The Company
The company
Straight Up Strings is the creative innovation of Roger Siminoff and were in development during the entire year of 2013. Mandolin strings were the first to make their debut in 2014 and feature sets of strings whose download pressures are compensated for where the stings sit on the bridge. As the mandolin strings were in production and first phases of marketing underway, Straight Up Strings for guitar and banjo were being developed and were announced during the following year. String sets for the resophonic guitar were launched in November of 2022.
Looking back...
In 1962 Roger founded Siminoff Banjo and Mandolin Parts in New Jersey, a company that provided high-quality banjo and mandolin parts to instrument builders worldwide. Being a musician, and working as a luthier, Roger became acutely aware that the strings were the heart of the instrument's voice.
In the late 1970s and into the mid-1980s Roger worked as a consultant to Gibson String Division (Elgin, IL) and Fender/Squires Strings (Chula Vista, CA) where he designed unique string-winding equipment to ensure proper core wire tension, wrap wire tension, and feed speeds during the string winding process. With string winding equipment at his disposal, Roger became intimately aware of the technology behind successful string winding. Working with the Gibson String Division, Roger created the Gibson "Grabbers" strings, and was influential in the development of the Gibson's "Equa" strings.
In 1984 Roger spearheaded the effort to get the entire string industry to provide string tension details on their packaging - a program that took almost five years to bring to fruition - resulting in string tension data on packaging being commonplace today. Roger has also been the man behind the scenes in the development and successful launch of numerous other private label string brands.
With more than 60 years in luthierie, Roger holds six U.S. Patents on musical instrument designs, has authored eight books on musical acoustics and construction, and has written several hundred articles on luthierie, artists, musical acoustics, finishing, and instrument construction. Roger has worked as a consultant to numerous musical instrument manufacturers where he provided technical advise on structure, musical acoustics, truss rods, coloring, tap-tuning, and more. In 1973 Roger created Pickin' Magazine and then launched FRETS Magazine in 1980.
In 2007, Roger and his wife, Rosemary, invited daughter Kali to help grow Siminoff Banjo and Mandolin Parts, and they moved the shop to a larger facility to expand the production space and to realize Roger’s long-time dream to host Luthierie Camps for budding luthiers. In January 2013, daughter Amy joined the team, and in the following year Kali and Amy assumed full responsibility for Siminoff Banjo and Mandolin Parts. With time on his hands, Roger spent a year focusing on the design and development of Straight Up Strings for mandolin going through countless tests, prototypes, and revisions to achieve what he believes to be the pinnacle of wire composition, core/wrap combinations, and string-winding technology.
After more than 50 years serving luthiers worldwide, Siminoff Banjo and Mandolin Parts closed its doors in 2015 to allow Roger and team to devote full-time attention to the growth and development of Straight Up Strings.
Straight Up Strings are made in the U.S.A. The Company is located in Atascadero - the heart of California's Central Coast area.
The leadership
Roger Siminoff heads up the design and development of the company's compensated musical string line.
Rosemary Siminoff oversees the financial, business, inventory, and order-processing end of Straight Up Strings, and supports the company's marketing efforts.
Kali continued to grow Straight Up Strings to a highly-respected string brand until February 2021 when she decided to pursue other adventures. Kali still serves as an advisor to the company's marketing, on-line store, and endorsement endeavors.