Hey Ya'll,
As some of you may know, after using GHS strings for about 25 years, I've recently started switching over to Fender Super 250's (on my Strats at least). I've tried several different brands...just as I did in my younger days and the Super 250's just seem to have the right balance of tone and feel for me. The problem is that in the past month or so, I can't find the damn things anywhere! While I haven't been out to the East side of Cleveland to check Sam Ash yet, I haven't been able to find them at ANY of my local Fender dealers. At first I thought that maybe it was just Guitar Center as they seem as though they've been having supply problems for a while now (they're parts wall has been really bare for the past year or so) been when I couldn't find them anywhere else either, I started wondering...

Is Fender doing something that's maybe keeping the strings from getting out...something like repackaging perhaps? It just seems really strange that I can't find them anywhere. I suppose I could just try and order them over the internet....but...getting strings at the store gives me a reason to go in to the store(s) and "snoop around" for bargains and such. My wife knows that I have to buy new strings from time to time but she can get a little snitty with me if I'm going in just for the sake of snooping, LOL!!!

So again...anyone know what's up with Fender strings? Anyone else having this problem?

As always, thanks!
Jim

I thought they just released a whole new line of strings, wasn't there a contest on the forum to win like a years supply of them or something?

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Rated "M" for meaty.

I googled them and it appears there are a lot of stores still listing them.

Looks to me, like they still have a full line of strings...
http://www.fender.com/features/strings/

And yeah there was a contest a while back... whatever happen to that???

Bill

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Hey, Boy Blue is back!

There has been several contest in the last year, some including guitars and other gear, and I've heard nothing about the winners. Is there a special section for these announcements?

Hi Jim,

I was having the same problem, after deciding to go back to bullets from EB's. I looked EVERYWHERE in the San Diego/Riverside County area.

I finally ran into a Fender rep at a store in Lake Elsinore. Fender is/has moved productions of their strings back to the USA from Mexico. In doing so they are also doing a rebranding. I don't mean a completely new branding, just a change to the old style.

vs.



I just ordered some from GC online and got the made in Mexico ones.

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http://www.facebook.com/UCtheband
2012 American Standard Strat Charcoal Froast
2009 Standard Strat Sunburst Brown
Blues Junior Tweed NOS
2007 Line6 Spider Jam

As a follow up, I was just checking GC and they are showing more of the newly branded Fender strings on their site. When I ordered mine two weeks ago, only the old branding was shown. I don't think it will be long until we see them back in the shops.

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http://www.facebook.com/UCtheband
2012 American Standard Strat Charcoal Froast
2009 Standard Strat Sunburst Brown
Blues Junior Tweed NOS
2007 Line6 Spider Jam

I asked the guy at Sweetwater.com this question. He said Fender is starting to change the package of the strings. I do believe they are phasing some out. But if you check this out, Fender is not getting rid of their string market:

http://www.fender.com/features/strings/

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RK

2007 Fender Highway 1
2012 American Deluxe
2015 MIM Dave Murray HHH
2010 Fender Blacktop
1987 Fender Avalon Acoustic
2012 Marshall DSL 15 watt head

I think Fender Strings are great. The stock ones that came with my Strat were great. Cant remember what they were though. I normally play Ernie Ball Super Slinkys though.

But i really had no problem with the fenders. I was surprised how much i liked them.

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2007 Fender MIM Strat Midnight Wine
1965 Univox HR-2 "Lawsuit" ES-335 Knockoff
Ovation Celebrity Shallow Bowl

I think they'll do well with the new branding and location. The old packaging looked cheap to me. The new looks more upscale and classy. To me. I just might give them another try myself. I do like the idea of them snugly fitting into the trem block. I did have one jam on me once.

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-Kirk

GUITARS
'12 Sonoran Acoustic - black (dated 10/31/12)
'13 Standard Strat
AMP
Vox ac4c1-bl
PEDALS
Compressor
Big Muff
Vox Stomplab 1G
Carbon Copy Delay

There's no shortage of Fender 250s in this neck of the woods howeverI find it hard to get a set of 150 Sls.

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'65 Strat,65 Mustang,65 Jaguar,4 more Strats,3 vintage Vox guitars,5 Vox amps,'69 Bassman with a '68 2-15 Bassman cab,36 guitars total-15asst'd amps total,2 vintage '60s Hammond organs & a myriad of effects-with a few rare vintage ones.

I haven't bought any recently since I bought a bunch of sets in bulk a couple of years ago. I've noticed that the packaging looks different in the ads I've seen lately. I sure hope they don't drop anything. I would be lost without my 150TR sets.

I was wondering the same thing as jim.I went to GC last week an nobody knew anything.Glad I know now.

Hey Ya'll,
Thanks for all the replies (especially Markara). I think I had seen an ad not too long ago with that new logo so I guess that's what made me think they were maybe repackaging them.

Tell ya the truth, I really don't care what the package looks like...just so long as they don't change the strings themselves! LOL! It's kind of funny...I never really cared for Fender Strings in my early days (had some bad experiences with breakage) but I'm pretty hung up on them now after using the GHS for so long.

Anyways, thanks again,
Jim