EssentialTension Posted April 15, 2012 Share Posted April 15, 2012 [quote name='Mog' timestamp='1334472350' post='1616495'] Don't Dean Markley produce their own strings too? [/quote] Probably. I'm guessing that the general rule is string companies make their own strings (e.g. D'Addario) but guitar companies get a string company to make their strings (E.g. Fender strings are made by D'Addario) - or something like that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassmachine2112 Posted April 22, 2012 Share Posted April 22, 2012 What about legacy from strings direct,aren,t they supposed to be made in the rotosound factory ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EssentialTension Posted April 22, 2012 Share Posted April 22, 2012 [quote name='bassmachine2112' timestamp='1335081595' post='1625392'] What about legacy from strings direct,aren,t they supposed to be made in the rotosound factory ? [/quote] I've never noticed those before. It does say: 'Legacy Nickel Electric Bass Guitar Strings are made for us in the UK to our own exacting specifications' Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EssentialTension Posted April 22, 2012 Share Posted April 22, 2012 Updated list: D'Addario (Fender) Dean Markley DR Dunlop Elixir Ernie Ball Gallistrings GHS (Lakland, Overwater?) La Bella (Sadowsky) Mapes Newtone Picato (Overwater?) Pyramid (Hofner) Rotosound (Legacy?) SIT Thomastik Anyone know if Newtone are making strings for other companies - my guess is that they would be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sean Posted April 22, 2012 Share Posted April 22, 2012 [quote name='bassmachine2112' timestamp='1335081595' post='1625392'] What about legacy from strings direct,aren,t they supposed to be made in the rotosound factory ? [/quote] [quote name='EssentialTension' timestamp='1335082257' post='1625396'] I've never noticed those before. It does say: 'Legacy Nickel Electric Bass Guitar Strings are made for us in the UK to our own exacting specifications' [/quote] The Legacy strings are Rotosound Rotobass in different packaging. Amazing value for money at £7.95 compared to £11-14 for the Rotosound version. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nick Posted April 22, 2012 Share Posted April 22, 2012 PIcato do half-rounds, they're made in Wales. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4 Strings Posted September 18, 2012 Share Posted September 18, 2012 As someone mentioned, Ernie Ball was primarily a string manufacturer, surprised they no longer do that. Interestingly so was Squier, for Fender, before Fender bought them and made a different use of the name. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iiipopes Posted September 18, 2012 Share Posted September 18, 2012 (edited) 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. Edited September 18, 2012 by iiipopes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTUK Posted September 18, 2012 Share Posted September 18, 2012 Had an interesting chat with a rep for a distributor and he said that there are only two major string factories around. One in France and one in the U.S and all the name strings come out of one or the other. You will get small makers who wind their own...Newtone, for exmaple, but the difference mostly between many makes is the metal grade, gauge and the designe quirk. Major plus for Newtone then, IMO, who are making the cleanest strings I've tried in the last two years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EssentialTension Posted September 18, 2012 Share Posted September 18, 2012 Here's the D'Addario factory: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EssentialTension Posted September 18, 2012 Share Posted September 18, 2012 La Bella factory: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRedX Posted September 18, 2012 Share Posted September 18, 2012 [quote name='JTUK' timestamp='1347984787' post='1807695'] Had an interesting chat with a rep for a distributor and he said that there are only two major string factories around. One in France and one in the U.S and all the name strings come out of one or the other. [/quote] So Rotosound no longer make strings in the UK then? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EssentialTension Posted September 18, 2012 Share Posted September 18, 2012 This is Jim D'Addario (I'm presuming it really is him) from 2008: [quote] XL120 10-31-2008, 05:11 AM This is Jim D'Addario here. . . .I find these threads very interesting. Unfortunatley there is a lot of myth and fantasy in some of them. I can share with you that D'Addario is the largest manufacturer of strings in the world right here on Long Island. We have 800 employees in NY making strings and Evans drumheads. We produce 550,000 strings per day and devote ourselves to maintaining high quality standards. We have never purchased a string from anyone. Yes there are only a handful of major string manufacturers and many of them including D'Addario make strings for other brands that you may play and love. Many brands that out-source their strings from other manufactuers do have their own specifications so all strings are NOT THE SAME. It is true that prior to marketing D'Addario as a brand our family business was known as Darco Music Strings. We sold the company to Martin Guitars in 1969. All D'Addario strings are made in the USA. Some major brands import strings. You should check your country of origin when buying. D'Addario is also the only company that makes its own wire. We have two wire mills, one in Conn. and one in Mass. that make super high quality, specialized wires just for string making. One makes our core and plain steel wire and the other coated EXP wire. FYI. JD [url="http://www.thegearpage.net/board/showthread.php?t=456584&page=2"]http://www.thegearpa...t=456584&page=2[/url] [/quote] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichF Posted September 18, 2012 Share Posted September 18, 2012 (edited) [quote name='Sean' timestamp='1335093653' post='1625546'] The Legacy strings are Rotosound Rotobass in different packaging. Amazing value for money at £7.95 compared to £11-14 for the Rotosound version. [/quote] 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. Edited September 18, 2012 by RichF Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iiipopes Posted September 19, 2012 Share Posted September 19, 2012 [quote name='JTUK' timestamp='1347984787' post='1807695'] Had an interesting chat with a rep for a distributor and he said that there are only two major string factories around. One in France and one in the U.S and all the name strings come out of one or the other. You will get small makers who wind their own...Newtone, for exmaple, but the difference mostly between many makes is the metal grade, gauge and the designe quirk. Major plus for Newtone then, IMO, who are making the cleanest strings I've tried in the last two years. [/quote] The distributor may have been referring to the wire companies like Mapes which make the raw wire for those who manufacture the actual guitar or bass strings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTUK Posted September 19, 2012 Share Posted September 19, 2012 [quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1348002864' post='1808085'] So Rotosound no longer make strings in the UK then? [/quote] That is what he said...and he works in strings. As a rep he seems a very straight guy, I had no reason to disbelieve him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTUK Posted September 19, 2012 Share Posted September 19, 2012 [quote name='iiipopes' timestamp='1348016484' post='1808240'] The distributor may have been referring to the wire companies like Mapes which make the raw wire for those who manufacture the actual guitar or bass strings. [/quote] No, this was a face to face informal chat and we talked about metal grade in strings as well as winding factories. I'd call Rotosounds, La bella and D'addario major names so if they have their own large factories..??? but then there is large and large. When I see him again, I'll dig deeper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRedX Posted September 19, 2012 Share Posted September 19, 2012 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EssentialTension Posted September 19, 2012 Share Posted September 19, 2012 Rotosound factory: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EssentialTension Posted September 19, 2012 Share Posted September 19, 2012 (edited) ... and Rotosound factory: Edited September 19, 2012 by EssentialTension Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EssentialTension Posted September 19, 2012 Share Posted September 19, 2012 A day at the GHS factory: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoEKdH7qR74 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EssentialTension Posted September 19, 2012 Share Posted September 19, 2012 Fender factory, Mexico: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EssentialTension Posted September 19, 2012 Share Posted September 19, 2012 There's either a lot of people pretending to have string factories or, much more likely, there are a lot of string factories. I've also seen pictures from the Thomastik, the Pyramid and the Martin factories. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EssentialTension Posted September 19, 2012 Share Posted September 19, 2012 [quote name='BassBod' timestamp='1332171352' post='1584220'] There was also a huge manufacturer called Mapes (or similar) who made them for lots of companies, but never had their own brand. Not sure if they still exist, but I'm sure Google will tell us..... [/quote] According to their website Mapes make piano strings but also supply specialist wire for the manufacture of guitar strings to Gibson, Fender, D'Addario, SIT, DR, Ernie Ball, GHS, and several others - [url="http://www.mapeswire.com/specialtywire.html"]http://www.mapeswire.com/specialtywire.html[/url] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iiipopes Posted September 19, 2012 Share Posted September 19, 2012 (edited) I just saw a thread on TalkBass with a post about a fellow who was taking a tour of the GHS factory and saw Ken Smith envelopes sitting on a packaging station. Edited September 19, 2012 by iiipopes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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