How long can strings stay in the package?

[Peepaleep]

Warwick is having a deal on strings - 10 sets for $100. I don't go through them insanely quickly, so I was wondering if I should buy a 10-pack and leave them in the drawer for a while? It would take me a couple of years to go through 10 sets because I clean them after each use, and I was wondering if they lose their tone if not "fresh."

What 'cha think?

[Loves2Jam]

i think they go bad after a year or so depending on moisture

[Mr. BassmanPT]

Originally Posted by Loves2Jam

i think they go bad after a year or so depending on moisture

is this a joke or what?

[Burlington]

Originally Posted by Loves2Jam

i think they go bad after a year or so depending on moisture

If you have them in water, they'll go bad faster than that

OP, they should be fine in the package as long as they're there and in a cool, dry place.

[Peepaleep]

I think he might have meant humidity, not submerging them in water I live in the desert so humidity is not going to affect them.

[JTE]

It depends on humidity. Are the string packages sealed (like D'Addario's sealed packs)? If not, a couple of years are probably the most you could expect before they start rusting.

John

[mmbongo]

I store mine in sealed freezer bags, with a silica gel.

[lowendrv]

Until you take them out....

[PJSShearer]

They'll be fine. Leave them in the packets until you need to use them (no fingermarks) and they'll pretty much keep for ever.

[chadhargis]

I was going to suggest putting them in a zip lock bag. I play D'Addario strings that come in a sealed bag.

[D-Nut]

Strings have a shelf life of a number of years. Don't take them out of their packaging and you will be fine. If putting them in a zip lock bag helps you sleep at night, go for it. Don't put them under water or outside and you'll be fine.

[SactoBass]

I keep my unopened strings in a state of deep cryogenic freeze under ultraviolet light in a vault at a lab, with soft music playing 24/7, and once a week I put on my cryo suit and go in there and talk to the strings for 15-20 minutes using positive reinforcement comments. I have found that my gigs totally rock with these strings, every time.

[Peepaleep]

Thanks folks - I'm gonna see if Michael Jackson's hyperbaric chamber is available - I can keep the strings in there.

[darkstorm]

Depends on the packaging. And climate. Those in unsealed paper pkg would go bad sooner then those in sealed foil type long life pkg's. Ive heard of strings several yrs old sounding practically new like newly bought ones.

[FretlessMainly]

I recently bought a couple of sets of NOS Rickenbacker Electro flats that are most likely on the order of 30-40 years old. Not a speck of tarnish and they sound great. They came in white envelopes (now somewhat yellowed) in a red box that looks as thoough it was designed in 1955 (well, one set did anyway).

Flats may be different from rounds in this respect. Rounds may loose some zing after a long period coiled. Can't be sure though, as I don't use rounds much.

[Peepaleep]

So I bought them - a 10-pack of Warwick reds. 5-string, 45-135. At $10 a set it's got to be a good deal. Does anyone have experience with Warwick Reds? This will be my first time playing them.