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Just bad luck... d'addario strings content

F

FF Petro

Feb 16, 2004
180
50
ATL
#1
I've been low on funds since the birth of my daughter but my Carvin LB76 has been feeling and sounding like it had rubber bands strung on it. So, I went out to GC to pick up some strings.

For several years I have used DR Hi-Beams because they are the closest to the sound and feel I look for. Before that I had used Ernie Ball and D'addarios for various basses. So I thought I would give one of those another shot since they are much less expensive than DR's.

I ended up getting a set of D'addario EXL170-6. I got home and ripped open the bag and it only had 5 strings in it. I looked everywhere around me on the floor. I was thinking that it was the C string, the smallest string, it could have popped out of that anticorrosive plastic bag when I ripped it open. I never found it after several minutes of searching. I guess that they packaged a 5 string set in a 6 string package.

I'm not mad, just a hair frustrated. I emailed D'addario and I hope they will send me a new string at least, and at best a new set.

This actually is not the first time that such a thing has happened to me. I have received numerous sets, in my 14 years of playing guitar and bass, that have been missing strings or some were abnormally short. I just take it in stride.

So I was wondering, does this ever happen to any of you? Or do I just get every odd-ball package of strings manufactured?

Petro
 
#2
heh, this has never happened to me, but some advice you werent asking for : if you bought it from GC, bring them back and theyll most likely replace them for you, they're generally cool guys at GC. a lot easier than emailing d'addario, and definitely quicker ;)
 
#4
I thought it was strange too. This is the second time a string was missing with D'addario's and it has happened twice with DR strings. Every time it has been resolved in a timely manner.

Like I said I am not cross with any of the companies involved not GC where I bought the D'addario's from or before with Juststrings whom I purchased the DR's from. In fact, I think Justrings sent me some extra strings the second time.

I thought that the number of times it has happened had to have been out of the norm and that's why I asked here.

Fetusyolk, I know that I would probably have new strings by now if I just went back to GC. However, my baby daughter is only 3 weeks old. I was lucky to get down to GC because I had errands to run down there. I'll be lucky if I could even get out of the house in the next month.

Oh well...
 
#5
it must have been a batch error. I have small shop in brooklyn and a customer brought in a set with only five strings as well. He went back to gc and they opened every pack and they were all the same. GC should take care of it but daddario definitely will.
 
#6
Just wanted to come back and say either D'addario knows that there was an issue or they are extremely understanding. All they asked for was a code on the plastic packaging.

As long as the new strings arrive in a timely manner I will be more than satisfied with their handling of the situation.
 
#9
EagleMoon said:
It's always possible that if you're getting them at the same place every time that an employee is stealing strings. It's happened before.
Click to expand...

D'addario strings comes in a sealed bag, all the strings are in the same bag. So unless the employee is working at the d'addario factory and stealing strings of the batches getting ready to be packed, it's pretty impossible :D
 
#11
FF Petro said:
Just wanted to come back and say either D'addario knows that there was an issue or they are extremely understanding. All they asked for was a code on the plastic packaging.

As long as the new strings arrive in a timely manner I will be more than satisfied with their handling of the situation.
Click to expand...

I've been using D'Addario for years now. I never had a bad string until recently, when my E went dead after a few days. I emailed them and they sent me out two replacements the next day.
 
#12
No!!!! Though a lot less frequent than the lower priced strings,even the high dollar ones seem to have a problem sometimes such as different length windings whether in the wire itself or the the cloth section. I have endorsements with a couple of the middle price companies and I hold my breath every time I open a new set. D'Addario and Ernie Ball seem to be getting a lot more consistent. That's hard place to be, I know all too well (the good diapers or the ones with the tape that doesn't hold?)
 
#13
I know this thread is a few months old, but I just wanted to add that I just today bought a pack of D'Addario strings for my guitar and only got 5 strings in the pack as well. I thought I was crazy! It is nice to know I am not! I emailed D'Addario (as the store where I bought them is closed) with my problem. I hope the music store is open tomorrow, as that would be my quickest solution. Oh, by the way, just for the record, the strings were D'Addario XL Jazz Medium Gauge strings (EJ22).
Thank you!
 
#14
I wouldnt normally say this, but just dont buy D'Addarios for bass
I admit, they feel great, sound somewhat awesome, but totally arent worth buying. I say this because they are made on such machinery where you never know what might happen. GHS is the same way, my friend had a bent string out of the package. Lucky for him, I bought it :)
 
#15
Happened when I bought a set of DR strings as it was missing the G string. I went back to GC and the salesman was nice enough to give me a brand new set and let me keep the old one so I have some spare strings in case I pop one.
 
#16
Well, I for one wonder how D'Addario handled FF Petro's issue...

As to D'Addarios customer service, they are fantastic! I had an issue one time with one string in a package of strings and they sent me a whole new set in a few days time!

I find D'Addario to be very consistent in terms of quality and sound, the price is nice and you get player points.....can you guess I like swag? Oh and talk bass members get a discount at The Perfect Bass, so it is even more affordable to buy there!

For me at my level of playing I cannot see paying 50 bucks for strings when a 19 to 25 dollar set is just dandy! I have D' Addarios on 3 basses, Webstrings on another (fantastic strings and really affordable) and DR's on another.
 
#17
i got a extra D string instead of a G string, turn out that the guy in the store sold me a set he used to restring his basses
i returned the item and the guy give me a good set of strings no question asked
 
#19
Rendog92 said:
I wouldnt normally say this, but just dont buy D'Addarios for bass
I admit, they feel great, sound somewhat awesome, but totally arent worth buying. I say this because they are made on such machinery where you never know what might happen. GHS is the same way, my friend had a bent string out of the package. Lucky for him, I bought it :)
Click to expand...

D'Addario actually invented the machines that they use. A few big string makers actually use the old winders D'Addario sold after they had the new ones made! I think Fender is one of them... but I forget.

Nothing wrong with machine wound strings... they are very consistent. It's just a lathe, but with computer controlled tension and speed. This is one reason D'Addario stopped making the slow wounds. They felt with the new winders that the XL's sounded as good.

I used to use GHS Boomers back in the 80's, I was even a dealer... but the last set I tried sounded deader than the 6 month old D'Addario's I had on the bass! The low B was abysmal. It was loose and thuddy.

I haven't used those hand wound strings in quite a while, but my experience with them was they are very inconsistent. I had some good sets, and some duds. They were too expensive not to have them great every time. I'd like to try them again one day soon ... I'd imagine they got the kinks worked out by now.

Being that D'Addarios are great sounding strings, and last a long time, and when you buy the twin back are dirt cheap, I can't see any reason not to buy them.
 
#20
To clarify what David just said, so-called "handwound" strings still use a spinning lathe - they just have a worker feeding the wrap wire over the spinning core instead of using a much more consistent machine feed, one that on newer machines can feel and change tension like a good sewing machine does, and will feed a constant amount per linear unit.

Takes a really experienced string winder to approach what the good machines can do. John Henry, note this ; }
 

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