Best Price On Strings ??

[Austin Bob]

I use the Guitar Center string club. You pay $40 for a card that gives you a $5 discount once a month on a set of strings of your choice.

If you just by the J74's, it comes out to $6.33 a set. Not the cheapest, but the difference doesn't break the bank and it gives me a reason to go into the store and look at all the eye candy and try out a new guitar that I can't afford.

[journeybear]

Thanks, guys. I tend to be really loyal, and my default setting is brand loyalty. I've used D'Addario 74s on my Gibson mandolins since nearly forever. In college, I used to hitchhike 100 miles each way to go to Wurlitzer's in Chicago to buy D'Addarios when they hit the market, since my local store carried only Black Diamonds. They were so much better, and seeing they were preferred by David Grisman sealed the deal. I've stuck with them ever since, even after the endorsement shifted to Ricky Skaggs. (Still good enough for me. ) So for me to even try another brand is a tough decision, let alone making a commitment for a dozen sets. I'm bound to mull this over for a while while sitting on the fence.

[MysTiK PiKn]

I tried them because I was recently given a set by a friend (banjo player who also plays mandolin) and had been singing their praises for a while. I put them on at my next string change and was immediately impressed by the punch of the G and D strings. They made my Ellis sound MUCH better than EJ74s or EXP74s (including the new EXP74CMs). The 0.014" A strings were lighter than what I'm accustomed to, as I stick with 0.016" gauge, typically. Also, the E strings at 0.011" are lighter than what I prefer. But really, for the price, if these were the gauges I wanted to stick with, they would be a real bargain. The strings themselves sounded great, played well, and lasted just as long as any EJ74 set would. Granted, with my sweaty hands, and these being uncoated strings, the winding was turning my fingertips green and the unwound strings rusted out within a couple of weeks. But I have the same problem with EJ74s too, so there's nothing out of the ordinary there.

I will probably end up buying some sets from them. Not right now, as I still have quite a few previously-purchased sets of other brands that I need to use up, lest I become a string collector. But I really liked the sound of them so much, I might be tempted to buy a dozen and stick with them.

Thanks for the comments, Tobin.

I hadn't noticed the 14 gauge A string - The EJ74's are A=15's on the pack right in front of me. Other strings are all same gauges.
I don't think the 14-15 would change the world for me.

I have an issue, possibly "nut", with the E-string being a little quiet-ish sometimes - could be the player also, or maybe slight bridge angle. It's like I am "near-missing" the E when strumming.

Interesting what you say about the G and D sounding better - I'm watching wassup w those strings on mine. I am just getting into some "nut" adjustments; so I will see what comes out of all that. I got into thinking the G and D strings sounded and felt awful while I was in early stages of setup - those were likely the 'original strings'. It's a bit better w the 74's; but I think I got contaminated w those original awful things. With things changing, it makes it hard to get used to what I have here. Altho, everyday now, I notice something better, subtle little goodies - and I am playing more than working on it also. Play is more fun. Things are settling down.

Thanks for the accurate info re Euphonon. And the link to an outrageous deal. I will be chatting with them about ship to CA.

Cheers.

[Caleb]

I buy all my strings these days on Amazon.

[Austin Bob]

I use the Guitar Center string club. You pay $40 for a card that gives you a $5 discount once a month on a set of strings of your choice.

If you just by the J74's, it comes out to $6.33 a set. Not the cheapest, but the difference doesn't break the bank and it gives me a reason to go into the store and look at all the eye candy and try out a new guitar that I can't afford.

Hmm, I got that completely wrong! The card is only $20, not $40. And the strings are normally $6.99 a set, or $1.99 after the $5 discount. So that puts the price of the J74's at $3.66 a set after you buy 12 of them.

Not a bad deal at all.

[Jeff Mando]

Hmm, I got that completely wrong! The card is only $20, not $40. And the strings are normally $6.99 a set, or $1.99 after the $5 discount. So that puts the price of the J74's at $3.66 a set after you buy 12 of them.

Not a bad deal at all.

With such a clear, concise explanation and a good grasp of mathematics, I think you might have a successful career in politics ahead of you, Bob!

I remember Clinton would answer a question in three parts, but he would start with the third part, then go back to the first part, and by the time he got around to answering the second part, everybody forgot what the question was in the first place.....

[Austin Bob]

With such a clear, concise explanation and a good grasp of mathematics, I think you might have a successful career in politics ahead of you, Bob!

I remember Clinton would answer a question in three parts, but he would start with the third part, then go back to the first part, and by the time he got around to answering the second part, everybody forgot what the question was in the first place.....

Guilty as charged!
Here's exactly how it works:

• You buy the card for $20
• The card allows you a $5 discount per month on any set of strings you choose
• J74's are $6.99 per set, or $1.99 after the discount
• If you by a set of J74's every month, you pay $1.99 X 12 = $23.88
• Add the $20 back in for the card = $43.88, or $3.66 each

You either use it or lose it, so if you forget to buy a set of strings one month, you can't buy two next month to make up for it. I usually alternate between guitar and mandolin strings.

[darrylicshon]

just got my strings today nice and fast

[bbaker2050]

I agree. I love Strings and Beyond, but I too have found they don't carry the GHS Silk and Bronze. I emailed them a while back and told them it would be nice if they carried them.

[jim simpson]

I'm a big fan of Bob Passante and BP Strings.

He runs one of the few remaining mom & pop operations like this. He has a great selection and great prices (including his shipping rates). He's currently selling J74s for $4.75 a pack. I don't know how Bob stays in business, but I'm glad he does.

I'll second a vote for Bob/BP. He would set up at festivals I attended when I lived near Philly. A nice guy to deal with and pretty good selection/prices.

[Nathan Kellstadt]

I agree. I love Strings and Beyond, but I too have found they don't carry the GHS Silk and Bronze. I emailed them a while back and told them it would be nice if they carried them.

I'll second a vote for Bob/BP. He would set up at festivals I attended when I lived near Philly. A nice guy to deal with and pretty good selection/prices.

Bob/BP carries GHS silk & bronze at $5.70 a pack, which is why I started buying strings from him in the first place

[acousticphd]

Well, plus shipping: "For the first two dozen sets or less add $6.00. For each additional dozen sets or fraction therof additional, add $2.00." So that's $2.92/set. Still a substantial savings. The question still is, has anybody tried them? It's not worth sacrificing quality to save a bit of money, right?

First of all, it's "Euphonon". Second, everyone charges S/H, so not much difference there. I've ordered nearly all my various instrument strings from these guys for >10 yrs. The main benefit they offer is really good prices on good quality bulk strings, which I would guess are one of the 1-2 principal "brands" (is there more than 1-2 brands?) or makers. Certainly the company is a small operation - you don't order or buy online, you actually write out an order letter and send a check, or call them up, like the old catalog days. It works great if you like to order 1/2 dozen to a dozen sets at a time; if you like to buy just a few sets at a time, it won't be your deal.

Their strings, ball-end and/or loop-end, serve me perfectly well. Really my only gripe is that they sell only one mandolin string set (11, 14, 26, 40). I like to use 14's on some instruments and 15's on others, but they don't carry a .015 plain steel single of any type, so I have to pick up extra 15's elsewhere. I don't claim they are identical to Martin or D'Addario or any other "brand", but I have never found much of a difference between string brands that matters more than having fresh strings more often. I buy and go through a lot of strings (guitar, tenor guitar, mandola, octave mandolin, mandolin), so it's nice to save on a few dozen sets at a time. They also have sell some nice accessories like ebony bridge and end-pins at the best prices around.