Jump to content
Why become a member? ×

Best place to buy strings without breaking the bank


wishface
 Share

Recommended Posts

8 minutes ago, Lozz196 said:

What type of strings, flats or rounds, if rounds nickel or steel, from there some places/brands will stand out. I use Warwick Red Label Steel Rounds - generally about £9 online, and they last about two months.

Rounds, usually on the lighter/medium side 40-100. I'd like to try even lighter, but can't really afford to just dabble.

Ive never tried flats tbh. 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

11 minutes ago, wishface said:

That's pretty cheap! Are they any good?

There not bad and even if you end up not liking them they are only a fiver, they worked fine for me though and another member of this forum whos name escapes me said that he liked them just as much as Rotosound nickels 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

My choice is usually a local shop. No other costs (shipping...), just a walk to the store and back. When I buy 10 sets, the discount is usually substantial compared to online stores. Yes, I need to save money for some time (is this some sort of a historical way in this world of quickie loans?), but then I have strings for 2 - 3 years. With a local dealer I can discuss the price and the brand and the gauge. Do you really get that good offers online?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

15 hours ago, wishface said:

Rounds, usually on the lighter/medium side 40-100. I'd like to try even lighter, but can't really afford to just dabble.

Ive never tried flats tbh. 

 

Depends if you like the sound or not but flats are by far the cheapest.  Some people get 10 years plus out of them, which if they cost you £30 is £3 a year  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I bought the cheap gear 4 music strings not expecting much and was pleasantly surprised ..decent strings 

i'm also very happy with the warwick red label strings ..i use the nickel ones..

as has been said flats are cheapest in the long run if you keep them on ages 

i have had some on my p bass years which is great for that classic p sound but if

your'e after the more lively Marcus style sound you are going to need newish rounds. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 hours ago, itu said:

My choice is usually a local shop. No other costs (shipping...), just a walk to the store and back. When I buy 10 sets, the discount is usually substantial compared to online stores. Yes, I need to save money for some time (is this some sort of a historical way in this world of quickie loans?), but then I have strings for 2 - 3 years. With a local dealer I can discuss the price and the brand and the gauge. Do you really get that good offers online?

This is no doubt true, but as the OP stated he wants to spend as little as possible for a set of strings, I doubt forking out for 3 years’ worth is an option for him!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

19 hours ago, markdavid said:

I bought some cheap ones from Thomann tagged on to a larger order. They were OK but the winds were big and the strings seemed rougher. I bought some Picatos from Absolute Music for £12,99 and they were a different class. Funny though all the low cost strings are in lighter gauges. However I am about to treat myself to som hand wound strings from Newtone.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 5 weeks later...

I use stringsdirect.co.uk. Very reliable, good prices, fair amount of choice. And they usually pop through the letterbox the following day.

For some of the American strings, look out for the Amazon Global service where it is possible to pickup multibuys and other US only offers at silly prices, but on the UK website.

  • Like 1
  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

I’ve just forked out for some elixir nanowebs, not cheap (£40) but they are supposed to last 5 times as long as regular rounds, it’ll be interesting to see how long they do last, they’ve been on my p bass for about a month now and show no signs of aging or dullness. Trouble with cheap strings ( and I’ve tried loads, thomman, status, warwicks, legacy etc) is you do kind of get what you pay for, my regular gigging strings are now DR high beams which are just superb but do cost, done maybe 20 gigs and 10 rehearsals with the current set, still sound fresh.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I tried Elixirs and they do last well, I left them on for a couple of years and when I changed them there was an improvement in sound but not that dramatic and the degradation in sound is so slow you don't really notice. My regular strings are Dean Markley Blue Steels which last really well, I like the sound too and reckon to get a year out of them. I was changing Rotosounds every 3 months.

I don't like a really bright sound (for me the Roto's sounded best about 4 weeks old) and I don't use a pick which I guess would be tougher on the coating for Elixirs

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...