I counted, and there are 12,485 companies that make guitar strings.
Well, ok, not really. But there are a lot. And there’s a new player from Akron OH called S.I.T. (Stay in Tune?). I got a few sets of their acoustic strings, and snagged a set of electric strings, courtesy of Mike Carey Music down here in Wyandotte MI. Here is my SIT Story.
The acoustic strings are phosphor bronze light, 12-54 gauge, and the electrics are nickle light, 10-46. The acoustic strings come in a cardboard box (a-la Martin Strings), with three pouches inside. The strings are bundled in pairs (1st and 4th, 2nd and 5th, 3rd and 6th) to make finding the right one easier. The electrics are packed the same way, except those came in a plastic sealed pouch (a-la Ernie Ball) which I prefer because they came out clean. The acoustic strings had some corrosion on them already, which was kind of a bummer. I wish they had been sealed too.
Another major bonus of the electric set is that they give you two 1st and 2nd strings, seeing as those are most likely to break. I tend to break 3rd and 4th strings personally, but it’s the thought that counts. Extra strings are never a band thing, so thanks SIT!
I strung up my Stratocaster and my Epiphone acoustic and was very impressed. I hate the normal “break in” period of tuning instability of fresh strings, so I always stretch them in before playing. I tend to be pretty brutal with the stretches so if I get a dud, it’ll break right away, but these took it like a champ. I’ve been using Elixer strings for about 10 years now and they usually take about 5 hefty “stretch and re-tune” cycles before they fully set. The SIT strings on the electric took 1 or 2 cycles, and on the acoustic they took 2 or 3 (which is probably just due to the string pulling home on the bridge pin). Certainly saves time while changing strings (which I do a lot).
As for the feel, these are both un-coated strings and took some getting used to (because I’ve been a coated string user for ages) but they are very smooth and natural. I didn’t use any product on the strings (Like Fast Fret or String Ease etc) and they felt great, and were truly very stable in the tuning department. The acoustics had some serious squeak though… Usual preventative measures would probably get rid of that.
As for the sound, the best way to describe them is generic. This sounds like a bad thing (and to some, it might be) but I don’t see it that way. They don’t have any major flaws to my ears, nothing that sticks out. Not overly bright, or super dark. They don’t have anything majorly “cool” about them either. They are unobtrusive, and just let you play with lots of definition.
Personally, I still prefer the feel of the coated strings and since my sweat is fairly corrosive, those last way longer for me. But, I will definitely be keeping a set of SIT in my gig bags for those last-minute changes where I don’t have time to worry about tuning issues on a gig.
PROS:
Stretch in FAST!
They really do Stay In Tune
Free bonus 1st and 2nd string with the electric sets
CONS:
Acoustic strings aren’t sealed air-tight so they corrode on the shelf
Acoustic sets don’t have the bonus strings
Hey Joe, nice review. However I may have snagged you an old set of acoustics from the “comp pile” if they were in a box. The new ones are all hermetically sealed for corrosion- proof performance, even if stored in a survival bunker until the apocalypse! See you soon and keep on rockin!