Innovation Strings
Innovation Strings, a division of GHS Corporation, manufactures made-to-order synthetic double bass strings with proprietary non-metallic cores, serving jazz, orchestral, rockabilly, bluegrass, and psychobilly bassists worldwide via direct e-commerce and a dealer network.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1996
- HeadquartersBattle Creek, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Innovation Strings does
Innovation Strings is a US-based manufacturer of synthetic double bass strings, operating as a division of GHS Corporation from its headquarters and made-to-order facility at 2813 Wilbur St., Battle Creek, Michigan. The company was originally founded in 1996 by jazz double bassist Lionel Davis and senior string maker Tony Roberts, who spent four years in R&D to produce the first set of non-metallic, gut-tone replacement strings. The brand was acquired by GHS Strings in spring 2019 after GHS had served as US distributor since 2018, and now operates under GHS Corporation's 50+ year string manufacturing platform.
The core technology is a proprietary non-metallic (synthetic) core architecture wrapped in either chrome flat winding (the Traditional family: Braided Orchestral, Braided Orchestra Solo Tuning, Polychrome Hybrid) or nylon tape winding over silvered copper or phosphor bronze (the Acoustic family: Ultra Blacks, Rockabilly Black, Rockabilly Red, Super Silvers, Silver Slaps, Golden Slaps, Psycho Slaps). GHS built custom automated winding machines specifically for Innovation Strings, enabling consistent quality on the made-to-order, 5–10 business day production cycle. The product line covers jazz, orchestral, rockabilly, bluegrass, folk, and psychobilly use cases, with accessories (Flannel Polishing Cloth, Fast-Fret String Cleaner) rounding out the catalog.
The business model is direct-to-consumer e-commerce via innovationstrings.com (USPS Priority Mail domestic, USPS International for Canada), supplemented by a network of ten US Platinum dealers (Gollihur Music, Lemur Music, Bass Violin Shop, Dr Bass String Instruments, Foxes Music, Gary Ritter Strings, Pete's Upright Bass, Quinn Violins, Stringed Instrument Services, and Denisa's Lebowtique) plus one international dealer (The String Zone, UK). Pricing is unit-based per string or set, ranging from $45.71 to $244.80 for Traditional sets and $50.15 to $229.92 for Acoustic sets. Revenue is generated through one-time string and accessory sales, with no subscription or licensing model. The customer base is a long tail of professional and semi-professional double bass players across multiple genres, with artist endorsements (Ben Allison, Jimbo Wallace, Chris Coleman, Paolo Damiani, Roland Guerin, Rodney Jordan, Karl McComas-Reichl, Ryan Weber, Duncan Wilcox, Katie Didit) supporting organic demand.
Innovation Strings firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Innovation Strings
- Legal name
- Innovation Strings
- Website
- https://innovationstrings.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1996
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Innovation Strings, a division of GHS Corporation, manufactures made-to-order synthetic double bass strings with proprietary non-metallic cores, serving jazz, orchestral, rockabilly, bluegrass, and psychobilly bassists worldwide via direct e-commerce and a dealer network.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Innovation Strings industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Musical Instrument Strings
- NAICS
- Musical Instrument Manufacturing (339992), Musical Instrument and Supplies Retailers (45914)
- SIC
- Musical Instruments (3931)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Audio Accessories & Consumables (Cables, Stands, Cases, Strings, Picks, Heads) (MPAIAJAF)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Instrument Accessories & Consumables Retail (Strings, Reeds, Sticks, Cables) (CRALAEAE), Online-Only Musical Instrument & Sheet Music Retail (CRALAEAI)
Keywords
Where Innovation Strings is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Battle Creek
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Innovation Strings business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Operations, Personnel, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Double Bass String Sales: Direct sales of double bass strings to musicians and through dealer network. Products are made to order at the Battle Creek, MI facility.
- Accessory Sales: Sales of string accessories including Flannel Polishing Cloths and Fast-Fret String Cleaner.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Traditional String Sets (Braided Orchestral, Braided Solo) |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Acoustic String Sets (Ultra Blacks, Rockabilly Black, Rockabilly Red, Super Silvers, Silver Slaps, Golden Slaps, Psycho Slaps) |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels3 records
Innovation Strings product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Innovation Strings manufactures and sells synthetic-core double bass strings designed as gut-string alternatives, organized into Traditional Flat Wound and Acoustic Tape Wound families covering jazz, orchestral, rockabilly, bluegrass, and psychobilly playing styles. All strings are made to order at the Battle Creek, MI facility and sold direct-to-consumer via e-commerce and through authorized platinum dealers.
Product overview
Innovation Strings is a division of GHS Corporation manufacturing double bass strings, with products organized into two main families: Traditional Flat Wound strings (Braided Orchestral, Braided Orchestra Solo Tuning, Polychrome Hybrid) featuring chrome flat winding over non-metallic core for classical and jazz use; and Acoustic Tape Wound strings (Ultra Blacks, Rockabilly Black, Rockabilly Red, Super Silvers, Silver Slaps, Golden Slaps, Psycho Slaps) featuring nylon tape winding over non-metallic core for warm gut-like tone used in jazz, rockabilly, blues, and psychobilly. The company also offers accessories including Flannel Polishing Cloth and Fast-Fret String Cleaner.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Braided Orchestral
- Braided Orchestra Solo Tuning
- Polychrome Hybrid
- Ultra Blacks
Quantifiable outcome
- Temperature and climate stability compared to gut strings
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Innovation Strings
Customer profileNamed customers10 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Innovation Strings technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
Innovation Strings partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.
- GHS CorporationcoreGHS Strings acquired Innovation Strings in spring 2019 and brought all operations to their office in Battle Creek, MI. GHS became the US distributor of Innovation strings in 2018. GHS used the same materials and machinery from the original UK company while bringing 50+ years of string experience.
- Gollihur MusiccorePlatinum Innovation Dealer located in South Harrison Twp, NJ. Authorized retailer of Innovation Double Bass strings.
- Lemur MusiccorePlatinum Innovation Dealer located in San Juan Capistrano, CA. Authorized retailer of Innovation Double Bass strings.
- The String ZonecoreInternational Platinum Innovation Dealer located in West Sussex, England. Serves European market as the primary international dealer.
- Bass Violin ShopmajorPlatinum Innovation Dealer located in Greensboro, NC. Authorized retailer of Innovation Double Bass strings.
- Dr Bass String InstrumentsmajorPlatinum Innovation Dealer located in Durham, NC. Authorized retailer of Innovation Double Bass strings.
- Foxes MusicmajorPlatinum Innovation Dealer located in Falls Church, VA. Authorized retailer of Innovation Double Bass strings.
- Gary Ritter StringsmajorPlatinum Innovation Dealer located in South Lyon, MI. Authorized retailer of Innovation Double Bass strings.
- Pete's Upright BassmajorPlatinum Innovation Dealer located in Portland, OR. Authorized retailer of Innovation Double Bass strings.
- Quinn ViolinsmajorPlatinum Innovation Dealer located in Minneapolis, MN. Authorized retailer of Innovation Double Bass strings.
- Stringed Instrument ServicesmajorPlatinum Innovation Dealer located in Fairport, NY. Authorized retailer of Innovation Double Bass strings.
- Denisa's LebowtiqueminorPlatinum Innovation Dealer located in Los Angeles, CA. Authorized retailer of Innovation Double Bass strings.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Innovation Strings competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Pirastro: German premium string manufacturer offering both traditional gut and synthetic alternatives for orchestral instruments. Direct peer in the niche of synthetic gut-string substitutes for double bass players.
- Super-Sensitive Musical String Co. US-based maker of specialty bass strings including synthetic-core and nylon-wound sets targeting jazz and orchestral players. Direct product overlap with Innovation Strings.
- Aquila Corde Armoniche: Italian gut-string specialist (historically classical guitar, expanding to other instruments) producing gut and gut-substitute strings. Peer in the niche of organic-tone string substitutes.
- La Bella Strings: Long-standing US string manufacturer producing bowed-string sets including deep-jazz and orchestral bass strings. Comparable as a US-based boutique string specialist serving jazz bassists.
- Thomastik-Infeld: Austrian premium string maker producing bowed-instrument strings including synthetic-core and gut-substitute offerings (Spirocore, Superflexible). Direct peer to Innovation Strings in the high-end synthetic bass string category.
Emerging players
- Dogal Strings: Italian string manufacturer with niche bass and orchestral lines. Adjacent peer in the European specialty string market with overlapping product ideology.
Broad incumbents
- D'Addario: World's largest string manufacturer with broad bowed-string coverage including synthetic-core products (e.g., Zyex). Direct competitor to Innovation Strings in bass string manufacturing, though D'Addario serves many instrument categories beyond the niche Innovation occupies.
- GHS Corporation: Parent company of Innovation Strings. Manufactures strings across many instruments (guitar, bass, orchestral); provides scale, manufacturing, and distribution to Innovation. Comparable as a string manufacturer but with a far broader product portfolio.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
Innovation Strings social profiles
Digital presenceInnovation Strings financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Innovation Strings leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Innovation Strings funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Innovation Strings M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Innovation Strings
What does Innovation Strings do?
Innovation Strings manufactures and sells synthetic-core double bass strings designed as gut-string alternatives, organized into Traditional Flat Wound and Acoustic Tape Wound families covering jazz, orchestral, rockabilly, bluegrass, and psychobilly playing styles. All strings are made to order at the Battle Creek, MI facility and sold direct-to-consumer via e-commerce and through authorized platinum dealers.
Is Innovation Strings a public or private company?
Innovation Strings is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Innovation Strings founded?
Innovation Strings was founded in 1996. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Innovation Strings based?
Innovation Strings is headquartered in Battle Creek, United States, in the North America region.
How does Innovation Strings make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Double Bass String Sales are the primary driver. The others are accessory Sales.
Who are Innovation Strings's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Pirastro, Super-Sensitive Musical String Co., Aquila Corde Armoniche, La Bella Strings and Thomastik-Infeld. Dogal Strings is listed as an emerging player. Broad incumbents are D'Addario and GHS Corporation.
Does Innovation Strings have an API?
No public API is recorded for Innovation Strings.
What industry is Innovation Strings in?
Innovation Strings's product category is Musical Instrument Strings. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAIAJAF, Audio Accessories & Consumables (Cables, Stands, Cases, Strings, Picks, Heads), with a secondary code of CRALAEAE, Instrument Accessories & Consumables Retail (Strings, Reeds, Sticks, Cables). Its NAICS code is 339992 and its SIC code is 3931.