Dammit, D'Addario!

[6Steve6Harris6]

Okay, here's the story;

I finally got paid today, and haven't changed my strings since about July. So I go down to Guitar Center to buy a pack of Rotosound flats, like I always do, but just for the hell of it, decided to try something different, so I ended up buying a pack of D'Addario Chrome flats, which are NOT cheap ($40 after tax!).

So I sit down to string my bass, and string up my E and A strings, and when I get to my D string, I find out that it's been cut too short, and won't reach my tuning peg. No idea how it happened - maybe it was a factory fluke?

Anywho, just wanted to vent. I really hope GC will give me a new string tomorrow when I go back, seeing as how I cannot afford to spend another $40 on strings.

[accutone]

If the string is new, D'Addario will stand behind it. I have had bad experiences with their double bass strings as have many db players. really poor quality control. Go to their website and it explains how to do a return if GC won't help you. Good luck

[6Steve6Harris6]

Didn't realize D'Addario's QC was that bad! If I'd known so many people had trouble with their strings, I never would have bought them.

As if this all weren't bad enough, I screwed up by only giving my strings one wrap around the post, because I wasn't paying attention. Hope they hold - if not, I'll have to cough up more money. I could really kick myself sometimes.

Anyways, thanks for the advice! Appreciate it, man!

[iplaybasstexas]

Originally Posted by 6Steve6Harris6

Didn't realize D'Addario's QC was that bad! If I'd known so many people had trouble with their strings, I never would have bought them.

As if this all weren't bad enough, I screwed up by only giving my strings one wrap around the post, because I wasn't paying attention. Hope they hold - if not, I'll have to cough up more money. I could really kick myself sometimes.

Anyways, thanks for the advice! Appreciate it, man!

stick with Rotos! never had a problem, and probably never will! i ONLY use Roto Swing Bass 66 Rounds on my basses.

if you are looking for something different that that, Ernie Ball Hybrid Slinkys are pretty decent too.

[James Hart]

Originally Posted by iplaybasstexas

stick with Rotos! never had a problem, and probably never will! i ONLY use Roto Swing Bass 66 Rounds on my basses.

no string manufacturer is flawless. I quit Rotos in the late 80s because of frequent dead strings out of the package.

[iplaybasstexas]

Originally Posted by James Hart

no string manufacturer is flawless. I quit Rotos in the late 80s because of frequent dead strings out of the package.

28 years is a LOT of time for change...(i.e new QC, new managers, owners, etc.

for example, i'm pretty sure youve changed in the last 28 years!

but hey, thats your choice. i love my rotos.

[P-BASSLOVER]

Originally Posted by 6Steve6Harris6

Didn't realize D'Addario's QC was that bad! If I'd known so many people had trouble with their strings, I never would have bought them.

As if this all weren't bad enough, I screwed up by only giving my strings one wrap around the post, because I wasn't paying attention. Hope they hold - if not, I'll have to cough up more money. I could really kick myself sometimes.

Anyways, thanks for the advice! Appreciate it, man!

Iv'e used them for 11 years on and off. Them and DR's and only had one bad set of each. D'Addario regular Long Scales aren't that long. If you are stinging through the body or have a 35 inch scale bass or both, you need the Super Longs in D'Addario. I have cursed them out for the same reason too!

[James Hart]

Originally Posted by iplaybasstexas

28 years is a LOT of time for change...(i.e new QC, new managers, owners, etc.

for example, i'm pretty sure youve changed in the last 28 years!

but hey, thats your choice. i love my rotos.

actually it was the very late 80s.... about 19 years back. I'm glad you dig rotos, I prefer LaBella Hard Rockin Steels these days but made my rounds through a few brands of stainless rounds before finding these... Roto doesn't offer strings for my bass anyway. I run .118 - .095 - .075 - .060 - .040 -.029 - .022 on my 7 string.

My point was 'no manufacture is flawless'. They will all slip out a bum set from time to time. What matters is the ease in which they handle the situation.

[JustOpenYourMind]

Originally Posted by James Hart

no string manufacturer is flawless. I quit Rotos in the late 80s because of frequent dead strings out of the package.

+1

It's normal that some errors happen now and then. I'm not biased towards any of those string company since currently none of my basses are strung with them but as said, I never seen a string company that has a QC as bad as rotosound. A couple years ago, all I used was the swing bass 66's and maybe 15 to 20% of the packages had dead strings or strings with weird sounding overtones. With D'addario, I never had a problem.

[CrashClint]

Originally Posted by James Hart

no string manufacturer is flawless. I quit Rotos in the late 80s because of frequent dead strings out of the package.

+1, I had the same problem back then and it left such a bad taste I have never used them since. This wasn't due to just one bad lot, this happened over a years time. I would go back to the music store and we would open packs of string and pull individuals out and try make a complete set. It seemed more frequent with the A & D strings. This wasn't the fact with every pack, but it was a good third.

I am not trying to slam Roto, because for years they were the only string I used. I am sure by the late 80s or 90s it was fixed, I just moved on, plus their round wounds were course feeling and squeaked alot.

[RCCollins]

Same thing happened to me with some DR sunbeams, and I never heard back from CS :O

[lug]

Originally Posted by P-BASSLOVER

Iv'e used them for 11 years on and off. Them and DR's and only had one bad set of each. D'Addario regular Long Scales aren't that long. If you are stinging through the body or have a 35 inch scale bass or both, you need the Super Longs in D'Addario. I have cursed them out for the same reason too!

+1 I just buy super longs when I get D'Addarios. This is a very common complaint about them.

[PSPookie]

Approximately 50% of all the D'Addario sets I have purchased have had some sort of issue. As such, I will no longer buy them if I can help it.

On the plus side they were very good about rectifying the situation.

[wkbryan]

I broke a D'Addario string putting it on my acoustic guitar a while back. Took it back to GC hoping to just pick up a single string and they gave me a new set totally without hassle. Maybe they'll do the same this time.

BTW--the only strings I've ever broken have been D'Addario. I don't think I'm hard on them so.....

[Ben B]

I've used D'Addario XL and Chromes exclusively for 20+ years. Never had a quality problem--not once!

As other's have said, if you have a string-through-body bass or 35 inch scale, their standard long scale strings are too short. But that's not a QC problem.

Ben

[kencasino]

I had a set of super longs from D and the B was for a 34" scale which made the threaded potion lay on the nut, got a new one with no trouble.

As a note of interest, I broke a g string once, and twisted a piece of another string end to it and soldered it together and it lasted me for a month before I replaced the string.

[Zooberwerx]

Originally Posted by RCCollins

Same thing happened to me with some DR sunbeams, and I never heard back from CS :O

My experience was just the opposite. I had a G string wrap separation / breakage at the tuner. I e-mailed DR offering to return the defective string for QC review. They said don't worry about it and mailed me a whole new set. There's actually a DR Appreciation thread somewhere on this forum.

Riis

[dafunkewun]

had the exact same problem with the Rotosounds, and will never go back to 'em. I like DR's better anyway...

[lug]

Originally Posted by Ben B

I've used D'Addario XL and Chromes exclusively for 20+ years. Never had a quality problem--not once!

As other's have said, if you have a string-through-body bass or 35 inch scale, their standard long scale strings are too short. But that's not a QC problem.

Ben

Yep, my problem was buying the wrong set, not the string being short. Their "long scale" strings are for a top loaded fender-style bridge. Anything else and you need to get "super longs".

[60bass]

Originally Posted by iplaybasstexas

28 years is a LOT of time for change...(i.e new QC, new managers, owners, etc.

for example, i'm pretty sure youve changed in the last 28 years!

but hey, thats your choice. i love my rotos.

+1 from another LONG time Roto user. I started using them back in the 70's. Back then they were hard to get as they only came over in small batches from England, cost 60.00 bucks a set, and did from time to time have dead strings. QC was nonexistant from Howe back then. If you got a dead one, there was no way to get a replacement.

During the 80's things were somewhat better. Almost everybody carried RS66 Swing Bass sets. QC was improved but still not perfect. From the late 90's on, I've had gool luck with RS. I can recall only one dead string and the store gave me a replacement set.

Every maker has dead ones from time to time. Theyway they handle it and the store handles it are what makes the difference.

Keep Low