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Without BSO, Where Do We Get Strings Now?

#101
Madhouse27 said:
Quick gripe about Sweetwater: After the BSO demise, I ordered a pair of Labella flats on Sweetwater, forgetting about their schtick of throwing a few candies in with their orders. Anyway, because the package was no longer flat, either the little box of Milk Duds or the Skittles dinged up the Labellas (which aren't packaged very protectively btw). I'm done with them, their phone calls and their stupid candy.
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Ouch! that reminds of the time (about twenty years ago) that I was living in New Jersey and ordered a 1960 Gibson acoustic from "Killer Vintage" (In St. Louis, IIRC?)... it came in a very nice form-fitting SKB hardcase, but for reasons unknown the proprietor there thought he was doing me a big favor by stuffing a "Killer Vintage" Tee-shirt (not requested by me!) INSIDE the case, on the TOP of the guitar. The guitar arrived with a huge crack in the top, [right UNDER THE T-SHIRT] and I had to take it into the city (to my friends at Alex Music) to get it repaired. The insurance claim was never really settled to my satisfaction, and the token payment certainly never reimbursed me for all the hassle!
 
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#106
StoicStrayCat said:
Strings and Beyond has been fantastic for me. They’ve usually had whatever I’ve been looking for in stock, no matter how weird it may have been.
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Living on the other side of the world means anything you buy from the U.S. will take time to get here but Strings and Beyond were good to deal with and I wouldn’t hesitate to buy from them again.
 
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#113
armybass said:
I have been getting mine from Musician's Friend, Sweetwater, Amazon and American Musical Supply. They always have what I want.... the prices are mostly very good and the shipping is fast. I have over 50 sets of strings sitting in my house from DR's to LaBlella to TI's. I have EB Group III flats, GHS Precision Flats..... I mean I have tons of stuff that is not just D'Addario and Ernie Ball. You can get most of what you like save singles and odd gauges.
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I'll take some extras lol
armybass said:
I have been getting mine from Musician's Friend, Sweetwater, Amazon and American Musical Supply. They always have what I want.... the prices are mostly very good and the shipping is fast. I have over 50 sets of strings sitting in my house from DR's to LaBlella to TI's. I have EB Group III flats, GHS Precision Flats..... I mean I have tons of stuff that is not just D'Addario and Ernie Ball. You can get most of what you like save singles and odd gauges.
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#114
Since I've never HEARD of it, and the 2 shops in town don't carry tapewound, nor does the GC 90 min from here. I finally found La Bella for (what I thought to be reasonable at $35 for any bass strings) tapewound.

Having NEVER CHANGED my strings old old bass for 25 years (hey, they worked and stayed in tune, I didn't know it messed with the sound so much) the idea of shelling out $50 didn't appeal to me.
And they were prime.

Looked for La Bella being naïve about bass strings, and La Bella is ancient.

I didn't know if MG had a good Rep or Not
 
#115
I've primarily been getting my strings (Rotosound SM66, 40, 60, 80, 100) from Sweetwater. Almost nobody else carried them...

Recently, the price jumped $4 overnight (Was $18.99 to $22.99*) without any real explanation.

When I asked about the overnight hike, one sales "engineer" actually said, and I QUOTE, "Blame Trump!" No joke!

I'm not the kind of guy who likes to provoke a political conversation, but was that comment really warranted?

I also like to remain loyal to a dealer who does me a solid on things. That seemed to stretch the boundaries for me. Sweetwater does seem to offer free shipping...

I know that this gauge of string isn't on everybody's radar, but I've used it on and off pretty much since day one of my playing (over 30 years ago!). I always thought it was a "standard".

I heard about BSO a and was going to order a bunch from them during the "close out". However, I had trouble using a credit card, and by the time it was resolved (next day) they were all gone! Talk about "a day late and a dollar short!" Darn!


* Price of these string in Canada is NOW over $35 bucks (CDN), but I used to get them from my favorite music store there for about $25 for years!!! Guess I should stop complaining!
 
#116
J Posega said:
With BassStringsOnline being closed down at the moment, where is the next best place to get strings?

I know nobody else will have customer service or selection as great, but we can't be too picky that the best is taking a rest.

Quick shipping, competitive prices, and an easy-to-navigate website are a must IMO.

(Personally, I need a set of short scale strings for a modded Squier Bronco)
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I've been using Strings And Beyond for several years now. Easiest place to get the Curt Mangan Fusion-Matched strings. Reasonable prices, almost always ships same day.
 
#117
Big Hoss said:
I have a few sets in my inventory, so I am not worried, for a while. BUT.... depending on how long he stays down, I might have to get Danny D's Guitar Hacienda in League City Texas to stock my strings...
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Danny D's for the win. Not necessarily for strings, but because they are one of the few cool guitar shops still in business.
 
#118
basscapes said:
I've primarily been getting my strings (Rotosound SM66, 40, 60, 80, 100) from Sweetwater. Almost nobody else carried them...

Recently, the price jumped $4 overnight (Was $18.99 to $22.99*) without any real explanation.

When I asked about the overnight hike, one sales "engineer" actually said, and I QUOTE, "Blame Trump!" No joke!

I'm not the kind of guy who likes to provoke a political conversation, but was that comment really warranted?

I also like to remain loyal to a dealer who does me a solid on things. That seemed to stretch the boundaries for me. Sweetwater does seem to offer free shipping...

I know that this gauge of string isn't on everybody's radar, but I've used it on and off pretty much since day one of my playing (over 30 years ago!). I always thought it was a "standard".

I heard about BSO a and was going to order a bunch from them during the "close out". However, I had trouble using a credit card, and by the time it was resolved (next day) they were all gone! Talk about "a day late and a dollar short!" Darn!


* Price of these string in Canada is NOW over $35 bucks (CDN), but I used to get them from my favorite music store there for about $25 for years!!! Guess I should stop complaining!
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Yeah, not the smartest answer. While the recent tariff on steel (and aluminum) should be expected to put price pressure on everything made of steel (and aluminum), there’s a much better, non-political way to answer the price-increase question. Simply stick to facts and avoid placing blame: The cost of steel has increased for string makers.
 
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#119
Stevorebob said:
Yeah, not the smartest answer. While the recent tariff on steel (and aluminum) should be expected to put price pressure on everything made of steel (and aluminum), there’s a much better, non-political way to answer the price-increase question. Simply stick to facts and avoid placing blame: The cost of steel has increased for string makers.
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... and add to the fact that Rotos come from England (or at least we are told that!)...
 

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