Snake Oil Strings - Anyone?

[reverbbb]

I noticed that Pink Strat has signed on today at my invitation. He (Dean) is the distributor and designer of the custom specified Snake Oil Strings that you may have read elsewhere.

I am opening this thread so that he may respond without looking too self-serving or SPAMish :wink: . Welcome aboard Dean.

Has anyone had a chance to try them out?

[kewlpack]

Snake Oil??? Are they a variety of coated string?

Welcome Mr. Dean!

~A~

[reverbbb]

Dean is experiencing some difficulty in posting. So, I agreed to post this information for him:

~~~~~~~~

Hi everybody,

If you want to see where all the string action is head on over to The Gear Page's (www.thegearpage.net/) Dealer Emporium section and check out the 67 page "These strings are GREAT" thread. Then for more on string education go to www.Custom-Sounds.com and look under their article archive for a piece called "The String Story" (these were a series of articles that were written by me in Vintage Guitar Magazine some eight to ten years ago). We presently have several new strings out called "Snake Oil Brand" which will solve any and all problems that the other strings have. Ask Crunchyriff or Nickcha or the people on the Les Paul Forum and/or The Gear Page...they are some really picky pickers! They've KNOWN since last April. FYI the SOS strings are only available directly through me at this moment. We are expanding our line of strings all the time too. We will have acoustic and bass sets next on the agenda. You can email me at Leomuser@aol.com and I will answer any and all questions that you may have.

Blessings to you all,

Dean Farley

[stephen]

I heard, and I just want to make sure it is accurate, that basically, Snake Oil strings used to be known as Scalar. Is that correct? I just remember hearing some that really liked Scalar strings, lament when they went away, so they should be real happy, that there back, with a new name.

[reverbbb]

I heard, and I just want to make sure it is accurate, that basically, Snake Oil strings used to be known as Scalar. Is that correct? I just remember hearing some that really liked Scalar strings, lament when they went away, so they should be real happy, that there back, with a new name.

Yes, SOS brand strings were designed by the same guy who designed and distributed the Scalar strings. However, from what I understand, that Dean has made significant improvements in the SOS strings (next generation to some extent). But the improvements seem to take him back towards the way strings were manufactured back in the 1950s & 1960s. We all know how much better EVERYTHING was back then.

[PinkStrat]

I heard, and I just want to make sure it is accurate, that basically, Snake Oil strings used to be known as Scalar. Is that correct? I just remember hearing some that really liked Scalar strings, lament when they went away, so they should be real happy, that there back, with a new name.

Yes, SOS brand strings were designed by the same guy who designed and distributed the Scalar strings. However, from what I understand, that Dean has made significant improvements in the SOS strings (next generation to some extent). But the improvements seem to take him back towards the way strings were manufactured back in the 1950s & 1960s. We all know how much better EVERYTHING was back then.

The SOS are definite improvements from the old Scalar strings. I always try to improve my products wherever I can. Actually I was quite stunned when every single one of the longtime Scalar Designs devotees (who were on my Snake Oil String beta testing team) told me that I had in fact improved the Original Nickel strings and Rock Formulas sets too! I can only guess that I had been redesigning them "in my head" for the entire time I was away from the string business perhaps? Probably so.

All I know is that I am selling the Snake Oil strings in places that Scalar never reached and this is largely due to the effects of the Internet. Another thing I know is that I have the most dedicated and loyal customers in the world! Thanks a lot and keep rocking. :!:

[stephen]

Ah, good to see your posting there Dean! And thanks for the 411 on the Scalar/Snake Oil connection.

[kewlpack]

Got mine ordered today! Woot!
:)

~A~

[Crunchyriff]

Snake Oil Strings are #1 in my book. I bought four sets from Dean and am only on the 2nd set on my '58 Historic LP. (I bought them in April or may, so this oughta tell you something...)


You'll like 'em, Kewlpack! :mrgreen:

[Nickcha]

Dean has been a close friend for years and my partner, with Scott Pearson, in ToneFest. He's a great guy and w/o a doubt, the most sonically in-tune guys I've ever met. It's just plain scary. Dean lives a few miles from my house and is a member of our church....and his Mom is a sweetheart!

I beta-tested his SOS strings and had a set on my Strat for 6+ months!

They're warm and alive. And amazingly, they tune up very quickly and wear long. My string quest is over...and I don't get pastoral or partner/friend discounts. :D

[kewlpack]

Hey PinkStrat,

Do you send a note when you ship strings out? Just wanna know when they might arrive bud. :D

~A~

[PinkStrat]

Hi kewlpack,

We'll we shipping again by Wednesday and Thursday of next week...things been really crazy around here. Big load on the way in. These SOS strings go quickly so we're always getting new batches in for shipments. Shouldn't be too long now.

[Teleguy]

So is there a link?
Can I get some 0.010" - 0.046" in nickel wrap?

[PinkStrat]

Just email me at Leomuser@aol.com for now and I will respond quickly...Our website is in progress and will be up shortly!

[Teleguy]

Just tried to Email and my server choked for some reason.

Maybe you can P/M me a phone number?

-Steve

[reverbbb]

Well, I had a chance to play the Snake Oil Strings on kewlpack's Strat last night. We A/B'd them to a set of GHS Eric Johnson Signature Nickel Rockers that I had on my Strat. My set were only about 2 weeks old with very little playing time yet.

I really like my EJNR. But I noticed that around the 14th fret, they sound weaker and do not sustain very well. So, that was my target zone for comparison between the two guitars. The SOS had a very even and long lasting decay on the single notes (very linear). The EJNR had a rapid early decay, followed by a short linear decay, then another rapid decay.

The result of the EJNR was, though they are still very musical, they seemed to lack a lot in comparison to the SOS. I had a sense that something was missing from the EJNR before this test. But the SOS made me realize what it was. This result was predicted by Dean Farley (the designer) in an earlier email to him.

IMO, the SOS are a great starting point for your tone. They are slightly brighter and articulate. They seemed to have a voicing that is unique from all the strings that I have been using for the past 32+ years. As kewlpack mentioned last night, the SOS are more musical sounding than even my covetted EJNR. Additionally, don't let the "oil" in "Snake Oil" confuse your senses. These strings absolutely do not feel oily or synthetic. Instead, they have a very pleasing texture to the feel that is sort of like velvet steel (if there were such a thing). I think it has been said, that a human finger can sense 20 micron anomallies in texture. The surface grain must be somewhere around this threshold - it is hard to detect and is not destracting to me.

I will definately be buying some in the near future to test out on my own guitars.

Good work Dean. I look forward to reading the ToneQuest article that may be published in March or April.

[PinkStrat]

Hi Reverbbb,

I just noticed that you said something on the TDPRI about possibly doing some recording to further test the string's sonic differences. Let me say that recording is a BIG PASSION of mine and this is a really good way to find out for sure! But if you do this, PLEASE use a decent microphone (no lower than a Shure SM-57) & play around with the mic's placement....do NOT place microphone directly facing into the center of the speaker's dome....way too BRIGHT! Place it several inches away from the grillcloth and aim it between the speaker's outer edge and the center dome of the speaker (at about a 30 degree angle) until you find a nice even tone. Thanks for creating this forum topic here once again I appreciate it and I hope that everyone had a terrific Xmas. :?

[reverbbb]

Dean:

You must have been reading my mind (umm, I guess you were reading my posts :roll: - never mind).

I actually love to do A/B tests on equipement using recordings. That was how I identified several major sonic differences in the MIA and the MIM Fender Blues Jr. There was far more distinction in the two amps than most people could imagine. Most people don't get the chance to A/B these two amps in person.

Another recent A/B test I did, involved Marshall 1960AC against a 1960AV. That was an eye opener as well. I have also done many pup to pup tests, but they are far less objective because the changing of the strings and the time in between of re-soldering pups. But I have found that I really like Am Std Fender pups on both Telecasters and Strats.

When mic'ing speakers, I always use my SM57's and I do like you say, place the mic off center of one cone at about 4~8 inches away. I have tried a few angles, but I generally find the sweet spot dead on perpendicular to the cabinet.

I am waiting for my once a month paycheck to come around again. Then I will buy a few sets and start giving them an object evaluation. I can try them on my '50s Telecaster, ash Limited Edition Strat and my Limited Edition Les Paul Std. I generally play all my guitars with 11's, but sometimes I put 10's on my LP.

[PinkStrat]

Tell ya what okay? Guitar Center had a clearance sale on some selected Audio-Technica mics last month (and there might be some left over which they want to still blow out). The model I speak of is their ATM29HE. They were selling these for $29.95. This mic will blow an SM-57 right out of the holy water! I have 3-4 of them & use them over 57s all the time. Just a tip for you my friend. :mrgreen:

[kewlpack]

Hey -

Small update on my Snake Oils... They arrived on Christmas eve (w00t!) so I threw a set on my MIA strat.

As Reverbbb said above, wow - they have a sweet tone all their own. I enjoyed them a lot.

As fate would have it, I ended up trading my strat in on a different guitar a couple of days ago which has a different headstock and tuners so I couldn't transfer the strings. Bummer, but those strings will help sell that strat! LOL.

So this new guitar I have has the other set of snake oils on it. The oem strings came off the minute I got it home. ;) I guess I need to order another set or two.

So far, the second set of SOS sound just a great as the first! :D
~A~

[Crunchyriff]

A few of the buzzwords that describe the SOS strings in my experience with them are the words:

"balanced" & "refined"

....these immediately come to mind; "sweet" would be another one of those words.

So many times people fling these words around that it tends to cheapen or diminish the impact & meaning, when these words are truly warranted to use.

Each of these words nails the SOS brand to a 'T' from my personal observations during the last 7+ months of exclusive use and abuse.

The first thing that struck me right between the eyes after a no-hassle stretch in (YAY!!) upon stringing my '58 LP reissue was at just how BALANCED all six strings are in timbre- that is, from low to high E, and all points in-between, each note struck within a chord had 'equal voice'. No particular strings were being shouted down by the others. In playing a scale for instance: up & down the fretboard and across all 6 strings there were no dead, neither boisterous notes.

Usually, you'll get one or two strings that can be real brash and clang over the others- many times the unwound 'G' will be guilty, as well as an overly-boomy wound E string...not so here. Each string strummed in a chord makes a very even presentation. Just even-handed tone, and consistent volume and sustain as well.

To me- these strings "speak" very, very clearly, and very well.

To sum it up, the difference in the outcome using SOS strings to my ears is something along the lines of hearing a seasoned, polished orator speak vs. hearing somebody speak with intellect, who likes to hear themself talk.

The latter may have much to say, but much of it may go unnoticed, or forgotten with time.

[reverbbb]

OK, after many months of procrastination, I finally bought six sets of SOS in various configurations. After nearly two more months of procrastination, I finally installed the first set two days ago. :oops:

I installed these on my #1 ash Strat. This guitar always sounds awesome any way. I have been using GHS Nickel Rockers Eric Johnson Signature (medium 11~52) and love it's thick tones. But there were some spots in the upper frets that would not ring out clear and long. However, they have been my favorite strings on several guitars.

I went with the 11~52 SOS Vintage on this restring. I noticed that these were very bright strings even before I plugged the guitar into an amp. I tuned up and plugged into my MIM Blues Jr w/Jensen speaker. BOOM! This is the nicest clear tone I have heard in 35 years. I must agree, that none of the other string companies are making strings the way they used to in the '60s & early '70s.

They are indeed bright and extremely articulate. At first one might think, "these are too bright". But then you realize that they are not harsh like the brightness that comes from pickups. No, there is an odd harmonic that is coming directly from the strings themselves. The great thing about this brightness, it actually allows my guitar tone controls to be useful again. Instead of just sounding dull & muddy when dialing the tone downward, you still have some character left in the string tones.

The odd harmonic seems to be generated right at the fret. This gives me a new nuance for my playing style. The pick attack is even improved as well. If there were a sound that I could quickly reference with a popular song, it might be the Strat licks from David Gilmour on Have A Cigar (mid-song). But even then, these strings sound even more articulate than that. I just can't place this sound off the top of my head at the moment. Perhaps some old Doobie Brothers, Dick Dale or The Ventures?

I think this added brightness and harmonic is the reason that folks say these strings last so long. I can easily predict these strings staying bright for a long time. In less than two hours, I have already worn some of the chrome plating off and can see what appears to be a bronze base metal with a bit more "red"/copper content. I would venture to say the the metal composition is a key eliment that none of the other manufacturers are currently using.

I can't wait to get a set on my ES-335. This is going to add some icing on that cake.

Foot Note: I love the vintage vibe these strings are producing on this guitar and amp combination. However, this is not a sought after tone when I crank the guitar through my 50W Marshall and Greenbacks. It is certainly good and usable, but I have other guitars that work well in that amp. The Strat just begs for a clean punchy tone, and these strings certainly help to deliver in a punchy Fender amp.

I hope that these strings become a intregral part of my sound scape. I love them already.

[kewlpack]

Obligatory: I told you so.

:angel

[Crunchyriff]

Welcome to the club, Reverbb!

Try his rock formula sets for humbucker/crunch. You'll be equally impressed (secondhand trusted info here). I'm about to order some of these myself.

It's all SOS for me. I've been using the SOS vintage strings for about a year. I love em.

[reverbbb]

Crunch:

I have a couple of sets in Rock Forumla. One reason that I am procrastinating, is because of the decisions. I think the RF will work great on the Les Paul. But I am thinking the Vintage will be another +1 for the ES-335.

Since these are not cheap like the bulk MF $1.99/set type, and they are a little more effort to get, then I am treating them like gold. If I ever get to the point that I absolutely know what my favorites are for each guitar, then I will order several more sets to keep me in stock.

I know that he used to sell acoustic sets. Kewlpack was able to obtain a set of his "private stock". I didn't get a chance to hear that set. I have a VERY cheap (& cheap sounding) import acoustic. I wonder if those type of strings would improve the tone on this balsawood sounding guitar?

[kewlpack]

FYI - the old Scalar Acoustic strings didn't hold up long at all. They went dull extremely fast on me.

Dean now has a full line of SOS Acoustic strings however which may yield better results.

He does have his own website now - I don't have the address handy.

For now, I've just gone back to Elixirs with the anti rust technology. Things sound good just the same, and I don't have to clean the strings as often. ;)

[BoomXer]

Dean's website is http://www.sobstrings.net/. There's not much functionality there, but I think you can email him for orders/info.