The Steel Guitar Forum

Why is there a lack of availability of Jagwire Strings? I have tried several places and I see the forum is out also.

Jagwire has had a supply chain problem over the past few months. They tell me that they expect to be caught up with all of the back orders "by the end of the year".

Have you tried Mullen Guitar Co. Thats where I get mine, also from Herby Wallace music. Larry

Bill Stroud sent me a few sets recently.

Try Bobbe's Cobra Coils.
(Steelguitarnashville.com)

oops--
steelguitar.net that is.

I ordered a couple of sets from b0b a few weeks ago and he was kind enough to put together 2 sets from singles that he had on hand at the time. Thanks b0b.

He told me that there would be no outer label with the artist's picture on the packages. I told him that I only need the parts that go on the guitar. Bam...a few days later...new strings, all the right gauges. No extra charge for handpicked sets and no discount for lack of picture That's service for ya. I hope the restock comes in soon.

As you can see from the singles page, I'm out of some of the gauges that are necessary for an E9th set. So now it's at the point where I can't even make a set from singles.

Bob, is Jagwire an actual string manufacturer, or do they get parts from a well established string manufacturer and put their label on as such? And, who are the actual string manufacturers in the US?

Jagwire orders specially formulated strings from a music wire manufacturer (I don't know the name). They then assemble the strings into packages for steel guitarists.

Since they aren't standard guitar strings, the orders require a special setup at the wire factory. As I understand it, getting those special orders into the queue is the root of the problem. If one gauge is delayed, it can impact Jagwire's production of several different sets.

Are there any updates on Jagwire String availability, especially, E 9th Stainless Lights?

Since there are only about 3 string manufactures, it's safe to say that Jagwires are made by one of them to their specifications.

Check with b0b,

He has some sets available.
I just got some Tommy White (E-9 Nickel)from him.

Why not use Steel Guitar strings that are made by the manufacturer such as GHS.
They also make the Geo. L strings.
I've used GHS SS for 10 years.
It's like the commercial says, "why have a copy when you can have the real thing".
Don

Don Sulesky wrote:Why not use Steel Guitar strings that are made by the manufacturer such as GHS.
They also make the Geo. L strings.
I've used GHS SS for 10 years.
It's like the commercial says, "why have a copy when you can have the real thing".
Don

Don,

........Each roll of wire the manufacturer produces is tested for quality, graded and sold accordingly, from premium on down.......Jagwires are a high quality premium grade string which is always the least available.......In producing wire, its a hit or miss situation.......To survive in business something has to be resolved with an unsold inventory.........Paul

..after testing any of the "real" brands, there is one thing I can report for sure: Jagwires are a something completely different.......at least when it comes to the stringbreaking problem.
The simple difference is: They don`t break !!!!!!!!!
I`m hoping deeply from my heart, that these "supply problems" doesn`t mean the end of Jagwire in the known
quality !!

Martin

An aside: It's amazing to me, in today's world especially, how successfully the information of what are the actual companies manufacturing all the strings is kept secret. It's one of the best-kept secrets I know of. In any information venue I've run across, the most anyone claiming to be in the know will say is that "there are really only three manufacturers," but they'll never say who (Or is that really an "urban myth"?). It seems generally accepted as known that GHS is one of them, but who are the others? And why won't anyone tell??

People are quite capable of understanding that your Acme brand strings are made according to your particular specifications--why the big secrecy about whether Acme Inc. actually owns the factory?

The term 'manufacturer' gets a bit muddy, in my mind.

There are very few manufacturers of MUSIC WIRE in the world, according to a discussion I had with George Lewis at the GHS plant in Battle Creek MI many years ago. Also known as piano wire -- click for more info -- , this is the starting material for all strings used on everything from bouzoukis to zithers, from what I've been told by folks I've considered to be reputable authorities.

Someone (the 'manufacturer'?) has to
* select the supplier of the wire
* put the ball ends on the plain strings
* wind the winding onto the core of the plain strings (to make a wound string) and put the ball on the end
* package
* do any testing or quality control needed

George and the staff at GHS were the only string manufacturer I could ever get to explain this stuff and to show exactly how those steps were performed when I toured the factory in the 80s. I believe GHS strings are still made the same way. The only step they don't perform in house is manufacturing the wire itself.

I would LOVE to know EXACTLY what is done in the mfg process to make the more expensive brands better in the opinion of some players. I change mine often enough that it really doesn't matter much, but I don't make as much money playing as Paul and don't have an endorsement deal, so the price becomes an issue for me. I go through 3-5 12 string sets each month and play 3-5 nights/wk. I haven't broken a string onstage in several years. I HAVE broken Jagwire strings before. When they do break it is almost always an unwound string. Other than selecting the highest grade of wire, what else is done to justify the higher price?

I'm curious what makes some of the designer brands (Jags and Cobras come to mind) worth 2x or more what I pay ($7 - $8 a set) for a set of SIT stainless U12 strings. I've asked this question before on the Forum but have never gotten an answer.

I've also never been told exactly what steps in the process described above the Co whose name is on the package actually performs and/or who actually does perform those steps. Until I get that info, I'm convinced it's mostly smoke and mirrors and the secrecy just adds to that conviction.

If you have not heard Larry Bell play I can say that it is hard to imagine Jagwires or Cobra Coil strings making much of a difference in his sound. He is a good player and his Emmons P/P through his Fox amp sounds really amazing!
I was told by a pretty reliable and credible source that GHS makes both Jagwires and Cobra Coil strings to the specs provided by each brand. It seems to me that this would probably mostly be the specific alloy of music wire aside from whatever other specs might come into play. It has been alleged that the "Cobra" in "Cobra Coils" is a reference to the amount of Cobalt in the particular alloy used. I like both these brands a lot but as Larry said it is really difficult to justify the price for what seems to me at least to be a relatively small improvement over SIT,GHS, etc. Just my 2 cents worth.

I agree with most of what Larry Bell said. I have seen pictures of D'Addario's operation that perports to show that they make their own strings. The story that certain brands (especially the smaller brands) have strings manufactured to their own exacting specs seems a little bit like getting the cart before the horse to me. What I suspect (and yes, I am only speculating) is that the manufacturers offer a variety of compounds and companies may select and brand their strings however they desire.

About 40 miles from me is a large gasoline pipeline terminal. You can watch the tanker trucks from different companies fill from the same source and deliver to a dozen or more different company stations.

The large companies dictate the choices, not vice versa.

I'll attempt to explain......Anyone desiring to start their brand of strings contacts the several manufacturers who all offer a multitude of composition options at several grade levels to all who choose to purchase from them......First grade is more expensive than second and third is even cheaper within each option of wire....More unique metal combinations are generally not run as often which explains why some designer brands have to wait until their manufacturer sets up to run their chosen design....I don't know who manufactures the actual wire but its safe to say I do not believe they offer strings under their name......Manufacturers like GHS and such are like bargain clothing stores who also sell top end clothing to those willing to pay more.......Designer brands who deal strictly with the more expensive wire tend to maintain a consistent quality whereas the manufacturers tend to use what ever they have in abundance regardless of the grade to maintain a lower price.........Its really quality control that separates the brands of wire.

So, Paul, I'm still not clear on exactly which steps in the process Jagwire (for example) actually do themselves. Any idea? For example, do they wind the wound strings themselves? If not, who does? The equipment I saw at Battle Creek was pretty sophisticated and, I'd think VERY EXPENSIVE. I wouldn't think all the brands we see could afford the equipment and factory space to turn wire into unwound and wound strings. (but I could be wrong) I'm just curious.

I don't understand the analogy with a bargain clothing store. TJMaxx etc. may sell Polo in addition to cheaper brands but they don't MANUFACTURE Polo. I think we might be surprised what brands come out of that Battle Creek factory.

Larry Bell wrote:So, Paul, I'm still not clear on exactly which steps in the process Jagwire (for example) actually do themselves. Any idea? For example, do they wind the wound strings themselves? If not, who does? The equipment I saw at Battle Creek was pretty sophisticated and, I'd think VERY EXPENSIVE. I wouldn't think all the brands we see could afford the equipment and factory space to turn wire into unwound and wound strings. (but I could be wrong) I'm just curious.

I don't understand the analogy with a bargain clothing store. TJMaxx etc. may sell Polo in addition to cheaper brands but they don't MANUFACTURE Polo. I think we might be surprised what brands come out of that Battle Creek factory.

The manufacturers make the strings....D'Vinci invented the string winding machines that GHS and all of the other manufacturers use........They then put the strings in bundles and ship them to their perspective homes where they are packaged by the designer company and sold.

The string manufacturers are stores where anyone can purchase a similar product for varied prices at varied levels of quality.

Imagine if TJMaxx made Polo at Polo's request to their spec's.....Now take into account their machinery is always dealing with a less than perfect material source "wire" which causes them to discard some product as seconds and thirds because of flaws here and there which is unacceptable to the client.........To recoup the losses they charge the client much more for the more perfect strings and they will sell the seconds and thirds either under their name or to brands that are catering to a market that needs a cheaper priced set..........

Paul

From someone who was in the music store bidness a few years back , what Paul says is 'pert near right on.

Does anyone remember the name of the strings sold in long boxes, back in the '80's, that supposedly sounded better because they were never coiled on a spool? Great marketing gimmick, but I always thought "was this string manufactured and packaged in a facility over a mile long?"

Nashville Straights.