Members phaeton Posted June 18, 2012 Members Share Posted June 18, 2012 Recently I posted about picking up an Affinity Squier from a Starter Pak on Craigslist. I noted that it was a 'dark' sounding guitar, and many pointed out that it is likely made of Agathis, which will be darker and somewhat less resonant than the usual Alder or other Stratwoods, etc. However, it just occurred to me that the new set of strings I put on it right after I got it were a set I bought on clearance about a year ago from a local music store going out of business. No idea how long the music store had them, but I don't see any "Use by [such-and-such date] for best taste". They are the first set I pulled from a D'Addario XL .009" 3-Pack. I only played the strings that were on it for about a minute or so when I was checking the guitar out, and they came off as soon as I got the guitar home. Even running my fingers up the surface of the strings from nut to bridge doesn't produce the usual "shhhing!" you get from new strings. They're new so they get in tune and stay in tune and their intonation is fine, but I wonder if maybe the strings are somewhat dead themselves. To be perfectly honest, brand new strings are usually too bright for me and I don't enjoy them until they start losing that shimmer off the very top end. Ever get a bum set of strings? To some extent I'm hoping that the guitar isn't quite this dark sounding. I know the real answer to my question will be to buy another set of new strings (diff store, as the other one is long gone) and put 'em on. However, I'm curious if y'all ever had it happen where a set of (roundwound, not flatwound) strings were kinda 'dull' out of the bocks. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Alan Roberts Posted June 18, 2012 Members Share Posted June 18, 2012 Yes, they do start to loose some of their brightness after a while. It's always good to buy strings from someplace that sells through them pretty regular and even rotates them out so that the ones on the back of the display get rotated forward. A store that buys direct from the mfg. will also have fresher strings than a store that has to buy through a "jobber" or distributor. Even stores that are in areas where they keep the doors open in the summer or that have a high degree of dampness can have problems with shelf life on strings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Doctor49 Posted June 18, 2012 Members Share Posted June 18, 2012 Yes, they do start to loose some of their brightness after a while. It's always good to buy strings from someplace that sells through them pretty regular and even rotates them out so that the ones on the back of the display get rotated forward. A store that buys direct from the mfg. will also have fresher strings than a store that has to buy through a "jobber" or distributor. Even stores that are in areas where they keep the doors open in the summer or that have a high degree of dampness can have problems with shelf life on strings. D'Addarios come in sealed bags. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members 1001gear Posted June 18, 2012 Members Share Posted June 18, 2012 The electrons spin down after a couple years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members WRGKMC Posted June 18, 2012 Members Share Posted June 18, 2012 If when making the strings, the unpolished steel, has moisture on it or the beginning of rust, the chroming that goes over the steel can trap that rust below where it grows and eats through the steel. It can also be the chrome is weak and the bare steel starts to corrode. Theres less chance of corrosion after the strings are manufactured and humatically sealed in a bag.Many manufacturers are doing this including Boomers and D'Addario. But even there, I've open packs thathave spots on them. The corrosion was present before the strings were packaged. As far as going dead because of shelf life, its unlikely. They do tend to get brittle, break or corrode. That may be your problem if its heavy. As far as going dead like they do from being on a guitar a long time, not so much. The strings arent under tension like thay'd be on a guitar. I just change brands. If you bought those strings recently, send them back for a refund. If someones selling bad strings, they should know it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members 1001gear Posted June 18, 2012 Members Share Posted June 18, 2012 You think the time coiled matters? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members cephus Posted June 18, 2012 Members Share Posted June 18, 2012 I have a few sets of EB 11s from before they went to a sealed pack and those are probably going to be kind of dead when eventually resort to putting them on. But one thing I do know is that if the windings become dislodged from the core, wound strings can sound really dead. Normally this happens when you manhandle the wound strings before or during replacement. It is pretty common with fender vintage tuners where you have to cut the string before you put it on. If you remember the old SIT strings pack, it used to give instructions for replacing strings and it said to put a 90 degree bend in it before you cut it to lock the windings to the core. I do that religiously now after a quick string change before a gig in a bar became a quick string change after the second set in a bar. It can be really noticeable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DaveAronow Posted June 18, 2012 Members Share Posted June 18, 2012 I usually more associate the word stale with food. Have you actually tried putting cheese on them? What did they taste like? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Alan Roberts Posted June 18, 2012 Members Share Posted June 18, 2012 D'Addarios come in sealed bags. The material of those bags was developed for the military in Desert Storm for shipping parts and supplies. When it was first adapted by D'Addario I remember getting memos and cut sheets on the technology and the history of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Doctor49 Posted June 19, 2012 Members Share Posted June 19, 2012 If when making the strings, the unpolished steel, has moisture on it or the beginning of rust, the chroming that goes over the steel can trap that rust below where it grows and eats through the steel. It can also be the chrome is weak and the bare steel starts to corrode. Theres less chance of corrosion after the strings are manufactured and humatically sealed in a bag.Many manufacturers are doing this including Boomers and D'Addario. But even there, I've open packs thathave spots on them. The corrosion was present before the strings were packaged. As far as going dead because of shelf life, its unlikely. They do tend to get brittle, break or corrode. That may be your problem if its heavy. As far as going dead like they do from being on a guitar a long time, not so much. The strings arent under tension like thay'd be on a guitar. I just change brands. If you bought those strings recently, send them back for a refund. If someones selling bad strings, they should know it. Is it not the case that the majority of strings are now made in the same few plants, since sales volumes per brand do not support individual factories?Bad batches are more likely than bad brands in that case. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members honeyiscool Posted June 19, 2012 Members Share Posted June 19, 2012 Agathis dark? Never heard of such a thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members charvelstrat81 Posted June 19, 2012 Members Share Posted June 19, 2012 does anyone know a method to make brand new strings sound a bit warmer like you have played them in for say 2 days or so with heavy playing?I hate the tone of brand new strings and someone told me to just boil them for 10-20 mins to get rid of that harsh new tone? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members honeyiscool Posted June 19, 2012 Members Share Posted June 19, 2012 I used to put grease on new bass strings to deaden them up, but really, nothing makes that aged tone quite like... well, age. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members charvelstrat81 Posted June 19, 2012 Members Share Posted June 19, 2012 I used to put grease on new bass strings to deaden them up, but really, nothing makes that aged tone quite like... well, age. LOL well i have heard of some using butter,wd-40,vasoline,lotion and all kinds of things so grease does not surprise me one bit! LOL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members honeyiscool Posted June 19, 2012 Members Share Posted June 19, 2012 Bacon grease! I use olive oil when I do it. Some people think olive oil turns rancid but dude, my roommate, who is a chef who is a germ freak, has no problems with leaving vats of olive oil out in the room, which makes me think there's little chance of rot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Angry Tele Posted June 19, 2012 Members Share Posted June 19, 2012 doubt it. my 2002 jaguar I bought in 2007 had original strings in the case and I put them on. They sounded just as crappy as the new Fender strings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members charvelstrat81 Posted June 19, 2012 Members Share Posted June 19, 2012 Bacon grease!I use olive oil when I do it. Some people think olive oil turns rancid but dude, my roommate, who is a chef who is a germ freak, has no problems with leaving vats of olive oil out in the room, which makes me think there's little chance of rot. One of the pro players very well known uses bacon grease i forget who it is! LOL I may give the olive oil a go? thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ddawson2012 Posted June 19, 2012 Members Share Posted June 19, 2012 Just a comment further to this thread - our strings are sealed in a baggie that is designed to inhibit corrosion and prevent moisture from reaching the strings. With regard to the OP's comment of stale strings - anything is possible as far as getting a bad string and we will stand behind our product 100%. I sent a PM to the OP to see about replacing the set in question. But we also want to mention that we're seeing a growing rate of FAKE strings in the marketplace. Please be aware that if you purchase strings from online auction sites or other places where you're not 100% sure of it's pedigree (so to speak), you'll want to verify that what you've purchased is actually D'Addario product - you can enter the code from the inside baggie here --> www.daddario.com/playreal - this is inform you as to whether or not the product you've purchase is real. If it turns out that it is not, you will also receive instructions on how you can get the product back to us. We're are doing our best to fight this and obviously, it's not an easy battle but one worth fighting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Bud M Posted June 19, 2012 Members Share Posted June 19, 2012 ^^^ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members charvelstrat81 Posted June 19, 2012 Members Share Posted June 19, 2012 Just a comment further to this thread - our strings are sealed in a baggie that is designed to inhibit corrosion and prevent moisture from reaching the strings. With regard to the OP's comment of stale strings - anything is possible as far as getting a bad string and we will stand behind our product 100%. I sent a PM to the OP to see about replacing the set in question. But we also want to mention that we're seeing a growing rate of FAKE strings in the marketplace. Please be aware that if you purchase strings from online auction sites or other places where you're not 100% sure of it's pedigree (so to speak), you'll want to verify that what you've purchased is actually D'Addario product - you can enter the code from the inside baggie here --> www.daddario.com/playreal - this is inform you as to whether or not the product you've purchase is real. If it turns out that it is not, you will also receive instructions on how you can get the product back to us. We're are doing our best to fight this and obviously, it's not an easy battle but one worth fighting. FYI, I have NEVER had any issues with true d'addario strings in 15 years! so i guess i never got a fake set? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members FarToMany Posted June 19, 2012 Members Share Posted June 19, 2012 But we also want to mention that we're seeing a growing rate of FAKE strings in the marketplace. Man, they will copy just about anything I guess. I never thought I had to worry about fake strings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members phaeton Posted June 20, 2012 Author Members Share Posted June 20, 2012 Just a comment further to this thread - our strings are sealed in a baggie that is designed to inhibit corrosion and prevent moisture from reaching the strings. With regard to the OP's comment of stale strings - anything is possible as far as getting a bad string and we will stand behind our product 100%. I sent a PM to the OP to see about replacing the set in question. But we also want to mention that we're seeing a growing rate of FAKE strings in the marketplace. Please be aware that if you purchase strings from online auction sites or other places where you're not 100% sure of it's pedigree (so to speak), you'll want to verify that what you've purchased is actually D'Addario product - you can enter the code from the inside baggie here --> www.daddario.com/playreal - this is inform you as to whether or not the product you've purchase is real. If it turns out that it is not, you will also receive instructions on how you can get the product back to us. We're are doing our best to fight this and obviously, it's not an easy battle but one worth fighting. Thank you Don, I responded to the PM. It is disheartening to learn that of all things, now guitar strings are being copied too. I did check out the playreal site and the strings I have are real D'Addarios. Nonetheless, I want to ensure it is known that I wasn't at all suggesting that D'Addario is at fault for this or that they have a shoddy product. I've been playing D'Addario strings since the 1980s and have always been happy with them. This is the first time I ever questioned a set, and after reading this thread I'm not entirely convinced that the strings are the problem. We'll see what happens when I put on another new set. If it matters, the price tag that the music store put on has a sequence of "12/2/10" which might be the date they got them. I must also note that I didn't check the little baggy for a perfect seal before ripping it open. Maybe it got a small puncture in it at some point, who knows. It's long gone now, so I can't look at it again. Meanwhile, thanks to everyone (and especially Don) for their input on this thread. I appreciate it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Jonnie_Neutron Posted June 20, 2012 Members Share Posted June 20, 2012 we're seeing a growing rate of FAKE strings in the marketplace. Fake strings?? Really??Is it really worth someone investing the time and effort faking an item that normally sells for under Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DarkHorseJ27 Posted June 20, 2012 Members Share Posted June 20, 2012 Fake strings?? Really??Is it really worth someone investing the time and effort faking an item that normally sells for under Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Jonnie_Neutron Posted June 20, 2012 Members Share Posted June 20, 2012 But this can only be limited to people you've never heard of selling "bulk strings" on FleaBay dirt cheap, surely there's no way they can get into the music shops and reputable string outlets? CheersJ_N. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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