Greetings:  In MMD 000415 Jon Page recommended GC Piano in Toronto
for supplying replacement bass strings.  Since MMDigest has tolerated
(encouraged?) comparisons of suppliers of various products related
to our interests, I wondered if a few of you could comment on your
experiences with bass string makers.

I've bought bass strings from a number of different suppliers over
20-odd years, including Mapes, D. M. Best, Steinway, Pacific Piano
Supply, APSCO, Yamaha, Schaff, Isaac, and others.  Some offered better
service than others, some delivered better products, at least with
regard to uniformity of manufacture.

On the recommendation of Yamaha Canada's head of technical services,
I recently telephoned GC Piano for a quote on a set of strings for
a Yamaha G7.  Their price, landed on my doorstep, was nearly _twice_
what I would pay for a set from Schaff, even including the duties and
brokerage fees that I have to pay to get the American product into
Canada.

Schaff's strings seem just fine to me.  The strings sound good to me
and my customers.  They (the strings, not the customers) appear to be
retaining their brilliance 10-15 years down the road.  The winding
lengths are consistent and accurate, bichord pairs match nicely in
sound, and the string-maker is always available for consultation.

Am I missing something?  What could there be about another
manufacturer's strings that would make them worth double what I am
now paying?

Doug Rhodes, RPT
Victoria, BC