Shout out to Ernie Ball.

[hamerhead]

I bought 12 sets of Ernie Ball Primo Slinkys (.0095 - .044) on sale and 6-out-of-6 of the high E strings have broke while re-stringing. So I told them about it.

"It's the guitar", they said.

Then I told them it was several different guitars, all of which strung fine with any other string. It's just specifically their .0095s.

To make a short story long, they're sending a dozen .009 replacements.

Nice. Good job, EB!

On the flip side: when we re-did the kitchen I got my wife all new Calphalon stuff - pot and pans, big knife block set and the big spoon/ladle/spatula set. That's not cheap stuff, and when the spoon handles went sticky, I emailed them to see about replacements. Nope. SOL. They wouldn't even stand behind the cheapest shit they sell. Fuck them. 

[kizanski]

23 minutes ago, hamerhead said:

"It's the guitar", they said.

Then I told them it was several different guitars, all of which strung fine with any other string. It's just specifically their .0095s.

Maybe it's the knucklehead changing the strings.

[hamerhead]

They didn't mention that so I just let it go.

[Steve Haynie]

A bad batch of wire can kill a string company.  Did Ernie Ball ask for any information from the packages?

[Dave Scepter]

Yep, it's nice that he reimbursed you however, it shouldn't have happened in the first place... in all the decades I've used D'Addario, I've never had that problem.

[cmatthes]

15 minutes ago, Dave Scepter said:

Yep, it's nice that he reimbursed you however, it shouldn't have happened in the first place... in all the decades I've used D'Addario, I've never had that problem.

S.I.T. Had a similar issue in the late 90s/Early 2000s.  Really damaged the brand.

[Spinaltap]

Good customer service when there is a problem is important to keep a brand alive.  When I get Fkd by a company, I just choose not to pay for their product anymore as long as there's other options available.

[hamerhead]

14 hours ago, Steve Haynie said:

A bad batch of wire can kill a string company.  Did Ernie Ball ask for any information from the packages?

They got the 'product code' off 2 of the four  3-packs I have. I haven't opened the other 2. They said they hadn't gotten any other complaints. I've used their Regular Slinkys and Hybrid Slinkys for years and never had an issue. These are the first Primo Slinkys I've tried and it hasn't been good.

 

13 hours ago, Dave Scepter said:

.. in all the decades I've used D'Addario, I've never had that problem....

I was buying D'Addarios in the 25-set bulk boxes back when gigging regularly (15 years ago?), and one box had issues with the ball ends coming off. They replaced those as well, which was nice.

[kizanski]

35 minutes ago, hamerhead said:

They got the 'product code' off 2 of the four  3-packs I have. I haven't opened the other 2. They said they hadn't gotten any other complaints. I've used their Regular Slinkys and Hybrid Slinkys for years and never had an issue. These are the first Primo Slinkys I've tried and it hasn't been good.

------------------------

I was buying D'Addarios in the 25-set bulk boxes back when gigging regularly (15 years ago?), and one box had issues with the ball ends coming off. They replaced those as well, which was nice.

Uh huh.

See my prior post.

[Jimbilly]

good customer service follow up is always good to hear about.

Coincidentally, I just got an Ibanez with their locking trem, put EB Regular Slinky's on it, have had a heck of a time getting the tuning to stabilize, it seems there was a lot of 'stretch' in the strings. I've never that that issue with D'addario, I have a handful of 'Floyd guitars and others with floating trems, I think I have D'addario on all of those. I wondered if somehow I got some fake EBs?, but it seems these are legit. I will be hesitant to put the EBs on anything with a floating bridge.

[Biz Prof]

21 hours ago, Dave Scepter said:

Yep, it's nice that he reimbursed you however, it shouldn't have happened in the first place... in all the decades I've used D'Addario, I've never had that problem.

I had this issue with wound D strings from multiple XL sets on over a dozen different guitars. Different packs purchased over a period of time, as well. It cost D'Addario my business after 30+ years as a loyal customer. Wire matters. 

I use EB Primo Slinky sets now. No issues...yet.

 

[Jakeboy]

D’addario XLs have occasionally unwound at the ball end of hi e strings while stringing over the years. It happened enough to make me upgrade to NYXLs on all my guitars. Those are string perfection for me. 

[tbonesullivan]

Do the string companies draw their own wire and such, or do they get it from other sources? I know they do all the winding, but the machinery to draw down steel and such to such small diameters is not small.

[Dave Scepter]

12 minutes ago, tbonesullivan said:

Do the string companies draw their own wire and such, or do they get it from other sources? I know they do all the winding, but the machinery to draw down steel and such to such small diameters is not small.

Yes, D'Addario manufactures their own strings in-house, including drawing their own wire and producing various types of metal windings, some of which are designed with a more textured feel (often described as "rough" or "bright" by players). 

Key details about D'Addario’s manufacturing and string materials:

In-House Manufacturing: D'Addario makes over 95% of their products in the U.S., controlling the entire process from raw material drawing to packaging.

"Rough" or Textured Strings:

ProSteels: These are stainless steel strings known for a very bright, high-output sound and a, often described as, "rougher" or "stickier" feel under the fingers compared to nickel.

Uncoated Wires: Standard nickel-wound strings, while generally smooth, can feel more textured than coated alternatives.

Materials Used: D'Addario uses high-carbon steel for cores (including their own "NY Steel") and wraps them with various materials, including nickel-plated steel, stainless steel, phosphor bronze, and 80/20 bronze.

Quality Control: They use diamond dyes to draw wire and maintain tight tolerances,, aiming for a "consistent" feel, though different materials like stainless steel are inherently more textured than nickel.

[Dave Scepter]

I accidentally double posted 😃

Edited March 5 by Dave Scepter

[tbonesullivan]

20 hours ago, Dave Scepter said:

Yes, D'Addario manufactures their own strings in-house, including drawing their own wire and producing various types of metal windings, some of which are designed with a more textured feel (often described as "rough" or "bright" by players). 

Almost all of my guitars have D'Addario strings on them. I know some that swear by GHS, or Ernie Ball, or DR (Especially in the NJ Area), but I just like the way D'Addarios play.

For bass strings however I use like every brand, especially for Flats and ground wounds. There is so much freakin variation on the bass side of things, both with feel and sound.

[hamerican gigolo]

I love EBs. Never had a problem with them. 

[draelyc]

11 hours ago, hamerican gigolo said:

I love EBs. Never had a problem with them. 

Same same.

[Disturber]

Interesting. It really sounds like a production flaw.

I hardly ever break strings. For me they usually break if I slack them to fix a pickup or something, and then they break when I tune them up again. it's because the strings have a lot of milage on them. But very seldom break a string just by playing the guitar (again, unless they are really old).

[hamerhead]

The replacements came! They sent twelve .0095s (I asked for .009s 😒) and all is right with the world again....

...until I opened a set of D'Addario 10s just now and the 'B' and high 'E' strings are missing.  WTF??

Could be a sign.

[velorush]

1 minute ago, hamerhead said:

Could be a sign.

I've been telling you...