Ernie Ball, an appointment with frustration

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SpiritOfTheAgeSpiritOfTheAge Frets: 133
edited July 2019 in Guitar
Edited to a more seasoned and jovial  approach to the issue.

The Yamaha SA2200 I was lucky enough to acquire recently has had trouble holding tuning since I restrung it with Ernie ball 9's. 

So this evening I thought  I'd change all the strings to see if I had a duff set on (after already swapping out the g string as it would not hold pitch) so started with the high e, got it up to pitch, stretched it a bit, bent the string, re-tuned etc, after a few times it just would not tune up , just slipped when adjusting the machine head and then the bloody ball end popped off! I thought I'd been to aggressive with the stretching and bending although I'd done nothing different to what I've done hundreds of times before) This happened a further 2 times so I've given up, the string just unwound from around the ball end, what the deuce is going on?

So have I gone and bought fakes or have a duff batch? 


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Comments

  • KebabkidKebabkid Frets: 3301
    Where did you get them from? Internet or shop? With string brands, there are a lot of fakes out there.
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  • Kebabkid said:
    Where did you get them from? Internet or shop? With string brands, there are a lot of fakes out there.

    Amazon, how can you avoid fakes? They were a 3 pack at the normal price you'd expect to pay.
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  • ICBMICBM Frets: 71963
    I broke an Ernie Ball top E on someone's Jazzmaster last week in the same way - at the ball end, while stretching it. He's an endorsee and gets the strings directly from the distributor, so fakes are not the explanation.

    "Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski

    "Just because I don't care, doesn't mean I don't understand." - Homer Simpson

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  • SpiritOfTheAgeSpiritOfTheAge Frets: 133
    edited July 2019
    ICBM said:
    I broke an Ernie Ball top E on someone's Jazzmaster last week in the same way - at the ball end, while stretching it. He's an endorsee and gets the strings directly from the distributor, so fakes are not the explanation.
    Interesting, mine didn't break though, they unwound. They'd get to pitch OK, but once stretched a bit they slip a bit more until plop another one rolled onto the floor.
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  • SchnozzSchnozz Frets: 1926
    EBs are trash
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  • richardhomerrichardhomer Frets: 24793
    Schnozz said:
    EBs are trash
    I’m inclined to agree....
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  • It's certainly looking that way. I've ordered some D'Addario strings.
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  • thegummythegummy Frets: 4389
    Kebabkid said:
    Where did you get them from? Internet or shop? With string brands, there are a lot of fakes out there.

    Amazon, how can you avoid fakes? They were a 3 pack at the normal price you'd expect to pay.
    If they're actually sold by Amazon rather than just listed on Amazon by a third party (kind of like eBay) then I'm very confident they'll always be real.

    I just make sure it says "dispatched and sold by Amazon".

    If the price is normal that's a good indicator too but Amazon do tend to have very good prices for strings anyway so might be a bit cheaper than you'd see elsewhere.

    I used to buy from Strings Direct and the website itself is great and gives good information about what's available etc. but in the past year or two I've noticed everything seems to be more expensive than Amazon. Having Prime means I get it the same day or next day too; it's a clever little scheme they've got getting you to sign up for the Prime trial cause it's such a good service you end up keeping it lol.
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  • KebabkidKebabkid Frets: 3301
    Kebabkid said:
    Where did you get them from? Internet or shop? With string brands, there are a lot of fakes out there.

    Amazon, how can you avoid fakes? They were a 3 pack at the normal price you'd expect to pay.
    Only asked as unbeknown to Amazon at the time, they were selling fake D'addarios and was just curious in case this might be a similar case.

    Even if sealed, what's the Sell-By-Date on strings?
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  • SchnozzSchnozz Frets: 1926
    edited July 2019
    Rotosound - Buy British
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  • hollywoodroxhollywoodrox Frets: 4085
    Schnozz said:
    Rotosound - Buy British
    I like Ernie ball , but ha e been using rotosound hybrid 9s as well for a few years and they seem very good plus you get an extra high E in the packet usually which is a nice bonus.

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  • jdgmjdgm Frets: 850
    Schnozz said:
    EBs are trash
    Not at all, that's not my experience over 40 years. 

    I buy from Strings Direct which is a bit pricier than ebay or Amazon dealers but they're real - free postage over £30.
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  • PhiltrePhiltre Frets: 4164
    Strings from Amazon dealers are real. And cheaper.
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  • rossirossi Frets: 1699
    I use Rotos but what do I know .....I hardly ever break one and never while playing but I play soft finger style so that may be why .I do give em a good stretch until they scream .
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  • robinbowesrobinbowes Frets: 3021
    9s are really a little light for a guitar like the SA2200. Mine came with 11s, and I dropped to 10s (EB Regular Slinky), but have since gone back up to 11s (Curt Mangan Matt Schofield signature set - 11-14-18-28-38-54).

    I'd recommend trying something heavier than 9s.

    R.
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  • mbembe Frets: 1840
    The dodgy EB E strings unwinding at the bridge end is a phenomenon that occurs every couple of years or so. I had one recently at a gig, kept losing pitch and goes flat when you turn the machine heads.  Awful.

    Thing is, Slinkys seem to bend with less effort than D'Addario gauge for guage. 
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  • Revolting1Revolting1 Frets: 295
    Ernie balls used to be the dogs bollocks back in the 80s
       now more likely to be the dogs breakfast :s  :'(
      Rotosound have swapped places    :)
     Considerably better than they used to be IME =)
    When logic and proportion
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  • NunogilbertoNunogilberto Frets: 1679
    On a similar note, I used to love EBs. They had a lovely zingy feel when you first put them on the guitar, and lasted a reasonable amount of time. These days, they seem to look like they’ve been found at the bottom of the sea after about 2 gigs.
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  • SNAKEBITESNAKEBITE Frets: 1075

    Still love EB's

    Never had an issue.

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  • timmypixtimmypix Frets: 2304
    Schnozz said:
    Rotosound - Buy British
    I'd love to do this, but D'addarios have never let me down, and I can't find bulk 10-packs of Roto 10-52s anywhere, which just makes them too expensive.
    Tim
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