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The price of strings!!!!!
- Thread starter ThrashingFury
- Start date
I agree! Been playing bass since 1988 and I would say that strings probably haven't gone up as much as a lot of other things.
Now the bass guitars themselves....that's a different story!
Been looking into this thread a while here. Based in the UK and have used D'Addario on guitar and bass for years. A set of 5 XLs in the UK has gone from £23 from 2020-ish to £40 from Amazon (Strings Direct are really expensive now, sadly- they were my go to for strings and picks for years!). An enormous increase. Presuming Brexit is a factor here somehow. And I love the sound and feel of those strings. I got a set of ProSteels for less than the EXLs for the most recent restring, but they're now feeling like rubber, so they've gotta go.
I've just ordered some Rotobass for my 5 string- found the B string on these really lacking in the past, but will see how they fare. Under £24 so I might just go with these for now. But I've read stories of inconsistent quality on Rotosound bass strings....
The bass strings seem to have gone up by a fair bit more than quitar strings.
I've just ordered some Rotobass for my 5 string- found the B string on these really lacking in the past, but will see how they fare. Under £24 so I might just go with these for now. But I've read stories of inconsistent quality on Rotosound bass strings....
The bass strings seem to have gone up by a fair bit more than quitar strings.
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Strings cost as much in actual dollars in the 70's for a 4 string set as they do now for a 5 string set of custom gauges. In real dollars (how many hours you gotta work for a set) they are much cheaper now. With stage lights going from incandescent to LED's, I now don't sweat on stage, and my strings also last far longer.
Strings are cheap nowadays.
Strings are cheap nowadays.
On any given day sales of Rotos will number in the thousands.
They'll go on a wide range of different basses, some basses will perform better with Rotos than D'Addario and vice-versa. Some will get fitted by techs, others by hacks. Some basses will get set up afterwards, including pickup height adjustment, some will go on basses bought at a garage sale on a rainy day in 1981 by folks who can't spell set up
Some players know to allow strings time to settle, others will cast judgement right after fitting.
Given the numbers, variables and levels of experience involved it's no surprise you'll hear some bad reports, the poor tradesman always blames the tools
Techs or hacks? For replacing strings? A dead string is a dead string. Setup, quality of the bass or who has installed the string won't make a difference to that (except in extreme examples... 
).
I've had Roto sets with bad B strings, as I mentioned. However, I went for a set and they're fine so far.
Starting to see lower prices on D'Addarios on Amazon- and twin packs that save even more. Will nab some of these when I can- been more than happy with D'Adds over the years.
). I've had Roto sets with bad B strings, as I mentioned. However, I went for a set and they're fine so far.
Starting to see lower prices on D'Addarios on Amazon- and twin packs that save even more. Will nab some of these when I can- been more than happy with D'Adds over the years.
Was able to get some D'Addarios for about $16 a pack during Black Friday sales. Honestly, I feel like prices have been good for strings. Basses, however, are through the roof.
I was shocked yesterday... I was reseaching for a new source of Ernie Ball Cobalt Flatwound strings (5 string). The last sets I purchased within the last year or so were discounted to $36. Obviously that deal is gone. At the time elsewhere the strings were $45. NOW they are $59. WHAT JUST HAPPENED????
This year, I spent $52 per pack (with taxes) for Rotosound 55s and La Bella Tapes (White, Gold White, and Black). I didn't like how any of the tapes sounded and Rotosound's QC has left a lot to be desired recently. I received 100s when I ordered 105s on Amazon. The packaging, order confirmation, and everything else said that I ordered 105s. But my guitar tech measured my E string and he said that it was a 100 gauge string. That means that set is useless for D Standard tuning and that I got ripped off - both of which are terrible!
Therefore, I plan on switching to D'Addario nickel rounds that are half the price and twice as great as Rotosound and La Bella. My guitar tech put 105s on my D Standard bass and I have 52s on my piccolo bass, so they're good strings from what I know. No more wasting money experimenting on strings in 2024! Once the Rotosounds on my standard tuned basses die, I plan on replacing them with D'Addarios and savings hundreds of dollars.
Also, I mainly play metal and hard rock, so flats aren't right for me. I'm not Steve Harris either as I can't afford to change $50 flatwounds every single day.
Therefore, I plan on switching to D'Addario nickel rounds that are half the price and twice as great as Rotosound and La Bella. My guitar tech put 105s on my D Standard bass and I have 52s on my piccolo bass, so they're good strings from what I know. No more wasting money experimenting on strings in 2024! Once the Rotosounds on my standard tuned basses die, I plan on replacing them with D'Addarios and savings hundreds of dollars.
Also, I mainly play metal and hard rock, so flats aren't right for me. I'm not Steve Harris either as I can't afford to change $50 flatwounds every single day.
