PSA Amazon selling fake Ernie Balls

Bod

Blueingreen said:

To put things in perspective, I've bought nearly all my strings from Amazon for many years without any issues.

Same.  I use D'Addarios though and, as stated already, it's easy to check if they're knock-offs via the authenticity code and the Player's Circle points.

Philly_Q

allen said:

I have recently found out that D'Addarios have a code in them that you can put into the website. I am assuming that this means you can check authenticity.

Dumb question I'm sure, but could the fakers not just copy a genuine code which would come up as legit?  Or does the system have a way of knowing that a code has already been used and checked?

Philtre

Philly_Q said:

allen said:

I have recently found out that D'Addarios have a code in them that you can put into the website. I am assuming that this means you can check authenticity.

Dumb question I'm sure, but could the fakers not just copy a genuine code which would come up as legit?  Or does the system have a way of knowing that a code has already been used and checked?

I bought some fake D'Addarios once and the codes were OK on the checker site.

NelsonP

Danny1969 said:

Amazon don't generally give a shit, even when people are selling dangerous fake electronics that could kill someone.

My company used to sell around 35K's worth of genuine laptop batteries and chargers every fortnight on Amazon (that was when you got paid, every fortnight.) All was good. 

Then using a backdoor method in Amazons UPC coding system resellers began importing fake versions from China and selling them on Amazon, undercutting our genuine products because the fakes had none of the EMF shielding, over current protection etc so were much cheaper to produce. 

I wrote to Amazon, I showed them examples of these fakes I had brought from their site, even showed an internal view of a charger that fell apart after being dropped less than 30cm onto a worktop. 

They weren't interested in the slightest and we had to withdraw from the market and leave the fakers to it. 

A friend of mine bought a replacement laptop battery on Amazon (marketplace). It caught fire while recharging, then exploded, showering her kitchen in fiery pieces of exploding battery. Luckily she managed to extinguish it before it burned her house down, but not before it had also burned her quite badly.

She wrote to Amazon and the fobbed her off. Clearly could not give a crap. They told her to pick it up directly with the vendor, who was based in China, which was impossible as he'd already disappeared.

Another big tech win.

ToneControl

Offset said:

ToneControl said:

I'm glad I use Elixir, it's easy to look with a magnifying glass on the thickest strings, you can easily see the coating

I purchased a set of Nanoweb and a set of Optiweb to try out.  I'm about to fit a set to a guitar - what's the difference between the two??? 

a bit more treble on opti by the sound of the adverts

Sound Experience | Elixir® Strings (elixirstrings.com)

KevS

Sorry to hear you got counterfeits..Another risk of internet shopping..

I bought a Levy's Leather Strap,it wasn't cheap but under £100..,I was so bowled over by the quality,,I bought another that is a half inch wider for my 10lb Les Paul,,it stank of boot polish on opening,it still does, the craftsmanship is abysmal,,the cut of leather is crap..Same type of price range as the first one...It does work as a strap,but compared to the first strap,,it is a joke, functional,don't know how long it will last..I try not to get angry these days,I just let it go...I was going to put up a post about it,I feel that this happened from Amazon's laziness..I normally try and buy non animal products,but length,grip and padding weren't served by other straps..I have other straps,,Levy's No 1 Stretch..This strap I had to order..The extra long is medium,,I am a big guy...Lots of padding in this strap..Anyway this isn't about straps..Sorry.

First time I used Amazon a bait and switch was done with me on a phono stylus..This unfortunately is far too common and many,seller's don't care...It didn't track at twice the downforce of the original..It was completely useless and a record wrecker..
It wasn't expensive..I did complain,but the seller continued to do what He/She was doing..

With strings I have seen a couple of videos and articles online about knock offs...I buy from establishments that have too much to use by selling counterfeit goods...Well established music shops etc..I'm finding String's Direct a bit pricier than most these days...

A pedal from China didn't arrive from Amazon recently..I wouldn't buy from Ali Express..
Not snobbery..I am a pessimist..

I do find some of the cheap Chinese effects pedals,,great fun for in the house,,many sound great..
I have no idea of longevity..Or if putting in a new switch is even possible..Pity as I said some sound great..
Went sort of off topic,,but there are bargains on Amazon too..

My strap though,,even the padding inside it is squint,plus it moves about..If it had been £15 not £80 ish I think it was,,it wouldn't have been as bad...

I buy D'Addario strings,,most often from Northwest Guitars..They can get sold out though..
I don't think they are a big concern...

Blueingreen

Offset said:

ToneControl said:

I'm glad I use Elixir, it's easy to look with a magnifying glass on the thickest strings, you can easily see the coating

I purchased a set of Nanoweb and a set of Optiweb to try out.  I'm about to fit a set to a guitar - what's the difference between the two??? 

I don’t know the technical difference but Optiwebs came later and were supposed to feel less like a coated string. I think they achieve that and slightly prefer them, but I have no problem with how Nanowebs feel so it’s very marginal. I’ve found the price difference fluctuates a bit - if they are around the same price I’d go for Optiweb but if there’s a couple of quid difference on a packet as there sometimes seems to be I’d go Nanoweb.

Neil

I buy my strings from reddansette on ebay. A pukka guitar shop, good prices and nary a problem. 

crunchman

Blueingreen said:

Offset said:

ToneControl said:

I'm glad I use Elixir, it's easy to look with a magnifying glass on the thickest strings, you can easily see the coating

I purchased a set of Nanoweb and a set of Optiweb to try out.  I'm about to fit a set to a guitar - what's the difference between the two??? 

I don’t know the technical difference but Optiwebs came later and were supposed to feel less like a coated string. I think they achieve that and slightly prefer them, but I have no problem with how Nanowebs feel so it’s very marginal. I’ve found the price difference fluctuates a bit - if they are around the same price I’d go for Optiweb but if there’s a couple of quid difference on a packet as there sometimes seems to be I’d go Nanoweb.

I think Polyweb were the original ones that feel absolutely horrible.  The Optiweb and Nanoweb aren't as bad, but they still have a zingy top end to the tone that I don't like.

Maybe I press a bit too hard on the strings, but after a while, you start to see bits of the plastic coating hanging off of coated strings where they contact the frets.  With my body chemistry, I don't kill strings, so I steer clear of coated ones.  It's also marginally less microplastics getting into the environment.

It does depend on your body chemistry.  I once lent a guitar to someone for a weekend, and the strings came back black.  I could have kept them on there for a year and played it every day and they wouldn't have ended up like that.  If you have that kind of body chemistry they are worth it.

Maybe you will like the tone, and you have a lighter touch and won't kill them against the frets.  See how you get on but coated strings aren't for everyone.

Offset

Thanks for the info @crunchman @Blueingreen @ToneControl ;

Blueingreen

crunchman said:

Blueingreen said:

Offset said:

ToneControl said:

I'm glad I use Elixir, it's easy to look with a magnifying glass on the thickest strings, you can easily see the coating

I purchased a set of Nanoweb and a set of Optiweb to try out.  I'm about to fit a set to a guitar - what's the difference between the two??? 

I don’t know the technical difference but Optiwebs came later and were supposed to feel less like a coated string. I think they achieve that and slightly prefer them, but I have no problem with how Nanowebs feel so it’s very marginal. I’ve found the price difference fluctuates a bit - if they are around the same price I’d go for Optiweb but if there’s a couple of quid difference on a packet as there sometimes seems to be I’d go Nanoweb.

I think Polyweb were the original ones that feel absolutely horrible.  The Optiweb and Nanoweb aren't as bad, but they still have a zingy top end to the tone that I don't like.

Maybe I press a bit too hard on the strings, but after a while, you start to see bits of the plastic coating hanging off of coated strings where they contact the frets.  With my body chemistry, I don't kill strings, so I steer clear of coated ones.  It's also marginally less microplastics getting into the environment.

It does depend on your body chemistry.  I once lent a guitar to someone for a weekend, and the strings came back black.  I could have kept them on there for a year and played it every day and they wouldn't have ended up like that.  If you have that kind of body chemistry they are worth it.

Maybe you will like the tone, and you have a lighter touch and won't kill them against the frets.  See how you get on but coated strings aren't for everyone.

I've never played Polyweb so can't comment.

I don't kill conventional strings quickly, but Elixirs still last way, way longer.  I do have a light touch and have never had the plastic coating come off in many years of exclusively using coated strings.

I was first sold on Elixir because they meant fewer string changes but now I just prefer them from every point of view.  No doubt familiarity plays a big part.  The only time I've had uncoated strings on guitars in recent years is when I've bought a guitar.  Honestly, I replace them immediately even though I feel a bit guilty about the waste of bunging a new set of strings in the bin. It's a new guitar, I'm excited to play it, and I'm impatient to know how it will feel with the "right" strings.

hollywoodrox

Yes The Ernie Ball Store is the answer .
  If it’s good enough for Keef ,Jimmy ,,Slash n Eric 

hollywoodrox

Keith doesn’t use a standard set though I think he has a custom set 11 - 42 

StuartMac290

hollywoodrox said:

Keith doesn’t use a standard set though I think he has a custom set 11 - 42




That's his five-string set

Gadget

True, we are using Amazon because of price, but with an important caveat: It is only on the basis that we are getting the same, exact, genuine article we could buy in the shops / from the manufacturer, only at a cheaper price. If that's no longer the case, I'm out.

Dave_Mc

Gadget said:

True, we are using Amazon because of price, but with an important caveat: It is only on the basis that we are getting the same, exact, genuine article we could buy in the shops / from the manufacturer, only at a cheaper price. If that's no longer the case, I'm out.

Definitely. (There also is the handiness factor- it's a lot easier to order on Amazon than a lot of other websites, especially if you've never used them before and have to enter all your details etc., plus you can get a range of different stuff on Amazon to minimise the number of different deliveries you're going to get.)

I've definitely been worried about fake stuff before, apparently even the steps I was previously taking to mitigate the risk (as mentioned earlier in the thread) aren't enough. Will definitely think twice before ordering anything that's often faked.

idiotwindow said:

Dave_Mc said:

I used to assume you were safe if it were sold by Amazon, but as @darthed1981 said, that doesn't seem to apply any more.  Thanks for the heads-up @grungebob ;

It hasn't been the case for many years and I have mentioned it here many times. Amazon's policy of commingling (to use the jargon) means that buying any branded items that are often faked (like batteries, SD cards, Apple accessories and guitar strings) is a crapshoot.

Yeah I'm just going on memory here, but I don't think (could be mistaken!) I've ever received anything which I've ordered which was "sold by Amazon", but which turned up with one of those "Fulfilled by Amazon" type stickers. Then again- I'm in Northern Ireland. It's entirely possible that the fulfillment centre closest to me had stuff stocked by Amazon which was also sold by them. As you said, it's a crapshoot, and I guess I got lucky so far.

crunchman

My last order was from Thomann.  There is £10 delivery, so I wouldn't do that every time, but I was buying something else from them anyway, so it made sense to get a few packs of strings.

carlos

Philtre said:

Philly_Q said:

allen said:

I have recently found out that D'Addarios have a code in them that you can put into the website. I am assuming that this means you can check authenticity.

Dumb question I'm sure, but could the fakers not just copy a genuine code which would come up as legit?  Or does the system have a way of knowing that a code has already been used and checked?

I bought some fake D'Addarios once and the codes were OK on the checker site.

Player's Circle codes are only usable once.

Offset

Blueingreen said:

Offset said:

ToneControl said:

I'm glad I use Elixir, it's easy to look with a magnifying glass on the thickest strings, you can easily see the coating

I purchased a set of Nanoweb and a set of Optiweb to try out.  I'm about to fit a set to a guitar - what's the difference between the two??? 

I don’t know the technical difference but Optiwebs came later and were supposed to feel less like a coated string. I think they achieve that and slightly prefer them, but I have no problem with how Nanowebs feel so it’s very marginal. I’ve found the price difference fluctuates a bit - if they are around the same price I’d go for Optiweb but if there’s a couple of quid difference on a packet as there sometimes seems to be I’d go Nanoweb.

I finally fitted a set of Optiwebs to my Tele.  First impressions after a couple of days' playing is very positive.  Not sure at this stage if I can really tell much difference between these and my usual D'Addarios, a new set of which I've just fitted to my Parker for a B2B comparison.  I guess time will tell after some lengthier playing - and when the D'Ads start deteriorating.  I'm going to fit Nanowebs to my Strat later this week and see how they pan out.

Offset

Blueingreen said:

Offset said:

ToneControl said:

I'm glad I use Elixir, it's easy to look with a magnifying glass on the thickest strings, you can easily see the coating

I purchased a set of Nanoweb and a set of Optiweb to try out.  I'm about to fit a set to a guitar - what's the difference between the two??? 

I don’t know the technical difference but Optiwebs came later and were supposed to feel less like a coated string. I think they achieve that and slightly prefer them, but I have no problem with how Nanowebs feel so it’s very marginal. I’ve found the price difference fluctuates a bit - if they are around the same price I’d go for Optiweb but if there’s a couple of quid difference on a packet as there sometimes seems to be I’d go Nanoweb.

I finally fitted a set of Optiwebs to my Tele.  First impressions after a couple of days' playing is very positive.  Not sure at this stage if I can really tell much difference between these and my usual D'Addarios, a new set of which I've just fitted to my Parker for a B2B comparison.  I guess time will tell after some lengthier playing - and when the D'Ads start deteriorating.  I'm going to fit Nanowebs to my Strat later this week and see how they pan out.