String tension - all that important?

[G. Hoffman]

every string brand on the market CAN get those sizes, because with very few exceptions, every string brand on the market is buying their strings from either GHS or D'Addario.  (Except for Ernie Ball - who make fine strings of their own, and also supply a fair portion of the market - I would advise against buying from anyone who didn't get their strings from GHS or D'Addario, by the way.

Interesting. I wonder if there is a list (or someone knows) of what brand acquires their strings where, and if they simply repackage, do some kind if post-production treatment, or have their own spec fabricated from for example D'A. I can imagine the brands won't like that to be too much public knowledge, but I'd be really interested in that data.

Also interesting to hear more people not favour EB. Every player I know personally doesn't seem to either, but they still are huge.
On Elixirs:
While I've always favoured D'A XL's for guitar, on bass the strings would tarnish and die way too fast, if I forgot to clean them religiously. After a couple of hours of playing, 5 minutes to clean seemed like such a hill to climb So I switched to Elixirs, and have loved them for years. Apparently there's something changed in the production process, my last two sets stripped off the coating all along the string after just a month. I decided to switch back to D'A since the El's lifespan wasn't ecenomical any more, and was amazed at the "new-found" liveliness and balance of my bass. I'm now back to D'A, and clean them well every single time.  Just have to find a source for taper-wound low-B's. Anyone know If D'A carry those standard in a set? I could only find the loose strings.

(edit: spelling)

Actually, I was saying that Ernie Ball was one of the companies who do make their own strings, nothing else.  I like their strings just fine.  I don't USE them, but that is because, among the major manufacturers I just don't see much difference, and I like the way D'Addario packages their strings. 

As I said, the MAJOR manufacturers do make their own strings, but that is only a handful of brands.  The smaller ones largely (though not always) buy from the big companies.  If they are ordering large enough quantities, they can create their own specs (different ratio's of core to wrap, different alloy formulas, etc.), so it isn't just that they are just reselling the big brand names in different packages, and of course one of the things they can spec is QC, but it just isn't cost effective to make strings in small quantities.  I know some of the companies who are doing this, but given that I have business relationships with them I'm obviously not going to share any details.


Gabriel

[zombiwoof]

every string brand on the market CAN get those sizes, because with very few exceptions, every string brand on the market is buying their strings from either GHS or D'Addario.  (Except for Ernie Ball - who make fine strings of their own, and also supply a fair portion of the market - I would advise against buying from anyone who didn't get their strings from GHS or D'Addario, by the way.

Interesting. I wonder if there is a list (or someone knows) of what brand acquires their strings where, and if they simply repackage, do some kind if post-production treatment, or have their own spec fabricated from for example D'A. I can imagine the brands won't like that to be too much public knowledge, but I'd be really interested in that data.

Also interesting to hear more people not favour EB. Every player I know personally doesn't seem to either, but they still are huge.
On Elixirs:
While I've always favoured D'A XL's for guitar, on bass the strings would tarnish and die way too fast, if I forgot to clean them religiously. After a couple of hours of playing, 5 minutes to clean seemed like such a hill to climb So I switched to Elixirs, and have loved them for years. Apparently there's something changed in the production process, my last two sets stripped off the coating all along the string after just a month. I decided to switch back to D'A since the El's lifespan wasn't ecenomical any more, and was amazed at the "new-found" liveliness and balance of my bass. I'm now back to D'A, and clean them well every single time.  Just have to find a source for taper-wound low-B's. Anyone know If D'A carry those standard in a set? I could only find the loose strings.

(edit: spelling)

Actually, I was saying that Ernie Ball was one of the companies who do make their own strings, nothing else.  I like their strings just fine.  I don't USE them, but that is because, among the major manufacturers I just don't see much difference, and I like the way D'Addario packages their strings. 

As I said, the MAJOR manufacturers do make their own strings, but that is only a handful of brands.  The smaller ones largely (though not always) buy from the big companies.  If they are ordering large enough quantities, they can create their own specs (different ratio's of core to wrap, different alloy formulas, etc.), so it isn't just that they are just reselling the big brand names in different packages, and of course one of the things they can spec is QC, but it just isn't cost effective to make strings in small quantities.  I know some of the companies who are doing this, but given that I have business relationships with them I'm obviously not going to share any details.


Gabriel

Actually, it is my understanding that Ernie Ball has it's strings made by one of the big string companies.  In the past it was supposedly Gibson, but since Gibson no longer makes their own strings I suspect they are made by GHS now.   Anyone notice how both Ernie Ball and GHS changed to the exact same new "environmental" packaging at the exact same time recently?.  I don't think that's just a coincidence.

Gibson strings are now made by D'Addario, who I also believe supply the strings for the coated Elixir strings, and some other smaller brands.  Fender for some time had their string-making division in Mexico, but recently the packaging has changed and they say "Made in the USA" on them.   I'm wondering if they've moved their string operation to the U.S., or are also having them made by D'Addario or GHS.

Al

[Paul Marossy]

Gibson strings are now made by D'Addario, who I also believe supply the strings for the coated Elixir strings, and some other smaller brands.  Fender for some time had their string-making division in Mexico, but recently the packaging has changed and they say "Made in the USA" on them.   I'm wondering if they've moved their string operation to the U.S., or are also having them made by D'Addario or GHS.

Maybe it's the same kind of baloney as "hand made effects" - you can have everything made somewhere else but if say the ball ends were made in the USA, then you can claim that the whole product is. 

[G. Hoffman]

Actually, it is my understanding that Ernie Ball has it's strings made by one of the big string companies.  In the past it was supposedly Gibson, but since Gibson no longer makes their own strings I suspect they are made by GHS now.   Anyone notice how both Ernie Ball and GHS changed to the exact same new "environmental" packaging at the exact same time recently?.  I don't think that's just a coincidence.

Not last I checked, but it has been a while.  They use decidedly different alloys for their strings.  At least, boomers vs. Slinkys.  Also, they twist their ball ends differently, which leads to my Jazzmaster expert telling me to only use Boomers with Jazzmasters.

I really dislike that packaging.  It doesn't fit in my string displays properly, though I have to admit it is nice not having to worry about how long a set of strings has been in the shop (because no air gets in, the strings don't oxidize).  Because we are small, some of our sets don't turn over very fast, and I've had sets go "off" in the past - though D'Addario dealt with that much more elegantly about 15 years ago!


Gabriel

[zombiwoof]

Actually, it is my understanding that Ernie Ball has it's strings made by one of the big string companies.  In the past it was supposedly Gibson, but since Gibson no longer makes their own strings I suspect they are made by GHS now.   Anyone notice how both Ernie Ball and GHS changed to the exact same new "environmental" packaging at the exact same time recently?.  I don't think that's just a coincidence.

Not last I checked, but it has been a while.  They use decidedly different alloys for their strings.  At least, boomers vs. Slinkys.  Also, they twist their ball ends differently, which leads to my Jazzmaster expert telling me to only use Boomers with Jazzmasters.

I really dislike that packaging.  It doesn't fit in my string displays properly, though I have to admit it is nice not having to worry about how long a set of strings has been in the shop (because no air gets in, the strings don't oxidize).  Because we are small, some of our sets don't turn over very fast, and I've had sets go "off" in the past - though D'Addario dealt with that much more elegantly about 15 years ago!


Gabriel

I didn't say they are the same strings, I just said they are (possibly) made in the same factory, to EB's specifications.   I could be wrong about GHS being the current manufacturer of the EB strings, but it has been reported that EB for many years has had someone else make the strings for them.  Someone in a forum who was "in the know" about EB said a few years ago that at the time Gibson was making EB's strings.  Gibson now has D'Addario make their strings to their specifications, they wouldn't necessarily just be relabeled D'Addario strings.  A string company can make different strings with different formulas for each company they make them for.

As for the recent move back to U.S. production for Fender's strings, I think they either moved their own string-making equipment back to the U.S. from their Mexican factory, or they have gone the same route as Gibson and are just having another company make the strings for them now, which would probably mean either D'Addario or GHS as they are two of the major string-making companies that are left.  I know that Dean Markley makes their own strings, and I'm a big fan of their Vintage Reissues and the Pure Nickel Hendrix strings they recently discontinued.  I've stocked up on about a dozen sets of the Hendrix Pure Nickels, when they are gone I'll use Pyramid Classic Round core Pure Nickels (which I think are the best of that type) when I can afford them, and go back to DR Pure Blues when I can't afford the Pyramids, they are also pure nickel wound on round core, as I said I prefer round core strings to hex core.  I'm also checking out the Newtone strings, which are another rather expensive brand that have gotten good reviews (they compare in price to the German Pyramids).  I've never been a fan of either Ernie Ball or D'Addario strings myself, I find them a bit scooped-sounding, and the D'Addarios I've had problems with strings breaking too often.  The GHS Burnished Nickel Roundwounds are pretty nice sounding strings, they are pure nickel wound on hex core, I used to use them in the past, but these days I like the round core strings.

Al