String consistecy

[KGreene]

String "Consistency"....

I typically use D'Addario J74's, which provide the tone and wear life that suits me... However, now and then I get a set that sounds 'deadened'.

At $6.00 a set its not a big deal... just curious if anyone else has noticed/experienced this?

[Ivan Kelsall]

If it's a whole set that sounds 'deadened',it's a tad weird. It may be that your mandolin's condition had changed a bit due to temp. &/or humidity. All metal will 'age' over time,but as you can imagine it's a very long time. I've had one rogue J74 (now EJ74) G string in all the years that i used them. It was the top string & 'open' it sounded fine,fretted it was flat on all frets. I swapped them around & the results were the same. I binned it & replaced it with a new G string, & all was well !.

I used J74's for 8 + years with no problems apart from the 'rogue'. Some folk on here have reported finding strings decades old that still sounded good (comparatively). Maybe in a day or so,the strings might show a bit of life - i hope so,there's nothing worse that a lifeless sounding instrument - hardly an inspiration to play !,
Ivan

[Shelagh Moore]

I had a couple of J74 and EJ16 sets that were poor many years ago and put it down to a couple of bad batches. Those that I have used since have all been OK and I generally find D'Addario strings quite consistent.

[Tobin]

If it's a whole set that sounds 'deadened',it's a tad weird.

That was my first thought as well. The odds of getting an entire set that's dead would be pretty slim. If that were the case, it would probably be the result of poor storage conditions for that set (perhaps the package was compromised, leading to oxidation of the metals).

I have had several cases where I put on a fresh set of strings and it didn't sound quite right. When this happens, I make sure to double-check everything. 9 times out of 10, it's due to some small problem with the installation, like a piece of fuzz under the string in the saddle slot, or accidentally not getting the string properly engaged in the slot.

[MediumMando5722]

About 20 years ago, I had several sets of D'Addario electric strings with multiple dead strings in each set. Since then, I've used acoustic and electric sets from D'Addario, GHS, Ernie Ball, DR, SIT, Dean Markley, Elixir, Martin... no problems with any of them.

[Bob Clark]

There have been reports of counterfeit D'Addario strings. Have a look at this site regarding counterfeit guitar strings:

http://www.daddario.com/upload/DABR_...wRes_15727.pdf

Perhaps you ended up with counterfeits. D'Addario products are known to be generally quite good.

[Willie Poole]

Don`t know if the OP removed the bridge when changed strings or not but if he did it could be that he didn`t seat the bridge back exactly where it should be, maybe tilted just a bit....As far as my taste goes I tried J-74`s one time and didn`t care for them so maybe I also got a bad set, I did try the J-75`s and they were OK but I usually use GHS A-270`s and I am happy with those but I do try different brands now and then when something new comes along but I have yet to find any that are better then GHS strings...

Willie

[mandroid]

a wire die, that wires are drawn through to make it a specific diameter will wear
after a while to be slightly larger...

You up to the challenge of accurately measuring the change, to the 4th decimal point?
(10 Thousandths)

[Drew Egerton]

The only issue I've ever really had with the 74's was a few years ago when several E strings....or maybe it was A now, I can't remember, were coming unwound at the loop when brought up to tension. Seems like it was around 3 or 4 sets. Never had a problem since. Sound wise, I have days where the mandolin sounds great and sometimes still really good but not great from one day to the next on the same set, much less a different set of strings.

I've had some seem to 'last' longer than others, but that's from either the playing conditions, my level of sweat, etc.
In general, I'd call them very consistent.

[Drew Egerton]

I have wondered about sets that have been sitting on the shelf longer than others, if that makes any difference. So far I haven't really been able to tell.

I think I still have an old set or two of 74's that say "David Grisman picks this set" lol. I probably need to be more diligent with my First in First Out principle.

[KGreene]

I suppose the term "now and then" wasnt quite accurate. I've probably had 3 sets (out of 50 or so) with only the wound (G&D) that sounded that way. I usually keep 2-4 sets handy, so i just change them out....I suppose it could have been fuzz or something on the saddle as i usually wipe everything down when I change strings. It very well may have been imposters...??... I buy them from a buddy who owns a VERY small shop, and he may buy the cheapest prices..?


No big deal I guess... just curious.

Thanks for the responses.