Newtone
 

Following the recommendations of various AGF members I thought I'd try some Newtone strings, and support British business at the same time.

I placed a "custom order", standard light set but with a thicker high e.

A week or so had passed and nothing has arrived. I contacted them to ask if the strings had been dispatched. The reply was that it takes up to 14 days for custom sets. Really - putting 6 strings in a packet takes 14 days. If I had ordered 6 single strings it wouldn't have taken 14 days so this makes no sense to me.

14 days have come and gone. Still no strings. I have now cancelled the order - I'll get some Sunbeams or maybe try Silk & Steel for my OM.

It pains me to give a bad review of a British business and no doubt the strings are great but I can only speak of my own experience.


Moan over.

I ordered mine a day or two after Christmas and they just shipped yesterday. I guess they march to the beat of a different drum.... :)

I bought my last set of Newtone Strings in Germany. The store told my that they no longer get to buy strings from Newtone, cause they only sell them directly to the customers only.

Maybe they have problems adapting to this new concept ???

Whenever I've ordered their custom sets I order well in advance. Usually takes between 14-21 days for custom sets (I live about 30 miles away) and 2-3 days for 'regular' sets. They are well worth the wait, but it does get a little frustrating if it goes beyond 14 days (which is why I plan ahead etc.) Plus, it's just after Xmas, so might be worth cutting them a little slack (although don't do that with round core strings!!):up:

Seems like if the tone and feel is that good, you figure out a way to plan ahead and keep yourself stocked rather than grumble the whole world isn’t run like Amazon.com. Anyone have any comments about their tone and feel? I ordered my first ever strings from them last week (nickel). hex core strings were invented because they crank out of a factory quicker. If you want round core strings, it takes some time. Fortunately there are other strings in Pennsylvania to use while I wait.

Sausages, when you say "they" - it should, I believe be "he".

It was a one man business with Malcolm for a long time and now it is his son or son-in law.

They sell direct in the EU but I believe that they sell batches to the USA. (not sure about this).

We are so accustomed to people like Strings direct delivering shortly before you order them - but as a one man (or perhaps one man, his wife and a dog) business , he probably feels it necessary to process and make non standard string orders in strict order.

Malcolm used to make up custom 12 string sets for me and he was very accommodating but it did take a little time.

All I'm saying is that small businesses may not be lightening fast in reacting to deliveries or communications, especially if he spends a lot of time in a cold workshop hand winding strings, but if you really want low tension hand made strings - it might be worth the wait.

Just a thought,

Blame brexit....it would seem it's to blame for everything, so why not this?
:)

I got a chuckle from your response, especially the Amazon comment:)

As far as tone and feel, on a scale of ten, I would rate them at a nine.
One thing that seems a characteristic of round core strings is that they won't last quite as long as hex Cores and they tend to lose their brightness a little quicker in my own experience.
I don't really care because guitar strings and accessories are about the only thing I spend money on these days.

I just received my custom Phosphor Bronze Double Wound set last week... after 2 or 3 weeks from order. I was warned ahead of time by those on AGF who had ordered from Newtone. I looked them up on Google Earth and found their physical location and building.... and would have to say that it is surprising that it doesnt take longer to get them. They are good strings.. and i will order again from them.

Just to be fair and accurate, Newtone state very clearly on their website, before ordering, that custom sets can take up to 10 days and single wound strings up to 14. The OP's bad review suggests that Newtone had somehow not delivered as promised, but it sounds like this is not accurate - Newtone just repeated what had already been notified on the website - there should never have been an expectation that the strings would ship immediately.

Newtone's custom string sets are wound to order by a couple of guys in Derbyshire. You get a choice of round or hex cores, four wrap materials and gauges from 0.008" - 0.016" (plain) and 0.016" - 0.080" wound... I make that 584 different configurations of string. I don't know of anywhere else in the world with such a wide choice. No small business can keep stock of all those combinations - it's definitely not just putting strings in packets!

Cheers,
David

* I have no affiliation with Newtone - I just think they're a superb product.

Incorrect. I have waited 14 days as requested. They haven’t even started to process the order. You may be happy with an open ended/best endeavours attitude but I’m not.

My apologies - I had misread your post.

And no - an open-ended approach is also not ok - I always try to communicate availability and shipping times as accurately as possible, even (and especially) when I'm not able to ship items straight away. It sounds like you are correct after all and something has gone awry here...

David

No problem; if, as Silly Moustache indicates, Newtone are a one man shed based operation then that puts a different angle on things. Long and short is I have no strings so I’ll have to buy quick and dirty from my usual source.

Regards

It does sound like they could have communicated. I know that small shops may need time to catch up after the holidays but I always appreciate it when they communicate that so customer expectations can be in alignment with reality as much as possible.

I will say that I am happy that places like Newtone exist so I tend to cut one-person operations a bit of slack. But, I do understand the OPs frustration. Timely communication goes a long way towards great customer service.

I was just getting ready to put in a custom order so now I will know to expect a bit of a longer wait.

Best,
Jayne

I've ordered twice from the Custom shop, shipped to the US. First order I got a confirmation after a week or so, but a good month until the strings shipped and then a pretty long transit time (I know, international mail, etc.) Second order did not get a confirmation for about 2 weeks, then a shipment notice, and the strings arrived just a couple of days after that. Love the strings, so the caveat it to always plan a month or more out when strings are needed. (If in the US, you could also order round core phosphors from Curt Mangan, but their custom shop requires you buy 4 sets and doesn't have the full range of gauges ... good strings, though)