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Worst string manufactuer you know

#161
Duke21 said:
I just think that there are not as much string manufactures out there as we think.
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In the '80s Ernie Ball strings WERE D'Addario. Not made to Ball's specs, the same strings. The entire line, guitar and bass. EB was D'Addario's west-coats warehouse, strings were exactly the same, etc. Even the gauges of individual sets.

At that time in the US it was pretty much D'Addario, GHS, Squire (owned by Fender), Darco (owned by Martin I believe), NMS (Kaman), Sterling worth (now apparently owned by Dean Marley), and LaBella. Maybe a couple others.

John
 
#162
I know I just wasted 30$$ on a set of DR Bootsy Collins sig. series coated strings. Got 'em on my Warwick $$ and they are some dead-ass,plain steel,too grippy...crappy strings. The coating does absolutely nothing...they grab your fingers and just F'n glue 'em there! lol Here I thought since it's winter and my hands are always too "grippy" and dry I'd solve a problem, Noooo it's worse.
I think some one posted and nailed it above, D'Addario=jack of all trades. Cheap,reliable thump for the buck.
 
#163
hampulator said:
I know I just wasted 30$$ on a set of DR Bootsy Collins sig. series coated strings. Got 'em on my Warwick $$ and they are some dead-ass,plain steel,too grippy...crappy strings. The coating does absolutely nothing...they grab your fingers and just F'n glue 'em there! lol Here I thought since it's winter and my hands are always too "grippy" and dry I'd solve a problem, Noooo it's worse.
I think some one posted and nailed it above, D'Addario=jack of all trades. Cheap,reliable thump for the buck.
Click to expand...

Coated strings are crap, just see ehat sadowsky say about them.....
 
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#167
hampulator said:
I know I just wasted 30$$ on a set of DR Bootsy Collins sig. series coated strings. Got 'em on my Warwick $$ and they are some dead-ass,plain steel,too grippy...crappy strings. The coating does absolutely nothing...they grab your fingers and just F'n glue 'em there! lol Here I thought since it's winter and my hands are always too "grippy" and dry I'd solve a problem, Noooo it's worse.
I think some one posted and nailed it above, D'Addario=jack of all trades. Cheap,reliable thump for the buck.
Click to expand...

Hartke nickel round wounds are in my eyes the best strings for the money. Not sure who makes them, my feeling is that Hartke strings are made by Rotosound.
 
#168
Kragnorak said:
When I first heard of Dean Markley's Blue Steel strings, they seemed so cool, with that cryogenic jargon and awesome packaging. So I used those strings exclusively for a couple years in the 90s, until I really listened and realized how lifeless they sounded and started wondering why my strings died so quickly.

I tend to give strings a beating anyway due to playing style and hand moisture, so I've had better luck with Elixirs and Super Slinky's. Basically, strings that are built to retain tone for eons work better than strings that sound great when new and then can get their tone slaughtered in a gig.

Logic dictates that I should pay attention to what other sweaty bassists such as Stu Hamm and Billy Sheehan use (besides wristbands), but they can also afford to have their strings changed after every show, so I take that with a giant helping of salt.
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see I am at the other end of the spectrum here, I have used Markley blue steels for probably close to 15 years and have had great success with them , of course, I am not a heavy sweater so that my be the tipping point. Super slinkeys were the only strings I have ever broken a string with , always the D and always just south of the nut almost center of the first fret, 2 different basses, never have broken a markley. Boomers are nice strings for about the first 2 weeks you play with them and then they go deader than hell
 
#169
Strange thread for sure. I have used D'Addario XL's for a long long time, due to consistency and all-around versatility. Thought about switching for a different tone...just to experiment after reading a LOT of threads on TB. Now I'm really confused, because now it seems ALL STRINGS SUCK!
I guess I will stick with my D's, as they seem to 'suck less'.
 
#170
bumperbass said:
Strange thread for sure. I have used D'Addario XL's for a long long time, due to consistency and all-around versatility. Thought about switching for a different tone...just to experiment after reading a LOT of threads on TB. Now I'm really confused, because now it seems ALL STRINGS SUCK!
I guess I will stick with my D's, as they seem to 'suck less'.
Click to expand...

For every item you like, there are 3 that hate it. We all drive different vehicles and I can guarantee you that there are haters of every model and make ever produced.
 
#171
After years of playing, and trying lots of different brands, yes there are some brands I will not buy again. I have had brands that I was loyal to for years, then either their quality (or my ear) changed, and I switched brands. Plus, I like exprimenting with different strings, there are so many types and brands.

If I like a set, they will stay on my bass at least a year. I have had the same set of TI jazz FLats on my G&L L2500 fretless for probably 10 years. I bought my first Music Man bass in December of 2011 and put a new set of Ernie Balls on it when I bought it. They are still on there, and I still like them. But the EBMM basses are kind of bright sounding anyway, so if the string go dull quickly, it may play right into the sound I like.

And yes, even with all the hype and advertizing, there are only a handful of string manufacturers making strings for everyone.
 
#175
Elixir is my least favorite. I received a few packs when I was told "ELIXIRS ARE THE BEST STRING EVER CUZ THEYRE COATED!!!!!!OMG!!!!!1111111111". Played them a few times, very dull out of the box. Completely not worth the money. D'Addario EXLs blew them out of the water.

I haven't been super impressed with Rotosound, either.

I love D'Addario's tones (as well as customer service), but their strings are wrapped too short, and you can't pick up the the super long scales in stores so easily. Plus, the Chromes tend to be overwrapped in silk on the ball end of the B. I kinda had to move away from the brand, which makes me sad.

With that, I'm trying to support other local brands. Right now I popped some Hartke strings on my basses. They work well. I want to try the Snarling Dogs strings too (made by D'Andrea), but no stores sell the 5-string version, and the only place I found the 4 string set in a store at ALL was in Sam Ash's new location at 34th street in NYC. That's really irritating.
 

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