Every year around Christmas as my wife’s family always asks for a list from everyone. So every year I try to come up with something to put on it not too crazy so I don’t seem like a spoiled 12 year old. Bass string are my go too!!! So this past year I put down a set of Ernie Ball 2849 Super Slinky’s. As that is what came on my Schecter and I loved them out of the box on that bass. I even included a Sweetwater link to keep things simple. What could go wrong??? LOL…
Xmas came and went, I got the strings, and put them in my gig bag and forgot about them. Knowing the originals had been on my bass WAY too long I decided to finally change them this week and broke out my new strings this week.
I didn’t think much of the clear plastic envelope they were packaged in at first. With the single sheet of folded paper with the Ernie Ball logo and model on one side, and a huge list of their artists on the other, and the strings each in their own labeled white Ernie Ball envelope. But I did find it curious that there was ZERO writing, marketing, or anything printed on the inside other than the EB logos on the string envelopes. But I hadn’t bought any before and didn’t know what to expect.
I installed them like I would any other strings, and putting a 90 degree bend in them before I cut (Which the DR strings I keep on my Ibanez always warn you to do, so it’s habit). I started checking out my setup and noticed these feel much more course than the set I took off. OK… they were well played, and 9 months old, so ok… but then…
TWWWWAAANNNNGGGGGgggggg… !!! OMG… I moved my hand from the strings and a tinny, hollow, treble ish, gong like tone rang out across the basement work bench. Oh… this sounds BAD, and way too loud for an unplugged bass string to be making this sound. I gently flicked each string and each made the same horrible noise in it’s own pitch. I tried tweaking my neck relief and string height a little but it didn’t help. I took it upstairs and plugged it in and… YUCK!!! My glorious Schecter sounded like I was playing an empty aluminum soda can. Further research reveals that these are not even good fakes packaging wises, and it looks nothing like they should.
I’m not sure where they came from, or who even bought them for me now. But I’m going to say they didn’t come from Sweetwater. New strings are already on the delivery truck and should be here tomorrow or the next day.
I’ve got a buddy who works in commercial aircraft engineering. Working on big aircraft ie 767s that sort of thing
Last year they found a box of fake brake pads for the aircraft they were servicing. Looked legit but he said you could push a screwdriver into them, they were that soft.
Actually… Now that I look at them on the Sweetwater site, some of them do appear to come in a clear plastic bag like these. This model particularly… So who knows???
Call Ernie Ball and tell them about it. They will most likely send you a new replacement set for free. Save the sleeves and strings maybe they’ll want to take a look at them, but most likely not.
anything is possible, but why would anyone put out fake strings? i mean the profit margin on that would be about zero. the manufacturers can mass produce the strings, the packaging, etc.
I have the same setup on a 34" and go through the body with just the long scales. I still have to cut a few inches off to wind them properly. Does the part of the string that tapers get wound up in your tuners?
I suppose that is possible, and I had that thought too. Which is why I didn’t order another set of EB’ s this time around. I’ve always wanted to try the DR. Black Beauties. So that is what’s on the way.
