Defective La Bella D String - Replace Single String or Whole Set?

[ohheypaul]

Got a set of La Bella DTB flats 45-105 two days ago. The D string is defective- there’s a fairly severe undulation/tremolo effect that gets more pronounced the further I play up the neck. Octaves and fifths sound way out of tune and it sounds like I have an effects pedal going on that string. No it’s not a buzz. Before you go asking, I thoroughly troubleshooted the string before coming to this conclusion. It’s set well at both ends, not twisted, nut is good, pickups aren’t too high. The string is just bad.

Anyway, I will be sent a replacement set. The strings are 2 days old now and will be about a week old by the time the get the new set. Would you recommend I replace the one string or the whole set? Will it eventually catch up to the other three as far as breaking them in, or will is sound perpetually zingy compared to the rest because it’s slightly newer than the rest?

 

[michael_t]

The strings are 2 days old now and will be about a week old by the time the get the new set. Would you recommend I replace the one string or the whole set? Will it eventually catch up to the other three as far as breaking them in, or will is sound perpetually zingy compared to the rest because it’s slightly newer than the rest?

Flats that are only a week old are still good as new. LaBella flats do take a few months to break in. I would just replace the D and continue on as long as the other three are good. By replacing the whole set you actually might be risking one of the other strings being defective.