They fake Elixirs... and Martin acoustic strings (had some about a month ago)... and EB and Fenders... From their point of view, let's say the strings cost them 50p to make (if that!). That's £4.50 profit right there if you can palm them off at £5.00 a pack... £8.50 profit it you can sell a fake 3 pack for £10... Definitely worth it for them.
I buy my strings from local stores only. And to be fair... This explains a lot. There were moments I though "Fender is slipping" and then changed to Ernie Ball's. There were oddities, when you know something's off, because you know your brand and your string set. And I always thought to myself "it's just a lemon". Which only means, I have to keep track of local stores selling fake ones.
Note that I think I may have bought fake fender strings as they corroded whilst packaged. Totally support message to buy from known reputable source. Don't rely on low price to differentiate.
Thanks Sam. I've checked all my packs as I always buy Ernie Ball 9s. My packaging is the same as your real ones but note that they are not inflated as your pack seems to be. They seem to be airtight and I have noted that they remain uncorroded over long time even in my environment which is hot and humid.
Yes I just bought 3 sets of EB 10's from Ebay for a tenner. I didn't even open them to realise they were fake, it was the emails I was receiving begging for + feedback that did it for me. Ernie Ball need to protect their brand quickly by adding security to their packaging or something, as these very convincing fakes will cost them millions!
After snapping the high E about once a week using the multipack Slinkys I bought I searched if there were fakes about and came across this video. It looks like I’ve been had.
I've tried both fake ones the fake Ernie balls and the fake d addarios what makes them bad also it seems they don't stay in tune even after stretching them
Hi Sam - totally agree with everything you have said, but I'd like to add something - the materials many cheap strings are made of, and production methods, just won't allow them to perform like proper strings. They won't have the elasticity (if that's the right word) for them to vibrate consistently. Some I had, that came free with some product or other, behaved like soft florist wire!
I just bought 3 sets of EBs off eBay and the top E string snapped on all them when re-stringing. (My reason for searching out videos like this). It never occurred to me that fake Ernie Ball strings would be ‘a thing’!! I reckon I must have been using fakes on and off for years!! 😂 Lesson learned!
Good video... Pros and semi pros would know straight away that something is a miss. Tweaking their systems guitars, pickups, leads, pedals, amps etc to a level where they can get an expected tone and response from their rigs and a compliment to their style any weak link soon shows up. Saving 2 or 3 bucks on a lesser quality string wouldn't even enter into the equation for them. String quality does make a difference in my experience... been there done that..
I'm enjoying the dissertation and analysis. My first instinct was that the fake Chinese strings were in fact 1990 (example) era EB strings with primitive generation packaging and string design. Compared to current product. Stored in a warehouse and dumped by a unscrupulous seller. Just a thought. On with the dissection. Good video, Sam!
Hi Martin - sorry meant no complaints so far - less speed more haste - guitar is a hobby for me and the HB strings are as good as the strings I would normally use D'Addario which are 2-3 the price of HB but it is a personal taste
@@steveford3289 Hi Steve - nice one, I guessed that's what you meant 😀 and intend to get a few packs to give a try anyway. You're completely right about it being personal taste and over the years tried everything from Elixirs down to more humble brands so HBs will no doubt be great. Also when a string breaks in the middle of a live gig, you'll use chicken wire if necessary just to keep rocking lol. I'm sure they'll sound fine to me as well 👍
I deliberately buy fake ernie ball bass strings for my backup guitars and basses. Once received, I then contact the seller to alert that they are fake and demand a refund. I always get fully refunded and keep the strings! Get back at these assholes by getting free strings off them.
This is still going on. They've updated the packing to reflect the current Ernie Ball product, but it seems to take them a little while to catch up. The strings inside are probably the same no matter which brand or pack you buy. Thousandths of a inch is the usual engineering unit, so 0.030 is "thirty thou". Calipers can't give you 0.001" accuracy, so that half gauge give or take is usual. In my experience if you hold pressure they will usually read about 0.001 under or worse. The more accurate tool to use is a micrometer, which usually has a mechanism to account for tension (essentially a constant torque mechanism) and the accuracy is ten times better. My fake high E reads 0.008 with the calipers but 0.0099 with the micrometer. Way closer than I expected, which goes to show we shouldn't jump to conclusions. I don't really have a problem with companies selling a reasonable product at a very good price (eg Alice), but I certainly do have a problem with them passing it off as a genuine product. At that point it doesn't matter how good their product actually is. I think it's fair to say that any product that ships from China at a fraction of the price of the American made product is most probably fake. Some companies do manufacture in China to the appropriate quality (but not Ernie Ball AFAIK) and it can find it's way onto the grey market, so sometimes you have to do a bit of research.
Good points - the bottom line is that while those factories probably could make decent strings but they couldn't charge anywhere near the £12-14 they're charging for fakes on Amazon.
Well. That got me curious so I looked quickly at the video - 0:14 you can see a 'ready to punch out' hole imprint on the fakes. Not as pronounced as that on the real ones, but there nonetheless.
These fake strings break way too easily, sometimes during initial tuning to pitch and more often when bending up two semitones for the thinner strings. The high E strings normally wouldn't last a few days of playing if you bend a lot.
Please beware that maybe the latest fake super slinky has now changes their color exactly like the original. its much safer to buy from listed distributor
I agree… that’s my approach these days. Funny how online fakers and scammers are ensuring the survival of more reassuring, trustworthy ‘bricks and mortar’ businesses…
Why rail cores on 4-5-6 strings? What is the profit in this? Isn't the rail cores to solve the problem of sound attenuation when bending on 1-2-3 strings?
Honestly? No idea. That's beyond me tech-wise. The fakes and the real strings share the same basic structure... just done badly and no gauge control on the fakes.
The cheapest chinese strings in bulk are less than one euro a set retail. That leaves quite a margin to spend on faking packaging and still making a profit if you do it in bulk. 2 euro a set will get you quite decent individually vacuum sealed strings from chinese brands like orphee. There are only a few factories producing guitar strings in the world, and the difference in price between bad and good strings is not that big. The bulk of the price is in branding.
I am sick of counterfeit guitar strings on eBay, fake refrigerator, water filters, fake, seresto, dog, flea and tick collars fake NGK spark plugs, fake, Guitars, etc. It’s to the point where I have stopped buying certain things on the Internetx..
Thanks for this video. Counterfeiters must be getting better at copying the packaging because my counterfeit pack looks way more like the genuine pack as in this video. It has that correct 2-tone finish on the front and it's the right color and the rear graphics are correct but the overall finish is more dull / matte. Another clue: the print on the paper envelops have more of a faded red print than the rich deep red print on the envelops of the genuine envelops. Also, there is no vacuum on the pack and MOST OF ALL the high E string came right off the ball when tightening to pitch. That has NEVER happened to me with genuine Ernie Ball. They were purchased off of eBay by the way. I intend to report it. Ernie Ball should begin to employ counter-counterfeit measures like hologram stickers, etc.
for years ive been buying fake elixirs and now these ive just got and found theyre fake thanks for the video, the only giveaway was the low e string wire poking out, they did everything spot on, i even took it to a luthier and he couldnt tell me but i will show him what to look for.
Thanks for the setup and measurements. Unfortunately I took the bait and bought a dozen packs of fake Ernie Ball strings. 😞$50 I should have questioned if they were legit but I didn't. I might try to just use them to practise with and burn through them putting up with intonation issues... I'll see if I can tolerate that but definitely won't use them for recording or gigs or even jamming. What a waste of money. So dissapointed....
Well damn. I knew there was something wrong with Ernie balls on eBay three for almost less than I’ve paid for one pack. What the heck am I going to do with them now. I’m sure they’re going to be fake when they arrive. Maybe I’ll sell them on eBay
@@SamDeeksRelovedGuitars yeah I’m just joking I wouldn’t. Little pissed. I mean really why do they fake strings for like 3$ a pack. Crazy. I feel ripped off and haven’t even got them
No, but choose retailers that have good long-term reputation and can be easily contacted i.e. by phone in case you need to return some strings IF they're duds. And the simplest thing to do is avoid those sellers who appear to be selling a pack of Ernie Ball (or whatever brand) 2 or 3 £ or $ under the normal price you'd expect to pay.
I don't get it. We spend loads of money on guitars, pedals, amps, cables and so on, so, why the h** trying to safe just a few pounds by buying cheap fake strings, when you can buy the real ones just about anywhere? I mean, original Ernie Balls (or in my case D'Addario's) are not that expensive, certainly not when you buy them in the bigger amounts...
Useful vid but no excuse for not reporting the seller - I've contacted EB to confirm, and then I'm reporting mine to eBay and requesting a full refund which is what everyone should do for the sake of the next customer.
Watched this because I have just bought 3 sets of Slinky 9s off ebay for £10.89. Much to my relief they seem to meet all the requirements to confirm they are legitimate. Installed a set anď they seem fine. Not all ebay sellers are dodgy.
I've been caught out a couple times on Ebay with fake D'Addario strings. Seems there is NO intellectual property the chinese won't steal. The strings were dark, stiff and packaged badly on the inside. I'm just amazed that there is enough of a profit margin to be had on a pack of strings to make it worth all the trouble. Buyer beware.
I bought some before this video, they cost one third of Ernie but they are terrible to be honest. Very soft , untuneable, already broke a few of them. They only could rip off the packaging.
Thanks for this vid. I've just checked the three packets I got from eBay, at a bargain price, or so I thought, yep they are fakes. To be honest I didn't envisage people making fakes when the genuine ones are relatively cheap anyway. I payed £9 for three packs, thinking as the seller only had these three packs and just wanted rid, but still money down the drain, as I won't be using them after this vid.
Same here ugh well... I have used one pack on a guitar and to be fair they sound alright so far. Key thing is how long they stay bright and don't rust/break. Never cheaping out again - thanks Sam for the heads up.
I disagree 100% - first sign they were 1/3 regular price but when fitted and tested they were also all kinds of wrong. Wouldn't intonate because when measured they were nowhere near the thickness each string was supposed to be etc. I don't think you watched the video.
Ive bought 3 sets of these and they are rubbish, the first giveaway was when it unwound it had slight kinks along the length, then you enter intonation hell, I think the real clue I should of spotted is that they were 3 for a tenner. Remember, if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is.... ps...Love the oakcaster
These are NOT counterfeit, Sam. These are just OLD STOCK. Ernie Ball did not start using the reflective packaging until a few years ago. I still have packs of 10s and 9s purchased from Musician's Friend in bulk in 2010 that are exactly like your "fake" strings. Still not great to buy 10 year old strings, but these are not fakes.
Hi Kyle. How is it then that almost everybody reports that it's impossible to intonate these 'old' strings? And why are these 'old' strings so much out of tolerance gauge-wise? I don't buy it... (well I did lol) but you know what I mean.
The key here is the advertisement for battleofthebands dot com, which hasn't existed since 2016. Ernie ball was the sponsor of this and you could even win an ernie ball "sponsorship" if you won. My 11 year old packs of strings bought from the largest online music retailer in the US are certainly not fake, and have the exact same advertising and markings on them. The packaging has simply changed over the years. You have real strings, they're just old. If they were stored in some warehouse for a decade that could explain the quality issue. The packs I still have are fine and I've had no issues with rust or intonation, but these have been in my house which is climate controlled. I hope this helps!
@@theplacepromised5256 I'm not convinced Kyle but I appreciate your view. This is just as likely that the Chinese factory copied the packaging of the time and just carried on printing... They're not the same quality at all and the difference isn't something that could have happened as a result of time or even moisture / dryness / whatever. I've been using Ernie Ball since before 2016 and never had a problem intonating them or finding them 2/100ths of an inch out. I don't doubt that there ARE batches of old stuff out there, but this isn't it. The Chinese really ARE knocking this stuff out and making a fortune doing it.
I remember the non metallic packets and have old sets unopened as well, although a different gauge therefore different pack colour but also non metallic. These were purchased individually from a music shop a long time ago. I even have the clear plastic wallet pack ones as well… what a waste of money, vintage? I think you may need more substantial evidence Sam!
@@ianhoyle8459 I put a set on a guitar today JUST for 'sacrificial' purposes. The G string unravelled at the ball just TUNING the damned thing up from 'new'. Look, you chaps may have bought old stock strings in the past, but these currently being sold at £10 for 3 are NOT THOSE. These are definitely fake. I've never had an Ernie Ball unravel just tuning up, old or new.
I noticed 2 different colors on my extra slinky strings. I know I ordered some off Amazon. I went to my local guitar store and the packaging was different. I was only shopping online due to covid restrictions. I'll be making sure to go to the store from now on, thanks for spreading the word
You missed the elephant in the room How they sound . the proof of the pudding is in the eating, if they sounded better then it would not matter I just bought a few sets from China, and I compared the packaging to the originals could not discern any different so I thought they weren't fake but when I play guitar I could instantly tell it just did not sound right terrible tone also, I did notice the strings were a few inches shorter, usually, you cut off quite a bit, but not so for these fakes, which is typical for Chinese products they all have shorter cords to save on wire.
Yep. Everything is worth counterfeiting as far as China is concerned; if there's a quid of profit in it, then that's a TON of profit compared to regular, legal margins which are much smaller and usually very stretched. The real villains here are the Amazons and eBays which will stop me using the words 'strat-style' or even 'S-style' when trying to sell one of my custom-made guitars but will happily showcase fake cat-flaps, guitar strings, printer ink, clothes, power supplies - absolutely EVERYTHING and ANYTHING.
Lol. Yes they are. Either that or Ernie Ball makes an alternative product that some retailers can sell at near half-price and make a profit AND which all have inconsistent diameters and won't intonate properly.
Yep; sorry. I often got stupid interference from my Huawei phone (which I use for watching UA-cam at the workshop) while filming with the iPhone. Also I think my Samson head-mic picks up the iPhone's emissions unless the phone is switched to 'airplane safe' mode with everything off...
I have a completely different opinion about this, which I wrote, but the moderator deleted my comment. That speaks for itself. Just buy the American expensive Erni ball, but Chinese is just as good.
No, these fake Ernie Balls are NOT just as good. I measured them with my digital calipers and they were clearly out in terms of their diameter / thickness and were all over the place as far as intonation goes. That's one dud set out of 1 set of fake EB's tested for the sake of it... vs. hundreds of good genuine Ernie Ball sets (with an occasional 1-in-100 dud string occurrence).
@@szl8852 I'm with you on that principle when it comes to not worrying about specific action measurements etc.. but in practice what happens with these fake strings is that you buy them, put them on and then wonder why they won't intonate properly. That will bother most players, not just pros - at least that's my view on it.
@@SamDeeksRelovedGuitars Sure, you're right. I use the 8s, the strings were a bit rough at the beginning, but after a few days it sounds perfectly fine. My other guitars have original Earni Ball strings, but they don't sound any better either. Of course, this is just my opinion. It's like the Gibson-Epiphone or Fender-Squier case. Whose is this, whose is that. 👍
I can’t quite believe a real person had nothing better to do than to write this comment. Good, you go and play cheap fake strings that are all different sizes and won’t intonate.
@@SamDeeksRelovedGuitars oh man I saw you ,you are so Strest ,and I am a real person and have a lot of things to do,im thinking you are boring and have nothing more to do than given up on Chinees Product
Of all the things that are counterfeited, I would never have imagined guitar strings would be among them. That's crazy.
They fake Elixirs... and Martin acoustic strings (had some about a month ago)... and EB and Fenders... From their point of view, let's say the strings cost them 50p to make (if that!). That's £4.50 profit right there if you can palm them off at £5.00 a pack... £8.50 profit it you can sell a fake 3 pack for £10... Definitely worth it for them.
Wow. If anything exists, there will be a fake version of it somewhere.
I buy my strings from local stores only. And to be fair... This explains a lot. There were moments I though "Fender is slipping" and then changed to Ernie Ball's. There were oddities, when you know something's off, because you know your brand and your string set. And I always thought to myself "it's just a lemon". Which only means, I have to keep track of local stores selling fake ones.
Note that I think I may have bought fake fender strings as they corroded whilst packaged. Totally support message to buy from known reputable source. Don't rely on low price to differentiate.
Thanks Sam. I've checked all my packs as I always buy Ernie Ball 9s. My packaging is the same as your real ones but note that they are not inflated as your pack seems to be. They seem to be airtight and I have noted that they remain uncorroded over long time even in my environment which is hot and humid.
I've just checked my Ernie Ball Regular Slinky pack I bought online and realized it isn't fake. Thank you sir.
Yes I just bought 3 sets of EB 10's from Ebay for a tenner. I didn't even open them to realise they were fake, it was the emails I was receiving begging for + feedback that did it for me. Ernie Ball need to protect their brand quickly by adding security to their packaging or something, as these very convincing fakes will cost them millions!
After snapping the high E about once a week using the multipack Slinkys I bought I searched if there were fakes about and came across this video. It looks like I’ve been had.
I've tried both fake ones the fake Ernie balls and the fake d addarios what makes them bad also it seems they don't stay in tune even after stretching them
Hi Sam - totally agree with everything you have said, but I'd like to add something - the materials many cheap strings are made of, and production methods, just won't allow them to perform like proper strings. They won't have the elasticity (if that's the right word) for them to vibrate consistently. Some I had, that came free with some product or other, behaved like soft florist wire!
Not only that, but the fake strings are very inconsistent in volume output. You might get a dead E string, for example
I just bought 3 sets of EBs off eBay and the top E string snapped on all them when re-stringing. (My reason for searching out videos like this). It never occurred to me that fake Ernie Ball strings would be ‘a thing’!! I reckon I must have been using fakes on and off for years!! 😂 Lesson learned!
Is the ernie ball conpany crate some battle of the band? You can find sone differrent at back pack 😂
I don't know; but you can't really see this when looking at the fake listings anyway.
Could ernie ball have an overseas manufacture producing strings for them?
Good video... Pros and semi pros would know straight away that something is a miss. Tweaking their systems guitars, pickups, leads, pedals, amps etc to a level where they can get an expected tone and response from their rigs and a compliment to their style any weak link soon shows up. Saving 2 or 3 bucks on a lesser quality string wouldn't even enter into the equation for them. String quality does make a difference in my experience... been there done that..
I'm enjoying the dissertation and analysis. My first instinct was that the fake Chinese strings were in fact 1990 (example) era EB strings with primitive generation packaging and string design. Compared to current product. Stored in a warehouse and dumped by a unscrupulous seller.
Just a thought. On with the dissection. Good video, Sam!
‘Dissertation’ lol true, I go at ‘Sam speed’ as that’s it, no matter what the subject is :-D
Still a possibility
I have just started to use Harley Benton strings @£2.50/pack and complaints so far
Hi Steve - would you recommend them then? I'm guessing you meant "no complaints" so far :)
Hi Martin - sorry meant no complaints so far - less speed more haste - guitar is a hobby for me and the HB strings are as good as the strings I would normally use D'Addario which are 2-3 the price of HB but it is a personal taste
@@steveford3289 Hi Steve - nice one, I guessed that's what you meant 😀 and intend to get a few packs to give a try anyway. You're completely right about it being personal taste and over the years tried everything from Elixirs down to more humble brands so HBs will no doubt be great. Also when a string breaks in the middle of a live gig, you'll use chicken wire if necessary just to keep rocking lol. I'm sure they'll sound fine to me as well 👍
I deliberately buy fake ernie ball bass strings for my backup guitars and basses. Once received, I then contact the seller to alert that they are fake and demand a refund. I always get fully refunded and keep the strings! Get back at these assholes by getting free strings off them.
This is still going on. They've updated the packing to reflect the current Ernie Ball product, but it seems to take them a little while to catch up. The strings inside are probably the same no matter which brand or pack you buy.
Thousandths of a inch is the usual engineering unit, so 0.030 is "thirty thou".
Calipers can't give you 0.001" accuracy, so that half gauge give or take is usual. In my experience if you hold pressure they will usually read about 0.001 under or worse. The more accurate tool to use is a micrometer, which usually has a mechanism to account for tension (essentially a constant torque mechanism) and the accuracy is ten times better. My fake high E reads 0.008 with the calipers but 0.0099 with the micrometer. Way closer than I expected, which goes to show we shouldn't jump to conclusions.
I don't really have a problem with companies selling a reasonable product at a very good price (eg Alice), but I certainly do have a problem with them passing it off as a genuine product. At that point it doesn't matter how good their product actually is. I think it's fair to say that any product that ships from China at a fraction of the price of the American made product is most probably fake. Some companies do manufacture in China to the appropriate quality (but not Ernie Ball AFAIK) and it can find it's way onto the grey market, so sometimes you have to do a bit of research.
Good points - the bottom line is that while those factories probably could make decent strings but they couldn't charge anywhere near the £12-14 they're charging for fakes on Amazon.
Great video, and nice looking guitar!
Thanks!
Calipers are good to a plus or minus .001
Missed: The genuine packs have a hole for hanging on display.
Well. That got me curious so I looked quickly at the video - 0:14 you can see a 'ready to punch out' hole imprint on the fakes. Not as pronounced as that on the real ones, but there nonetheless.
I had compared the packs for sale on eBay and there seems to be quite a difference. Pleased to be made aware of the fakes anyway.
These fake strings break way too easily, sometimes during initial tuning to pitch and more often when bending up two semitones for the thinner strings. The high E strings normally wouldn't last a few days of playing if you bend a lot.
Yeah - I find they often unravel the coils by the ball end and slip right off.
I bought beefy slinkies and they are ok, but definitely the thickness is way below. I don't mind, I got my money back.
Please beware that maybe the latest fake super slinky has now changes their color exactly like the original. its much safer to buy from listed distributor
I agree… that’s my approach these days. Funny how online fakers and scammers are ensuring the survival of more reassuring, trustworthy ‘bricks and mortar’ businesses…
Why rail cores on 4-5-6 strings? What is the profit in this?
Isn't the rail cores to solve the problem of sound attenuation when bending on 1-2-3 strings?
Honestly? No idea. That's beyond me tech-wise. The fakes and the real strings share the same basic structure... just done badly and no gauge control on the fakes.
The cheapest chinese strings in bulk are less than one euro a set retail. That leaves quite a margin to spend on faking packaging and still making a profit if you do it in bulk. 2 euro a set will get you quite decent individually vacuum sealed strings from chinese brands like orphee.
There are only a few factories producing guitar strings in the world, and the difference in price between bad and good strings is not that big. The bulk of the price is in branding.
Earnie Ball packs theirs in nitrogen I think...like crisps LOL. Guards against corrosion.
I contacted the Ernie Ball Company and they said it was highly unlikely that they are counterfeit. They said packaging has changed over the years.
Fine. You guys carry right on buying them then
I am sick of counterfeit guitar strings on eBay, fake refrigerator, water filters, fake, seresto, dog, flea and tick collars fake NGK spark plugs, fake, Guitars, etc. It’s to the point where I have stopped buying certain things on the Internetx..
Thanks for this video. Counterfeiters must be getting better at copying the packaging because my counterfeit pack looks way more like the genuine pack as in this video. It has that correct 2-tone finish on the front and it's the right color and the rear graphics are correct but the overall finish is more dull / matte. Another clue: the print on the paper envelops have more of a faded red print than the rich deep red print on the envelops of the genuine envelops. Also, there is no vacuum on the pack and MOST OF ALL the high E string came right off the ball when tightening to pitch. That has NEVER happened to me with genuine Ernie Ball. They were purchased off of eBay by the way. I intend to report it. Ernie Ball should begin to employ counter-counterfeit measures like hologram stickers, etc.
Bought some fakes not knowing they were fakes and i cant tell the difference
Your wallet.
for years ive been buying fake elixirs and now these ive just got and found theyre fake thanks for the video, the only giveaway was the low e string wire poking out, they did everything spot on, i even took it to a luthier and he couldnt tell me but i will show him what to look for.
Thanks for the setup and measurements. Unfortunately I took the bait and bought a dozen packs of fake Ernie Ball strings. 😞$50 I should have questioned if they were legit but I didn't. I might try to just use them to practise with and burn through them putting up with intonation issues... I'll see if I can tolerate that but definitely won't use them for recording or gigs or even jamming. What a waste of money. So dissapointed....
That 'if it sounds too good to be true....' maxim always applies.
Well damn. I knew there was something wrong with Ernie balls on eBay three for almost less than I’ve paid for one pack. What the heck am I going to do with them now. I’m sure they’re going to be fake when they arrive. Maybe I’ll sell them on eBay
...that would be villainous of you ;-) Bin them and be damned or, do as I do, just use them for 'sacrificial strings' when doing a full set up.
@@SamDeeksRelovedGuitars yeah I’m just joking I wouldn’t. Little pissed. I mean really why do they fake strings for like 3$ a pack. Crazy. I feel ripped off and haven’t even got them
Hey Sam,
I didn't know that strings are now also being faked, thank you very much for your hint, 👏👏👏💯👍
Greetings aaand
Rock on
🐈
So in your Opinion, should i stay away from buying strings online ?
No, but choose retailers that have good long-term reputation and can be easily contacted i.e. by phone in case you need to return some strings IF they're duds. And the simplest thing to do is avoid those sellers who appear to be selling a pack of Ernie Ball (or whatever brand) 2 or 3 £ or $ under the normal price you'd expect to pay.
I don't get it. We spend loads of money on guitars, pedals, amps, cables and so on, so, why the h** trying to safe just a few pounds by buying cheap fake strings, when you can buy the real ones just about anywhere? I mean, original Ernie Balls (or in my case D'Addario's) are not that expensive, certainly not when you buy them in the bigger amounts...
Useful vid but no excuse for not reporting the seller - I've contacted EB to confirm, and then I'm reporting mine to eBay and requesting a full refund which is what everyone should do for the sake of the next customer.
Watched this because I have just bought 3 sets of Slinky 9s off ebay for £10.89.
Much to my relief they seem to meet all the requirements to confirm they are legitimate.
Installed a set anď they seem fine.
Not all ebay sellers are dodgy.
I've been caught out a couple times on Ebay with fake D'Addario strings. Seems there is NO intellectual property the chinese won't steal. The strings were dark, stiff and packaged badly on the inside. I'm just amazed that there is enough of a profit margin to be had on a pack of strings to make it worth all the trouble. Buyer beware.
That is strange, D’Addario have their proprietary method of packing. You’d think they’d be hard to fake.
I bought some before this video, they cost one third of Ernie but they are terrible to be honest. Very soft , untuneable, already broke a few of them. They only could rip off the packaging.
It's interesting how some people still argue this isn't the case!
someone get this man a mani/pedi
Thanks for this vid. I've just checked the three packets I got from eBay, at a bargain price, or so I thought, yep they are fakes. To be honest I didn't envisage people making fakes when the genuine ones are relatively cheap anyway.
I payed £9 for three packs, thinking as the seller only had these three packs and just wanted rid, but still money down the drain, as I won't be using them after this vid.
Same here ugh well... I have used one pack on a guitar and to be fair they sound alright so far. Key thing is how long they stay bright and don't rust/break. Never cheaping out again - thanks Sam for the heads up.
I use D’Addario; I hope they’re not trying to fake them too. The China curse.
These are both real. The ones you say are fake are in older packaging.
I disagree 100% - first sign they were 1/3 regular price but when fitted and tested they were also all kinds of wrong. Wouldn't intonate because when measured they were nowhere near the thickness each string was supposed to be etc. I don't think you watched the video.
I have found a dozan out of 30 of so fake in my stock and its .032 thirty two thousands
Ive bought 3 sets of these and they are rubbish, the first giveaway was when it unwound it had slight kinks along the length, then you enter intonation hell, I think the real clue I should of spotted is that they were 3 for a tenner. Remember, if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is....
ps...Love the oakcaster
😡 I’ve heard about this , first I’ve actually seen them.
As far as I know 😳
3 packs of ernie ball strings - ebay - fake as fkuc - never buy strings online unless its from a music store. I recieved my 3 fake pacs today. gutted.
Well any purple super slinky should be a dead giveaway lol
$70 for 100 packs fake - sold online for $5 per pack = $500 minus the 70 it cost thats $430 profit. not bad at all. great scam. 430 per month.
And that's before even going on to the fake Elixirs...
45 Minutes for fake strings, why should i bzw fake strings if the originals costs 6.-€ .....
Thanks,.
These are NOT counterfeit, Sam. These are just OLD STOCK. Ernie Ball did not start using the reflective packaging until a few years ago. I still have packs of 10s and 9s purchased from Musician's Friend in bulk in 2010 that are exactly like your "fake" strings. Still not great to buy 10 year old strings, but these are not fakes.
Hi Kyle. How is it then that almost everybody reports that it's impossible to intonate these 'old' strings? And why are these 'old' strings so much out of tolerance gauge-wise? I don't buy it... (well I did lol) but you know what I mean.
The key here is the advertisement for battleofthebands dot com, which hasn't existed since 2016. Ernie ball was the sponsor of this and you could even win an ernie ball "sponsorship" if you won. My 11 year old packs of strings bought from the largest online music retailer in the US are certainly not fake, and have the exact same advertising and markings on them. The packaging has simply changed over the years. You have real strings, they're just old. If they were stored in some warehouse for a decade that could explain the quality issue. The packs I still have are fine and I've had no issues with rust or intonation, but these have been in my house which is climate controlled. I hope this helps!
@@theplacepromised5256 I'm not convinced Kyle but I appreciate your view. This is just as likely that the Chinese factory copied the packaging of the time and just carried on printing... They're not the same quality at all and the difference isn't something that could have happened as a result of time or even moisture / dryness / whatever. I've been using Ernie Ball since before 2016 and never had a problem intonating them or finding them 2/100ths of an inch out. I don't doubt that there ARE batches of old stuff out there, but this isn't it. The Chinese really ARE knocking this stuff out and making a fortune doing it.
I remember the non metallic packets and have old sets unopened as well, although a different gauge therefore different pack colour but also non metallic.
These were purchased individually from a music shop a long time ago.
I even have the clear plastic wallet pack ones as well… what a waste of money, vintage?
I think you may need more substantial evidence Sam!
@@ianhoyle8459 I put a set on a guitar today JUST for 'sacrificial' purposes. The G string unravelled at the ball just TUNING the damned thing up from 'new'. Look, you chaps may have bought old stock strings in the past, but these currently being sold at £10 for 3 are NOT THOSE. These are definitely fake. I've never had an Ernie Ball unravel just tuning up, old or new.
I noticed 2 different colors on my extra slinky strings.
I know I ordered some off Amazon. I went to my local guitar store and the packaging was different.
I was only shopping online due to covid restrictions.
I'll be making sure to go to the store from now on, thanks for spreading the word
Same with counterfeit guitars. DON'T buy them!
I don't.
I’m using Glarry electric guitar, it’s honestly a really good guitar you just need to get Earnie hall strings and a good amp, that’s what I did
just goes to show, you get what you pay for
True enough. I knew they were fake…I wanted to see / experience the actual physical difference.
You missed the elephant in the room How they sound . the proof of the pudding is in the eating, if they sounded better then it would not matter I just bought a few sets from China, and I compared the packaging to the originals
could not discern any different so I thought they weren't fake but when I play guitar I could instantly tell it just did not sound right terrible tone
also, I did notice the strings were a few inches shorter, usually, you cut off quite a bit, but not so for these fakes, which is typical for Chinese products they all have shorter cords to save on wire.
Well yes but only because I didn't leave them on there long enough to play them :)
Great video. I bought a 3 pack off Amazon and they are terrible, think they are deffo counterfeit
Yep. Everything is worth counterfeiting as far as China is concerned; if there's a quid of profit in it, then that's a TON of profit compared to regular, legal margins which are much smaller and usually very stretched. The real villains here are the Amazons and eBays which will stop me using the words 'strat-style' or even 'S-style' when trying to sell one of my custom-made guitars but will happily showcase fake cat-flaps, guitar strings, printer ink, clothes, power supplies - absolutely EVERYTHING and ANYTHING.
12 sets of fake £15 or 12 sets of real = £80 - Fake ones for me any day haha
"amazons choice" are counterfiets
I buy all my ernie ball super slinky 9s from China. $1.50 a set. As good as the originals. Ps ive been playing for 20 years.
LOL....This is funny. Ernie Ball changed there packaging people. They are not fake.
Lol. Yes they are. Either that or Ernie Ball makes an alternative product that some retailers can sell at near half-price and make a profit AND which all have inconsistent diameters and won't intonate properly.
Why does this video take 46 minutes
Did you actually like your own comment as soon as you posted it?
just saw these on aliexpress, ridiculous!
Terrible Audio....
Yep; sorry. I often got stupid interference from my Huawei phone (which I use for watching UA-cam at the workshop) while filming with the iPhone. Also I think my Samson head-mic picks up the iPhone's emissions unless the phone is switched to 'airplane safe' mode with everything off...
I have a completely different opinion about this, which I wrote, but the moderator deleted my comment. That speaks for itself. Just buy the American expensive Erni ball, but Chinese is just as good.
No, these fake Ernie Balls are NOT just as good. I measured them with my digital calipers and they were clearly out in terms of their diameter / thickness and were all over the place as far as intonation goes. That's one dud set out of 1 set of fake EB's tested for the sake of it... vs. hundreds of good genuine Ernie Ball sets (with an occasional 1-in-100 dud string occurrence).
@@SamDeeksRelovedGuitars This is important for professional musicians, but less so for a hobbyist. It's a matter of taste. Don't measure, just use it.
@@szl8852 I'm with you on that principle when it comes to not worrying about specific action measurements etc.. but in practice what happens with these fake strings is that you buy them, put them on and then wonder why they won't intonate properly. That will bother most players, not just pros - at least that's my view on it.
@@SamDeeksRelovedGuitars Sure, you're right. I use the 8s, the strings were a bit rough at the beginning, but after a few days it sounds perfectly fine. My other guitars have original Earni Ball strings, but they don't sound any better either. Of course, this is just my opinion. It's like the Gibson-Epiphone or Fender-Squier case. Whose is this, whose is that.
👍
Oh man you talking trash for me they sound good ,no I think this is a very bad Comparising
I can’t quite believe a real person had nothing better to do than to write this comment. Good, you go and play cheap fake strings that are all different sizes and won’t intonate.
@@SamDeeksRelovedGuitars oh man I saw you ,you are so Strest ,and I am a real person and have a lot of things to do,im thinking you are boring and have nothing more to do than given up on Chinees Product