Mapes String Company

For over 100 years the Mapes Piano String Company has quietly led the piano string industry with its consistently superior products and unique patented processes.

  • A fourth generation USA company since 1912
  • Our Grandfather William G. Schaff Jr. was the first to use hexagon shaped wire as the core for wound strings (1940).
    Every string is produced with careful craftsmanship and stringent quality standards that are recognized worldwide for musical excellence. As a matter of fact, Mapes Piano Strings are used in every Steinway Piano produced—a quality partnership that has resonated for a century.
  • Our Great Great Grandfather had the first US Patent for a string winding machine (1898).
    Mapes quality strings can be wound in any way you need it, criss-cross whips, coned or flat whips, available in heavy copper, fine copper, nickel plated, blued; with portion sets, single strings, hexagon core strings, and piano wire in various sizes.
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A Century of Made in the U.S.A.

Made In The Mountains Of Tennessee

We are an American manufacturer of guitar strings, piano strings, piano wire, copper wire, and both round and flat steel wire.

Some of Our Highlights

Mapes International Gold Series–superior quality piano wire drawn to international standards from the finest world class steel. “Strings that Sing” Gold Series bass strings provide the beautiful singing quality that Heintzman pianos are noted for. Mapes premium strings are used by well known brands such as Steinway & Sons, Yamaha and Baldwin.

Custom Spring Wire

Mapes manufactures precision spring wire to tolerances within 1/10,000th and its products are used in everything from automobiles to space shuttles, accounting for more than 30 percent of its total sales.

Mapes’ wire mill produces round and flat wire for a variety of applications including the automotive, home building, toy, aerospace, military and music industries.

It’s VERY likely that our strings or strings made from our wire are on your guitar right now. We’ve been making strings for over a century. We make our own core and wrap wire and our own strings — and then we sell them straight shot to you. Browse our guitar strings

We can do OEM guitar strings for guitar makers and luthiers, and private label sets for companies or individuals.