Trying a previously unknown string brand

[dwasifar]

The other day I went surfing around on Amazon for new and different strings, and saw several brands previously unknown to me. Mostly they turned out to be made in China (Henry's, Muscell, Journey, Alice, Moozak, Stagg), and after my experience with Orphee I want no part of that, at least not yet. But I also saw a very strange name brand for acoustic guitar strings: Pitbull.

I clicked through to the listing and this brand turns out to be made in Turkey using American core wire (they don't say where the wrap wire comes from). According to their webpage, the company is some sort of state-sponsored endeavor. This is so unusual and just plain odd that I was compelled to order a set.

My experience with European strings is that they tend to vary more in character and quality than American-made ones. This is not necessarily a bad thing; I currently have Made-in-England Rotosound strings on the D-55, and I like them very much. But it does mean I don't know what to expect. They're due to arrive Tuesday, so we'll see.

 

[wileypickett]

I tried a set of Alice strings once. I thought, “How bad can they be?”

I found out.

 

[GGJaguar]

made in Turkey using American core wire

Interesting! Looking forward to your review.

 

[dwasifar]

I tried a set of Alice strings once. I thought, “How bad can they be?”

I found out.

Do tell!

 

[dwasifar]

Then again, maybe I should try the Henry's strings on my D-55, since they went to all the trouble of taking this picture:



That's what we all want, right? A tinkling sound? For some reason I have to rush to the bathroom now.

 

[adorshki]

Then again, maybe I should try the Henry's strings on my D-55, since they went to all the trouble of taking this picture:



That's what we all want, right? A tinkling sound? For some reason I have to rush to the bathroom now.

"Tinkling soud"
Not exactly the sonic image I'd associate with a guitar.
Maybe a beer.

 

[dwasifar]

"Tinkling soud"
Not exactly the sonic image I'd associate with a guitar.
Maybe a beer.

Forget the strings. I want one of these invisible picks:

 

[Nuuska]

I very seldom strum - but when that occasion comes - that's the way I do it.

Naturally if I were to play in a band strumming all night long then I'd use a pick.

 

[Prince of Darkness]

My experience with European strings is that they tend to vary more in character and quality than American-made ones. This is not necessarily a bad thing; I currently have Made-in-England Rotosound strings on the D-55, and I like them very much. But it does mean I don't know what to expect. They're due to arrive Tuesday, so we'll see.

Depending on where in Turkey they are made, they could be either European or Asian. The companies address is in Istanbul, which is also split between the two continents!

 

[dwasifar]

Depending on where in Turkey they are made, they could be either European or Asian. The companies address is in Istanbul, which is also split between the two continents!

Not Constantinople?

 

[adorshki]

Not Constantinople?

 

[dwasifar]

Depending on where in Turkey they are made, they could be either European or Asian. The companies address is in Istanbul, which is also split between the two continents!

That's interesting, I didn't know Istanbul spanned the continental border!

I did some reading up on Turkish addresses and discovered that their address indicates the company is in Istanbul province, not Istanbul proper. They are in Bozhane Mah neighborhood in Beykoz, which is definitely on the Asian side:

 

[dwasifar]

The strings arrived:

 

[GGJaguar]

Oh, they're "Gold Series" strings.

 

[Christopher Cozad]

Then again, maybe I should try the Henry's strings on my D-55, since they went to all the trouble of taking this picture:



That's what we all want, right? A tinkling sound? For some reason I have to rush to the bathroom now.

Check, check, and check! But the Truss Rod Cover is upside down! The whole marketing campaign is now suspect.

 

[dwasifar]

Oh, they're "Gold Series" strings.

That's how they distinguish their product lines. Gold Series is phosphor bronze, Silver Series is 85/15, and Venus Series is 80/20.

 

[dwasifar]

Here's my initial report.

I put them on the guitar today. Packaging is nice and professional, with the strings sealed inside a reclosable heavy plastic sleeve:



They come coiled in two coils of three strings each. In each trio, the middle weight string of the three is identified with a little bead; so the 5th string has a little square bead marked A and the 2nd string has a little bead marked B.



Oddly, the package says "6 string set" and then gives details for a seven-string set:



The included pick is crap.

The presence of those little indicator beads is a red flag for me. The only place I've ever seen those before is in pictures of string sets made in China. And the packaging doesn't actually state any country of origin. We've been assuming Turkey, because the website talks about being a state sponsored company, but who knows if they are actually just buying and packaging Chinese strings? Looking at their web presence, their main focus is electric and bass strings; all their featured artists are gonzo hard rock players, and I guess what would you expect from a company named Pitbull? So perhaps they make their own their electric strings and their acoustic strings are an afterthought to fill out their line, made by someone else. I don't know. I wrote to them to ask, we'll see what they say.

Okay. All that said, the strings themselves seem pretty decent.

When stringing them up, I found the plain strings (especially the B) to be rather stiffer than I usually expect. I like to put a slight bend in the ball-end of the string before I put it through the bridge slot, and this was more difficult than usual. It was also more difficult to put a 90 bend at the other end for the peghole. But at least part of this is that these strings are extremely slick, almost like a coated string, so it was hard to get a good grip on them to make the bend. End wraps were good and tight. Strung to tension, they were easy to bring into tune without too much stretching, and the first thing I noticed was bass. Much stronger low bass than the RotoSound Jumbo King strings they replaced. The second thing I noticed was a more pronounced upper midrange. As they break in, I expect the midrange will settle down and the bass will not change much. They're a bit stiff to play, kind of like Black Diamond, but not excessively so.

They're actually pretty nice. If they turn out to be from China after all, meaning China's raised their game, I think the pricier US manufacturers will need to worry.

EDIT: I miked them and they are mostly a bit under-gauge compared to what's stated on the package:

Stated	.053	.042	.032	.024	.016	.012
Actual	.0525	.042	.032	.0235	.0155	.0115

 

[Westerly Wood]

Do they reflect your soul though?

 

[dwasifar]

Do they reflect your soul though?

The artist is living in the mirror
With the echoes of himself.
Even the greatest stars
Live their lives in the looking glass.

 

[dwasifar]

The artist is living in the mirror
With the echoes of himself.
Even the greatest stars
Live their lives in the looking glass.

Nobody picked this up? Shame on you guys.