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Who makes which strings???


LITTLEWING
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[quote name='RichF' timestamp='1348006912' post='1808170']
one of my guilty pleasures is buying dead cheap 4 and 5 string sets of Legacy. I actually really really like them, keep trying others but keep coming back. Suspected they were Rotosound nickels, now I know.
[/quote]

I've used Legacies and found them to be absolutely fine and great value. Picato strings are a similar price, made in UK too.

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Newtone Factory [attachment=118861:Newtone.gif]

Here's an interesting thread from another list

[url="http://www.tdpri.com/forum/bad-dog-cafe/297040-what-companies-really-make-their-own-strings.html"]http://www.tdpri.com...wn-strings.html[/url]

includes this (tried to remove the media content but leave the link and failed, I'm afraid):


"Who actually manufactures strings?"
[url="http://professorstring.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=28&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=15"]http://professorstring.com/phpbb/vie...r=asc&start=15[/url]


1. Professor String - USA - (proof: [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbizZatTilU[/media])
2. Thomastik-Infeld - Austria - (proof: [url="http://www.thomastik-infeld.com/global/images/company/folder/fo_tg01.jpg"]http://www.thomastik-infeld.com/glob...er/fo_tg01.jpg[/url])
3. D'Addario - USA - (proof: [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BiohQI1Zcuc&feature=related[/media])
4. LaBella/E.O. Mari - USA - (proof: [url="http://www.labella.com/factory.html"]http://www.labella.com/factory.html[/url])
5. Rotosound - UK - (proof: James How with John Entwistle in the factory [url="http://www.rotosound.com/Portrait_f5.jpg"]http://www.rotosound...Portrait_f5.jpg[/url])
6. Pyramid - Germany - (proof: Listed as a Birkmaier winding equipment client.)
7. Gibson - USA - (proof: Second-oldest guitar string maker in the USA [url="http://www.gibson.com/press/strings/GSOE.html"]http://www.gibson.co...rings/GSOE.html[/url])
8. Ernie Ball - USA - (proof: New string making facility announced in 2006[url="http://www.usajobs.org/viewarticle.jsp?articleuid=11132035939851027493607"]http://www.usajobs.org/viewarticle.j...39851027493607[/url])
9. GHS - USA - (proof: [url="http://www.ghsstrings.com/support_faq.php"]http://www.ghsstring...support_faq.php[/url])
10. Yamaha - Japan - (proof: YMMI Indonesia factory tour in January 2008 Guitarist Magazine)
11. Fender - USA/Mexico - (proof: [url="http://picasaweb.google.com/meridianmusicguitars/FenderFactoryTour2006"]http://picasaweb.google.com/meridian...actoryTour2006[/url])
12. Dunlop - USA - (proof: TBA)
13. Peavey - USA - (proof: Mapes client list at [url="http://www.mapeswire.com/specialtywire.html"]http://www.mapeswire...cialtywire.html[/url])
14. D'Aquisto - USA - (proof: Mapes site at [url="http://www.mapeswire.com/specialtywire.html"]http://www.mapeswire...cialtywire.html[/url])
15. Black Diamond - USA - (proof: Mapes site at [url="http://www.mapeswire.com/specialtywire.html"]http://www.mapeswire...cialtywire.html[/url])
16. Vinci - USA - (proof: Mapes site at [url="http://www.mapeswire.com/specialtywire.html"]http://www.mapeswire...cialtywire.html[/url])
17. Elixir - USA - (proof: The Gore Corporation has string winding equipment made by a division of Engineered Machine Products)
18. S.I.T. - USA - (proof: Company history of Bob and Virgil and a factory in Ohio)
19. Newtone Strings - UK - (proof: [url="http://www.newtonestrings.com/mechanics.htm"]http://www.newtonest...m/mechanics.htm[/url])
20. Cleartone - USA - (proof: Facility in Los Angeles)
21. Martin - USA - (proof: Factory photo [url="http://www.guitarspecialist.com/images/martintour/martintour009.JPG"]http://www.guitarspecialist.com/imag...tintour009.JPG[/url] and a quote by Chris Martin IV
22. Dean Markley (manufacturing facility in Kalamazoo, Michigan)
23. DR Strings, (facility in Emerson, NJ)
24. Curt Mangan, (facility in Cortez, Colorado)
25. Wyres Strings, (tentative listing, some vidence they're made in Canada at website)

I think essential Tension has done better than that old publicity shot of John Entwistle.

Even Peavey have bought a couple of machines! Amazing so many are sold each day with half a million from D'Addario alone.

Edited by 4 Strings
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Well, there are lots of string manufacturers that fly under the radar, such as Maxima/Optima and Sfarzo, making strings for electric/acoustic guitar/bass, as well as those operating in Asia, such as Zijin (Kong Yuen) and Guangzhou (Alice) in China, and Yale (YH) and Samick in South Korea. The statement that there are around half a dozen manufacturers in the world did make me laugh, as the last time I looked into this the list extended to around 70 manufacturers of electric/acoustic guitar/bass strings, but that's just a subset of all musical instrument string manufacturers.

Edited by noelk27
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  • 2 weeks later...

[quote name='iiipopes' timestamp='1347977350' post='1807518']
D'Addario does NOT make Fender strings. All companies may or may not occasionally subcontract out a particular line, and most get their raw wire from Mapes. Fender bought out the V. C. Squier company in 1965 and has made most of their USA strings in house.
[/quote]

No, Fender stopped making strings as of about last year, if not earlier.

When the packaging changed from the pictures of Strats/Teles/Basses to the current Black/Red, Blue/Silver livery - Funilly enough the same time the basses started arriving with coloured ball ends...

It was announced to us (a major dealer to both companies) by both D'addario, and Fender at the time.

And i'm chuffed because Fender nickels are much cheaper than XL's

'Printed With Soya Ink' on the packaging, hermetically sealed strings etc.

It's commonplace, and the statement about same factory does not mean the same string is bang on - Just use what suits you, if it said 'Jimmy's colostomy bag Strings, made on the moon by monkey's' would it matter?!

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[quote name='BassPimp66' timestamp='1349213963' post='1823530']All the steel and the nickel comes from ArcelorMittal.[/quote]
While the number of metals/alloys manufacturers supplying wire manufacturers supplying musical string manufacturers is a short one, it's certainly longer than one. Nippon Steel/Shinnittetsu certainly supply specialist wire manufacturers in Japan. Seems likely that a few of the other 90 plus metals/alloys manufacturers will also be doing so.

Edited by noelk27
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[quote name='neepheid' timestamp='1348358599' post='1812800']
I don't know who makes Hartke bass strings and I don't care - I love how they sound, how they feel, they have no silks and they're ridiculously inexpensive :)
[/quote]
Plus the one on this.

I also like Olympus strings, they're identical to the ones offered by EBS. Both made in Sweden.

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  • 2 months later...

I'm fairly sure D'addarrio don't make the Ernie Ball roundwounds.
I recently bought a set of each for my 5 string.
Same guitar, same gauge, same type (nickel) and the EBs were noticably louder and more defined right across the range. Bit shocked actually.
Also found the D'ad chromes to be a bit lifeless compared to other flats. Probably just me, but I'm not a fan of their strings.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I used to work for the, then, main British distributor of D'Addario before D'Addario UK was set up, and my brand manager informed me that D'Addario made a shed load of strings for a shed load of companies. I can't remember the exact list, but I do remember Elixir being one of them... hence why D'Addario coated strings just have their core coated, whereas Elixir can't do that as their strings are pre-made, so they just throw the strings in a huge vat of gore tex (the stuff wetsuits are made of) which apparently causes chipping and cracking of the coating, or whatever. I'm pretty sure Elites and Slinky's were mentioned too.
I personally won't buy D'Addario anymore after my time there. Call me bitter... whatever...

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[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1348054944' post='1808528']
IME music reps (and I know several) tend to be big on the BS. I be tempted to discount pretty much anything they say that doesn't relate directly to the products they are currently trying to hawk and everything else with a hefty dose of scepticism...
[/quote]

Pretty much. I also have a similar attitude to some people who work in guitar shops, or in fact any shop whatsoever!

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  • 11 months later...

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