A Cautionary Tale: Fake Guitar Strings on eBay

Many years ago, I saw some strings on eBay that were incredibly cheap—about $2 a set. I thought, “What the heck, I may as well buy some and see for myself.” It turns out they were the most awful strings I’d ever used in every way: sound, feel, tuning stability, tone, and breakage. They were so bad that I still have a few sets in the bottom of a drawer, a reminder of what not to buy.

Since then, I’ve often seen brand-name strings like Ernie Ball, D’Addario, and Elixir listed on eBay by sellers who also sell an endless list of unrelated items, from kitchen appliances to garden tools. I’d always ignored them until recently when I decided to buy a set for a review.

Ernie Ball Electric Guitar Strings (11-49)

The first set I bought was Ernie Ball 11-49 for electric guitar. The packaging wasn’t too bad, though it looked and felt different from the original. Taking the strings out, it was immediately obvious they were fakes. The winding was thinner and had a different feel and a slightly different color. The most obvious sign of fakery was the third plain string, which was softer and thinner than the original.

Just like those cheap, nasty strings I bought years ago, these were terrible. After putting them on, I plugged in the guitar and started tuning. I didn’t even get to play much; the first string broke just as it was getting to pitch after a few bends. The sound was dull, and the pitch was off. Total garbage and a waste of money.

D’Addario EJ16 Acoustic Strings

Next, I tried a set of D’Addario EJ16 acoustic strings. Again, the packaging seemed okay, though the cardboard felt slightly different. I tried to register the code in my Player’s Circle account, and the first red flag went up with the “Already registered or counterfeit” message.

When I removed them from the internal sleeve, I found the same issues. The strings were a different color than the originals, not as thick (it was visible with the naked eye, no need to measure), and had a softer feel. This time, they tuned to pitch without any breakages, but the same problems from the electric strings persisted. They didn’t ring out like the originals, the pitch seemed off, and they felt different when bending. They were basically what I would expect from a cheap set of strings for a couple of dollars a set—and just as fake as I expected.

Admittedly, I was surprised to see such blatant fakes advertised so prominently on eBay from local sellers. They’re all over the site, and it even seems some vendor are selling them close to the price of the originals.

Conclusion

Don’t buy these cheap, awful fake strings from sellers on eBay who are the online equivalent of a dollar store. Make sure you buy from an actual music store. There are many reputable music shops on eBay that sell the real, original product, often at a discount.
Don’t waste your time and money. If you really want cheap strings just buy unbranded for around $2 per set.