First Impression - John Pearse PB Strings

[Wade Hampton]

Originally Posted by paulzoom

I get the same life with my JPs as I do with any other brand I've tried. Perhaps those people have a certain chemistry that doesn't like JP strings.

Oh, I definitely think so.

Personally, I get excellent string life from John Pearse strings; they last me two to three times longer than GHS strings, which is what were my normal go to strings before I discovered the John Pearse strings.

And I get very little lifespan from D’Addario uncoated bronze strings - I’m lucky if they last me a week. Their Nickel-Bronze strings are an exception to that, and last me pretty well, but none of D’Addario’s other bronze alloys work very well for me.

I really do think that how well different string company’s bronze alloys work for a person comes down to that individual’s personal skin chemistry.


Wade Hampton Miller

[dwasifar]

Originally Posted by dwasifar

...they were so terrible that I haven't bought a Markley product since.

Speaking of this, I went to their website and learned that they have discontinued the Alchemy strings. I also saw something that makes me think I was right to avoid them.

Over the years, I've found that careless spelling is usually a reliable indicator of carelessness about details in general. You may think that's being pointlessly fussy, but I've learned to pay attention to it and it rarely steers me wrong.

Imagine, then, what I thought when I saw this on the Markley website:



And it's not just in one place:



This is a company that can't even see to it that their own product name is correctly spelled on their own website. Will I be shelling out nineteen bucks for "Singature" strings any time soon? I'm thinking no.

[TokyoNeko]

I left the Worland alone for a couple of days to let the JP PB strings settle down, then played it again today. I must say I like the clarity of the tone, and it's definitely a good change of pace from the lush overtones and sustain of the Sunbeams.

But I do suspect that the JP PBs may work better for my ears on the brighter-sounding Crafter. I'll know for sure on the next string change.

[Wade Hampton]

Dwas, a few weeks ago there was a thread about Dean Markley strings where some folks were asking about some strings that no longer seem to be available. So I did what I usually do in that sort of circumstance, which is find a telephone number for the company and try to talk a real person there, preferably a product specialist or manager.

But the longtime phone number associated with the firm has been disconnected, and we found some announcements online that said the founder of the company had retired and sold the brand name to another company. The new owners don't seem to be as vigilant or responsive as the original company was.

So serious Dean Markley fans have cause to be disappointed. I was sorry to hear it, as well. I've used Dean Markley strings on occasion and liked them pretty well, and for a while I had a Dean Markley soundhole pickup that I used when I played in bars. They made good products.

Oh, well....time marches on, I guess.


Wade Hampton Miller