The price of strings

[mike1762]

I've been playing bass since 1978. I just realized that I'm actually paying LESS for strings now than I did "back in the day". I usually paid about $20 - $25 for a set of Rotosound Swing Bass strings all through the 80's (not an insignificant amount for a starving musician). I'm now buying the same strings for less than $20. Accounting for inflation, bass strings have gotten much cheaper. I'm thrilled, but what's up with that?

[jsingles]

they still arent cheap enough if you ask me

[Baryonyx]

They're still a rip off.

[SamanthaCay]

ever had a bass where the strings cost more than the bass it's self

[nebzero]

Originally Posted by buchananbass

ever had a bass where the strings cost more than the bass it's self

Haha, yeah. Mine is that way every day.

I paid $15 for my Squier P. Lord do I miss the days of middle school trades. In middles school, some kids would give you a kidney if you had the item they wanted at that moment.

[heavyhitter]

I cant complain on the price. My daughter plays a viola.....strings for that @ $100 give or take, a set!

[4Mal]

Originally Posted by jsingles

they still arent cheap enough if you ask me

be glad you don't also play guitar ... I use Thomastics for the most paret on my (5) basses and due to their long life it's a drop in the bucket next to strings to the 6 guitars ... I'm just happy I don't have to re-string my key's.

What I've noticed is that I'm actually paying more money per set than I used to - while on the road in the 70's & 80's I bought 12 packs of D'Addario XL's and they were pretty cheap by that point - but I changed them every 2 weeks. Now I pay more per pack but the Thomastics just last and last... not too mention they sound great.

[Brother Nothing]

Originally Posted by jsingles

they still arent cheap enough if you ask me

maybe you should stop buying elixirs mr. moneybags

[Kevinmach]

I was a guitar player back then, but I remember the strings being more for the basses then they are now. On a high school kids budget, I dropped my jaw when I saw bass guys were paying, but most people told me they don't have to re-string as often (I am sure that's a personal preference though). But I remember sets being 35 and 40 bucks and that was 20 years ago.

Actually, when I was on craigslist shopping for a used bass, I was factoring in $40 extra on the ads that blatantly admitted "could use some new strings" in their post. I was pleasantly surprised to see them as cheap as $18 at GC when I went to get new ones.

[aus_bass]

Ha, try buying bass strings here ! $50 - $80. (AUD)

[mike1762]

I'm ashamed to admit this, but I paid $50 for a set of Rotos in the mid 80s. There was some sort of shortfall in supply for a few months and you just couldn't find them (and I wouldn't use anything else).

[mollin man]

I pay 80 bucks for strings for my 6er.

[woody357]

I paid $35.00 for a set of DR Lo Riders for my 5er. If they don't last I'll try coated strings. I like Elixirs, but they feel funny in the summer months I think the humidity has something to do with that. I think the prices are due to better materials and technology, back in the 70s Rotosounds were the new hotness, and they didn’t have any competition other than Labelle or Fender, and they were flats, if you wanted that zing you used Rotosounds. Today there are so many different strings it’s hard to choose.