You're Buying Fake Guitar Strings And You Don't Even Know It.
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 17 ธ.ค. 2018
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It didn't even occur to me that strings would/could be counterfeit. Great tip, thanks.
same, how could anyone do that to music
Every Chinese guitar has a daddario hang tag
They've been doing this for years. And if it says "Made in USA" on the back of the package, it's no guarantee that they're genuine. The counterfeit Gibson Les Pauls say "Made in USA" on them too, right?
I'm surprised they'd even bother faking strings in the first place. Not much money to be made there. I was hoping Phillip would string up a guitar with them... I'm guessing they'd probably break right away.
Me neither. Not like strings are that expensive. Bought a couple of sets of Ernie Balls at Guitar Center for less than $20 for both.
Jared they do it with Chibsons etc. and that’s why we don’t want people buying them and putting them in the market where someone comes along and gets ripped off. From guitars to strings.
Damn! That is the first time I've ever heard of "fake" guitar strings. Thanks for the heads up. Just checked my EVH strings and they are authentic.
Hi Phillip! During the 4 years I was living in China, this was a constant....I got several fake D'Addario strings ( thinking they were original ) and they were rusted, totally...It was indeed difficult to find original strings. There was only a dealer in All Beijing selling original strings. In Shanghai it was better. So every Business Trip to Shanghai turned out to be a " Buying strings " one...Good Video!
@@mC_DiDiDiDiDi D'Addario has an official store on both taobao and JD
@@mC_DiDiDiDiDi the price is basically the same as it would be in the US, but since the whole tariff war thing, it's gone up a bit for most sets that are not the most common ones (.12s, .13s, NYXL…)
Really fake strings. I never even thought to look for that. Thanx Phil.
Neither have I, but the import strings that come with chinese guitar kits are crap - won't hold tune and break easily, so there's probably a lot of money in selling forgeries - especially in multi-packs.
what's next fake picks?
There are fake pics,strings,cables,capo,strap and what not
@@NeungView Holy crap , we have to check everything for authenticity now.
@@PurpleOverdrive id be more concerned about fake cables over fake picks
I got a fake air guitar. I put it down, and now I can't find it again.
@@Agar4Life LOL!
The problem with scanning is you’ve already purchased the strings when you scan the inner packaging. They should put the scan code on the outside packaging so you can scan them in the store.
...but at least you identified the problem and will not make the same mistake
As if some bozo wouldn't walk through the store registering every bar code.
I have never heard of counterfeit strings. This is crazy. Thanks for making this video, Phil!! Cheers!
There's plenty here in Indonesia, i bought D'Addario once, when i enter the SN, they said it is Counterfeit. It still sounds good tho
That rubbery feel is called soft touch. Its applied during the printing process.
Damn !!! Just found out my air guitar is counterfeit .
That's the commie's for ya!
Great video Phil, very informative. Out of all of the various brands of guitar strings out there, I understand that there are really only a handful of string manufacturers and you end up with a group of brands that at their cores are actually sharing the same strings. I was wondering if you could do a video on who the string manufacturers are and if it's appropriate, connect the brands with the manufacturers. I'd be very interested to find out how similar strings really are.
Love the knowledge drops Phil! Great info. Thanks!
You wouldn't think it was worth making counterfeit fuses either. But they are made and, unlike fake guitar strings, they can be lethal.
I dunno, those .09 gauge can be pretty dangerous when they ping. 😉
Brian Pateman yup. Got fake fuses for my Fluke multimeter, they can’t be trusted to hold a bad blow and really can damage your meter
Fake medication as well...It's hard to imagine that mindset... Not caring that you are killing people... Disgusting culture of dishonesty and selfishness.
What keeps me coming back is how honest, humble, and informative you are Phil. Thanks for some of the best guitar content on yt.
Thanks for the video Phillip! Great stuff.
Good video Phil. Here in Bangladesh the shops are filled with counterfeit and fake rusty old string.This video can help a lot of new guitar players.
I'm so glad you addressed this Phil. I'm going to take this a step further and state that in my opinion, MANY Asian factories that build reputable guitar brands are putting counterfeit D'Addario strings on before shipping the final product. I've bought so many inexpensive guitars (SX, LTD, etc.) that had "D'Addario" strings installed which felt, looked, and performed like crap even though they were new. Some of these guitars had the hang tag and some did not, but they all had the multi-colored ball ends.
Phil, thanks soooo much for this video. I found out I have some of these counterfeit strings and I bought them from Amazon. I read more than a few reviews on the site that were blaming D'Addario for the quality of the strings. D'Addario needs to get with Amazon or launch a suit against them for distributing fakes. I had wondered why my strings tarnished so badly after one use.... Thanks for alerting us to this, you really do have some of the most helpful info on this site.
Wow... I am almost certain I have purchased fake strings off Amazon. Great video again, Phil 👍🏻
Great video. I was totally unaware so this was news to me. Thanks for posting.
Wow who knew, I certainly didn't. Thanks Phil
Thank you Philip! Great video, great tip!
Thank you for this video. I never even thought about counterfeit strings.
That was entertaining. Liked. Cool that you bring back those clips of how to say the names🙂
All I can say is WOW would of never thought they had counterfeit strings. I am glad you pointed this out because D’ADDARIO are the only strings I use on my guitars and Basses. Thanks again ✌🏻
This is great Phill, thank you for the info, and i had similar experience, with some Ernie Ball strings i purchased off E-Bay, glad i only bought the 1 pack. Cheers
Thanks Phillip , another great video !!!
Great info Thanks Philip
D'Addario strings come with a code which can be registered on the official brand website. It's called the players circle code and is something of a marketing strategy but does verify the strings as genuine.
Good information, Phil--Thanks! :)
Thanks man really great info.
Hey Phil, thanks for the tip. Can't believe you have to watch your back when buying strings. I recently bought a 10 pack set from amazon and the plastic bag looks exactly the same as the the fake one in your video! I checked the QR code and apparently it's the real deal. I'm kind of relieved but a little bit alarmed still...
I definitely got some counterfeit Ernie Ball strings from Amazon about a year ago. I only stopped to notice when they broke while I was stringing my guitar. o.O
I only buy strings from MF or Sweetwater now.
2:14 you changed your tone
An Alien wearing a Phil-Suit!
Good to know!! I had no idea they were counterfeiting strings as well!!
I still have several (original) set from when I used to get them in cases, in the '80's. Bought from where I worked , at Guitar Trader, in San Diego!
Eye opening and informative as always.
i brought some ernieball super slinky string packs just to try out how they felt but it was worst experience, those strings were not that nice and was showing some weird stuffs like getting pink on the area where i fretted and also they got dead a lot sooner.. i just didn't liked the way they felt and was kinda frustrated with ernieball until later i found out that they were fakes ..
Good stuff, Phil. I had no idea someone would even try this.
You know you can buy them from their website for basically the same price as amazon. Also, I can tell you they're not always vacuum sealed that tightly, unless D'addario has been selling me counterfeits from their site too.
I have strings I have had unopened for years. They always seemed fresh when I opened them. Good find Phil......
Geez. I threw a set of strings on to my last Amazon order to get free shipping. Didn't even think they could be fake. Off to check, thanks Phil!
thanks for the heads-up
Great video and thanks for posting this. Personally I think this is a very important issue and people need to know about it.
At one point, I think D’Addario actually printed a pronunciation guide for their name on some of their string packages.
Yes, the pronunciation was written as Da-Dairy-O.
Thank you Phillip I almost always get my strings at Guitar Center or Sam Ash Music when they go on sale or when they have a buy in bulk special
Wowo! Who would of known? I didnt know there were knock off strings. I used Daddario exclusively. Thanks Phil, your the man!
This is why I'm glad I switched to Stringjoy strings. You buy them straight from the manufacturer and they leave a handwritten note thanking you for purchasing their strings.
Whoa! Ive heard it all now, lol!
Thanks Phil, very informative!
Thank you for the video. I just learned the D’Addatio strings I bought from Amazon were counterfeit. I won’t make this mistake again.
These days so many fake guitar strings, they're copying the most branded guitar string.
How do we spot a counterfeit Phillip McKnight or a fake Know Your Gear? Lol thank you Phil!
Scan the QR code on the back of Phil's head ;)
@@colinfalcon-original .... It says agent 47.
Out of maybe 20 years using D'Addario strings I have had only one string with a flaw that caused it to break when I tuned it to pitch while restring.
i've never bought counterfeit strings but i did buy some never heard of it off brand bass strings off amazon (it was a cheapo bass i was trying to get rid of and the strings on it were nasty) the A string broke the core wire about 2" from the bridge while trying to do the initial tuning
wouldn't be surprised if a counterfeit set of strings would be the same garbage with brand name labeling on the package
good thing i just get them from a local shop or guitar center when i need strings for guitars i'm keeping
This is good to know....but im in canada... have not seen knock off strings...never knew
I live in SE Asia, and I have not come across fake strings yet through my 20 years of playing guitar from brands like D'addario, Ernie Ball, Dunlop and Fender. I guess it helps that I buy them in store from reputable music stores over here. Knowing that the fakes exist is properly scary though, Phillip. Thanks for raising awareness.
This is a pretty big problem for orchestral string players too. We usually put Thomastik Peter Infeld strings on my son's violin. If I buy locally, they are about $135 per set. Amazon carries them for $76. I don't believe there is any way to account for such a price difference other than the cheaper ones being fake.
try strings and beyond
My local shop has the Thomastik Peter Infeld 4/4 Violin Strings for $111 per set. The Amazon ones are probably fake, but I'd still recommend shopping around for a better deal.
I bought some EVH strings from an eBay store once, and noticed the package had some small differences from other sets I've had. I was wondering if they were counterfeit or not but figured who would make knock off strings.
I too have had rusty fake strings. I'm sure some small shops unwittingly stock fakes. This includes Ernie Ball fakes. Also rusty. I worry more about this fake trend finding its way into medical supplies.
Sure, the small stores that die from bad reputation stock them. There won't be any small guitar stores left if you don't spent any money in them. The big players are just storage companies. The most fake shit today is sold via Amazon, Ebay and AliExpress.
Yeah, the off brand viagra business has been huge since forever.
Huge. Tihi.
For quite some time, there have been counterfeit pharmaceuticals out there--you have to be very careful---it is one of the main reasons I would advise against buying any prescription medications online---as to medical equipment--yes that too is out there on the second hand market--something mainly doctors' offices/hospitals have to worry about---when buying equipment (hospital beds, exam tables, etc) Sometimes equipment is actually stolen from hospitals (even by employees) and sold online--has happened on eBay (be aware that hospitals do track serial numbers on their hospital inventory--and I have heard of cases where such an item was sold on eBay and then buyer when they received item, found it to be non-functional and called the manufacturer to inquire about warranty/repair--the manufacturer asked for the serial number on item and looked up in their records as to who purchased it from them, and discovered it was likely stolen--contacted the hospital who originally purchased it--and amazingly, employee who stole it was discovered and fired. ) As to implanted medical devices such as pacemakers, spinal stimulators, orthopedic hardware, etc, this stuff is not so easy to counterfeit (kind of expensive to make) and is not something that a layperson would search for to purchase for themselves online--unless you are into doing your own hip replacement surgery at home. (I used to collect antique American made railroad grade pocket watches--one great thing about that was that making fakes would be so expensive and labor intensive, it is not profitable to do so--you just have to educate yourself to know when you are looking at a watch if it is real and whole--many times each major part of movement has serial number of watch engraved on it--still had to worry about some dishonest sellers trying to assemble a watch from a mis-mash of parts from even different models of watch made by same company, to resemble an expensive rare model) One great wise piece of advise I learned from a very well known and reputable collector/author about these watches also applies to collecting valuable musical instruments/gear----knowledge about what you are collecting, is worth a lot of money it will save you from buying fake/counterfeit items--the only substitute for knowledge is money, and large amounts of it. So like Phil says, Know your Gear!!! Medical (implantable) devices are actually purchased by the hospitals themselves who will as a rule go thru reputable vendors (At least in the US where hospitals have to cover themselves for liability if they purchase a fake or overtly defective product and therefore would not likely seek to purchase such items from a shady or less than reputable vendor.) Most of this type of material is purchased directly from the US manufacturer--ie Medtronics or St Judes for Cardiac pacmakers, Depuy , Ortho Sythes, etc for orthopedic implants, etc. It is really Caveat Emptor if one decides to try to save a few bucks and go abroad for surgical procedures--witness what happened to the poor woman from Texas who went to Mexico to have some plastic surgery done, and wound up brain dead from likely receiving an overdose of spinal anesthetic. Know Your Gear---know where you are getting your equipment and from whom you are getting your medical care.
Rock On!!!! Gregory Hall MD
Thanks for the scanner tip.
Hi Phil, Thanks for this report! I bought a bunch of Ernie Ball strings from Amazon, and although I do not have evidence of it, I suspect they were fakes. They were short lived when changed, and often had rust pitting, even out of the package. It’s the last time I try and get a bargain on strings!
I have a set of conterfeit Elixir string, the package looks legit but the string are not coated !
Ah, now I know why my last set of strings turned colors and made my hands smell like metal. I also have to wonder if these fakes don't drive the concept that strings need to be replaced every third song ...
Wow! I have seen A LOT of your videos and somehow missed this one. I almost always buy my strings from Amazon and D'Addario are the strings I buy. After seeing this I am certain I have been swindled but just thought I received a set that somehow missed quality control. I just ordered some strings today, before seeing this video. If they don't pass the QR test I'll send them back. Thanks!
Now I'm joining everyone else in checking my strings...never heard of this issue before!
I always get my strings from Strings by Mail, they even carry individual strings for customizing sets.
*I've been playing D'Addario strings for more years than I'd like to admit... Great strings, however, to check the authenticity of my strings they require access to my phone, cookies, shopping and personal information, etc... What a load of crap! All I want to do is check my strings!* Screw Chinese counterfeiters!
What amuses me about it is this faking happens in the special economic zones. China set up capitalist enclaves where it is almost 100% unregulated 'get the government out of my way' stuff that I hear some in the USA calling for. The zones are how they comply with WTO rules on having a market economy, free trade and private ownership, while they still have all the rest of China where things are not so WTO friendly due to being heavily regulated and public owned etc. I do not think China will crack down very much inside those enclaves because the zones are supposed to be laissez faire (it's part of their one country, two systems policy). I think they should though. It casts a shadow over the products made there that are good (like my Laney guitar amp and my audio interface, my LG monitor and hardware inside my computer, my vodka still, or my pizza oven, etc, etc).
p.s. Japan had similar issues with copying when it was an up and coming unregulated economy. The law suit guitars are one example. They had their own names on them most of the time though, so it was not as deceitful. No internet back then either, so it was not as easily to setup up a faking operation and find lots of punters like it is now.
@@aquilarossa5191 Not as easy to expose it to so many "suckers" either. Oh, BTW... Vodka still?
I don't get the point to make fake strings because many people buy strings from music stores brand new anyway. Of course price is lower maybe and that can get some peoples to buy fake, but i have never bought strings from outside music stores, never even though about it. Thanks for information, Philip!
Hey Phil, I just got a set of d'addario half rounds 11-49 from d'addarrio via amazon.. the package was just plain printed design.. not waxy or textured feel. It also says made in usa not ny on the front. the strings pack aren't vacuum packed. I checked the players circle code and the site confirmed it's a valid pack. Weird.. I also checked some of the 3 set packs of 10s and 9s I've had for a while (also ordered from amazon) and they also don't have the waxy coating or vacuum bags. But their codes are valid. Maybe what you say applies for acoustic strings?
the 9s and 10s are regular round wound strings.
You're great Phil thanks
I got a packet if Martin acoustic strings; I believe they were light gauge, phosphor bronze. However, when I opened them, they were all yellow and dull like you showed here!! I thought it was cuz maybe I got a different type of strings or something but nope, they were the same ones I always got! I paid the same price for dull, ultra mellow strings. I was peeved
I bought fender bullets online that were fakes. they didn't have the bullet ends. very useful video. thanks phil.
I usually buy strings for my local music shop or strings direct I only go to my local if I need a standard set but if I need certain gauges I order from strings direct they have wide ranges of single strings from different companies so if you live in the UK and are looking for particular gauges I couldn't reccomend them more
Hi Phil, I bought a couple months this strings and they were terrible, 2 of them snap when I was running at the first time. Know I see that they where identical compare to this fake ones. Thanks a lot, never gonna buy at the store I bought again...
5:00 Counterfiet looks like bronze 80/20 when original has a pink shade, what is typical for Phosphor-broze.
If you have a set of non counterfeits, compare the twists on the ball ends to the suspected counterfeits. The twists won't be the same. When I was in retail and stringing a lot of guitars tell which makers made which strings by knowing the different twist patterns.
I admit that I buy 99 cent packs of strings from China on Ebay to have back up skinny E strings if I break one on a new set while stretching them. The ones I buy, however do NOT have actual known brand names on them. Likely the same strings used in those counterfeit packages, I'm guessing.
We've even seen counterfeit merch!!! This is getting out of hand. I'm wondering if this is the real Phillip McKnight channel? hmm.. cheers man :) good vid
This helpful. Thanks^^
Thanks so much. 👍🏻😎
Phill, it's really funny - I used to register my codes from Daddario, strings bought from the official & biggest dealer in my country. The last time, like an year ago, I bought Daddarios I had the same issue with the code.. Go figure... I don't believe the store is buying fakes, but it was not a nice surprise to register the code & see that. They are not cheap strings at all.
I've definitely bought fake D'Addario's on eBay without realising before. I bought a few packs of 10s on eBay about a year ago and they felt like 8s! I was super disappointed, they were really cheap but totally not worth it. I wouldn't have bought them if I'd known they were fake 😕
Great video, very helpful!
Good grief. I never would have thought of that. Thanks.
I actually did get nailed on some fake Ernie Ball strings. As you say, you can tell by the spelling and packaging usually. The seal on genuine strings say "Ball's Are Better" whereas the fakes don't have the apostrophe. "Balls Are Better."
Thank you for the correct pronunciation of D'Addario!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Watching this because I keep having problems over the last years or so with EXL110 gauge high E strings from D'addario winding themselves off the ball end (the twist that holds it together just unravels and lets go from the Les Paul stop bar). I also had one that had a tiny blob of nickel plating, which is something I had never seen before. I wondered, but they definitely do not seem fake according to your info. They also came from shops who are licensed dealers.
I contacted them about it asking if they have a manufacturing problem, because I am not the only one I know of who is having this issue with them. They only offered to replace my strings, but that's not what I wanted. I was hoping they would look at it and fix the problem before it becomes a problem for their reputation (I have had it happen so many times it is not a freak occurrence or one bad batch. It's a design and manufacturing issue, I am sure).
I am back on this topic because it just happened again a few minutes ago. The problem is immediately apparent after changing the strings because the string will not hold in tune and goes flat. The high E will go flat over and over until it winds itself off the ball end. D'addario is the only brand I have ever had this happen with, and only in the last year or so.
I've had the same problem with D'Addario strings unwinding from the ball ends. I've also got Martin acoustic strings which are probably fake as they rust within hours. For my electrics, I use Fender strings now - I just like 'em!
Interesting...I got a set of elixirs online...the box was I bit different from previous ones I had bought from a shop... the strings felt like very cheap and worse than an old well used set of genuine ones....
Of all the things to counterfeit, strings!! Wow. This would really suck ending up with fake ones.
I bought a bunch on Wish for €2 per pack and noticed they felt sticky and went dead in a few days. Never thought they were counterfits! Crazy.
Many companies say the make their own products but they get the materials from other countries...the question is Does D'Addario make their wire in house or they get it from overseas?
leftystrings actually many US companies receive materials from outside our boarders but they still maintain a strict quality control on these materials. The issue comes from unlicensed sources faking an American product. This is why Squier and Epiphone, and even Fender Mexico have good quality products because of the manufacturing licenses and agreements these factories have with Gibson and Fender who set the quality and parameters these foreign factories are required to follow or loose their biggest market.
Another way to tell fakes from real is that Authentic D'addario strings all come with a 'Players Circle' code on them that you enter and get points towards gear.
I'm glad to make the drive down I-17 to the Peoria Guitar Center. Less hassle.
I accidentally bought fake Elixirs from a local shop once. Rusted in a week or two which got me really surprised. The guys at the shop didn't have a clue since they weren't usually stocking Elixir. It was a long time ago but I can't seem to force myself to buy locally anymore, now I only order strings via Thomann.
Good tips to spot fake strings. It seems we have to scrutinize everything we buy due to so many fakes flooding the market.
Thanks for sharing this. Also, I like saying D'Addario the old way, LOL!
I use Dean Markley's 'Blue Steel'. They're like $6 at Guitar Center. D'Addario strings are about the same price. Why would anyone counterfeit strings when they're that inexpensive to begin with?
Say it with me Phil...'the..dar...ee...oh'. Good man. Proud of ya! Great vid btw!!!
What are the reputable companies you suggest? Any sellers through Amazon?
Never even heard of this! Crazy!
The messed up part is they printed made in USA on the cardboard paper but had to print made in China on the cellophane wrapper must of been some loophole for exporting but they copy everything like at machining trade shows and elsewhere you would see a group and one of the men would stand by a product with their business card out in their hand and have their picture taken they then could reference dimensions using the cards known sizes I know they reproduce a lot of the old IK Multimedia I rigs and put IK Multimedias name and everything on them same with straps cables anything at all
Thank you🙏