Official Luthiers Forum!

Hello,

Maybe a dumb question - I fell victim to reading the SM email advertisement and noticed that SM Max members get discounts on strings. Looking at the D'Addario Phosphor Bronze they have a 25 pack that is $112 which works out to about $4.50 a set. They are in a bulk box, not packaged individually. It would take me a long time to do through that many sets. I'm starting to take repairs so it could increase a bit, but still it would be a year or more maybe before I would go through them. Is it a concern for them to sit for that long? How long is too long?

Brad

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Last D'Addario's I got in bulk (72 sets med phosphor bronze) were in a plastic sleeve (maybe anti-corrosive?). I've had them for well over a year and no issues with mine although I do keep them in my shop which stays below 50% humidity.

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

Hi Brad,

You could always grab yourself some small zip-locks and make up the sets yourself. I personally prefer their EXP-16 sealed 3-packs.

M

I have string packs over 10 years old - as long as they are kept dry, no worries.

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"Act your age, not your shoe size" - Prince

I bought a gross of EXP lights from D’Addario several years ago. I keep them standing in cpvc tubes covered loosely with a plastic bag in the corner of my 40% humidity shop. There is no sign of any corrosion or deterioration on the few sets that remain. I will soon have to order more.

I experienced corrosion on one of those 25-sets-of-individual-string packs of D’addario. I bought two packs and kept one in my non-climate controlled house for restringing my own guitars. I live in a very humid climate (rh 75%+ for 8 months of the year). The other pack was out in the controlled shop environment at 45% rh. The house pack of strings corroded about as quick as a set of strings installed on a guitar sitting out on a stand ie. the cardboard ‘packaging’ these come in offered no particular protection. The pack in the shop showed zero corrosion over the same time period.

I’d advise against buying strings this way unless you can store them under controlled conditions or unless your climate is quite dry. Or unless you’ll use them up real quick.