Shipping and Production Notes Dec 2017

Dec 28 2017

*shipping glitch

Hola, everyone. So there was a slight glitch in the postage calculation this last week. Corrections have been made to those orders.

Dropping Priority Shipping

The issue has come up before as to why use Priority 2-3 day shipping from USPS if the strings don't arrive within that time frame? The strings are pretty much made to order and the cue can get weeks long. Priority Shipping provides faster service and free boxes, which means both customer and vendors benefit. However, it has caused one or two folks the inconvenience of expecting their order within a few days of ordering it. Therefore, It will be a basic rate calculation that will include a small shipping and handling surcharge.

Fulfillment Time/Lead Time

Due to the immense growth of the business on both retail and dealer/distribution fronts, fabrication times have grown, sometimes going much longer than anticipated. It is my intention to treat every client with equal respect and appreciation by following the cue in chronological order. However, i have had to make some adjustments to my production schedule to anticipate the most requested items. So I now am building stock of the most requested items one chunk of the week and smaller more detailed/custom orders during the evenings. This will help keep my dealers and my webstore stocked and lead times low.

Shipping Days

I ship twice a week: Monday and Thursday/Friday.

Yes they are long enough.

If you have purchased your first set of acoustic guitar strings from me recently, you may have noticed that the wraps do not reach the tuning posts, but the exposed cores do. Just install the strings like normal, using the cores to get 3 wraps around the tuning post. If you have any reservations please email me. Thanks

Some Thoughts From Some Thoughtful Folks

I have had the great pleasure of getting the greatest of reviews from some folks we really respect, admire, love, etc!

Salvage Custom "I FREAKING LOVE THESE STRINGS! Honestly, they are glorious. DT     www.salvagecustom.com

Earthquaker Devices "I tried to use the EXXXXXe Bxxl strings I used to use and it's not the same. I'm hooked, ha! i honestly can't believe what a difference your strings make, it's ridiculous!" JS www.earthquakerdevices.com

Strymon Engineering "I have been using the strings you made for us and I must say they are without a doubt the finest I have ever used. ihae actually played more in the last week than i have in along time.  Who thought that strings could inspire?  Best Strings Ever." DF     www.strymon.net

Nystrum Guitars, 2015 builds www.nyguitars.co

Milkman Sound "They are amazing--have to say that I'm a convert!... Great Strings! I was in twang heaven last night! My lead tone was outrageous. Pedal steel players have a phrase: string separation. It applies here, too!" "I had a great gig with those strings. My Tele sounded more "Tele" than it ever has before. Your strings - my amp - and that Creston guitar is a *crazy* good rig!" TM      www.milkmansound.com

Ryan Ashley "Gabriel Tenorio, you have totally let me down!! your stupid string broke on me...after only 14 months! Screw you, man!!" RA

Scero Guitars "I mean sure, the strings are perfect, a joy to play, don't wanna use anything else ever... all i use on my customers' guitars now" LS    www.sceroguitars.co

Walsh Guitars, Custom Builds 2014-2015   www.walshguitars.com

Emerson Custom, Custom set ups and builds 2014-2015

Wilborn Guitars "I would describe them as very rich and warm.  They really brought out some color and depth in my double top OM. None of the jangle of new 80/20 strings.  Very cool. Ilove the fact that they are made by a real person tending to each string.  They also produce a very steady tone-my strobe tuner reads them very well. Kudos to Guadalupe Custom Strings!" BW

Ayers Guitar Co., "The best guitar strings ever...hand made by one of the best dudes ever."  custom builds, 2015www.ayersguitarco.com

Porter Pickups "...strings are killer.  As someone who makes his living winding, I'd say he's a pretty good winder in his own right!" BP     www.porterpickups.com

Schuyler Dean Pickups "Excellent strings!" SD     www.schuylerdeanpickups.com

Recycled Pedal Boards "I like to stay away from superlatives like, "best," "greatest," etc., because everything is subjective...but [Gabriel Tenorio String Co] Strings are right up there with my personal favorites...they might be at the top of the heap. Hand wound, in a little shop, making a living! These are the folks I like to give my money to."  CS     www.recycledpedalboards.com

Testing, Testing... Here we go!

Welcome to the new website and a new company!

A New Beginning

I am very excited to launch this new company, The Gabriel Tenorio String Co.  It is the result of a long and arduous path that has lead to this moment.  Over the years, we, Guadalupe Custom Strings, have made our most sincere effort to re-establish and further evolve our little company.  I am glad to say that as a result of the hard work of our team, founder, and matron.  Our little company has become an amazing cultural and technical woodshed for so many of us.  Along with our old and new customers, we have begun in earnest to build a return client base and a reputation for quality and service. There is always room for growth and this new company I am launching will help us all focus and specialize our efforts as string-makers--mine being Electric and Acoustic Guitars, as well as other fine metal strings.

Based on Tradition

My history with string making/Guadalupe Custom Strings started around two decades ago as a young professional musician.  It was an honor and thrill to meet a legendary/infamous musician/string maker like Francisco Gonzalez at his shop in Goleta Ca.  I say infamous because his strings were almost considered 'dangerous.' I took that to mean they were to be reckoned with and indeed, they were.  It changed my perspectives on strings, luthery, and performance in a way that cannot be unlearned. It was liberating to play comfortably. It was powerful as an experience to be handed a string for my instrument for my playing by a master musician. It also made me a bit spoiled, actually very much so. I didnt have the same struggle with tuning, durability, or even finding the right strings in a retail outlet. I was freed from that weird thing that instrumentalists who play 'regional' music go through of stressing out at a music store piecing parts of sets.  Guadalupe Custom Strings was founded on the principle of making the highest quality strings for our traditional instruments that are not represented in major commercial outlets, to keep them affordable, and to continue that tradition.

As with any art or craft, it takes dedication, persistence, sacrifice, and contingency, to turn it into a tradition.  We are proud to continue to develop Guadalupe Custom Strings as a place to explore the work of our founder, traditional musics, and to build atop that.  As part of my personal path with stringmaking, it came out of necessity, curiosity, and obsessiveness. I'll talk more about my process as we get along with building this company.

The New Company

The Gabriel Tenorio String Company is focused on producing the lines of Electric, Acoustic Guitar, Bass, and other fine metals that I've developed over the last decade. I am proud to say that I continue with Francisco's Original Standard Formula for Phosphor Bronze Round Core Acoustic strings (13's) which is the string that taught me so much about approaching gauges and metals.  I am proud to have built the rest of my acoustic line based on his original formula. Once I stumbled upon understanding why my electric guitar strings always sounded so great and lasted so long, I began to develop the electric lines.  I was also lucky enough to meet folks like Mason Stoops, Michael James Adams, and Daniel Tyack, who were instrumental in informing me, hours of testing with the best gear, and nothing but encouragement.

A year after attending my first NAMM (as a string maker) and actually showing at Nashville, the demand for these lines has grown and in order to protect the mission of Guadalupe Custom Strings and to continue to explore the work I've done, we've decided launching this new company as a positive and exicitng step. (think of it like the CustomShop, sorta).