A Message to Bass String Manufacturers

[cnltb]

all that's good.
You could also just call newtonestrings and ask them(politely) to make the strings you need. I did and they did.
<Newtone Strings – British Handmade Guitar Strings>

 

[tmvt]

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...

Im sure they will get on that right away now that they have been called out..... NOT.

 

[bassrique]

Dear string manufacturers,

Please make strings that have an app for my phone. From the app, I'd like to change the strings from rounds to flats, hex to round core and stainless to nickel to the latest cobalty super alloy.

If you don't do this, I will know who you are and will be mean on Twitter to you.

 

[Boneless]

Dear Bass String Manufacturers,

Please continue to use your analytics to produce only strings that are profitable for your business. By doing so, you will stay in business and we will have more choice in strings.

Furthermore, do NOT (especially in the interest of "fairness") produce an ultra heavy flatwound stainless nickel coated Lime green string, or any other string that will cause you to lose money. You will get the occasional strongy-worded email from people who use strings that BARELY sell enough in standard 4 string gauges. They will bemoan the fact that you don't make everything they want you to make. STAY STRONG!

Sincerely,
User of "Regular" Strings

I very, very, very strongly doubt that making a small number of strings in a certain gauge is going to lead string manufacturers to bankruptcy. What's more, a high C is very easy to include (even just separately). It's basically a guitar string, just longer. A low B may be trickier, but I can't think of manufacturers not making low Bs, except for flatwounds and tapewounds, where such a string is harder to make (at least well). Even if it could prove to be a loss, there is such a thing as making a loss to gain customer trust and, if one is to be romantic, their heart. In other words, don't be a bootlicker. They don't even ask you to.

 

[waynobass]

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

F the curve. Long live rock!

 

[Paul New]

Dear String Manufacturers

The Market is not magical.

 

[micguy]

Make strings with equal tension (geometric diameter progressions). 45-65-85-105-125 has too much tension on some strings, and not enough on the B. The Physics is simple, pay attention to it.

 

[iiipopes]

WARNING: RANT Starting in high school in the late '70's, it seems that every time I got a set of strings I liked, the company quit making them just as I was getting used to them. The first real instance of this happened when I was in undergrad jazz band in the early 80's. D'Addario came out with "Reds," copper round wounds, which with their smooth mids, were perfect for college jazz band. Of course, they discolored; I didn't care. But evidently many folks did care, because they were gone before I could purchase the second set. There were a few others along the way, culminating in my worst disappointment: the discontinuation a couple of years ago due to COVID-19 of my favorite Progressives, which I had ordered in single gauges 45-60-80-105 since they were a new string in the early '90's for my Rickenbacker 4002 (yes, "2," not "1" or "3"). I searched for and paid dearly for some of the last NOS singles to have two complete sets: one on the bass, one in reserve, and a couple extra E strings. Gibson did that with their proprietary guitar flats about a decade or so ago and I played the last set until they were unrecognizable; the current Gibson guitar flats are D'Addario Chromes repackaged. Fortunately, DR makes a set of guitar flats in various gauges that are worthy successors to the venerable Gibson Sonomatics. Gibson also discontinued their proprietary 80/20 acoustic strings 3-4 years ago, and I was lucky to fine NOS sets retail, so now I have a dozen sets to last me the rest of my J45 playing days. I have a Jaguar H midscale bass that sounds perfect with La Bella 760FL-M, and of course La Bella discontinued that set this year. Fortunately, flats last forever, so like the Rick, I have a set on the bass; I found a NOS set to have in reserve, and a couple of extra E strings. But for me, the worst insult was when Fender discontinued the 9050CL set with the 105 E string. I have two used sets in reserve that I paid too much for, because I like the heavier 105 E string instead of the 100 in the 9050L set. Leo would roll over in his grave, because he was all about keeping as wide a stock of strings as possible for every player so they would continue to play Fender instruments. Does anybody else remember the Fender single string box that was resident on the front counter of just about every music store in the country in the "golden age"? Finally, I have several reserve sets of D'Addario 170BT plus 130 singles for my gigging 5-string, because I can just see the market falling off and that "balanced" 107 E string going by the wayside. Now, from my day job career of the past 40 years I do understand that companies need to be careful about hanging on to products that don't produce revenue, but I am also a player who also understands wanting a good assortment of strings for various instruments to play various genres, and being able to replace them to keep playing over time. I don't know the answer to the OP's post. All I know is if you find a set of strings you like, buy several sets to have on hand, so if the particular set is discontinued, you have time to launch a string safari to find your next set.

 

[two fingers]

I very, very, very strongly doubt that making a small number of strings in a certain gauge is going to lead string manufacturers to bankruptcy. What's more, a high C is very easy to include (even just separately). It's basically a guitar string, just longer. A low B may be trickier, but I can't think of manufacturers not making low Bs, except for flatwounds and tapewounds, where such a string is harder to make (at least well). Even if it could prove to be a loss, there is such a thing as making a loss to gain customer trust and, if one is to be romantic, their heart. In other words, don't be a bootlicker. They don't even ask you to.

I'm no bootlicker. But I was a maintenance electrician in three manufacturing facilities.

You have NO IDEA what you're talking about. Stopping production of profitable strings to make a few oddball strings even once is costly. Doing it constantly so that a few oddball players can be the only 25 people on the planet to get a double light latte matte nickel plated titanium extra low Q# string with rainbow coating just like the four string players get (takes a breath) is just dumb.

I worked for a muffler manufacturer. We cranked out hundreds a day of about a dozen models. Occasionally we would stop and make some oddball mufflers. We would send about a third of the workers home because everything moved more slowly....and to save money.

I worked at a papermill that made the kind of thin cardboard shirt boxes are made of. Making it with no color, or "spraywhite" was no big deal. Stopping to set up for any other color/product took more than a day and involved people by the dozens working overtime to get it done.... all while the lines were shut down.

I'm not a bootlicker. But I'm not offended if the universe doesn't stop to lick my boots either.

 

[Durham52]

There should just be a law that states that all string manufacturers must make every conceivable set, size and type of string imaginable and that every music store, even mum and pop stores, must carry every brand and variety, in stock at all times, so we can all get just what we want, just when we want it.

 

[Durham52]

I'm no bootlicker. But I was a maintenance electrician in three manufacturing facilities.

You have NO IDEA what you're talking about. Stopping production of profitable strings to make a few oddball strings even once is costly. Doing it constantly so that a few oddball players can be the only 25 people on the planet to get a double light latte matte nickel plated titanium extra low Q# string with rainbow coating just like the four string players get (takes a breath) is just dumb.

I worked for a muffler manufacturer. We cranked out hundreds a day of about a dozen models. Occasionally we would stop and make some oddball mufflers. We would send about a third of the workers home because everything moved more slowly....and to save money.

I worked at a papermill that made the kind of thin cardboard shirt boxes are made of. Making it with no color, or "spraywhite" was no big deal. Stopping to set up for any other color/product took more than a day and involved people by the dozens working overtime to get it done.... all while the lines were shut down.

I'm not a bootlicker. But I'm not offended if the universe doesn't stop to lick my boots either.

Brilliant! Just this over and over x 100.^^^^^^

The corporates and PR business has worked for years to convince us there is always something new we need and that we should be able to have everything we want. They've been very good at it.

 

[gln1955]

I can't find flats with silks that are color coordinated to each of my basses. It's an outrage.

 

[Arthur U. Poon]

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.

I agree, Our choices as 6-string bassists has gotten so much better over just a few short years.

I buy my sets from Jason at Fret Nation, (I was a customer of his when his business was called Bass Strings Online before FN) and I’ve bought 4-string sets, with single B and C strings, and he always has given me excellent prices.

Through a bit of trial an error, I’ve found that my favorite strings for my 6-strings are made by GHS. I buy the prepackaged GHS Bass Boomers-6 sets from Jason. I really like this prepackaged set. I also by my GHS Pressurewounds from Jason. I buy the prepackaged 5-string set, then I buy a single C-string.

 

[NobodyImportant]

Dear Manufacturers, stop everything! Make what I want!

Hahaha ! I guess I’ll just go back to playing my basses, where four strings are always enough, and my string sets are golden every time.

 

[swarfrat]

I should buy a back up set of chromes, but if I ever need em I probably won't have electricity to run my amp.

 

[Geri O]

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!

D’addario sells single strings, thankfully. Lull basses has provisions for the B string only through the body. And with the 35” scale of those basses, a B string from a regular long set isn’t long enough and the other 4 strings from an extra-long set are too long. Sooooo….

I get regular long 4-string sets and extra-long single B strings to go with the 4-string sets. Works out great.

 

[Boneless]

I'm no bootlicker. But I was a maintenance electrician in three manufacturing facilities.

You have NO IDEA what you're talking about. Stopping production of profitable strings to make a few oddball strings even once is costly. Doing it constantly so that a few oddball players can be the only 25 people on the planet to get a double light latte matte nickel plated titanium extra low Q# string with rainbow coating just like the four string players get (takes a breath) is just dumb.

I worked for a muffler manufacturer. We cranked out hundreds a day of about a dozen models. Occasionally we would stop and make some oddball mufflers. We would send about a third of the workers home because everything moved more slowly....and to save money.

I worked at a papermill that made the kind of thin cardboard shirt boxes are made of. Making it with no color, or "spraywhite" was no big deal. Stopping to set up for any other color/product took more than a day and involved people by the dozens working overtime to get it done.... all while the lines were shut down.

I'm not a bootlicker. But I'm not offended if the universe doesn't stop to lick my boots either.

But still, both companies did it. Most companies, especially ones not producing mass-market commodities, do not actually need around the clock production, every day of the week, every week of the year, and most can actually allow smaller production runs on a one-off basis. Sometimes it is worth it, sometimes it isn't. But I think it's not up to me, nor you to decide. The bean counters, the executives and all those involved can usually figure it out themselves fine. If they want to do it they will (as a loss leader, again), if they don't, they won't. So why that post at all? No company needs your kind of defence.

 

[winston]

I very, very, very strongly doubt that making a small number of strings in a certain gauge is going to lead string manufacturers to bankruptcy. What's more, a high C is very easy to include (even just separately). It's basically a guitar string, just longer.

But, but...think of all the dumb guitar players who put the excess string length through the tuner hole instead of trimming to length! How many eyeballs will the longer length of a bass C string poke out, resulting in expensive liability suits for said manufacturers?

j/k I get it, I saw a post from someone earlier in the thread about the lack of proper-length strings for Schecter Hellcat and other Bass VI-alikes. I would commit to a prepaid group buy of at least 2-3 sets of those.

 

[two fingers]

But still, both companies did it. Most companies, especially ones not producing mass-market commodities, do not actually need around the clock production, every day of the week, every week of the year, and most can actually allow smaller production runs on a one-off basis. Sometimes it is worth it, sometimes it isn't. But I think it's not up to me, nor you to decide. The bean counters, the executives and all those involved can usually figure it out themselves fine. If they want to do it they will (as a loss leader, again), if they don't, they won't. So why that post at all? No company needs your kind of defence.

To me, corporations are not an enemy, a Boogie Man, evil, etc. I'm not defending them. I'm simply not against them in any way. I work for the largest employer in my half of the state. I'm so glad that humongous corporation is there. They pay me well. My boss treats me great.

But none of that really matters. Why would YOU insist one a one-sided conversation? Why can we only present one side of the story? Why can we ONLY see posts of people moaning that every single kind of string isn't made for every instrument in every gauge? What's the point in THAT?

There's more to the story than just big companies "deciding not to offer" everything for everyone. Most people here don't know about manufacturers retooling to start producing a different product. So, if for no other reason, it was educational to some.

And then there's this. I can say what I want (within the rules). So back up off me.

 

[Durham52]

There are all sorts of reasons why companies make the range of strings they make and decline to make others. Some of the smaller outfits only make round wounds, fair enough, there are plenty of other companies who make flats, half rounds, coated strings, or whatever. So there may be occasions where a company that makes the 4 string set you like, doesn't make the same in a 5 or 6 string set. Unfortunately that's life, they've made a decision, whether based on economics, or whatever, to do that.

Surely people who buy an instrument, which they know has a significantly smaller market share, would know that they might not have as wide a range of strings, pickups, bridges, or whatever to suit it? I'll bet people who own Steinberger's, which require double ball end strings, understand that the string choices are going to be limited. Sure some probably wish that more options were available, but they pretty much get that by deciding to own such a bass, they bought into the limited string choice situation. I'd guess it would bet the same with fanned fret basses?

Some companies will decide to expand their string ranges, because they see an expanding market and hope to establish a committed customer base by getting in early. Others will wait and see if six string basses, or fanned fret basses, take of enough to justify (for them) possible new equipment, new packaging, production line changes, or whatever else may be involved.