Is Kalium having issues or is this normal?

[el_Bajo_Verde]

It was their policy (not sure if it is anymore) to contact anyone who orders the longer strings (for 36"-40" scale) to double check the customer ordered correctly, it was done out of concern for the customer.

I can confirm! I ordered a Long (40") B-string for my 35" string-thru bass, and got a call from Skip. He was helpful and explained that I would actually need their Medium string which fit perfectly!

 

[RoadRanger]

I notice you can select "short scale" on their website but that causes their system to crap out . Anybody know if they ever shipped any, is that something they are working on, or is their website just FUBAR?

 

[ixlramp]

The website is incomplete in terms of sets, there are already over 2000 sets available and every set has a page. They have left out many possible sets, i guess through exhaustion from having so many. For example drop tune and piccolo steel sets are missing but are certainly available.
They are also happy to put together fifths sets and at one point were planning to list these, but i can understand why they have not bothered for such a rare request.
My guess is that if short scale singles are not listed they do not offer them or sets yet, and the website sections are misleading. Note the 'S' length is 'standard' 34"-35" not short scale.
With my apologies to the Kalium guys the website is a little messy.

 

[el_Bajo_Verde]

@ixlramp Skip, is that you?

Does Kalium make short scale strings?

 

[ixlramp]

No i'm not Skip or any part of Kalium. If i seem to know a lot about them it's because i am enthusiastic about their intentions and have followed the company closely ever since Skip first started considering making his own strings. I used to chat with him a lot about string set tensions and the issues of traditional sets on the various ERB forums over 10 years ago.
I don't even use their strings as i'm in the UK and cannot afford the shipping.
He's not the kind of person who would creep in under a false identity to defend his company, as some know he tends to promote his projects in an open and unrestrained way, to the point of getting into problems with forum rules about promoting one's own company.

My guess is that because shorts are not present in the singles section they do not sell them yet.
Their strings are untapered at the nut end up to .098, so short scale strings are only relevant for E and B strings (Kalium .098 and below will already work on short scale) and B and sub-B strings are rarely used on short scale basses, so it's probably a low priority and they have enough to deal with already.

 

[willsellout]

I just went and tried to order some strings. Jesus, what a horrible website. I love the strings. Won't be ordering anytime soon though.

 

[DosiYanarchy]

Hey everyone,

Anyone know what's going on with Kalium Strings? On the 17th i placed an order with them, but the tracking number they gave me states that "shipping information has been received" but doesn't seem like anythings been sent.

I've sent a few emails but no one got back to me, so i sent more emails and someone did respond but just said they couldn't answer my questions and would forward it on and nothing since.

I'm worried I've been ripped off

Any similar experiences?

 

[willsellout]

I know they have had some issues with their website and that they were maybe moving which could have caused delays. Search "kalium" and you should find at least a couple threads. I've stopped ordering from them temporarily until I know things have been sorted out. Great strings.

 

[GK Growl]

Hey everyone,

Anyone know what's going on with Kalium Strings? On the 17th i placed an order with them, but the tracking number they gave me states that "shipping information has been received" but doesn't seem like anythings been sent.

I've sent a few emails but no one got back to me, so i sent more emails and someone did respond but just said they couldn't answer my questions and would forward it on and nothing since.

I'm worried I've been ripped off

Any similar experiences?

Is Kalium having issues or is this normal?

Problems? What problems? This is a normal part of how they run their company. Maybe if you go on their facebook page they will have given a real long explanation like they recently moved, or that USPS is screwing up their orders, or that they are short staffed, or that Chris was too busy grooming his mustache or making vids of 63 string basses to assure orders were getting out on time. I dunno, sounds logical to me for a place that will take your actual money for a product.

 

[DosiYanarchy]

Jeez, i wish id used the search here before ordering. When i googled them i saw some threads saying how great the strings are but nothing mentioned this.

 

[DosiYanarchy]

I ordered on the 17th may and wish id seen this thread first. They haven't posted my strings and arent replying to emails. Im not even trusting that they'll respond if i asked to cancel my order.

 

[michael_t]

Jeez, i wish id used the search here before ordering. When i googled them i saw some threads saying how great the strings are but nothing mentioned this.

If you do a google search by entering "talkbass kalium", the very first one that shows up is the one mentioned by @GK Growl.

Is Kalium having issues or is this normal?

 

[DosiYanarchy]

I know now. My problem was i was searching for u p grades for my bass vi and Kalium is mentioned in a positive light on a few places so i went straight to their site

 

[ixlramp]

Well experiences vary a lot, best read the other thread, some experience fast delivery and good customer service, and some the opposite. The product, information on the website, choice and philosophy is excellent certainly. Be careful about reacting to what GK Growl writes, that user is very negative, biased and over-the-top on this issue. Kalium are as far as i know from many who know them are good genuine guys and are not out to rip you off, at worst they're just eccentric and disorganised. They tend to happily refund if you ask for one.

 

[DosiYanarchy]

Thank you for your insight. I probably wouldn't mind if Kalium would just respond to my emails and manage my expectations.

 

[JES]

Again, since I posted complaining before, I should say that:

--My order on Sunday (of just three strings to complement a set I already have) shipped within two business days.
--I had a substantive query about string lengths for a new instrument and they replied in about a week. Honestly, with the amount of email I get at work, it sometimes takes me a week to reply, since my job, like theirs, isn't replying to emails.

I don't mean to dismiss others' waiting times (or my own earlier in this thread) but stepping back a little, this may be a LouisCK "Everything's amazing and nobody's happy" situation, where we have this amazing thing that's only possible in the internet age, but we are expecting more of it than we reasonably can. Perhaps they're not making enough money to hire more people for communications, but you can still get any string thickness in any length, and string thicknesses that wouldn't have worked before (a .150 B string that'll intonate up the neck? no problem!). But we may have to wait.

 

[GK Growl]

Be careful about reacting to what GK Growl writes, that user is very negative, biased and over-the-top on this issue.

Be careful about reacting to what ixlramp writes, that user acts as if they are employed by Kalium and is willing to chalk all the bad customer service from the other thread up to Kalium being eccentric and disorganised. I think the link I provided speaks for itself. You will actually see that Kalium actually tried to blame this issue on USPS.

 

[GK Growl]

Thank you for your insight. I probably wouldn't mind if Kalium would just respond to my emails and manage my expectations.

This is the bottom line for any business. I don't care how fantastic their product is if they don't communicate well (or at all) and can't deliver product in time.

 

[DosiYanarchy]

As i live in the uk, I'm already paying alot for shipping and likely am going to pay more in import charges when it gets here. They're using a courier to get it here, so they can't blame USPS, the irony here is im going to the states in a few weeks and might deliver whilst I'm away.....I'm going to email them again. I'd love to speak to them but a phone call is out of the question.

Thanks to everyone for the information so far.

 

[DosiYanarchy]

See, that's kinda the issue for me: finding thicker strings for a Squier bass Vi in the uk is impossible, Kalium seem to be one of a few choices worldwide that cater for this. I wouldn't mind a wait if they managed my expectations but at the moment they're not even responding to simple questions about the strings and the courier has been set to “shipping information received” since the 23rd May. I'll give it a little more time and see what happens.