Counterfeit Guitar Strings

[Deftone]

Old news and it may have been covered but I guess a reminder can't hurt. It was brought up in the Marshall Forum that several big name guitar string MFG's are being counterfeited. Ernie Ball, D'addario, etc...If you're buying strings from Ebay or Amazon, be vigilant. Buy from reputable dealers only.

 

[dc007]

Hmm...are the fake ones any good??

 

[Deftone]

Hmm...are the fake ones any good??

Apparently not. They turn your fingers black, go out of tune and break easily.

 

[Deftone]

It got me thinking...I remember black fingers in the past, subtle but noticeable and definite tuning issues. Thought maybe I just got a bad batch.

We know they will fake guitars, but strings?! If they'll counterfeit strings, what else will they counterfeit? Amps? Pedals? Cables? Picks?

Another hazard of having products made in countries that don't respect copyright laws.

I used to work for a small Motorcycle Aftermarket Parts MFG. We sent a design to China for MFG to reduce cost. Parts came back, but the quality sucked. They could not conform to the tolerance we agreed to initially. So we asked for better quality and the price went up to the point where we were no longer saving money. So we brought MFG back in house, but then the knock offs started to appear. They stole the design and sold them for half our price.

 

[I Break Things]

Could explain some of the experiences I've had, to be honest. That said... I just bought some strings from Sweetwater, and they didn't come with batteries.

 

[wildhawk1]

It got me thinking...I remember black fingers in the past, subtle but noticeable and definite tuning issues. Thought maybe I just got a bad batch.

We know they will fake guitars, but strings?! If they'll counterfeit strings, what else will they counterfeit? Amps? Pedals? Cables? Picks?

Another hazard of having products made in countries that don't respect copyright laws.

I used to work for a small Motorcycle Aftermarket Parts MFG. We sent a design to China for MFG to reduce cost. Parts came back, but the quality sucked. They could not conform to the tolerance we agreed to initially. So we asked for better quality and the price went up to the point where we were no longer saving money. So we brought MFG back in house, but then the knock offs started to appear. They stole the design and sold them for half our price.

It's been refered to as the largest theft of wealth and intellectual property in world history.

They'll copy anything for profit from a F150 (yep they did that) to the gauges for welding tanks which a small company noticed when customers were returning defective units that were counterfeit.

Sites like Alibaba should be banned in the United States.

 

[Big John]

I use left handed strings, strung upside down. Since China only makes right handed strings, I'm good to go.

 

[Deftone]

Come to think of it, I used to work with a guy who sells or kinds of crap on Ebay. He actually quit because he was making more $ on Ebay. He had three stores, one in his name, on in hos parent's name and one in his GF's name.

He started with paintball gun parts, he'd copy someone else's design then have it made in China and sell it on Ebay.

 

[dc007]

I'm pretty sure the last picks I bought were counterfeit

 

[James R]

These days, buying strings is the only excuse I have to go into my one and only local guitar store, so I never buy them online.
I still like to go and look at all the new pretty guitars, never know when you'll find a new "must have" guitar, even though it hasn't happened in a few years now.

It doesn't surprise me that they're making counterfeit strings, nothing is safe from those thieving bastards.

 

[Deftone]

I'll take this a step further...I'm a MFG. Engineer in Aerospace. Everything we build requires certified material. Steel, Titanium, Aluminum...all material has to have a traceable pedigree. Where it was mined, how it was made, purity and strength tests, etc...We have received material that is pedigreed but fails when we machine or weld it. Ti tubing that splits and cracks when bent or formed, Aluminum that warps when we machine it, material that we used in the past that was fine.

So even Made In the USA goods might have foreign made materials like steel for strings that could be sub par.

ex: the Bay Bridge segments that were made in China and collapsed.

 

[I Break Things]

Counterfeiters just suck. Plain and simple. Nowadays, anything can be faked, and it's hard to tell the difference until it breaks. Just look at reviews on Amazon. You'll see plenty of counterfeits, one example being Superfeet. I was looking at insoles on Amazon, and some things looked like the real thing, but they broke easily. I ended up ordering them from REI, which by the way, has a great return policy if you're a member.

 

[Bobby Mahogany]

It got me thinking...I remember black fingers in the past, subtle but noticeable and definite tuning issues. Thought maybe I just got a bad batch.

We know they will fake guitars, but strings?! If they'll counterfeit strings, what else will they counterfeit? Amps? Pedals? Cables? Picks?

Another hazard of having products made in countries that don't respect copyright laws.

I used to work for a small Motorcycle Aftermarket Parts MFG. We sent a design to China for MFG to reduce cost. Parts came back, but the quality sucked. They could not conform to the tolerance we agreed to initially. So we asked for better quality and the price went up to the point where we were no longer saving money. So we brought MFG back in house, but then the knock offs started to appear. They stole the design and sold them for half our price.

Picks: Look for the new "Dumlok" picks to appear.


With all the examples we've seen over the years I can't believe that the Western World
hasn't understood that "we" shouldn't have anything manufactured in China.
But the heresy goes on and on and on.
Whether it has to do with making more money selling crap or getting into the Chinese market
(Tesla manufacturing in China just blew my mind...) we are getting short changed in the end
and are totally dependent to fill our basic needs in all areas of life.
There was a war that Big Capital didn't want to see and we lost it.
Big time.
Now we have to kiss ass and accept unacceptable shit from China.
Will it ever stop?

Oh yes, and also this: Fuck China!

 

[BKS]

Once bought 2 sets from Aliexpress they were fine. Anyone know were Framus strings are made? Those are baaaaaaaaaad....

 

[Meatwad]

Shouldn't counterfeit strings be used on counterfeit guitars?

 

[BKS]

Maybe that is why they sounded so good

 

[Dave_W]

This is nothing new. D'addario has been battling this problem for years.

 

[CB91710]

Old news and it may have been covered but I guess a reminder can't hurt. It was brought up in the Marshall Forum that several big name guitar string MFG's are being counterfeited. Ernie Ball, D'addario, etc...If you're buying strings from Ebay or Amazon, be vigilant. Buy from reputable dealers only.

A friend said that one of his friends had picked up a set of Elixers from Wish for $5.
Ya... they were fake.

Ebay I would not trust.
Amazon is good to go if the item is "Shipped and sold by Amazon"... though a lot of legit music stores do sell legit items on Amazon.
Just stay away from "Happy Lucky Strings and Knives"

 

[CB91710]

It got me thinking...I remember black fingers in the past, subtle but noticeable and definite tuning issues. Thought maybe I just got a bad batch.

We know they will fake guitars, but strings?! If they'll counterfeit strings, what else will they counterfeit? Amps? Pedals? Cables? Picks?

Another hazard of having products made in countries that don't respect copyright laws.

I used to work for a small Motorcycle Aftermarket Parts MFG. We sent a design to China for MFG to reduce cost. Parts came back, but the quality sucked. They could not conform to the tolerance we agreed to initially. So we asked for better quality and the price went up to the point where we were no longer saving money. So we brought MFG back in house, but then the knock offs started to appear. They stole the design and sold them for half our price.

EOTech, Trijicon, Nikon, and Aimpoint have been having a huge problem with knockoffs of their optics.
I honestly think they shot themselves in the foot, perhaps thinking they could shift production of "light duty" versions intended for Airsoft overseas. not expecting the manufacturers to flood the primary market.

 

[Uncle Vinnie]

Apparently not. They turn your fingers black, go out of tune and break easily.

Yep. Fender strings.