Having wound a bunch of my own pickups, I can imagine winding my own strings would be one of the rare activities that could actually be more boring.
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Buying Your Own String Winding Machine?
- Thread starter IconBasser
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Tsk tsk... all this to avoid scales and metronome work!
Seriously, unless you start a business in a 3rd world country I think it will be hard to beat the market prices. If you want to change strings that often, I suggest finding a cheaper set that sounds and plays close to how you want and then change strings more often with the savings.
Seriously, unless you start a business in a 3rd world country I think it will be hard to beat the market prices. If you want to change strings that often, I suggest finding a cheaper set that sounds and plays close to how you want and then change strings more often with the savings.
You might be onto 'something'! If our strings are covered with flour or baking soda they'd probably have less finger noise
If you really want a bunch of strings for cheap, just buy them off aliexpress or ebay or something. They can be had for $1-3 a set I think. They won't be as good as branded ones but if all you want is zing, you'll get it. I used to do this back when I was really broke and it worked out really well. The strings would rust really fast, but I would not care about that, since their cheapness made it possible for me to change them every week anyways.
Nowadays I use HB strings as they are at least as good as D'Addarios for my purposes, but about 4 times cheaper. In my testing, harley benton strings did not last as long as D'Addarios, they started rusting faster (but not losing the zing faster), so another route you could go is just buying HB. Or, if you want to change strings less often, just invest in the damn things, it could be worth it if your preferences change but obviously if you're a zingerlover it won't do
Nowadays I use HB strings as they are at least as good as D'Addarios for my purposes, but about 4 times cheaper. In my testing, harley benton strings did not last as long as D'Addarios, they started rusting faster (but not losing the zing faster), so another route you could go is just buying HB. Or, if you want to change strings less often, just invest in the damn things, it could be worth it if your preferences change but obviously if you're a zingerlover it won't do
Metals are like a lot of other things, you can get random crap cheap, but if you want a certified alloy it’s gonna cost you, and the more complex the blend and process the more it’s gonna cost. Since drawn wire of different alloys are produced on the same machines, the more you make in a single setup the larger the quantity of product you have to spread the cost of that setup over, so larger runs generally result in lower per unit costs.
But yeah, our strings are a prime example of a (relatively) simple thing to manufacture that requires exacting attention to detail in material to produce the consistent results we demand.
You might be onto 'something'! If our strings are covered with flour or baking soda they'd probably have less finger noise
I actually have two basses, a Dearmond Ashbory and a Kala SUB, that work better if you rub baby powder into the strings. They're non-metal and get too sticky to play otherwise.
My company has bought coil winders for various things, and every one of them is at least a semi custom, if not a fully custom machine, built from the ground up with unique components. I can't imagine there are enough people making guitar strings that there is a company that makes the winders for all of them as stock items - string winding has gotta be harder than coil winding, as the size of the product affects the results more than the size of the coil does in pickups, and the thing you'e winding the wraps on is prone to moving under tension. I reserve the right to be wrong, but I'm betting you'll never pay back the investment on strings you use for just yourself, even if it is a fairly crude device.
If you want to wind an E string, they're typically a core and 3 winds. The core diameter adds linearly to the overall diameter - if it goes up .001", the string gets .001" bigger. The other winds double - a .001" difference in a winding adds .002" to the diameter, since it adds thickness on both sides of the core. So, a core and 3 winds,if they all get bigger by .001", you have a tolerance issue - if you're starting out to make a .100" E string, and all the wire is .001" oversize, you'll end up with a .107" string. If they all go .001" undersize, you're making .093" strings. The point is, you need wire with tight tolerances in order to make consistent strings. This is one of many things you'll eventually learn doing this, if you don't give up at an earlier stage. You'll also learn about strength - how big the core needs to be to survive for a while, how windings, when they go awry, turn into a mess of wire, and not a well made string, etc.
Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Do you have enough persistence to persevere through all the screw ups you're going to make, and enough money for several tries at things? If so, go ahead, and maybe one day I'll buy your strings. If you're just trying to same money on strings for your bass, well, my bet is you won't ever get there.
If you want to wind an E string, they're typically a core and 3 winds. The core diameter adds linearly to the overall diameter - if it goes up .001", the string gets .001" bigger. The other winds double - a .001" difference in a winding adds .002" to the diameter, since it adds thickness on both sides of the core. So, a core and 3 winds,if they all get bigger by .001", you have a tolerance issue - if you're starting out to make a .100" E string, and all the wire is .001" oversize, you'll end up with a .107" string. If they all go .001" undersize, you're making .093" strings. The point is, you need wire with tight tolerances in order to make consistent strings. This is one of many things you'll eventually learn doing this, if you don't give up at an earlier stage. You'll also learn about strength - how big the core needs to be to survive for a while, how windings, when they go awry, turn into a mess of wire, and not a well made string, etc.
Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Do you have enough persistence to persevere through all the screw ups you're going to make, and enough money for several tries at things? If so, go ahead, and maybe one day I'll buy your strings. If you're just trying to same money on strings for your bass, well, my bet is you won't ever get there.
Nothing but naysayers in this thread trying to protect obscene string corporation profits. Go for it, OP!
I'm a metal fabricator and machinist with my own shop for over 20 years... and I, like you, also love and need new zingy rounds! You couldn't do it cheaper than simply buying in bulk.
My advice...
My advice...
- Some basses sound "zingier" than others, so get the right bass!! Remember what you already know... closer to the neck = warm, closer to the bridge = zingy! A G&L Kiloton will be VERY zingy.
- Never let anyone else touch your basses, and you should only after you've washed your hands... No exceptions.
- Clean your strings after each use with Dunlop 65.
- Buy packs of strings in at least 10 packs.
- Use heavier gauge strings because stretching/ playing wears them out just as much as the air.
- Always keep your bass in a case... never on the wall, no matter how tempting it is to show off.
Lol... Well I respect and celebrate your mentality. As an inventor, your statement is one that I live by, so good call!
But if cost is a factor, then it's not a good idea because it just won't be cheaper.
I make pick guards and pedal boards... it's not cheaper, but I can have whatever I want.
In my old neighborhood, we had a farmer that was some kind of mechanical genius, machinist, concert pianist. He made his own strings. I watched once and determined it was more effort than I was willing to put forth.
I can see where their would be fun to be had.
I would run some math before figuring in money savings. I think the fun part would be fun.
I can see where their would be fun to be had.
I would run some math before figuring in money savings. I think the fun part would be fun.
winding strings because you'd like to get into winding strings - knock yourself out.
thinking you can make your own strings that will be effective and still average out, over a lifetime, to less than $20/set is unlikely. you would need to wind and use 500 sets of strings I'd imagine just to recoup your initial cost - and thats not taking into account the amount of labor involved - which yes, will be fun for the first 3-10 sets you try to wind, but I have a feeling the 480th set won't be fun, it will be work. this also isn't taking into account how horrific a set of home-wound strings will be unless it is your entire passion in life.
strings really are not that much money when you consider all the R&D costs in designing then creating a good string.
thinking you can make your own strings that will be effective and still average out, over a lifetime, to less than $20/set is unlikely. you would need to wind and use 500 sets of strings I'd imagine just to recoup your initial cost - and thats not taking into account the amount of labor involved - which yes, will be fun for the first 3-10 sets you try to wind, but I have a feeling the 480th set won't be fun, it will be work. this also isn't taking into account how horrific a set of home-wound strings will be unless it is your entire passion in life.
strings really are not that much money when you consider all the R&D costs in designing then creating a good string.
Metal is pretty specific stuff. I work with tank alloys for my day job - the kind that hold liquid, not the kind that you deploy into a war zone...
You have weight vs ductility vs corrosion resistance... sorry I can’t make a recommendation for what would be good for strings. That’s just a little left of the type of stuff I know...
Point is, it would be much easier to stumble upon something that breaks easily under tension or corrodes from
Repeated handling, or lacks resilience/flexibility....
The number of things that could go wrong easily outweigh the number of things that could go right...
You have weight vs ductility vs corrosion resistance... sorry I can’t make a recommendation for what would be good for strings. That’s just a little left of the type of stuff I know...
Point is, it would be much easier to stumble upon something that breaks easily under tension or corrodes from
Repeated handling, or lacks resilience/flexibility....
The number of things that could go wrong easily outweigh the number of things that could go right...
I like pushing large blobs of Jello up a long hill with a pool cue.
Cakewounds!You might be onto 'something'! If our strings are covered with flour or baking soda they'd probably have less finger noise
Yeah, a string winding machine! Ya might break even after about 103 years. Or, you could try this one.
True enough. But with home brewing, there are plenty of affordable resources and a lot of good information and formulas out there to help you along. Not too many string companies are going to open their kimono to tell you exactly what their winding processes and materials are.
If your homebrew is a disaster, you either don't know what you're doing and trying to wing it - or you're incapable of: getting some education, following a recipe or two until you know what's what, and obeying some simple fairly brewing rules.
The thing with homebrewing is why try to duplicate something that is already available for sale? Wise homebrewers make up small batches of things you can't find in a store or pub - and likely never will. Otherwise, just go grab your favorite brew at your local package store and be done with it. Most homebrewers have a commercial favorite as well.
