What are the most popular make of strings used on the steel

[Jody Sanders]

I've been playing steel for about 62 years, Frenchy's Silent Series by SIT is my choice. Jody.

[David Hartley]

as jagwire and s.i.t are all made in the same factory. Best regards Keith white

I think Keith told me once that the wire used to make these strings comes from the same cable drums...Who told you that Keith? and is that true, anyone?

DH

[Danny Hullihen]

David, for that to be true, there would have to be only "one" wire manufacturer who supplies unfinished product to all of the string companies, which of course is not true. It's a reasonable assumption for someone to think that, but in truth, the answer is no.

[David Hartley]

Whoever told you that all strings are made from the same company/wire or whatever, I thought that was a bit strange when you told me?

I still like ones that don't break the best!

David Hartley

[Tyler Hall]

I really like the GHS Boomers, and the GHS Stainless are really good too. I play at least play 2 full weeks before I change them. That's usually anywhere from 24 to 30 hours of playing.

[Keith White]

Quoted from John Davis UK who supplies all our strings here to many of us, he has been to a factory in the USA and seen strings made and said it doesn't matter which ones you have as they are all made in the same factory...I can only go on the information I have been given! He said the machine that winds the ends on etc winds them for Jagwire and SIT? Keith White.. confused smilie here!

[Danny Hullihen]

Quoted from John Davis UK who supplies all our strings here to many of us, he has been to a factory in the USA and seen strings made and said it doesn't matter which ones you have as they are all made in the same factory...I can only go on the information I have been given!

He said the machine that winds the ends on etc winds them for Jagwire and SIT? Keith White.. confused smilie here!

Keith, I understand your frustration in these regards, and realize that you're only reporting on what you have heard. Nonetheless, to set the record straight, all strings are most definately NOT made in the same factory. That's not even close to being true. Here at Jagwire, we have our own specifications on the way our strings are made, and here again, they are NOT the same as any other brands.

Regarding the machinery that does the windings and ball ends, here again the answer is no, the same company/factory does NOT do this operation for Jagwire and S.I.T.

If this is what Mr. Davis has been told by someone, then unfortunately, he has been terribly misled, as it's simply not true.

String companies generally have their own formulas and specifications which they have developed on what they think is best for the market and or players in which they are most dedicated to, or moreover, sell the most to, which makes good business sense. As you know, we are very much dedicated to the steel guitar industry, and although we do offer string sets for other instruments, the "pedal steel guitar" and lap steel is our primary concern. Our goal was to make the best strings possible for the steel guitarist, and it took us many years of working with the biggest names in the industry to discover exactly what it takes to do that. Although I believe we have succeeded in that, we never stop trying to do even better, and just as important, we never stop listening to the players.

In any event, I hope I've enlightened you a bit here on this.

[David Hartley]

Thats cleared up that then...!

I am going to try some of these Jagwires. . I am going to try the Russ Hicks guages..I think that they was closest to the ones I use at the moment here..

David Hartley..

[Danny Hullihen]

Thanks David. In fact, the Russ Hicks sets are the exact same gauges as I use on my personal sets.
http://www.jagwirestrings.biz/catalog/i39.html

http://www.jagwirestrings.biz/catalog/i92.html
You can also order these directly from Bob here on the Forum.

Before the company changed hands, Jagwire Strings were O.E.M. equipment on all Rains guitars. It may still be? but we haven't heard from them in a while so I'm not sure.

Thanks for your support.

[Jack Stoner]

I use George L's "Nashville Gauges". I've used them since L&L Sales stopped the Bill Lawrence brand and started selling the George L's Brand. I've tried most of the brands on the market, at least once (three times for Jagwires) but go back to George L's.

As far as what is "most popular", Danny has done an excellent marketing job with the Jagwire strings.

[David Doggett]

Jagwires definitely seem to me to be made of tougher wire. The proof to me was that they do not kink like other strings. I cut my strings to the right length. Then I insert the tip into the tuner peg hole from the keyhead end, pass the string over the top of the horizontal peg and give the changer end a yank to put a kink near the tip to hold the string in the peg as I start winding. On strings less than 0.013 the kink will not hold on Jagwires. I have to pass the tip through the peg hole twice. I have never had that happen with other brands. That tells me Jagwires are different, and are so strong and flexible that they do not kink as easily. This difference is borne out in that they definitely last longer without breaking, stay bright longer, and stay stably in tune longer.

I think the myth of the "single string manufacturer" comes from the fact that some wire makers do make strings for several string brands. But that does not mean they use identical wire in every brand. Some brands may use the same wire, but others, such as Jagwire, seem to use different alloy content. Cobra Coils also have a unique alloy content. So there obviously are various choices, regardless of whether we are talking about the same wire factory or different wire factories.

Myself, I don't care what the metalurgy claims are. I only care about what obviously lasts longer for me. There are a lot of "fashion" trends among steelers. Jagwires seem to be the real deal.