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Post subject: Single Fender Bullet Strings???
Posted: Thu May 07, 2015 12:08 pm
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I posted this in the Lounge and thought maybe this might be a better place to get an answer.

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=98900

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Post subject: Re: Single Fender Bullet Strings???
Posted: Mon May 11, 2015 12:24 pm
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HIO wrote:
I posted this in the Lounge and thought maybe this might be a better place to get an answer.

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=98900

Update in Lounge as well. Sorry!

I just got off the phone with juststrings.com and they informed me that they do *not* carry Fender Bullets by the single string and that Fender outsources their strings to D'Addario. So nobody sells Fender Bullets by the string. This is not acceptable and not green (environmental) (I live in Oregon and had to get that in there). :mrgreen: I have whole sets of strings and money being completely wasted because they are missing just one string.

HIO (Here In Oregon)

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Post subject: Re: Single Fender Bullet Strings???
Posted: Mon May 11, 2015 1:24 pm
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Joined: Thu Aug 23, 2007 1:57 pm
Posts: 1089
Location: Rossendale UK
It's rare that I have strings breaking, which means that I get a lot of use out of a set.
When a string does break I change the complete set, because the strings are usually quite old.
My playing incorporates a lot of bending, and on the guitars I have with locking tuners I find that the strings usually break at the point where the tuning machine grips the string.

As a consequence I have only bought 2 single strings in the last 10 years, and I broke them doing setups on the guitars and nicked a string from a fresh set and needed to make the set up.

I have used D'Addario strings for a very long time now, and getting spares is not difficult.

I also tend to buy strings in bulk and online, usually in packs of 10 sets at a time, so the cost comes down considerably.
All of the string sets I change end up in the recycling bin, so I think I've covered my "green" duties.


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Post subject: Re: Single Fender Bullet Strings???
Posted: Mon May 11, 2015 5:26 pm
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stratmangler wrote:
It's rare that I have strings breaking, which means that I get a lot of use out of a set.
When a string does break I change the complete set, because the strings are usually quite old.
My playing incorporates a lot of bending, and on the guitars I have with locking tuners I find that the strings usually break at the point where the tuning machine grips the string.

As a consequence I have only bought 2 single strings in the last 10 years, and I broke them doing setups on the guitars and nicked a string from a fresh set and needed to make the set up.

I have used D'Addario strings for a very long time now, and getting spares is not difficult.

I also tend to buy strings in bulk and online, usually in packs of 10 sets at a time, so the cost comes down considerably.
All of the string sets I change end up in the recycling bin, so I think I've covered my "green" duties.

All of your points are well taken and you win a certificate of merit and medal for the green forest award. Congratulations!

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Post subject: Re: Single Fender Bullet Strings???
Posted: Tue May 12, 2015 12:22 am
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Set before last of Bullets one of the strings pulled out of the bullet as I first tensioned it. I was far from pleased. Just to compound my bad luck I didn't have a spare from my sundry previously split sets.

I've used Bullets for as long as I can remember but probably won't be buying another set.

I agree that it is preferable to replace a complete set. My strings stay on for so long that new strings tend to sound completely different. (I don't bother to clean my strings).

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Post subject: Re: Single Fender Bullet Strings???
Posted: Tue May 12, 2015 7:51 am
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Posts: 1598
These are just my own personal opinions, so please use them only as you see fit.

As a person who considers himself to be very "green" (in terms of the environment at least), I do appreciate the idea of not being wasteful...I really do. Considering the number of guitars I currently own (around 25 at the moment give or take), I even take economy factors into consideration...changing THAT many strings on a fairly regular basis gets rather expensive to say the least. That said, as a guitar player, there are other things I have to consider as well.

First and foremost, if you're really breaking that many strings, particularly "early on"...maybe it's time to try a heavier gauge? I tend to do a lot of stuff like SRV and tend to do a lot of rather heavy bends at times and back when I still used .009's...yea...I was hell on strings. Just by moving up 1 gauge to .010's (I use Boomer "Thick & thins" - the .010 - .052 gauge), I don't break nearly as many strings as I used to...and more times than not, it's because they were older strings anyways that were due to be replaced (although in my own case I would stipulate that to me "old strings" are any that are more than 6 months old). In my mind at least, if you're breaking a lot of high E strings, it may be time to move to a heavier gauge (and a lot of folks think heavier gauge strings sound better anyways).

Now second to that, I do always recommend replacing ALL the strings whenever you break one. If I break a string at a gig or something, yes, I'll just replace the broken string to get me thru the gig, but then I'll change the rest of the set the next day. While this may seem wasteful, this is where those other considerations come into play...the primary being that new strings sound different (some would say "better") than old strings. New strings (generally speaking) tend to sound much brighter than old strings do...even if the strings are only a month or so old, I can certainly hear a difference if I only replace 1 string in the set. To my ears, I can hear that one string is brighter than the rest, which just doesn't sound right to me. Since we're talking about a Strat here, in addition to sound, one should also consider that the tension of a new string differs from that of older strings that have had a chance to "stretch" as this will certainly affect your intonation and setup. I have to refer to one of my infamous car analogies here...when you're doing a tune up, you don't simply change 1 spark plug because it would adversely affect the engine's performance - you change ALL of them. From the view point of how your instrument performs, it really is best to simply change the whole set when you break a string.

Along with this, while I would reiterate that I do try to be very environmentally aware, I have to add that we're not really talking about some endangered species of rain forest wood here. While I won't claim to know the exact alloy composition of the strings I use, I suspect the number and quantity of rare elements used is in fact quite miniscule (otherwise guitar strings would cost a hell of a lot more than $5 a pack, LOL!). Even in terms of waste, I suspect that if I took EVERY string I've ever changed on ALL of my guitars over the 30 years I've been playing, I strongly suspect they still wouldn't fill more than a large trash can or two. Likewise, we're also not talking about a plastic either that takes up to 4000 years or more to biodegrade...sometimes I can feel those suckers rusting as I'm playing them (LOL!!!). If we were really talking about rare or precious elements here, than I'm sure my opinion would be quite different, however all we're really talking about is various steel alloys and such...compared with plastic milk jugs, plastic shopping bags and disposable diapers, I strongly suspect that impact that guitar strings have in an environmental role is relatively minimal.

While I'm not aiming this at any specific person in particular, it seems that a lot of inexperienced players out there are of the mind that guitars are somehow like pianos in that the only time you need to change a string is "when there is a problem"...I've literally seen a few guitars in my time where the strings may be 10 years old or more and to me that always sounds horrible, regardless of the quality of the guitar. I won't speak for others here, but personally I do try to change my strings on a very regular basis. For example I'm in two working bands at the moment and the 4 or 5 specific guitars I'm using are getting their strings changed as often as every month, just to keep them sounding "fresh". To me at least, it's well worth $5 a set to keep my instruments sounding their best.

I would also like to add a quick comment here about maximizing string life. I certainly won't speak for others here, but for a long time I used to just play and either set the guitar aside or toss it in it's case...and sometimes I still do. The little Ovation acoustic I have sitting next to me as I'm typing this for example...I don't really wipe down those strings all that often at all. When I get the urge to practice or just sit here and jam with some mp3's, I pick her up, go at it for a while, then set her back down...for better or worse, about the only time those particular strings get cleaned is during a string change. That said however, cleaning your strings on a regular basis will help to extend the life of the strings. In recent years I've also started using Dunlap 65 and I have to say it's made a huge difference in the longevity of my guitar strings...it was well worth the $7 I payed for 1 bottle. The simple truth is that some people sweat more than others, so if you're going thru a lot of strings, it may be worth taking a minute or two after each playing session to wipe those strings down.

So to wrap this up, while these are of course strictly my own opinions, I'd really suggest that whenever you break a string, simply change the whole set and if you're breaking them frequently, perhaps consider using a heavier gauge.

Just a few things to consider there.


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Post subject: Re: Single Fender Bullet Strings???
Posted: Tue May 12, 2015 9:55 am
Offline
Aspiring Musician
Aspiring Musician

Joined: Tue Jul 17, 2012 5:43 pm
Posts: 532
Location: Here In Oregon
lomitus wrote:
These are just my own personal opinions, so please use them only as you see fit.

As a person who considers himself to be very "green" (in terms of the environment at least), I do appreciate the idea of not being wasteful...I really do. Considering the number of guitars I currently own (around 25 at the moment give or take), I even take economy factors into consideration...changing THAT many strings on a fairly regular basis gets rather expensive to say the least. That said, as a guitar player, there are other things I have to consider as well.

First and foremost, if you're really breaking that many strings, particularly "early on"...maybe it's time to try a heavier gauge? I tend to do a lot of stuff like SRV and tend to do a lot of rather heavy bends at times and back when I still used .009's...yea...I was hell on strings. Just by moving up 1 gauge to .010's (I use Boomer "Thick & thins" - the .010 - .052 gauge), I don't break nearly as many strings as I used to...and more times than not, it's because they were older strings anyways that were due to be replaced (although in my own case I would stipulate that to me "old strings" are any that are more than 6 months old). In my mind at least, if you're breaking a lot of high E strings, it may be time to move to a heavier gauge (and a lot of folks think heavier gauge strings sound better anyways).

Now second to that, I do always recommend replacing ALL the strings whenever you break one. If I break a string at a gig or something, yes, I'll just replace the broken string to get me thru the gig, but then I'll change the rest of the set the next day. While this may seem wasteful, this is where those other considerations come into play...the primary being that new strings sound different (some would say "better") than old strings. New strings (generally speaking) tend to sound much brighter than old strings do...even if the strings are only a month or so old, I can certainly hear a difference if I only replace 1 string in the set. To my ears, I can hear that one string is brighter than the rest, which just doesn't sound right to me. Since we're talking about a Strat here, in addition to sound, one should also consider that the tension of a new string differs from that of older strings that have had a chance to "stretch" as this will certainly affect your intonation and setup. I have to refer to one of my infamous car analogies here...when you're doing a tune up, you don't simply change 1 spark plug because it would adversely affect the engine's performance - you change ALL of them. From the view point of how your instrument performs, it really is best to simply change the whole set when you break a string.

Along with this, while I would reiterate that I do try to be very environmentally aware, I have to add that we're not really talking about some endangered species of rain forest wood here. While I won't claim to know the exact alloy composition of the strings I use, I suspect the number and quantity of rare elements used is in fact quite miniscule (otherwise guitar strings would cost a hell of a lot more than $5 a pack, LOL!). Even in terms of waste, I suspect that if I took EVERY string I've ever changed on ALL of my guitars over the 30 years I've been playing, I strongly suspect they still wouldn't fill more than a large trash can or two. Likewise, we're also not talking about a plastic either that takes up to 4000 years or more to biodegrade...sometimes I can feel those suckers rusting as I'm playing them (LOL!!!). If we were really talking about rare or precious elements here, than I'm sure my opinion would be quite different, however all we're really talking about is various steel alloys and such...compared with plastic milk jugs, plastic shopping bags and disposable diapers, I strongly suspect that impact that guitar strings have in an environmental role is relatively minimal.

While I'm not aiming this at any specific person in particular, it seems that a lot of inexperienced players out there are of the mind that guitars are somehow like pianos in that the only time you need to change a string is "when there is a problem"...I've literally seen a few guitars in my time where the strings may be 10 years old or more and to me that always sounds horrible, regardless of the quality of the guitar. I won't speak for others here, but personally I do try to change my strings on a very regular basis. For example I'm in two working bands at the moment and the 4 or 5 specific guitars I'm using are getting their strings changed as often as every month, just to keep them sounding "fresh". To me at least, it's well worth $5 a set to keep my instruments sounding their best.

I would also like to add a quick comment here about maximizing string life. I certainly won't speak for others here, but for a long time I used to just play and either set the guitar aside or toss it in it's case...and sometimes I still do. The little Ovation acoustic I have sitting next to me as I'm typing this for example...I don't really wipe down those strings all that often at all. When I get the urge to practice or just sit here and jam with some mp3's, I pick her up, go at it for a while, then set her back down...for better or worse, about the only time those particular strings get cleaned is during a string change. That said however, cleaning your strings on a regular basis will help to extend the life of the strings. In recent years I've also started using Dunlap 65 and I have to say it's made a huge difference in the longevity of my guitar strings...it was well worth the $7 I payed for 1 bottle. The simple truth is that some people sweat more than others, so if you're going thru a lot of strings, it may be worth taking a minute or two after each playing session to wipe those strings down.

So to wrap this up, while these are of course strictly my own opinions, I'd really suggest that whenever you break a string, simply change the whole set and if you're breaking them frequently, perhaps consider using a heavier gauge.

Just a few things to consider there.


Appreciate that magazine article. :) I have been playing professionally for decades and with that experience I can agree with most everything you wrote. However, due to some issues with both my arms (cortisone injections, etc.) I was forced to lighter strings; I play and practice a lot. Hence, I break a few more strings, but not a lot. Maybe, I have been a tad overboard with this issue and have exaggerated a bit with the environmental thing so as to build a case against, but I have always been able to get single strings when needed and that is why I went on this rant regarding the bullets. I do not like the packaging as well. Three packages of two strings in a single set of strings. No wonder no one wants to sell single bullets; I will still stick to my guns.

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