A Message to Bass String Manufacturers

[HaphAsSard]

Pshaw to half-butted free-market advocacy. Here's how you do it:

Dear and cheap string manufacturers,

if you fail, tough. If this results in less choice for customers, tough. But whatever you do, do not listen to big-business fanboying, brown-nosing, self-embarrassingly fawning, oftentimes free-advertising keyboard warriors. Or do: who cares.

Unfaithfully mine,
George Nunya Business

 

[Arthur U. Poon]

Message to my favorite string manufacturer:


Thank you for having such a broad product catalog. I enjoy the sound and feel of your strings. You manufacture very high quality strings, that keep sounding great, even after months of steady playing.

I really like your prepackaged 6-string bass sets, and I also appreciate that you also offer different gauges as singles, so if I choose to experiment with different gauges, I have options.

I wish you many, many more decades of continued success as a business, especially in these times of supply chain issues, and the current economy.

Best Regards!!!!

 

[edencab]

could you at least put the full range of size as .45-.60-.80-.100 on the package instead of just .45-.100 so when shopping online or in person I know what is inside?

 

[tbz]

Silly question. But have you chatted with anyone that specializes in strings, like, I dunno, @FretNation to see if the actual manufacturer of the strings you like, makes them?

Or if there are comparable alternatives that can be easily sourced?

 

[AltGrendel]

Dear LaBella

Please start making quarter round strings in medium and short scale lengths again. It’s been years and I miss them.

 

[Lenny JG]

I like really light strings and play a six-string that needs tapered cores on as many strings as possible (floating bridge, weird design). My options are a bit limited

Try Newtone?

 

[groooooove]

as a 6 string user here..

i get it. i can only by sets including low b and high c.

luckily, there really is no shortage of strings. i have lots of options, most are pretty damn good.

i wish ever single variety of string were available in a 6 string set. but, i'm understanding that this is not realistic.

i 100% understand that companies have to use sales as a guide for what they can keep in stock. but, i don't think creating another diameter of the same string is that much of a big job that it would really cost them money? The problem would likely be that they cant charge significantly more for those extras.

if they offered this, and lets say adding the C string cost you $8 more rather than the $2 or $4 or whatever you'd expect, then you would not be willing to spend, and that's where the problem comes from.

have the companies in question tested these waters: would the "guy who needs the B, or C, or both" be willing to pay the appropriate markup to make this mutually beneficial? I really don't know. it's not a huge part of the market and if you consider all the factors its quite remarkable that there are so many choices for 6 string players these days.

 

[mrjim123]

Dear bass string manufacturers - keep up the good work! SO MANY strings to choose from!

 

[Geri O]

Synth players and DJs do it all the time. Maybe we're just behind the curve.

Maybe so, but what does that curve look like with no electricity?

(admitted, we wouldn't look much better....)

 

[Vitrius Humor]

Also, please make the strings strong enough for garrotting...

 

[Geri O]

I don’t care what they do as long as they keep the price low.

And their strings in stock and available....

 

[yodasfro]

One more thing make the low B available in both taper and regular please. Would like to try ken smith slick rounds but they stopped making the low B in non-taper.

 

[Geri O]

If you are going to produce a string, make it available in a low 'B' and a high 'C' or don't bother. You know who you are...

....and also, make them suitable for removing windshields as piano steel wire mills do.

Oh, wait......

 

[alex1fly]

Send the message OP

 

[6-3-2]

Just send them a message.

 

[Ricky Rioli]

We’d look pretty stupid standing in front of a crowd with no strings

Synth players and DJs do it all the time.

Exactly

 

[DaveAceofBass]

I could be wrong, but I think OP wants a 5-string set that’s only available in 4-strings now. I kind of agree…with so many 5-string players there shouldn’t be any sets made that don’t at least offer a low B as a single string sold separately if necessary. That said, I also agree that string makers just need to stay in business right now—we need them!

 

[g-dude]

Dear String Manufacturers:

Please don’t copy Thomastik Infeld. I’d like them to stick around, because their strings are awesome and they deserve the business.

 

[superheavyfunk]

could you at least put the full range of size as .45-.60-.80-.100 on the package instead of just .45-.100 so when shopping online or in person I know what is inside?

This is a reasonable request.

 

[Honkey tonk]

Dear SMMM (string management maker man) please do not experiment with different coatings