Gear Reviews
Review – MJC Ironworks Bass Strings
MJC Ironworks Bass Strings Review
This review focuses on the Nickel and Stainless Steel 4 and 5-string Sets
Special string offer at the end of this review!
MJC Company History
MJC Ironworks is the brainchild of Mr. Michael Connolly, a veteran string-maker and a former part of the Dean Markley core team, while the company was on the rise in the CA Bay Area.
Michael developed or worked on most all of the string projects for DM for years and as a director of artist relations, he has collaborated with many, many artists, in the development of personal string lines. He has worked with or partnered with many other string manufacturers, and has set up a complete state of the art facility.
Besides his decades-long string experience, Mike has a vast tool-belt of experience in all aspects of marketing and the day-to-day planning and execution of running a business. Between his vast experience, as well as his love of music and musicians, he decided to develop his own strings and start a company.
Nickel and Steel Sets
I first installed the 5-string Nickel and SS sets on my Kiesel JB-5 for a test run during rehearsals and first 10 shows for the Guitar Collective tour, in which I was using the 5-string for the entirety of Angel Vivaldi’s set. I was running the strings, 5 dates each, with the conditions being as identical as I could for each set. I was pushing them aggressively for an hour and 15 minutes every night and 3 to 6-hour rehearsals with aggressive pick-style, finger-style, slapping and tapping; I was not gentle.
While both sets were comparable in terms of tension and comfort, the Nickel set really stood out for me for barely sacrificing any high-end and maintaining a really even, slick feel without the “plastic” feel many Nickel strings are know for. In my experience, Nickel round wounds lose high end after maybe a gig and a half; I found the MJC’s kept new-string, top-end, deep into the 5thgig at equal value to when installed.
Also, the stainless were not pick-killers either, as I was able to use picks way after the 5th gig; I used them every night, with no significant degradation in the pick’s structure.
The company prides itself on shipping the strings in a specially designed tin that contains an RN PROTECTS foam strip that prevents corrosion for up to 2 years while sealed. From my experience I found this to be at least partially true due to a 5-month window between receiving the strings and installation, with no visible corrosion or dead sounding strings.
The TIN
My favorite thing about the strings, outside of tone and tension, was the packaging.
The tins had a nice small footprint, which meant that if one needed to bring more strings on the road, they could fit a lot more sets in a smaller amount of space. I also enjoyed the lack of excessive paper, and the clean little tag on each string. The tins also can be reused as a container for picks, Allen wrenches, small tool and cloths as well; an unintended benefit but a nice addition to the strings that sets it apart.
In conclusion, I found that MJC is a very nice alternative to more well known string brands, that worked well for both tour life and more domestic efforts and recording as well. While not in the same price point as Ernie Ball or Dunlop, the quality difference is there, definitely in the longevity, packaging and tension.
This author would recommend MJC Ironworks Bass Strings for a test run.
If you want to try out these bass strings for yourself…
Email Mike directly at mike@mjcironworks.com and say you saw Kilian’s review on Bass Musician Magazine – Mike will honor a special deal for our readers – $20 per can (4 or 5 string) – includes free shipping!
Find out more about MJC Ironworks Strings at mjcironworks.com
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