New UK string manufacturer - Smith and James

[Wrighty]

Hi all



I came across these the other day while browsing Facebook - the power of targeted ads..



Anyway they are a Manchester (North UK) based manufacturer - at least I think they are the manufacturer but cannot yet be 100% sure.



Only two gauges and in 80/20 only at this stage - two sets for £9.99 so I will give them a go!



What they call medium is 12/53.IMG_1422.jpg

I can confirm now that these are not manufactured in the UK but imported and packaged here.

[Malcolm Kindnes]

Sounds like good value, but if the coloured ball ends are a guide they could be repackaged EJ16's.

[Silly Moustache]

Not EJ16s if they are 80/20s, plus light gauge are NOT 12/53.

This rings a bell that British gauges used to be different to American gauges once.
Possibly Rotosound or or Picato repackaging - but the .053" 6th does sound like D'addario.

[Ozzy the dog]

EJ11's are 80/20 and 12 - 53. If these are re-packaged D'Addario's it's a great way to buy them as they are usually around £6.50 per set (online).

Prefer Phosphor Bronze but at £9.99 for two, including postage, they have got to be worth a try at least.

[Wrighty]

Mmm, I did ask them to clarify if they make them in the UK or not but the response has not been forthcoming. I guess D’addario is a possible bet..

[rokdog49]

I’ll just keep buying my stellar Newtones for my British-made string of choice.

[Wrighty]

Originally Posted by rokdog49

I’ll just keep buying my stellar Newtones for my British-made string of choice.

I love Newtones too - had just hoped that this may be another UK manufacturer I could support but I guess that’s unlikely.

[Robin, Wales]

At a guess I expect they are OEM Chinese made ordered through Alibaba. It is pretty straightforward to order coloured ends and branded packaging. Buy a couple of hundred sets and sell them as a sideline from home. For not too much effort you can make 60% on your initial investment with little risk. Better than putting that 500 GBP in the bank at the moment. And if the brand takes off then you have a basis for taking the concept further if you want.

I'm sure the strings will be fine. It's not rocket science to wind good strings and some of the Far East factories will have high tech machines for doing so. And they may even be buying in good quality drawn wire from Europe. The 'trick' is not in making good quality strings it's in selling them!

[Wrighty]

Originally Posted by Robin, Wales

At a guess I expect they are OEM Chinese made ordered through Alibaba. It is pretty straightforward to order coloured ends and branded packaging. Buy a couple of hundred sets and sell them as a sideline from home. For not too much effort you can make 60% on your initial investment with little risk. Better than putting that 500 GBP in the bank at the moment. And if the brand takes off then you have a basis for taking the concept further if you want.

I'm sure the strings will be fine. It's not rocket science to wind good strings and some of the Far East factories will have high tech machines for doing so. And they may even be buying in good quality drawn wire from Europe. The 'trick' is not in making good quality strings it's in selling them!

They have confirmed to me that they are indeed OEM so you are correct.

At some point I will try them but but bye expectations are now in line..

[Malcolm Kindnes]

It would be impossible to actually manufacture strings in the UK for that price, I doubt if Newtone is making a fortune.

[Scolaguitar]

Originally Posted by rokdog49

I’ll just keep buying my stellar Newtones for my British-made string of choice.

You've made a me a new convert to those. I put the monels on my D18. I finally found what will replace the old formula Lifespan.
I'll be ordering more for the others when he restocks.

[mercy]

Thanks for the info, Im all for competition but when I order strings from Newtone I can get any wrap material I want, any core thickness I want, I can get a mixed set of 11's and 12's (xlight tops). Why would I want to buy from a another company in England that has no spread whatsoever?

[Wrighty]

Originally Posted by mercy

Thanks for the info, Im all for competition but when I order strings from Newtone I can get any wrap material I want, any core thickness I want, I can get a mixed set of 11's and 12's (xlight tops). Why would I want to buy from a another company in England that has no spread whatsoever?

You wouldn’t !

I wasn’t trying to encourage you to do so - my post was just to raise awareness.

Newtone are hard to beat.

[Bats]

At £9.99 for two sets they had to be worth a try.
I do think they are cheapo Chinese strings just repackaged and I have not put a set on any
guitar yet but I may just do that to see what they are really like
Im not holding out much hope...you get what you pay for

[Wrighty]

Originally Posted by Bats

At £9.99 for two sets they had to be worth a try.
I do think they are cheapo Chinese strings just repackaged and I have not put a set on any
guitar yet but I may just do that to see what they are really like
Im not holding out much hope...you get what you pay for

They were ok, but not great - my guess is similar to D’addario in tone. I gave my second set away.