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I must have expensive tastes in strings...

Liko

Liko

Mar 30, 2007
1,288
1,644
DFW Metro
#1
  • 2 sets D'Addario EXP170-5SL coated nickel round 5-string bass, 45-130, super long scale (TRB)
  • 2 sets DR SIE-10, 10-46 coated electric g****r (Strat)
  • 2 sets Elixir Nanoweb 80/20 12-56 acoustic g****r (Taylor)
  • 1 set Dean Markley Blue Steel 11-52 electric g****r (SG)
  • 1 set D'Addario EXL170 nickel round 4-string bass 45-100 (Jazz)

Grand total: $150-odd. GC doesn't even stock the first three, so I had to special-order (which is why I ordered 2 sets each). Grr. Well, at least with the EXPs and Elixirs (hopefully) and the DRs (definitely) I will not need to go through this again for a while.
 
#4
stflbn said:
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They don't have the SIE-10s. They do have everything else, sometimes cheaper, but sometimes more expensive. Trust me, I looked. The EXP170-5SL sets would have been $39 apiece; I got em for $32.29 from GC/MF. On the other hand, the XL 4-string set would have been 5 bux cheaper on JustStrings. Elixirs, about 2 bux cheaper per set on JS :rolleyes:. Blue Steels, 80 cents cheaper per set at GC :rolleyes::rolleyes:. Now, had I brought those prices to GC, they would have matched them and I'd have saved a few bux, but only by about $10 off what I ended up paying. If I'd bought everything from JS, the grand total would actually have been pretty close.
 
#6
I buy Nickel bulk strings for 12 bucks a set. Never had an issue and they sound killer. If one breaks the dealer even asks I bring them back because the factory wants them shipped back on their dime to see why it failed.

Unless you are in the studio 24/7, high dollar strings can be a huge waste of money. Even then it's still questionable.
 
#8
Number27 said:
my thoughts exactly, my pyramid gold flats cost ~$80. for just one set!

they're so nice tho =)
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Yeah, I guess I do feel better, but at the same time, if I were a double bassist I'd be going "Pfft. $80? That's all?" Gut strings for a 4/4 upright go for about $500. That REALLY makes me feel better. Course, gut strings just keep getting better the more they're played; you only replace a string if it breaks.
 
#9
Liko said:
Yeah, I guess I do feel better, but at the same time, if I were a double bassist I'd be going "Pfft. $80? That's all?" Gut strings for a 4/4 upright go for about $500. That REALLY makes me feel better. Course, gut strings just keep getting better the more they're played; you only replace a string if it breaks.
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Why not develop your expensive tastes into a taste for flats. Like the DB strings, they get better with age and last for years thus saving you lots of money in the process. ;)
 
#11
Liko said:
Yeah, I guess I do feel better, but at the same time, if I were a double bassist I'd be going "Pfft. $80? That's all?" Gut strings for a 4/4 upright go for about $500. That REALLY makes me feel better. Course, gut strings just keep getting better the more they're played; you only replace a string if it breaks.
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then again, you'd have to be able to afford a 4/4 upright, which are thousands and thousands of dollars :D

its like the insurance on an expensive car: sure it costs a lot, but hell if you can afford the car in the first place...
 
#12
D'Addarios are pretty sweet, I've had a set of pro steels on my '51 reissue for a few years and they still sound great. I haven't had good experiences with DRs though, I put a set on my MusicMan Sterling HH and they went dead in about a month; there would also be extra metal (REALLY small pieces) that come off the strings some times and get lodged into my fingers and bugged the hell out of me. I have some GHS boomers now on my MusicMan and it sounds killer. Haven't used Dean or Elixer. Dean electric guitar strings are nice though.
 

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