Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Why are Bass strings so expensive?
- Thread starter Taxt
- Start date
Bass strings are more expensive because they're made from Unicorn hair, dipped in Platinum, polished by fairies, and blessed by the funky monks of the Sacred Temple of Jaco.
Honestly, I thought this was common knowledge. You should be ashamed of yourself for asking such a ridiculous question. :scowl:
Honestly, I thought this was common knowledge. You should be ashamed of yourself for asking such a ridiculous question. :scowl:
knuckle_head
Commercial User
- Jul 30, 2002
- 2,621
- 58
- Disclosures
- Owner; Knuckle Guitar Works & Circle K Strings
Volume - we don't change strings nearly as often as skinny stringers do, and there are fewer of us.
Soak them in denatured alcohol for 4-6 hrs, you can get a second wind out of most good quality strings ($30-35 kind).
I'm no economist, but I think that it's probably a supply and demand thing.
Most if not all music stores carry two to three times the amount of guitar strings than they do bass strings. This is probably because they purchase the guitar strings in huge shipments which the manufacturer gives them discounts on, which they then in turn pass on to the musician. Bass strings on the other hand are probably not purchased in as large a quantity because lets face it, we don't purchase strings in as much of a quantity as guitar players do, nor as often. To offset this, stores cannot discount their bass strings very much as they could be sitting on the shelves for quite some time, meanwhile the guitar strings are flying off the shelves like hotcakes. This creates extra economic expense for the store to keep these bass strings in storage, that is the guitar strings or other accessories that could be taking up that space and sold there instead. Further complicating this is the fact that we also don't purchase the stings that the store has in stock with any regularity, and may order strings that are not in stock to be shipped to us (I know I've done this many times before). This means that the bass strings that are in stock will sit there for even longer. Stores have to charge what they do for these strings to make them worthwhile to keep in stock for the time that they actually do sell a set of strings.
I'm sure that the materials and construction factor into this as well, but I would think that guitar strings would be harder to manufacture as they are much smaller and easier to break during the manufacturing process. But I'm no string maker either.
Most if not all music stores carry two to three times the amount of guitar strings than they do bass strings. This is probably because they purchase the guitar strings in huge shipments which the manufacturer gives them discounts on, which they then in turn pass on to the musician. Bass strings on the other hand are probably not purchased in as large a quantity because lets face it, we don't purchase strings in as much of a quantity as guitar players do, nor as often. To offset this, stores cannot discount their bass strings very much as they could be sitting on the shelves for quite some time, meanwhile the guitar strings are flying off the shelves like hotcakes. This creates extra economic expense for the store to keep these bass strings in storage, that is the guitar strings or other accessories that could be taking up that space and sold there instead. Further complicating this is the fact that we also don't purchase the stings that the store has in stock with any regularity, and may order strings that are not in stock to be shipped to us (I know I've done this many times before). This means that the bass strings that are in stock will sit there for even longer. Stores have to charge what they do for these strings to make them worthwhile to keep in stock for the time that they actually do sell a set of strings.
I'm sure that the materials and construction factor into this as well, but I would think that guitar strings would be harder to manufacture as they are much smaller and easier to break during the manufacturing process. But I'm no string maker either.
I like when strings get older. I don't know if its this economy or...Man that sounds sweet. That's me though.
More windings make them harder to build as well, i think. I would assume that some sort of QC would weed out bum strings, and bum strings are more likely to occur the more complex the string (aka the more winding it has).
But i agree heartily with the supply and demand stuff.
But i agree heartily with the supply and demand stuff.
knuckle_head
Commercial User
- Jul 30, 2002
- 2,621
- 58
- Disclosures
- Owner; Knuckle Guitar Works & Circle K Strings
It's interesting - it really isn't any tougher to wind any standard bass string up to a .100 or .105 than any standard guitar string. It takes longer to wind .025s and thinner. Way longer.
My thoughts precisely. I haven't been playing bass long, but 20 years ago when I was playing guitar/piano and saw bass strings averaging about 40 a set (and that was back when minimum wage was $3.35 an hour), I was happy I wasn't a bass player. They've gotten much more affordable over the years from what I recall.
I agree with Mutt that there is probably some supply/demand or "what the market will bear" principal at work here- they don't get changed as often, not as many get sold, productions costs per unit then go up, etc. They probably aren't a ton more expensive to make than guitar strings, but a lot more does go into them. I will say it's been my personal experience that the difference between guitar strings in terms of it's effect on the sound was not nearly as pronounced as the effect on a bass- with all the different types of materials and size there are. With electric guitars, it was primarily a matter of "feel" and gauge, but not a huge difference- with a bass, every different type of strings seems to be a new adventure and I kinda like that part of it.
Hey, I'm just glad they're not DB strings. I was paying $110 a set... luckily, they lasted a lot longer... 2-3 years or more out of a set.
Hell, the strings for my custom acoustic baritone run me $18 a set. Bass strings at $16 seem to be a bargain.
Hell, the strings for my custom acoustic baritone run me $18 a set. Bass strings at $16 seem to be a bargain.
From a strictly manufacturing standpoint, guitar strings are smaller and quicker to produce.
Bass strings are larger.
Without getting into the semantics of supply/demand, material cost, etc. (which is of course another contributing factor), you can assume they will cost more.
Be glad you don't play upright bass. You can spend as much on set of strings as you can for a good quality bass guitar. Our strings are very cheap in retrospect.
Bass strings are larger.
Without getting into the semantics of supply/demand, material cost, etc. (which is of course another contributing factor), you can assume they will cost more.
Be glad you don't play upright bass. You can spend as much on set of strings as you can for a good quality bass guitar. Our strings are very cheap in retrospect.
In an electric guitar set, half the string are unwound, so those are cheap and easy to make. Plus our strings are longer by about 30%. Materials cost more, and the production costs more. Add in the fact that guitarists outnumber bassists, and tend to change strings more often, and you've got a huge disparity in volume to absorb fixed costs.
jte
jte
A string mfg said it's due to quality control etc..
If a guitar string plays out of true.. nobody cares.. if bass strings do.. everyone calls them "floppy"
If a guitar string plays out of true.. nobody cares.. if bass strings do.. everyone calls them "floppy"
