By Karl Coryat

Why are so many companies selling strings these days? I mean, strings are strings, right?

Wrong. Even though you might think they all look the same (or even sound more or less the same), many, many factors go into the design and manufacture of bass strings. Handmade vs. machine-made, core-to-wrap ratios, core geometry, compression winding, exposed cores-to say nothing of gauge or type of metal-are just a few of the hotly disputed areas of contention within this industry. We called well over a dozen companies to ask about their design philosophies and to find out how different brands of strings are built. The opinions we got were so diverse, conflicting, and impassioned, they seem worthy of a political debate (or at least The Ricki Lake Show). And we were afraid this story would be dull!

DON'T BELIEVE THE HYPE

Anyone who's read a music magazine knows that strings are big business-and that string ads are rife with impressive diagrams, technical jargon, and outlandish graphics. But many string companies caution consumers to use their ears and hands, rather than their eyes, to judge strings. "The advertising seems to be getting worse," observes luthier Ken Smith, who markets an extensive string line of his own. "All the extra money spent on the ads just costs the musician more in the end." Charlie Stringer, who runs the fast-growing Stringer Industries, has a slightly different perspective. "Some of the manufacturers use a very pedantic approach. They come up with a design concept, that concept becomes law, and if you don't agree then you're violating the concept. I never tell players what is and what isn't right; they tell me if I'm doing the right thing after they play my strings." The domination of a few highly visible companies doesn't deter smaller sellers like Smith, however. "If we made soft drinks, we might not be able to compete with Coca-Cola," he says. "But we might make a better soda."

During our research, several manufacturers asserted off the record that some of their competitors had made false or deceptive claims. While we couldn't verify or disprove any of these allegations, certain companies may be claiming their strings are made in the U.S. while in fact some of them are being shipped in from Mexico or overseas. The method of manufacture may also differ from what's stated on the label, and occasionally a company may claim its strings have properties that violate the laws of physics. It makes sense to remember caveat emptor-let the buyer beware-especially when purchasing strings.

MAN VS. MACHINE

Without a doubt, the single biggest controversy among string companies concerns whether a string should be made automatically by machine or by hand. You should know, though, that the distinction between the two methods is finer than it might sound. No manufacturer uses a 100% automated process, and nobody makes strings by wrapping wire around a core with a pair of pliers. In both the automatic and handmade processes, the core turns on a lathe-like machine; the difference involves how the wrap wire is applied. To make a "handmade" string, a worker manually guides the wrap wire onto the core as it turns; the tension and feed angle are entirely operator-controlled. In the automated process, a motorized carriage applies the wrap wire; tension, feed angle, and other parameters can be electronically monitored, and computers can instantaneously adjust the process to achieve the optimum results.

Although our "wine tasting" (see page 50) was inconclusive in this matter, manufacturers have strong beliefs about which method is better. Consider the viewpoint of D'Aquisto's Gary Castelluccio: "If there's anything in the world you wouldn't want to make by hand, it would be a bass string. An instrument? Yes, every detail of the bass can be shaped by hand-but not a string. Handmaking can bring about a lot of problems, especially regarding intonation." Bassmaker Joe Zon, who sells the Ultrasonic brand of custom strings, agrees. "There are limitations to what the human hand can do. It takes only one missed wrap and the string is garbage." Adds Jeff Landtroop of Dean Markley: "Hand-winding machines had a place early in stringmaking history, but now they're pretty much obsolete. I don't always like computers, but they're here to stay-especially in this industry." And Jim D'Addario, who grew up handmaking strings but now helps to run a company that turns out 300,000 automatically wound strings a day (see page 36), has this perspective: "You can make a good string by hand, but to do it every single time is very difficult. If you could prove to me that the hand-wound method was better, I'd still be making the strings by hand."

The more traditional "handmade" companies have some very good reasons why they do what they do. LaBella, for instance, has been making strings under the same family ownership for over 350 years. Bob Archigian explains the company's philosophy: "Strings are of the same nature as instruments-every string is different, every instrument is different, and any given string would probably sound different on any bass. There's no norm and no way to pin down a Œcontrol.' There's something to be said for machines that can test the tensile strength of a steel core or the accuracy of the diameter, but nobody has been able to duplicate this incredible computer that we live in every day. A stringmaker's eyes and hands and everything else all work in conjunction with each other-and there's a lot to be said for that."

Handmade manufacturers also point out that quality control is an intrinsic part of making a string the old-fashioned way. Les O'Connor, production manager at DR Handmade Strings, explains: "We're dependent upon human beings who are involved in the manufacturing process every step of the way. At our factory in New Jersey, every single string-not just one out of every lot-is checked by a person. We have no choice because of the way the strings are made." LaBella's Bob Archigian concurs: "Our workers are constantly eyeballing the process as it's going on. Automation works well when you're making a product that doesn't have a specific identity, or that doesn't need the type of quality that goes into the making of a string. When you're making jellybeans or rivets, you make them within certain tolerances, and when they're done you can check one handful per bin for quality. But strings really need to be made one at a time. It's like bank tellers counting money: they go through it and suddenly stop, because something feels funny. The feel changed-and that's an incredible thing that just can't be duplicated by a machine. If basses are ever played by robots, it probably won't make a difference if the strings are made by machines."

Don't get the impression, though, that automatically wound strings go from the machine to the package without being checked by a living, breathing person. Most, if not all, "machine-made" companies employ a rather rigorous quality- control system to preserve consistency-both mechanically and cosmetically. Each SIT string, for instance, is checked three times before it's packaged: once as it comes off the machine, once by a quality-control staffer, and once again when it's coiled. It's also a standard practice to perform regular stress, brittleness, and gauge-consistency tests on wire stock as it's inventoried.

Some of the larger manufacturers don't make just the strings-they also make the stringmaking machines themselves. D'Aquisto, for example, runs a machine shop that's located next door to the factory. D'Addario takes a similar approach. "We try to control all of the variables that go into making a string," Jim D'Addario says, "and we've found the best way to do that is to get intimately involved in the design of the machinery that makes the strings." D'Addario employs four full-time mechanical engineers and one materials engineer to make sure the process is done right. "We've zeroed in on a handful of crucial variables, and as the cost of microelectronics has come down, we've been able to incorporate some fantastic technology into every machine on our production floor." Does this high-tech equipment make a better string than an artisan who's stood at the same machine for 30 years? The jury's still out on that one.

CORES & WRAPS

In order for a bass string to sound musical, it must be able to vibrate with a true overtone series-and that couldn't be achieved if the string consisted of one solid strand of heavy-gauge wire. For this reason, all bass strings are made of a core wire wrapped with one or more layers of cover wire. Manufacturers don't agree, however, on the types of wire that should be used for each. As Michael Tobias of MTD puts it, "All stainless-steel alloys sound pretty much the same; the most important factor determining tone seems to be the ratio of the core gauge to the gauge of the wrap." GHS makes strings with a variety of core-to-wrap ratios, to suit a number of personal tastes; Russ McFee explains the differences: "Some manufacturers go with a smaller core and a larger cover wire for a brighter sound, but there's a tradeoff. With a smaller core-to-wrap ratio, you get more brightness and flexibility, but you lose volume and sustain-and the string goes out of tune sooner. Our biggest problem is educating the public about what string to buy for their needs."

The core-to-wrap ratio also affects the feel of the strings; most players and manufacturers refer to this factor as "tension," but it's really a function of both the flexibility of the string and the actual tension (in pounds) required to tune the string. A string with a heavier core is stiffer and therefore offers more resistance than one of the same gauge with a lighter core and more wrap metal. Stringmakers spend a lot of time and energy getting their products to feel just right- not only each string on its own but sets as a whole. "We were going for a very even string-to-string tension," says Mike Markure, who helped to design Trace Elliot's line. "We went about it pretty unscientifically, but we wanted each string to bend up to a fifth with about the same amount of effort. We wanted them to be fairly loose without being sloppy; we kept tweaking the core-to-wrap ratios and probably went through about 30 ratios to get the sets we finally settled on." These decisions often involve the direct comparison of similar gauges, as Joe Zon explains: "I get a bunch of strings-a half- dozen .105s, for example-with different core-to-wrap ratios and combinations of materials, and I evaluate them against each other. We test them on our instruments as a reference, but I prefer to look at how each string performs on its own. There isn't a whole lot of magic behind it-it's just a matter of trying to get them to feel and sound consistent."

There's also the question of the shape of the core wire. Most manufacturers, like Rotosound and SIT, use a core that's hexagonal in cross section; others, like DR and Stringer, offer a string with a round core (see page 42). Again, there are two schools of thought: One side argues that hex cores produce a brighter string that's more stable, because the wraps are locked in place by the corners along the core's length. The other side argues that strings with round cores have fewer air pockets under their windings, so they contain more metal and therefore produce more tone. The air pockets also collect sweat and dirt, causing a string to go dead quicker. The problem is that a round core allows the wrap wire to slip easily; for this reason, companies that use round cores must take special measures to "anchor" the wraps. For example, DR puts a slightly flattened spot on the core about 15" from the headstock end. According to Les O'Connor, "This anchors the wrap while allowing it to roll slightly as you're playing it, which makes the string more flexible and therefore brighter."

Some companies also treat the wraps after they're wound onto the string. "Groundwound" or "halfround" strings, which compromise between the smooth feel of flatwounds and the brightness of roundwounds, undergo a process in which some of the outermost winding is removed. "Compression-wound" strings, meanwhile, are put through rollers that flatten the outer wraps against each other, providing a smoother feel and also allowing a string to contain a bit more metal than a regular roundwound string of the same gauge.

Some engineers feel, however, that it's not mechanically sound to alter the metal after it's been annealed. Alembic gets around this by using an elliptical (oval-shaped) wire for the final wrap; Mica Wickersham explains some of the other benefits: "As you play, either the frets make the string dull or the strings wear out your frets-one of those metals always wins. With the elliptical wrap, each winding has less 'bite' on the fret, and vice-versa. You also get a little less finger noise from your fretting hand-yet the string maintains many of the qualities of a roundwound."

TAKE IT TO THE BRIDGE

Yet another design controversy concerns how the windings should be terminated at the bridge end. In the early 1970s, Rotosound introduced a bass string with windings that stopped just before the bridge so the exposed core passed over the saddle, thus improving flexibility and sustain. (Anthony Jackson says he suggested this idea.) Although Rotosound still owns the patent on the exposed-core design, many companies offer "taper-wound" (often erroneously called "taper-core") strings, which may have only a single winding over the saddle. (See page 42) "We originally did that to improve the string's articulation," says Trace Elliot's Mike Markure. "But we've found that taper winding helps intonation a great deal also." Jim D'Addario sharply disagrees with this observation: "A string, in order to divide itself properly into equal vibrating parts in its overtone series, has to be equal in diameter and mass-per-unit-length from one end to the other. So in order to make a taper-wound string almost play in tune, you need to compensate your bridge way out of the equilibrium point. You might get your octave to sound like the 12th-fret harmonic, but in that case some of the other notes will be out of tune." Tim Pfouts of SIT has yet another perspective: "Some people like taper-wound strings, but I think they get sloppy because they don't have as much mass going over the saddle. Taper winding does get the string closer to the pickup, though, which is an advantage."

IT'S A PRIVATE ISSUE

Do luthiers who sell a "private label" of strings have their own string factories? No-they contract the production to one of the relatively few companies that own factories. But that in no way means the same strings are just repackaged for the smaller sellers-the designs are usually unique and make use only of the manufacturer's equipment, labor, and (sometimes) raw materials. "We supply our own wire," says Alembic's Mica Wickersham, "which the manufacturer isn't allowed to use for anyone else's strings. When they're done, the strings are sent to us in bulk; we do the inspecting and packaging here, so we get to put them through a higher level of quality control, at least cosmetically." Russ McFee of GHS adds, "Just because we manufacture for private-label accounts, that doesn't mean you can come to us and buy the same strings. We manufacture to the companies' own specs. We guarantee them our standard of quality, but the string is their design."

FINE TUNING

As in any industry, there's a lot of research and development going on in string design. Some of the "improvements" resulting from this R&D are little more than slick marketing ploys, while others are true innovations. After much expensive trial and error, Maxima perfected a way of coating strings with 24-karat gold, which slows corrosion, makes the string last longer, and gives a warmer sound. SIT has developed a "fusion" process that uses electricity to adhere the cover winding to the core; according to Tim Pfouts, this helps to eliminate string-killing dead spots that occur when gaps form between the core and winding. And D'Addario pioneered the "Slowound" process, in which a string receives all of its windings, applied by several different carriages, on one machine while the core is under a single tension; this is said to improve consistency and reduce slippage of the wraps. D'Addario is also collaborating with the New Jersey Institute of Technology to pin down which factors-like perspiration, metal fatigue, and fret wear-are most important in making a string go dead. The company hopes this research will lead to strings with significantly longer lives.

"I don't necessarily think being innovative is being trendy," says Jeff Landtroop of Dean Markley, a company known for introducing new string designs-which sometimes brings criticism from more traditional manufacturers. LaBella's Bob Archigian counters, "The bottom line is always: How do the players feel about the designs? We're here for the long term. We make new designs when we feel there's a need for them-not when we want a new marketing idea." Ken Smith provides a perspective that's elegant in its simplicity. "The quality of the materials is more important than the method with which the string is made. The proof is always in the pudding, not in the advertising."

UP TO PITCH

The bottom line is this: If strings were really as different as some manufacturers would have you think, there would be a lot fewer string companies out there. But as Trace Elliot's Mike Markure says, "Everybody's making a good string, and if you toured all the factories, you'd see pretty much the same strings. There are very few vendors who sell the wire, for instance, and everyone buys from those same vendors." Curt Mangan of Ernie Ball adds, "Different companies have their own beliefs in terms of core-to-wrap ratios and things like that, and those specs can make a little difference-but it's all about someone playing the string and saying, 'Yeah. That feels good.'" Perhaps LaBella's Bob Archigian sums up the wild world of string manufacturing best: "Unfortunately, we live in a society where people are impressed by statistics and scientific gobbledegook. But no matter how you make strings, if somebody plays them and they don't sound right, you have a problem."