Strings!

I ordered some strings a few weeks ago – $19.99 a set.
Now I see the price on them are $26.49 a set.

It might be a good idea to pick up a couple sets and other supplies – Things might be going crazy for a bit.

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This is one of the news I’ve read today:

There was also fresh turmoil in the metals market say the nickel price briefly doubled to $100,000 per tonne.

This is one of the side effects of recent events. If it is painfull for Russia, I can live with more expensive strings or fuel.

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laughs in strings wrapped in iron and cobalt

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No matter where I go, string prices are keeping pace with inflation.
Some of my fav violin string (Pirastro) are $91 clams now…

Yikes!

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Ouch!
How often does a person need to change violin strings?

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Not as much as electric guitar strings which fir be seems to average every 2 months.
Banjo, about the same
Violin can go 6 months or so before they start sounding dull.
Still danged expensive…
https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/EvaVlnStEBG--pirastro-evah-pirazzi-violin-string-set-4-4-size-medium-gauge-goldsteel-ball-end-e

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It’s probably going to be a lot harder to get vacuum tubes than strings since many of them come from Russia.

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JJ Electronics’ tubes, at least, are all made in-house in Slovakia. Though I wonder where they get components from. I’m not into tube stuff anymore to know enough about where various tubes do actually come from (I just have an amp in the closet with JJs in it). Iirc there is an OEM maker out of Russia that makes a lot of tubes for various companies that rebrand them. Those companies are indeed fucked and will probably switch to a Chinese OEM if I were to guess.

Edit The company is New Sensor. They make Electro Harmonix, Sovtek, Mullard re-issue, and other tubes

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New Sensor and EHX are the same company, their HQ is in NYC. Mike Matthews is a pretty cool dude :slight_smile:

New Sensor owns Sovtek and sells tubers branded as Tung-Sol, Electro-Harmonix, EH Gold, Genalex Gold Lion, Mullard, Svetlana & Sovtek. Groove Tubes found in Fender amps, sources its tubes from a number of other companies, including New Sensor.

One of the big manufacturers in China shut down a while ago too after a fire and has apparently been repurposed… I guess they don’t care about tubes when they can be making ICs and other electronics from this century. :laughing: Many of the other tube manf. are either small or only make high end (expensive) tubes for the audiophile market.

To quote Mike Mathews of EHX August of last year “Currently, there is a worldwide panic on the availability of vacuum tubes,” Matthews wrote. “The big Shuguang factory in China was forced to move… and the Jamona (JJ Electronic) factory in Slovakia that used to have lead times of one month, now has lead times of six months."

http://crasno.ca/articles/vacuumtubemans.htm

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Man, I just changed strings that were on a guitar for over 5 years :joy: I doubt the average is 2 months. 2-3 months is what forum people will tell you… it’s probably more like a year for most"normal" people. :slight_smile:

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I sold both an EHX and JJ tube last year. Should have held on and sold them now :slight_smile:

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I have an amp in the closet loaded with new JJs that have never been played. I bet they are worth more than the amp (it’s not some sought-after tube head, it’s just an Ibanez Thermion)

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I dunno.
It’s always been about 2 to 3 months for me.
Slinkies are great strings but for me, never lasted long. They just get dull after a few months.

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Now, just thinking about it, I’ve changed my bass strings, though I’m a newbee, just once and that was at 5months.
Mandolin and Banjo strings. Hmmmmm, once a year?

There are those that will tell you banjo strings sound better and more “oakie” as they age.

Guitar strings?
Yep, every two to three months on my Les Paul but I use it every dang day.

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