Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum
Forum Ringside => Guitars, Amps and Effects => Topic started by: big steve on September 22, 2005, 05:59:34 PM
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what's the cheapest place to get strings posted to the UK? i'm sick of £5 a pack shop price. there are a few reasonably good sites for buying in bulk, but what's the best? i would probably be ordering about 20 sets of d'addario 10 EXLs. www.stringthis.com has very good prices, even with shipping to the UK the price for 15 sets is $75 which is about 40-45 quid instead of 75. trouble is, there is a risk of getting stuck for import tax
(sometimes you get taxed, sometimes the package slips through. this has happened a couple of times ordering from www.empirebmx.com - it's harsh enough - £9 tax on a $55 order, but then a fiver of that was royal mail "holding charges" or whatever they call it :evil: )
what's y'alls experiences? the 25 for $59 pack on MF makes me green with envy - it has free shipping, i'm considering getting a friend in the states to get one and post it to me....
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www.axesrus.co.uk - £4 a pack for fender bullets, free next day postage and discounts for bulk orders
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would anyone else (preferably skint teenagers living in the UK) be interested in clubbing together so we can get a bigger order?
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Strings Direct, a tenner for a 3 pack of D'Addarios and bulk discounts on other large orders. www.newstrings.co.uk are worth a look at. I've tried some of their gear and can't really fault it. If you're into named brands of strings, like Fender, Gibson etc just think about the premium you're paying for all those guys sitting on their arses in PR and marketing when all you're really getting is the stock stuff from the big, often nameless, string manufacturers.
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what's the cheapest place to get strings posted to the UK? i'm sick of £5 a pack shop price. there are a few reasonably good sites for buying in bulk, but what's the best? i would probably be ordering about 20 sets of d'addario 10 EXLs. www.stringthis.com has very good prices, even with shipping to the UK the price for 15 sets is $75 which is about 40-45 quid instead of 75. trouble is, there is a risk of getting stuck for import tax
(sometimes you get taxed, sometimes the package slips through. this has happened a couple of times ordering from www.empirebmx.com - it's harsh enough - £9 tax on a $55 order, but then a fiver of that was royal mail "holding charges" or whatever they call it :evil: )
what's y'alls experiences? the 25 for $59 pack on MF makes me green with envy - it has free shipping, i'm considering getting a friend in the states to get one and post it to me....
I usually buy from the States in packs of ten (D'Addario 10's) and they work out at about £28-29 inc shipping and they come in a jiffy bag and I've never been skunked for tax yet :D
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Used to use stringbusters.com
Now using www.stringsdirect.co.uk because of how I was treated by stringbustsers. Basically, they missed some stuff off my order, and then sent me the rest incorrectly. To add insult to injury, one of the ebony bridge pins I ordered was also cracked in this follow up order.. I wasn't best pleased!
Have never had issues with stringsdirect.co.uk - I've seen some of your reviews there as well, Bob :D
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custom79, what site do you use?
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£5 a pack!
thats cheap as chips isnt it?
My local shops sell at £7.50+ depeding on the gauge\brand :E
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£5 a pack is the cheapest a local shop gets, for d'addarios. elixirs etc are naturally more expensive
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My local only about 12 miles away! sells Ernie Ball's for £6.50, and I think they were the cheapest sets they had.
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custom79, what site do you use?
I use these http://stores.ebay.co.uk/MusicWonderland-UK originally an eBay purchase but now I buy direct and you get money off each time you order. Their prices have gone up a pound or two since I last used them.
My mates shop sells D'Addarios at £5.50 for a set of tens, he said he'll sell them to me for £3 a set to keep my custom :lol:
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:D Hi Steve i use strings direct there great ! i order 10 packs of GHS Boomers at a time it costs £ 3.60 a pack. Next day delivery check`em out
:D 8)
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www.cheapstrings.co.uk
Hard to beat usually. £2 postage whatever the size of the order. D'Addarios £3.09 a set
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I really like the service from http://www.stringbusters.com/. Great selection at reasonable prices.
If you're after valves as well as EH effects & other stuff, try http://www.hotroxuk.com/. I think they offer one of the best services in the UK for musicians, great deals on all sorts of kit. Cool.
IMO FWIW.
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:O those prices for that ebay shop are the best yet! 30.95 shipped for 10 sets, thanks for the link man.
maybe buying in bulk actually costs more in the long run, since if you have 20 packs of strings sitting in the house you're more likely to change them more often...
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maybe buying in bulk actually costs more in the long run, since if you have 20 packs of strings sitting in the house you're more likely to change them more often...
I agree, even though I have three PRS my 79 LP Custom is getting some serious play time and I'm changing strings every week which is a first for me as it's a job I hate to do but I've got plenty in the house.
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If you do the sums none of the recommended string vendors comes out as an outright winner. Each one has advantages depending on how many sets you buy. I guess the thing to do is use a different supplier in each case. Who knows if you keep them on their toes prices might actually come down!
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buying from the US is still by far the cheapest though, as long as you don't get skunked for tax.
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Steve, if you've avoided VAT and tax so far good luck; personally I've been wacked every time. And that's not just the ton of guiter parts I've bought but mountain bike parts and PC bits for personal use as well.
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Steve, if you've avoided VAT and tax so far good luck; personally I've been wacked every time. And that's not just the ton of guiter parts I've bought but mountain bike parts and PC bits for personal use as well.
Ditto...fedex just lifted £14 off me for a package worth $50!
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i've had a $50 parcel (that contained goods to the cost of $135...) slip through the cracks, but had £9 a pop taken for two $55 (yeah right) packages.
it's nice that american businesses will write a lower than actual value to get me out of playing import duty.
*is forcibly removed for interrogation be HM Customs and Excise agents