I will always have webstrings in my GIG BAG ! Working Musician Strings
Written: Jul 01 '03 (Updated Dec 13 '04)
|
| Full Review |
I tried not to focus on all the numbers and prices but more on the actual strings. There are a few other excellent reviews here I would recommend reading for that information. I hope this review answers some of your other questions.
Great service, attitude, tech support and follow up on any issues. Wayne Preis owner of Webstrings has a really good thing going on. Most people think because Webstrings cost so little they can't be as good as other brands. The fact of the matter is Webstrings are made with the same processes and machinery as almost every other non coated string on the market. In fact Wayne has chosen string cores and winding processes that may even be better than the brands you are paying 3 times as much for.
I have spoken with and done business with Webstrings for a few years and there are several reasons why I have continued to go back to webstrings. The support and service are outstanding with quick and free shipping and low prices. For example with acoustic strings you get a discount from 2.80 per pack to 2.60 when ordering a dozen or more.
The funny thing about strings is that D'Addario and GHS make almost every brand of strings on the shelves with different labeling and brand names on them. Many people pay 14.00 per pack for Elixirs without realizing they are made by D'Addario with a special coating process.
All of this marketing game does is confuse the buyers with hype and packaging until they begin buying one brand or another. The reality is you may be playing 3 different brands that are all made by the same company.
Webstrings cuts through all this bologna and provides you with one quality brand with no frills and no extra costs. The strings are all finished nicely. The cores and windings are carefully selected and the ball ends and quality control are identical to 4-5 major brands I tested them against. There is a reason also they do not sell coated strings. Because they just do not sound as good and the disadvantages of price and tone do not justify long term purchasing of coated strings. I bring this up because many new guitars ship with coated strings and the first thing I do is remove them and install Webstrings and the tone comes alive.
I had heard of complaints from one or two players about Webstrings so I decided to do a close study. I bought several of the best non coated PB and 80/20 strings from John Pearse, D'Addario, Gibson, Martin and GHS. I then laid the wound and unwound strings out on the bench and examined them all with heavy magnification. I even took macro photos to compare the windings, technique, ball end and every aspect. I can assure you Webstrings did not show any signs of quality control problems and in fact looked a little better than a few brands for tightness and consistency.
As for tone. I have tried several of the webstrings models from Portland (PBs) to SanDiego (80/20s) and the Bluegrass (heavy bass strings) on my acoustics and I settled into the Portland Lights (12-53) for the majority of my playing which is blues and fingerpicking. The San Diego 80/20s are a little bright for me and I have never thought 80/20 strings in general last as long. If you like the bright silky sound of 80/20s then Webstrings is a great choice. They lasted alot longer than the Martin 80/20s I bought for 11.00 per pack.
These Webstrings are smooth and have a rich airy tone that brings out the most woody sound in my guitars. They are not the loudest strings on the market but they are in the top few percent. Loudness is not how you judge a string anyway. Many people fail to realize how manufacturers boost properties in strings to give you the instant impression of a louder string when in fact that is not the criteria you should always go for. Many strings have a boosted brightness that hides the fact that there are no mids and muffled bass. You want a string that is balanced across the spectrum and gives a rich sound during the life of the string. Not just when they are new and not just after they have been played for a week to mellow them out.
I have noticed after many changes that Webstrings are more slinky and relaxed feeling when I play them. Many other brand strings are stiffer and more muffled sounding on the wound strings and too brittle on the high strings.
In my opinion the entire coated string theory is a gimmick. You spend 14 dollars a set for them and over a 2 year period you could have bought another instrument with the money you spent on strings. The other strings that are frozen, hand made and other gimmicks do not produce a string that can beat Webstrings in a true blind fold test. I truly performed a blindfold test with two identical OM guitars that I owned and I had a hard time picking the webstrings from some of the finest strings on the market such as John Pearse and others. In fact on several tests I clearly picked the Webstrings as sounding better.
LISTEN TO ONE OF MY BENCH TESTS ,SCROLL DOWN TO THE MP3s
http://littlebrother.nlpd.com/D102PWLegend/index.htm
With Webstrings I spend about 5.60 cents per month and change my strings about every 2 weeks, or 24 packs per year. That totals to about 67.00 per year for fresh strings all of the time. I could change them less often but for the price I can afford it, so I do. I also play everyday for hours. If I changed Elixirs every (4) weeks or (half) as often I would spend a whopping 168.00 per year. I guarantee my 2 week old Webstrings will sound many times better than your 3-4 week old Elixirs. Plus I won't have the coating flaking off like dandruff on my guitar or wearing off of the strings. As far as other non coated brands they last and sound very similar to Webstrings but just cost too much. Why pay a discounted price of 7.95 for John Pearse strings when I can pay 2.60 cents for Webstrings and get the same results ?
Another distinct advantage I find with Webstrings is the fact that they do not require 2-3 days for the brightness to wear down enough for me to enjoy them. They begin to sound good and mellow out a few hours after installation and can be used for a live show on the same day. This is something many musicians forget about. They also last very well. In fact I have a guitar with 2 month old Webstrings now that are holding up great. The tone is bright and clear and natural and the strings do not corrode and turn black like many brands.
I simply wipe off the Webstrings after each playing session and they last for a very long time. I finally found a set of acoustic strings that makes my guitars sound like they were designed. No artificially boosted highs or lows. Just a nice full rich woody sound.
I always keep a full supply of webstrings on hand for myself and other players. I do not hesitate to change my strings when I want to due to costs. I also do not hesitate to give Webstrings to friends and other players in need. For 2.80 cents I change them and use them freely without worry.
Try Webstrings and you will not be sorry. They are good decent strings with good support. At the price they offer you can afford to keep some in your bag.
They also record very well with a microphone and they work very nicely with pickup systems. I have not tried the Webstrings electric strings but I know several professional players that swear by them. Go visit them and try a small sample. You will not regret it. The website is very easy to use and they are easy to contact for any questions. It's a no brainer.
UPDATES: I am still using the Portland PB Lights all the time and I have come to recognize them as not the brightest strings in my bag but very mellow after very little playing and very slinky and loose tension compared to some. They also dont have the hex core type edgy tone like the DRtunes and DAddarios have. The ball ends on these are a little larger that some brands so when removing them be more cautious. I wouldn't just rip them out of the bridge like the Hulk. Still great strings and I continue to buy them.
UPDATE2:
After a year of using these I have realized they do indeed break more of the 3rd G strings than normal sets. This is not a huge factor but at the same time you end up with a certain amount of packs you have robbed G's from. This is however a small problem with this brand. They do cost less than 3 dollars though.
Recommended:
Yes
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
dougmjones
|
 - Top 1000 |
|
Location: Atlanta , Ga
Reviews written: 78
Trusted by: 24 members
About Me:
Computers, Music, Quality toys and gadgets. Like to review products that I demo or purchase.
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.