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RE: Stocking up on strings (in reply to Bulerias2005)
Damn, this is quite the necrobump, whoever did it, haha. I guess, 6 year update, I like to keep about 5-10 sets on hand at a given time and it ends up working just fine for me.
You guys with the string stuff ... On a serious matter of tomatoes: Don´t put them in the fridge.
Same thing goes for potatoes...it seems to mess with the starch and give them that weird sweet taste...
I’ve got a lot of strings in stock, both for guitar and violin (those can be pretty expensive). I’ll go through my boxes and check the old ones and report back. I hope they don’t deteriorate too much with age, because I still want to use them.
The post suggesting heat could throw off the intonation of trebles was interesting. I had a batch of Luthier strings a few years ago that were way off. I remember calling Tony and complaining about it and he was adamant that they should be OK. I wonder if something happened to them during shipping.
OK. This isn’t scientific or anything and not really much of a test, because when I went through my stash of strings (about 75 sets of various brands) most were in sealed packaging. I looked at the few sets that weren’t, one was a set of Hannibach and another a set of LaBella 820’s whose seal I had broken at some point years ago, and none of the bass strings showed any signs of tarnish, they all looked brand new. These strings were at least five years old. I didn’t see the point in breaking open any sealed packages, although I would have considered it if the unsealed sets showed sign of tarnish. I also didn’t put any on guitars, however, so none of this is probably of much value. But my thought is, if it looks brand new then it’s probably fine. I think the key is to not handle them and let the oils and acids from your skin contaminate the metal.
This doesn’t say anything about the longevity of the nylon elements, however.
So, not much help. Maybe I’ll stick to how to store potatoes (in a cool cellar, if you have one, at least that’s how they used to do it in the old days, then plant the sprouts in the spring).
none of the bass strings showed any signs of tarnish, they all looked brand new.
Looked brand new but once you start play them they'll probably sound inferior or break soon. If a pro player like Jose Tanaka prefers fresh strings there must be something in it.
RE: Stocking up on strings (in reply to devilhand)
quote:
Looked brand new but once you start play them they'll probably sound inferior or break soon. If a pro player like Jose Tanaka prefers fresh strings there must be something in it.
Maybe. Maybe not.
I put a set of LaBella basses on a guitar a little over a week ago that look and sound fine. I had put them on and pulled them off a guitar I had finished, maybe about three or four years ago, can’t remember why, probably because the guitar didn’t immediately spring to life, kiss me on the cheek and dance around the room like Pinnochio; they’ve been sitting in an open bag in my shop’s used string box for years. But, they are fine.
A similar discussion occurred on here not that long ago where the point was made that the longevity of a string on the gigging guitar of a pro, like Ricardo, can be quite a different thing than what’s likely to be experienced by the majority of players on the Foro. But, people should do what makes them feel good. If checking the best before date and changing strings every two days works for someone then, by all means, they should have at it. I just don’t have the cash (or inclination).
Another way of looking at it is; pros like Ricardo and José simply can’t afford the risks, real or imagined, presented by old strings, while most others can. Also, they go through strings at such a rate that they probably don’t have sets sitting around long enough for aging to ever become a concern.
Finally, if you do decide on a rapid string rotation cycle, please don’t clip the ends, as the old strings can be donated to schools and the like for reuse.
I'm not a "pro like Ricardo and José" but I play for dance classes 2-3 times a week for up to 3 hours at a time and have an occasional low-key gig (or I did before corona lockdown...), so strings last me from 2 weeks when I am playing a lot of classes and/or rehearsals to maybe a month at the most when there is less going on.
I just can't be bothered ordering strings every 2 weeks, plus if postage is per order i end up paying a lot of shipping charges. I order a box or 10-12 sets at a time and an equal amount of extra basses so that must be nearly a year's worth of strings at a time. I have never had a problem with strings deteriorating in that time. They would need air and I guess moisture (?) to corrode or oxidise so if they are sealed in a pack they shouldn't deteriorate, and if they do I would think the rate would be very slow. But there may be occasional problems at the factory or packing plant, maybe a bit of moisture gets into a set sometimes? Or for some reason a set that has been manufactured doesn't get packed straight away or something....
RE: Stocking up on strings (in reply to mrstwinkle)
It seems to me as if there was way too much concern here.
I think years ago we agreed on the topic that strings on guitars that are not being used will just stay as they are. Exception for trebles: Extreme heat. Exception for basses: Acidy of sweat.
Some people have sweat that is so aggressive; if they touch your guitar only once, next time you open the case the strings are corroded. (Not nice and careless of them to not tell.) And the rest of folks must be ranging between these and others (like me) whose hands cause exactly nothing to strings (other than wear from nails and frets).
At least when using a good make like Augustine (whilst having no sharp edges along setup) nothing should snap or wear enough for having to change them within weeks.
If they do: Why not consider a durable brand? It will be sounding better in the same time. -
… Those were the times when a superb set would cost you 4 or 5 Mark ( ~ 2 bucks), sigh.
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