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Thomastik Bensons 12's are now $55 on Sweetwater and Stringsbymail.Bebops are up in price too.I'm assuming this is from tariffs.If you dig these strings,you might want to stock up from the dealers that have not raised their prices yet.
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08-13-2025 03:20 PM
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They are real nice strings but, for me they don't last all that long to pay that kind of money regardless of the reason.
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My experience has been the opposite,i usually can get a good year out of them but i do change the b and e string every 4 months or so.The $55 price is getting into the insane category.I usually hate hex core strings but i got Chromes on Amazon for $12 last year and i have to say i like them a lot,better than when i tried them years ago..
Originally Posted by skiboyny
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Thomastik-Infeld George Benson Nickel Flat Wound Jazz Guitar Strings GB112 Flat Wound 12-53
Not sure if these are your strings, but if so a bit cheaper (and free shipping).
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You don't say which "$" you're referring to and I'm not au fait with exchange rates anyway, but in Europe the Bensons cost €33 and the Swings €18-19 (from Thomann), which is a reasonable price for the latter.
Ironically, I've always used D'Addarios for flats, but they cost quite a bit more than TIs here, so I can see a change to these on the horizon, despite their "unusual" gauges.
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I pointed out in my original post that they are still cheaper on other sites for now which is why i said you may want to stock up now before the price increases.If Sweetwater and StringsbyMail have increased their price that much it's only a matter of time before the others do. Originally Posted by bmw2002
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The Benson GB112 flats are still $42.09 on Strings & Beyond, but Strings by Mail, Sweetwater, and M&A are now $55. I just ordered 3 sets of the Bensons from S&B. Fortunately, I still have 5 or 6 sets of GB114s for my 16" and 17" archtops. But I put a set of 12s that I had in my string box on the El Rey, and (big surprise!) they're excellent. I like the thinner ones on the little 14" because they bend a good bit easier and get a richer finger vibrato with less effort. They sound great for blues and fusion in addition to straight ahead jazz. Originally Posted by nyc chaz
I'm sure glad to hear that inflation is way down and we're getting a huge tax cut
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Well since Sweetwater and StringbyMail are in the U.S.,i'm talking U.S dollars.Of course they are cheaper in Europe,there is no U.S. tariff on them and i'll say again i'm assuming this price increase in the states is tariff driven.If someone else knows differently please chime in. Originally Posted by Peter C
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Inflation is higher than that 2.7 percent number that was put out the other day.If you buy anything electronic or in the audio realm,prices went up on many things between 15 and 30 percent at the end of April and it's stayed there. Originally Posted by nevershouldhavesoldit
The Benson GB112 flats are still $42.09 on Strings & Beyond, but Strings by Mail, Sweetwater, and M&A are now $55. I just ordered 3 sets of the Bensons from S&B. Fortunately, I still have 5 or 6 sets of GB114s for my 16" and 17" archtops. But I put a set of 12s that I had in my string box on the El Rey, and (big surprise!) they're excellent. I like the thinner ones on the little 14" because they bend a good bit easier and get a richer finger vibrato with less effort. They sound great for blues and fusion in addition to straight ahead jazz.
I'm sure glad to hear that inflation is way down and we're getting a huge tax cut
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My experience has been that TI flats last a very long time. They are my favourite strings for electric guitars. They have always been expensive and even a little hard to find here in Canada. When I have been able to find them at a decent price, I have stocked up on them. I have enough in the drawer to last a few years! Originally Posted by nyc chaz
Keith
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Same here.2 years ago i had a chance to get Bensons for $26 and Swings and Bebops for $20.I bought 16 sets, so between them and some Dogals and Chromes i also have,it will be a long time before i need anymore flatwounds. Originally Posted by floatingpickup
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I'd never buy any string set for these prices.
Try to keep them in a sealed box away from moisture. After a year or two they will lose the intonation even if left in the original packaging, since it's not sealed.I bought 16 sets, so between them and some Dogals and Chromes i also have,it will be a long time before i need anymore flatwounds.
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At $55 they are too much for sure but I like them. I tried on flatwounds on my Hollenbeck and used them for 2 years and completely intontate and were fine. I finally just change them for a different sound of pure nickle. So based on longevity they are good. I use the roundwound bebops 13-53 for many guitar.
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The set on my John Pisano have been on the guitar nearly two years and I play them every day. I bought a fresh set from Sweetwater about 6 weeks ago thinking I'd replace them but they still sound great and feel like silk. Think I'll take another trip around the sun with them. Same strings are on two other electric archtops and going strong. I will pay the price whatever it is when the time comes. I haven't found an alternative that I like.
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i can believe that the bottom 4 strings still sound good at the 2 year mark.Do you change the b and e strings because i have not found any top string like that lasting 2 years from play everyday.I always change the top strings every couple of months,in fact i buy generic brand strings from Musicians Friend.A set of 12 costs less than one single Thomastik string and soundwise i can't hear a difference. Originally Posted by Bflat233
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I’m approaching 2 years with the same GB114s on the archtop I gigged with at least twice a week and practiced on every day, and they’re still excellent. The JS113s on my 16” & 17” carved archies are well over 2 years. I play one or the other every day, but I don’t gig with them much. Originally Posted by nyc chaz
I change E1 and B strings every 3 to 4 months, but I use bulk plain steel strings that run about $1 each. The 0.075” Chromes I use for the 7th last until intonation starts to go. On average, they last between 3 and 4 years.
GB112s are now $55 at MF too. But I think they’re the absolute best strings I’ve ever used - and I don’t believe that there is an absolute best of very much. The Bensons sound fantastic, feel incredibly smooth and responsive, and make my guitars come alive. I just love ‘em! JS113s are very close, and I still have several sets I got on sale before deciding to try a set of Bensons despite being offended by the price. But the 114 Bensons really woke up my laminated 16”. So the 113s go on the carved top 16 & 17, and the 112s go on the carved 14.
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I too only change the plain strings when needed. I have plenty of plain strings in a sealed box.
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I'm curious about how others know when a set needs changing. I haven't had issues with rust on the wound strings. Sometimes there is breakage but not often. They shouldn't get dirty with proper care.
Has anyone made high fidelity recordings with spectral analysis to show loss of sustain or brightness?
Curious.
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What does this mean? It was my understanding Intonation is something you adjust at the bridge, not a property of the string. Originally Posted by Alter
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A point of view from: Originally Posted by SoftwareGuy
Why Do Guitar Strings Lose Intonation as They Age?
"So what's really going on here?
Over the course of a string's life all of the stresses and strains it encounters and all the sweat gunk, and dirt that it accumulates takes its toll, and over that time that string will change a little bit. This could be little things like that string getting kinked or ground down around a fret. It could be just the string becoming a little bit uneven as it's elongated constantly, or just developing a lot of microcracks, which occur from being constantly fatigued—even when it's not going past enough pressure for the string to break, it's still wearing to down a little bit. Over the course of time all of these different factors add up to make your string uneven over the course of its length. Even if it started out perfectly even it's not going to be that way by the end of its life. For example, you'll have a lot more sweat on your strings across fretboard than you will at the area that's not over the fretboard, as just one example. The result of all this is that instead of looking for the resonance of a perfectly uniform string across the entire length of the scale, in the real world you have a string that has some thicker points, or some more worn down points, so it resonates a little bit unevenly, and that string is going to intonate differently at different positions on the fretboard than a string that is perfectly uniform. So this, by the way, is the reason why you always set your intonation with a new set of strings, because you're ideally not going to have any of those issues that can happen over time effecting it and you'll be setting it to the proper point to get the ideal intonation. But over time no matter what strings you're using these sorts of problems are going to cause it to not intonate well at the 12th fret or really any other fret for that matter."
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Tariffs?
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Mostly if I wait long enough they do not intonate well and will be especially out of tune when I first pick up the guitar. It will be that they are not smooth and rough in general. If you take them off and look at the string in the right light you will see all the intended fret position. This starts happen right away but at some point it effect the playing and sound. Once it gets to that point the whole process accelerates since already smaller diameter at the fret positions. That said I have had flatwound strings go well over 2 years before they get anywhere near worn. I bought some GHS rollerwound strings and I like them ok but they seem to go dead pretty fast. Thomastiks are good at lasting. Originally Posted by Marty Grass
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I haven't changed the B or E strings. And I am practicing every day alone for a couple of hours, twice a week with a combo, gigging whenever I can. I am recording, too. I play with the tone rolled off to soften the higher frequencies so that could account for my preference for older and well used strings. My least favorite tones are those after putting on a set of new strings. Originally Posted by nyc chaz
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Tariffs equal import tax on business and consumers.It's been on news a lot lately. Originally Posted by Gustavo Eiriz
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This is probably more the norm around here hence the reports of such long lasting strings. Nickel on the whole is much warmer than stainless. I am opposite my most favorite tone is about 3 hrs old. I want to hear the strings ring even if they are flat. Could be my body chemistry, could be how I hear, or more likely a combination of both. The Thomastiks don't last as long for me as most report. I find the chromes to be longer lasting by a lot. I do prefer the nickel sound though. Always compromises. Originally Posted by Bflat233
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