Ancient NOS D'Addario Chromes from 1992.

[Lucas Augustine]

I wanted to try some flats on my new bass (I'm new to bass generally) and was aghast at the cost (£55 here in the UK) for a 5 string set.

Desperate for a bargain, I went on ebay and bagged a set of ancient (25 year old) Chromes from Canada, for a mere £25 delivered. Nobody else bid on them, which is perhaps worrying.

Was this a good idea? Will they be good still? Here's a pic or two. I recognise the packaging from buying guitar strings in that period.

 

[Yahboy]

Dont open it! Keep it in condition and you can sell higher price another 25 years later.

 

[lz4005]

As long as the inner bag is intact they should be fine.

 

[Lucas Augustine]

As long as the inner bag is intact they should be fine.

The inner bag has some tiny holes where the strings poked through, apparently, but is unopened as such. I am guessing they'll be ok I guess. I'll let you know.

 

[michael_t]

I went on ebay and bagged a set of ancient (25 year old) Chromes from Canada...

If they're from Canada, they should sound as sweet as maple syrup. Go for it!

 

[Lucas Augustine]

Don't some people claim that flats last for 25 years actually ON the guitar?

 

[michael_t]

If they're from Canada, they should sound as sweet as maple syrup. Go for it!

Just to add to what I was saying...
Make sure to give them a good thorough wipedown BEFORE installation. Maple syrup can get sticky when it gets on your fingers.

 

[mmbongo]

25 years old? Man! I didn't know the colored ball ends had been around that long.

 

[Lucas Augustine]

25 years old? Man! I didn't know the colored ball ends had been around that long.

I think this packaging came about in 1992, and the strings themselves are from this year. There's a photo I didn't include of the reverse of the inner bag, which says they were made in 1992.

 

[Root 5]

I wanted to try some flats on my new bass (I'm new to bass generally) and was aghast at the cost (£55 here in the UK) for a 5 string set.

Desperate for a bargain, I went on ebay and bagged a set of ancient (25 year old) Chromes from Canada, for a mere £25 delivered. Nobody else bid on them, which is perhaps worrying.

Was this a good idea? Will they be good still? Here's a pic or two. I recognise the packaging from buying guitar strings in that period.

View attachment 2834447 View attachment 2834448 View attachment 2834446

Very high chance you'll be fine.

 

[Jayhawk]

View attachment 2834448

They had a website in 1992? Man, I don't even think I used the internet until around 1994.

 

[higain617]

You can only put vintage strings on a vintage bass.

 

[trothwell]

They had a website in 1992? Man, I don't even think I used the internet until around 1994.

WHOIS shows that daddario.com was registered in 1995.

 

[StayLow]

They had a website in 1992? Man, I don't even think I used the internet until around 1994.

WHOIS shows that daddario.com was registered in 1995.

Great catch. There was no website in 1992.

That 1992 on the packaging is probably a copyright date for the Chromes brand, the plastic bag packaging, or those f'ugly colored ball ends, not the date of string manufacture. Can't quite read it.

 

[Waltsdog]

If you look at the D'addario string catalog on the old waybackmachine you can see they had that packaging for chromes up until at least 2004 (the newer pages won't load) so they could have been made anywhere between the late 90s and early 00s.

 

[Lucas Augustine]

You're all quite right. Good spot on the web address Sherlock!

It seems that these strings aren't quite that ancient. Only 10-15 years old - not 25!

Thanks for your help!

 

[edencab]

and they cost $92.99 for a pack?....wow!

 

[Lucas Augustine]

and they cost $92.99 for a pack?....wow!

$92.99 Canadian. Pretty much in line with current pricing I think. (ie Crazy expensive!)

 

[edencab]

$92.99 Canadian. Pretty much in line with current pricing I think. (ie Crazy expensive!)

5 string Chromes are about $65 at L&McQ

 

[Lucas Augustine]

OK, well they're £55 here, which is $94 Canadian, so I guess it's just us Brits getting ripped off again. (We famously pay way over the International average for a lot of stuff, despite having some International influence. Britain is still a world-beater at one thing: ripping off its own citizens | Aditya Chakrabortty)