package shows the same very slight differences. One very obvious thing: The inner single packages are made of a very shiny paper, like baking paper and the printing is much out of line, sloppy. The strings look very similar like the original ones, the empty end at the for wound strings is there, the color is almost the same like the original phosphor bronze. Only the feel of the surface is different and as in another youtube video shown there is no coating at all. For a short time the fake strings even sound very good and feel like good uncoated strings.

i bought 1 of this string, the box are 100% exactly on the fake one but the string and the paper was 100% exactly on the real one, I can't tell it that this is a fake or a real,what you think sir?is this a real or a fake?

of course the packaging has to be on point. The whole point of fake products is to deceive you into buying them, meanwhile the actual quality of the product is garbage. Why would they try to make the strings anymore authentic when you already bought the damn thing lol.

I purchased 4 boxes from eBay, messaged the dealer that the strings were not coated and wanted to know where he purchased the strings, he said Amazon, I’ve used elixirs since the came out, and these strings are junk!! Fake for sure, I broke 2 strings in 1 hour, I’m a performer in the Rocky Mountains in Colorado and perform 7 days a week and I depend on elixirs, I didn’t realize elixirs were being faked till now, how do approach this situation? Do I contact eBay? I paid through PayPal as well, this really answered my questions about these because I knew something was up, I was trying to figure out how this dealer switched the strings out, thank you

Way better when that was the same phosphore bronze.

I bought three sets of fake elixirs on eBay. eBay refunded my money because of their guaranteed protection. I’m not sure but I think Amazon will do the same. Amazon is cracking down on the counterfit items their sellers sell.. i’m not sure about that but I heard that on the news. By the way, I have never found anything on Amazon to be the cheapest price. I just spent a few more minutes searching the Internet especially on eBay, I always found the same item for less money elsewhere

wtf i bought mine for 20 bucks and I just found out that it's a fake, damn.

Will fake strings damage frets?

For most amateurs does it matter?

Спасибо дружище! Я купил оригинал!)

No need for all that fuss, just don't buy them from ebay. Especially when they are really cheap. If they are cheap, they will "NOT" be genuine .

Me too. Bloody terrible. Sound is poor hard to fret and no coating. Welcome to Indonesia

How about the tone

Damn I just ordered a pack of fake ones for $20 thinking I was getting a steal

You say that the back of the package is exactly the same - look again- there are very obvious differences.

How could I tell if the seller has put the strings into wrong string envelopes? I bought a set of Elixir Acoustic Phosphor Bronze with NANOWEB® Coating strings for the first time.