Strings - what do you use, where do you get yours and how much do you pay?

Haych

When I started playing strings were relatively inexpensive, I suppose they still are but my local branch of PMT is now charging £8:30 for a set of D'addario 10-46.  Always handy if you need them in an emergency but quite expensive otherwise, especially if you have lots of guitars and/or change strings often.

My internet quest to find the cheapest strings (still D'addario) ended in a bit of a surprise - I expected the likes of StringBusters and Strings Direct ect to offer best prices but even they were near enough £6.00 a set for multi-buy.  Richtone Music in Sheffield, however, are selling packs of ten for £43.00 delivered!

OK, there's a few days wait (I guess they're delivered direct from the wholesaler) but it still works out at almost half price per set what PMT are asking.

axisus

I used to buy cheap sets for £5 from Coda until the b*stards left town! Now I buy cheap sets from eBay.

I couldn't spend £43 on strings no matter how good the deal was

AustrianJohn

I use Fender 150R (10s) that cost just under £5 from Thomann.

Haych

axisus said:

I couldn't spend £43 on strings no matter how good the deal was

I know what you mean but I was working out how much I was spending on strings recently and was quite shocked so I just bit the bullet.

Horses for courses I guess, I felt better about it after consoling myself that I spent £35.00 in Pizza Hut on Sunday evening for one large pizza a couple of salad bowls a bit of garlic bread (think they were free) and some drinks!  Suddenly £43.00 on something I can use didn't seem so bad.

not_the_dj

3 packs for a fiver each from the big river in the sky

https://www.amazon.co.uk/d/Guitars-Gear/DAddario-EXL110-3D-Nickel-Regular-010-046-Electric-Strings/B000EEJ91I/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1490703814&sr=8-1&keywords=d'addario+guitar+strings

crunchman

@guitars4you had a good deal at the Guitar show in Birmingham so I bought some there.

Otherwise I've been using Amazon recently.  Much as I dislike them as a company, Amazon do 3 packs for £14.99.  If you have Prime you should be able to get £1 credit to use in their digital store if you select the no hurry delivery option so it works out at £13.99 for 3 sets.  If you don't want to buy 10 sets at a time it's the cheapest I've found.  I would get the ones that Amazon sell themselves though.  There may be fakes from some of the third party marketplace sellers.

proggy

D'Addario Nickel Wound on my electrics - £7 a set.

Elixir Phosphor Bronze Nanoweb on my acoustics - £15 a set.

jellyroll

Be careful in your quest for the cheapest. I've bought bulk over the internet before in what looked like a good deal...only to discover I've been sent 10 packs of rusty, presumably fake, strings.

bwets

I try to get mine from a local shop- I like to support them when I get the chance.

Stevepage

I usually bounce between D'addario and Ernie Ball. String gauges vary depending on what I'm involved in. around £5 - £7 from Stringsdirect.co.uk

SNAKEBITE

bwets said:

I try to get mine from a local shop- I like to support them when I get the chance.

I popped into the local music shop on Saturday as I was passing. I didn't need plectrums or strings but I bought both, always good to have spares and I like to support local businesses.

Yes, I have bought strings from the 'bay, and I probably will again, but if you don't make the effort........

whitedogbanana

I now use SIT strings as they sound quite balanced and are inexpensive. The best price I have found is from Thomann

guitarfishbay

I bulk buy electric D'Addarios. I use a custom sized set for drop B tuning based on the 11-56 set and replacing the 56 with a single 64, this comes in at £10 a set currently from Strings Direct but I still have stock from when it was cheaper.  The nice thing these days is that singles are in sealed packets so stay fresh for ages.

For acoustic I use D'Addario phosphor bronze 13s, I got my last sets from Amazon at £7 or so as I needed them short notice on the weekend and had run out.

For bass there is no set covering the gauges I want which makes it quite expensive as I have to buy 4 singles.  The last two sets I bought were £27 and £31.  I use .130 .95 .70 .50 for B F# B E tuning, usually D'Addario Pro Steels but I just got a set of Rotosound Swing Bass.

I've tended to use any recent eBay discount codes to bulk buy strings from known sellers (only places I know are real shops) again as the sealed packets stay fresh for ages and I'll always need strings.

VimFuego

I steal them from floppy haired youths at the local college. You know the sort, are doing some sort of arts course, go around with a guitar in a gig bag on their shoulders thinking it makes them look all cool and interesting.

Jalapeno

Electric - Elixir 10s from Stringbusters/Stringsdirect - whoever's cheapest, usually buy 3-5 sets at once for the better pricing.

Elixir 12 acoustic - ditto.

Archtops - Tomastik Swing 12s Stringsdirect - one set lasts a year to 18mths

Maccaferri style - D'Addario Gypsy 10s - Stringsdirect as Stringbusters didn't have any last time. Argentines or Gallos break far to often with me.

FelineGuitars

Strings were £5 a set back in 1987 when I first started in a guitar workshop, so if you are still paying that then it's not too bad. 

Naturally strings have shot up in price as they are bought in from USA and the fall in the value of the £ against the $ has basically put prices up by over 25% and even British factories still buy in the raw materials from USA  and also the recent hike in minimum wage has affected those firms with a number of employees like Rotosound, so the manufacturing costs are rising on all fronts.

whitedogbanana said:

I now use SIT strings as they sound quite balanced and are inexpensive. The best price I have found is from Thomann

I've started using them again and am really liking them .

DLM

For the last few years I've been buying

D'Addario EXL120-10P

(translation: nickel-wound 9–42s in a pack of ten sets) from Thomann, which works out at €4.10 a set. I always have to supplement this with additional loose purchases of 9-gauge strings for my high E, which I break far faster than the rest of the set. I just buy a few when I go by a guitar store, though I should probably figure out a way of getting these in bulk, too.

Jack_

Stock up every Black Friday.

Got 12 D'Addario 10-46 for £40 last time round.

octatonic

I buy boxes of strings rather than packs- it is cheaper.
I mostly use 9-46 D'Addario on my electrics.

Thomann, Strings Direct or Amazon for the most part- depends who is the cheapest.

richardhomer

£15 for three sets of D'Addarios from @Guitars4you at the Formby Guitar Show. Occasionally bought from Amazon - won't buy from PMT - really expensive.

guitars4you

richardhomer said:

£15 for three sets of D'Addarios from @Guitars4you at the Formby Guitar Show. Occasionally bought from Amazon - won't buy from PMT - really expensive.

I generally have good deals if you see me at the shows - Whitworth this weekend, near Manchester - and Bristol at the end of April - but I don't have an online shop for string sales and can't compete with Amazon, Strings Direct etc, so don't bother - But have good deals at the shows if you see me