Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

What's the shelf life for a set of strings?

I recently ordered some Ric strings, two packs of 6 string and two packs of 12 string. I restrung my 1997 and was putting the other three packs into the gear drawer, only to find that I already had six other packs of Ric strings and four other packs of Pyramids strings.

If my memory doesn't fail me again, it will be a while before I buy anymore strings for the electric Rics.

I'm not the expert on this, but I've bought fairly old NOS strings and they have sounded fine. I would think (as a chemist) that unstressed metal would have a very long shelf life.

I've wondered about this myself. Quick Google search pulled up:


http://www.ernieball.com/forums/ernie-b ... rings.html

While there is no time-specific shelf-life for a package of guitar strings, different conditions will effect the tone. If the strings have been in a humid atmosphere, there is a slight chance of oxidation. Certain alloys respond differently, but generally sets that have been on the shelf for a considerable amount of time will not sound as bright/warm as a "fresh" set of strings. Again, it all depends on the conditions of where the strings are stored, but they will definitely out last dairy products...

-Ernie Ball rep.

Depends how they're store of course.

Type of Alloy

Humidity

packaging (D'Daddario's seem like they would be more resistant to long storage)


But really, how long do you think they hang in the music store?

tennis_nick wrote:

But really, how long do you think they hang in the music store?

How long is a piece of guitar string?

ricardo_vicente wrote:

tennis_nick wrote:

But really, how long do you think they hang in the music store?

How long is a piece of guitar string?

Skewing time and length... Always funny!

I would think they should last pretty much indefinitely, as long as the humidity doesn't oxidize or corrode them.

Since there is a $$$ minimum order to get anything from the Ric mail order, I typically acquire extra string sets to round up the purchase. To help retain the "freshness" of these strings, I save all the Desiccant packs that come when you buy shoes and consumer electronics, etc. and place a dozen or so of these moisture absorbers in the plastic bag with the Ric string packs, in a box.

So far, no oxidation on the stored strings. But this is nothing scientific and I have no idea what the shelf life is on those Desiccant packs....
Rich F.

I actually kind of prefer older strings. I bought a box of Ernie Ball strings once, and I noticed towards the end of the box, I really preferred the tone more. It was new and bright, but it wasn't as bright as a regular set of strings. I've never been one of the people that boils old strings or anything, but for some people, older strings (without corrosion) are very desirable. A friend of mine keeps an eye out for old Monel guitar strings all the time, and has quite a stash in a plastic snap-top box with Desiccant Packs in it. At one time, he put them in snap-top Tupperware type of box and kept them in the freezer, but now he doesn't. I don't know if that was because of any specific reason, but he only did that for like a year. I can ask him about his reason for changing if you'd like me to.

But yeah, like I said, it's all in the eye of the beholder. Or the ear, in this case.

8mileshigher wrote:But this is nothing scientific and I have no idea what the shelf life is on those Desiccant packs....

Desiccant packs can be renewed once they absorb moisture by placing them in the oven on low heat for about an hour.

beatlefreak wrote:

8mileshigher wrote:But this is nothing scientific and I have no idea what the shelf life is on those Desiccant packs....

Desiccant packs can be renewed once they absorb moisture by placing them in the oven on low heat for about an hour.

Beat me to it Kris! We use desiccant to dry the air we charge the microwave lines from the CBS satt dish. When it turns pink it goes back in the oven until blue.

johnallg wrote:When it turns pink it goes back in the oven until blue.

Ahh...Sex change operations, eh?

Desiccant packs can be renewed once they absorb moisture by placing them in the oven on low heat for about an hour.

When cooked, place on a bed of garlic mashed potato and serve with green beans, cauliflower, baby carrots and brown onion gravy.......

You need a good feed before a restringing session!!

Just be sure to have plenty of water on hand!

Late to the game here, and breaking the rules...

When I got my '67 625, which had a set of finger-cutting old Ernies on it (rusty through and through, not played in 30 years...), I spent a day cleaning it up and then broke out a packet of...gasp...Pyramids from '67, that I'd been saving for such an occasion. What the heck, the guitar was out of warranty!

A bit of tweaking of the rods, and that 625 sings. Hasn't needed ant more tweaking in the year since.