cost of strings
 

I was browsing my eBay history looking for something completely different today and saw what I paid for a ten pack of Daddario Ej17s back in July 2015.

I decided to track my purchases of this single item and this is what I found :

July 15 - £41 ($55)
Sep - 15 - £45
Jun 16 - £51
Oct 16 - £55
Jun 17 - £56
Today (if I bought them ) - £65 - ($87).

Ebay also likes to tell me about "offers" from the USA
Current cheapest price in the US - £35! (but with £10 postage and presumably unknown import, Excise and taxes on top.

So, have strings increased by over 50% in the US in the last two years?

I just checked Sweetwater and Strings & Beyond and it looks like there has been a price increase here, but not 50%. Earlier in the year I could buy a 10 pack of EJ17's for about $45 and now they're listed at $58. That sucks because I go through a lot of strings.

I can't say unequivically across the board, but I've seen increases pretty much everywhere. When I came back to playing 5 years ago I was buying Elixir strings for $10. Now $16. Gibson electrics went for $6. Now $8+.

Guitars too largely have gone up in price. Fender MIM Strats 5 years ago were regularly selling for $400. Now $600 for the basic model with a push for inflated "premium" MIMs. . MIA's could be had for $1000, now $1300-1400+ Gibson did try unsuccessfully raise prices by 30% in 2015, but got so much push back that they rescinded the increases in 2016.

But it's not limited to guitar stuff. Food prices have skyrocketed. Car prices too. Housing in some areas. The govt would have you believe that we have 2% inflation. I just want to know what dimension they are getting those numbers from (yeah- I know it's their "market basket")? Unfortunately your boss uses the 2%number to give you your "cost of living" increase. I digress. Sorry.

They must have gone up. I used to watch the online sales and bought strings whether I needed them or not. I use coated strings, mostly and wound up paying 4-5 bucks a set for D'Addario EXP and about 6 bucks a set for Martin Lifespan. At 64, I'd guess I'm pretty well set for life. Those deals are long gone in the last two years, I'd say. Bogo sales with already low prices.

I just got a 12 pack of D'Addario EJ16s for $30 a week ago.

OK, not a normal thing cause it was a Black Friday sale but it was a good deal.

Haven't seen any big increases in the ones I buy. Might look at the exchange rate and the various additional charges applied when the enter the UK.

If you look around, you can still get good prices for strings.
I'm not sure what the difference is between Martin strings and D'Addario strings
but I found Martin Phosphor Bronze strings at Strings and Beyond for $2.99 a set if you buy 10 sets.
https://www.stringsandbeyond.com/map...*oIg3SdlsyegRu

Yes, I expect to pay more for products made outside the EU, and of course our sales tax on all but food and essentials is 20% (similar in most other EU countries).

but 52% ???

Hi, your digression is interesting.

Inflation in the UK is said to have reached 3% (which is high for us but we ain't seen nothin' yet)

I always budget on 5% a year for household bills, - I don't know about groceries because my wife buys them all. (We budget separately).

I'ver just looked at the prices of what my guitars would cost now - I couldn't afford them now.

Then add free shipping and it's a winner:guitar:

Honestly, the price of strings is something I don’t even look at. I know the strings I like best for each of my guitars, and I know which dealers offer the best prices...it is what it is. I have to put gasoline in my car whether it’s $3.69/gallon or $2.29/gallon, and I have to change strings when they need changed whether they’re $5 or $8.

Two years ago, I paid ~$45 for a 10-pack of D'Addario EJ16 strings. On Black Friday 2016, I got them for just over $20. In 2017, I also got the $30 Black Friday 12-pack special, and the 10-pack are $44-46.

Other string brands vary $5-8 with a little more for Aluminum Bronze or Nickel Bronze. I haven't noticed a significant price increase, but I also shop around between 4-5 places to find the best price, and then buy in quantities to get free shipping, no sales tax, etc.

The Indiana Welsh-American HHP wrote:

Yeah, I think it's just a giant conspiracy by American guitar string manufacturers to punish the British for the way the Brexit vote went.

Naturally, I have no idea why they should even care about that, but, you know, they're a fairly fickle lot.


whm

Homes and durable goods like cars don't drive inflation as much as you'd think, because most folks don't buy them on a regular basis. If they survey 100 folks, maybe 10% have purchased or refinanced a new home, so only the 10% whose mortgage changed will affect inflation. Also, the government does not include food and energy in their estimate of core inflation rate, because their prices are rather volatile.

My raise is not tied to inflation. We never get cost of living raises. Our raises are based on merit (performance appraisal), corporate profits, and labor grade.

No. I buy GHS strings at Strings and Beyond, and checked my order history. Here is a listing of how the price changed from my orders placed in 2015/2016 to the current listed price:

Phosphor Bronze 6 pack: Was $31 - Is $33 (6.5% increase)
Signature Bronze: Was $6.95 - Is $7.39 (6.3% increase)
Vintage Bronze: Was $4.95 - Is $5.49 (11% increase)
White Bronze: Was $6.99 - Is $6.99 (no change)
Bright Bronze: Was $5.95 - Is $6.39 (7.4% increase)