MiltyG565

I heard that Paul McCartney fella is quite good on bass.

[quote name='anaxcrosswords' timestamp='1432134018' post='2778471'] Prince William (British monarchy) David Cameron (British politician & Prime Minister) [/quote] These 2 came as a surprise to me, and I'll admit that I laughed at the thought of Cameron's bassface

[quote name='PlungerModerno' timestamp='1432238404' post='2779680'] Interesting - I agree only the treated / coated portions of the strings should have been in contact with the brine. I'd have dipped both ends in wax - that could be an easy way to seal out possible moisture creep (capillary action inside the wraps?). For a corrosion test I can see possible concerns - while the coatings may interact in the solution (one may soften the other if they're in close contact) - having the exact same solution for each string is probably more important. I'd also suggest the ideal test would include several samples of each companies production, ideally from different batches. I'd also look at including a timed test - a 5 minute dip, an hour dip, up to just left to "brew". then follow up after a week to see which of the samples have survived with no apparent damage - could be very telling. It's a strange problem. I'd want a clear and measurable way to determine the amount of, and severity of, the corrosion on each sample. Short of constructing a bass playing machine that sweats and wears the strings down in a consistent way - followed by a blind tone test to assess the strings "deadness" - I'm not sure how perfect the test could be! [/quote] Getting strings from a variety of batches might be a problem. Other than that, I think you're completely right

[quote name='PlungerModerno' timestamp='1432230723' post='2779527'] +1 - it's just a rough comparison, an experiment to test the strings apparent resistance to high salinity at room temperature. without hearing the strings before & after - or measuring something like their mass when dried - it's hard to say what happened beyond the colour changes. [/quote] I think his method was wrong in that the strings were submerged in their entirety, including the uncoated ends, which makes it easy for water to travel up underneath the coating itself, and cause corrosion that we wouldn't see normally. Also, I think he should have taken 1 string from each set, had them suspended in some kind of rig and partially submerged into a large tank of water, to make sure they're all exposed to exactly the same amount of water and salt. I think a sound test wouldn't be required, as it's a test to see how well they resist corrosion. Corrosion at any level will negatively affect a string's sound. What we're interested in is how well they resist corrosion Now I'm thinking I should build my own string testing rig

[quote name='PlungerModerno' timestamp='1432132372' post='2778453'] Just spotted this vid - not exactly fresh off the press, but interesting: [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GX6WKIKGSkg[/media] [/quote] Interesting video. I think his method is wrong, however it is still interesting to see the effects of a massively accelerated corrosion process.

[quote name='TimR' timestamp='1431981482' post='2777011'] That's essentially what I'm getting at. Anyone not receiving their strings the next day isn't going to be pacing their hallway waiting for the rattle of the letterbox and phoning your managing director on the stroke of midnight on his home phone Communication. [/quote] I don't think any of my customers would complain about my communication, in all fairness Although it is a problem that many businesses suffer from.

[quote name='TimR' timestamp='1431973699' post='2776838'] That's fair enough. But as soon as possible is very vague. If I'm planning a project I need to know lead times. As soon as possible could be 4 weeks or 6 weeks. [/quote] It says on our website that we aim to dispatch all orders within 2 working days, however the vast majority are sent out much sooner than that. Like I said, there have been instances where we've had an order come in at lunchtime, and it's been in our customer's hands by lunchtime the next day. It's all highly dependant on how efficient the postal service is. We actually send out most orders within a few hours of receiving them. It usually pans out well, but a BC member recently put in an order on a Saturday, and the following Monday was a bank holiday, so the post wasn't actually collected until Tuesday. Then it took until Friday to arrive. I was not that pleased about that, but there was literally nothing that I could do to improve the situation. I think we were both happy enough in the end that it had arrived, and wasn't lost. To round off this point - StringPing.com falls into the category of taking stuff off a shelf and posting it. I'm not hand-winding these strings (much to everyone's benefit). I'd be surprised if any online retailer had a lead time of more than a few days on items they have in stock.

[quote name='TimR' timestamp='1431970433' post='2776780'] Since the subject is customer service the answer is: It really doesn't matter how long each item takes or in what order the items are delivered in. What matters is that the customer is informed on the estimated delivery time before he places the order. If I order a lead and they say two weeks and my gig is in 4 weeks, It really doesn't matter. [/quote] Some people regard shipping times as an aspect of customer service. People don't like to wait too long. Usually any holdups with our deliveries is completely down to the postal carrier. We have a very clear policy on dispatching orders ASAP. We then let the customer know if there will be any hold-ups with the delivery (public holidays, strikes, times of high demand, etc etc). And I think our customers really appreciate that - I know I'd appreciate it if I was on the receiving end.

Feedback that I've had is that "something" (in my case, strings) taken off a shelf and put in a jiffy bag can take anywhere from less than 24 hours, to about a week, dependant on a lot of factors. It's quite hard to give a definite answer. I've sent out second class post that has taken less than 24 hours to reach our customer, usually it takes about 2-3 days, but there has been the odd time where it's taken about a week. So there's definitely the possibility that the couriered amp could arrive before any of them, if everything falls into place with the courier.

[quote name='redstriper' timestamp='1431901961' post='2776121'] I think soundcloud accepts wav files. Are the strings all round wounds? [/quote] They do accept WAV files, but it always seems to sound slightly different when I play it back on SoundCloud, compared to the original. I have no idea why. Maybe I'm imagining it?

This is actually a little bit concerning. TI are expensive strings. Even to the dealer, they are expensive. Seeing them at £30 a set really has me scratching my head.

[quote name='Kev' timestamp='1431206245' post='2768861'] Flexsteels, lower tension, louder, have quite a unique feel about them. I really like them, my string of choice at the moment. I don't know why they cost more, though... [/quote] I haven't used them (yet), but I'd also add that on the D'Addario tone scale, they're actually a bit brighter than ProSteels. I'm not sure about the cost aspect, but I'd assume that it reflects the engineering, the cost of materials (I understand they're using a different core wire for these strings only), and the cost to produce and ship. They are trying to introduce more premium products (like NYXL strings, and EXP strings with the NYXL steel cores), so that's also likely factored into their pricing. The idea with any brand is to have a range with small steps in quality and price between them. Here's a link to the official D'Addario blurb - http://daddario.com/DADProductFamily.Page?ActiveID=3768&familyid=63

I've just written a new blog post (link in my signature) about long-lasting strings.

No, I haven't, but I might try them soon. Got any thoughts on them?

Do it! How do you plan to record/upload? In my (limited) previous experience, the recorded track sounds different after uploading - especially on YouTube. It happens on SoundCloud too, but it's not as bad as YouTube.

[quote name='spectoremg' timestamp='1431629933' post='2773465'] I've just fallen foul of their refund scam - £380 on temporary hold. Irritating thing is I could have done it bank transfer to a perfectly trustworthy BCer, which will be my preferred method in future. [/quote] Some have criticised StringPing.com for not offering PayPal as a payment option, and I'm pleased to say that it's precisely because of crap like this that we don't offer PayPal as a payment option. It's happened to me personally before too, and it's highly irritating, regardless of the amount of money involved. There is no justifiable reason, IMO, for PayPal to hold this money, but it is part of their practice, which we sign up to when we open an account with them. They aren't a bank, and aren't regulated as one.

[quote name='mcnach' timestamp='1430675984' post='2763630'] 6 months? My strings get replaced more often But even when i keep them longer, I don't ever recall them getting rusty. I don't do anything particular to them. I do tend to have clean hands before playing, and I don't do anything to them afterwards. I may wipe the neck if it's warm and feels a bit sweaty etc... but don't really touch the strings. [/quote] There are a lot of factors to consider. I've never had strings go rusty either, but I have seen basses with rusty strings. From the limited number I've seen, I'd say that nickel coating was the lowest common denominator, although there's nothing to say that's the cause or even part of the problem. Maybe it's just a complete coincidence.

[quote name='Norris' timestamp='1430563599' post='2762613'] I've used the EBs for 20 years, but have just ordered a set of Prosteels from you to try. Decent price too [/quote] That's awesome! I hope you're pleased with them. Your order is being sent out soon

It's certainly one way to assure that you'll need to replace your strings incredibly often!

[quote name='stingraybassman' timestamp='1430251108' post='2759594'] Get writing then, don't keep stringing us along..... I'll leave now. [/quote] Here's your coat...

[quote name='Hobbayne' timestamp='1430240713' post='2759413'] I recently moved over to E.B nickle strings after using a mates bass and much preferred the feel and tone to the Rotosound steels I had been using for years. I find the zing goes about the same time as the Rotos, so I dont hold with the belief in some players that nickles die quicker. [/quote] My experience of Ernie Ball Slinkies is that they hold their tone quite well. Other brands that I've used haven't lasted more than a few weeks, and some last unreasonably long - far greater than you'd reasonably expect. It's all relative. The variations are in the brand, IME.

[quote name='stingraybassman' timestamp='1430228727' post='2759194'] Good blog that Milty! Nice to see a seller not just bothered about selling stuff. Still amazes me how little value people put on strings. [/quote] Thanks! As some on here know, StringPing.com isn't just me trying to sell strings, it's a bit of a labour of love. I'm going to be writing more blogs for it in future

[quote name='Norris' timestamp='1430220319' post='2759042'] I've used Ernie Ball Regular Slinky strings for years (the bright yellow pack) [/quote] Try a set of steel strings and see if you get better luck with them. I always recommend D'Addario Prosteels as a high-quality steel string at a reasonable price.

[quote name='Coilte' timestamp='1430156657' post='2758493'] Rust should not be a problem after six months, although it could be due to the acid in your sweat. Perhaps you should consider putting a sachet of silica gel in your guitar case. The only other thing you can do, besides wiping down the strings after each practice, is to wash your hands before playing. [/quote] Pretty much just this. It could also be to do with the type of string you use. Weirdly, I find that Steels don't rust nearly as easily as nickel wounds. Acidic sweat is a problem. It's more of a problem on guitar than on bass. I know guitarists that change their strings every few weeks because their sweat is so corrosive on their strings. Let me know what strings you're currently using. Different types of strings and different brands use different qualities of material. Hopefully we can find something more suitable. edit - also, have a read of my blog (link in signature). It explains a bit about why strings go bad, although I didn't include acidic sweat.

[quote name='LayDownThaFunk' timestamp='1429901091' post='2756245'] I like DR Black Beauties/Dragon Skins but that coating... finger burn. Makes the string unusable for me. D'Addario EXLs are very similar to Elixirs but the coating is a bit thinner so you can feel more of the string. EMPs and Cleartone strings I would say are even a little thinner for less of that plasticy effect but EXLs IME retain their brightness a bit longer than those two. [/quote] The D'Addario EXP strings are an Elixir competition product. Being that they're going after Elixir's slice of the market, it's reasonable to expect that they're quite similar, but D'Addario's reputation for innovation and high quality production means that their EXP range often doesn't get the love that it deserves. They also now use their NYXL core steel to make EXP strings, so they're stronger and less prone to fatigue, making them an even more premium product. Although hardly anybody has caught onto this change yet, as they only started this a couple of months ago.