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Ever get a bad string?

#61
joelns said:
Over the weekend I put a new set of strings on my bass. The G string just couldn't be intonated. I had the saddle moved as far forward as possible, and it was still 8 cents flat. I emailed the manufacturer on Sunday and they responded on Monday and said they put a new string in the mail. Note that I didn't even request one, just wanted to provide some feedback that there was an issue.

Today the new string arrived. I installed it, set the intonation. No problem at all. Outstanding customer service. StringJoy has a new fan. I'll be buying my next set from them for sure.

Have you ever had a bad string right out of the package? I've been playing over 40 years and this was a first for me.
Click to expand...

I’ve gotten a few bad strings in D’Addario XLs sets, but a quick phone call, and they promptly sent me replacements. Their Customer Service is top notch, IMO.


I’ve been playing for close to 46 years, a couple of bad strings in that span of time is pretty darn good IMHO.

BTW, I’ve been using GHS Bass Boomers since the late 80’s/early 90’s. I’ve never received a bad string. GHS’ QC does an excellent job.
 
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#63
I bought a pricey set of LaBella Extra Long Flats (5 strings) and had one string break between the nut and the tuner. One hour of play. Not at the nut, not at the tuner, but *between* the two. I contacted them and they sent me a discount code for a replacement string. Cost me an extra $11 for the string with shipping. I like the LaBella strings, and will probably keep using them, particularly for one of my instruments. But that transaction sure left a bad taste in my mouth.

A few years before that, I found a defect in the ball end winding of some D'Addario guitar strings. Broke two of them. I contacted the rep using a link from TalkBass, and they sent me THREE packs of replacement strings! I had mostly used D'Addarios on most of my instruments before, and you can be sure that's still the case today.
 
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#64
Yup.

A few years ago I bought a pack of my favorite flavor of Rotosound 66 strings on a whim while traveling. When I got home I found the "A" string silk was unwinding and there was visible rust on the string (the pack had not been opened). I was floored. I sent them a polite email including numerous pics including the receipt from the store (I keep most every receipt). They responded within 3 or 4 days.

Their responding email was equally polite and agreeable. They said they would "Make This Right". Soon after I received 5 FULL PACKS of strings (all perfect), numerous stickers, and 2 really cool hats. I had to respond back with my gratitude.

My suspicions were correct...I knew I had supported the right company all of these years.
 
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#65
Yes. In a pack of Ernie Ball bass strings.

Happened in early 2021. Was kind of annoying as their CS team received the support ticket and the did nothing for months. They eventually sent a replacement string and a spare pack of strings when I bugged them about it.

Ended up pinging my Sweetwater rep in the interim as well. So they also sent out a spare pack.

So, while it was inconvenient, I ended up with two extra packs of strings.
 
#67
Yes, and they've all been DRs.

And all had one thing in common: round cores. I had a bad D string that wouldn't intonate, I only found out from a recording session much to the chagrin on the engineer. I had a G break on me, and I never break strings.

Also had a really dead E string from a flatwound set, which they replaced.

That being said, Sunbeams are my #1 go to for my fretless and I use them a lot.
 
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#70
joelns said:
Over the weekend I put a new set of strings on my bass. The G string just couldn't be intonated. I had the saddle moved as far forward as possible, and it was still 8 cents flat. I emailed the manufacturer on Sunday and they responded on Monday and said they put a new string in the mail. Note that I didn't even request one, just wanted to provide some feedback that there was an issue.

Today the new string arrived. I installed it, set the intonation. No problem at all. Outstanding customer service. StringJoy has a new fan. I'll be buying my next set from them for sure.

Have you ever had a bad string right out of the package? I've been playing over 40 years and this was a first for me.
Click to expand...

Bad strings can happen at any time. LaBella has supported their products which is why I continue to deal with them.
 
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#74
joelns said:
Over the weekend I put a new set of strings on my bass. The G string just couldn't be intonated. I had the saddle moved as far forward as possible, and it was still 8 cents flat. I emailed the manufacturer on Sunday and they responded on Monday and said they put a new string in the mail. Note that I didn't even request one, just wanted to provide some feedback that there was an issue.

Today the new string arrived. I installed it, set the intonation. No problem at all. Outstanding customer service. StringJoy has a new fan. I'll be buying my next set from them for sure.

Have you ever had a bad string right out of the package? I've been playing over 40 years and this was a first for me.
Click to expand...

Oh man...I wonder if this is happening to me. I put on a set of DR Sunbeams last string change...all my strings were right on the money with the new set except the A string. I have the saddle moved almost as far forward as possible and it is still flat at the 12th fret. Hmmmmm
 
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#75
sonojono said:
Could you show in pics what a bad string is out of the pack? I don’t think I’ve never came across a bad string out of my 15 years of buying strings o_O
Click to expand...


Here is my most recent bad string from Ernie Ball. They were a little slow to respond and eventually sent me a replacement D string. The outer winding was crooked in three different places. Made it difficult to play and wouldn't stay in tune.
DEFECTIVE STRING.jpg
 
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#76
bigjames said:
Oh man...I wonder if this is happening to me. I put on a set of DR Sunbeams last string change...all my strings were right on the money with the new set except the A string. I have the saddle moved almost as far forward as possible and it is still flat at the 12th fret. Hmmmmm
Click to expand...

That's the same symptom I had. You ought to contact them. They'll likely send you a replacement.
 
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#77
I have had a couple. The last one was a T.I. Jazz Flat B string. Just sounded bad - no tone, just a clunk. T.I. replaced it ASAP and gave me a shipper to returnthe bad one so they could see what went wrong.

Larger strings can have many layers - up to 6 or 7 of different gauges! It only takes one of them to ruin the sound. We should be thankful they are so good!
 
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#78
I’ve had a few in my 38 years of playing.

I recently bought my first set of Stringjoy Bass Strings. I’ve been using them on my 6 and 7 string guitars for a few years with lots of success. I figured I’d give them a shot on my 5 String tuned in D# Standard with a high B String. They have a great string tension pate that made it super easy to get a balanced custom set. I’m a big fan. They sound real nice too. Great tonal balance.
 
#80
I think, but I'm not entirely sure because it's very mild, I have a bad D string on my fretless right now. I can tune it and get by, but something's a bit off with its tone unlike the other strings. It's a Sadowsky, which has never let me down, so I'm not upset about it or anything.
 

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