Shrink-Wrapped strings?

[ccravens]

Humidity here in East Texas is a killer. I'm tired of my newly-opened strings having some corrosion on them.

I want to know which string makers shrink-wrap their strings so as to avoid this problem in the future. D'Addario (at least the J74s) does not; they come in the paper sleeves/envelopes. I no longer want that.

Any help that could be given on which brands do or do not shrink-wrap would be appreciated.

I'm not trying to bash or praise any string brand over the other, and this has nothing to do with how each sounds. Just East Texas in a barely climate-controlled house situation.

Thanks in advance.

[Bob Clark]

Hey Chris,

Here's an alternate aproach you could consider. If you like the D'Addarios, why not give them a light coating of oil when you first get them to protect them until you need them. Once you are ready to use them, wipe the oil film off, and there you go. . .ready to use. You might only need it on the plain (un-wound) strings anyway.

Just a thought, in case you don't find shrink-wrapped strings you like.

Best wishes,

Bob

[George R. Lane]

Chris two makers come to mind who have coated strings- D'Addario exp74 or Elixir Nanowebs.
I just bought a set of Mapes and supposedly they are coated also, with what I don't know.

[UsuallyPickin]

A coated string would likely solve your problem. If you don't like a coated string try Curt Mangan, They are marketed in paper envelopes but the envelopes are then sealed in a plastic sleeve. R/

[Don Grieser]

I've switched to Curt Mangan strings too. Great strings. His strings sound great immediately and last a long time.

[MikeEdgerton]

I'd be thinking about how to store them. Perhaps controlling the humidity in a box with Silica Gel or something.

http://www.popularmechanics.com/tech...or-silica-gel/

You can also buy silica gel packets on Amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_n...rds=silica+gel

[Ray(T)]

Chris two makers come to mind who have coated strings- D'Addario exp74 or Elixir Nanowebs.
I just bought a set of Mapes and supposedly they are coated also, with what I don't know.

Are the plain strings actually coated? ..... I thought it was just the wound ones.

[Russ Donahue]

I have several packages of D'Addario J66 that are in paper sleeves - all show signs of corrosion.
Had them long enough now that it isn't fair to take them back to the store...while I dislike the new D'addario packaging, by sealing their strings in a plastic bag, it will prevent this corrosion from taking place.

[fidlplr1979]

I want to know which string makers shrink-wrap their strings so as to avoid this problem in the future. D'Addario (at least the J74s) does not; they come in the paper sleeves/envelopes. I no longer want that.

.Where are you getting your j74's ?? Because all the strings sold in my area under the name D'Addario EJ74 are most certainly packaged in a plastic air-tight, corrosion-resitent bag where all the strings are bundled together in one package with color coded tags. I haven't seen individually packed j74's in years .

[George R. Lane]

Are the plain strings actually coated? ..... I thought it was just the wound ones.

Just the wound strings, as far as I know.

[Phil Goodson]

D'Addario EJ74s are packed in sealed plastic.
D'Addario Nickel Bronze are also.
Curt Mangan comes in sealed plastic.
Black Diamond mando strings are plastic sealed.
GHS has just started advertising their "Nitro Pak" sealing for their strings.

There you go! Probably more out there. The companies seem to be learning.

[ccravens]

Where are you getting your j74's ?? Because all the strings sold in my area under the name D'Addario EJ74 are most certainly packaged in a plastic air-tight, corrosion-resitent bag where all the strings are bundled together in one package with color coded tags. I haven't seen individually packed j74's in years .

Weird. Your the second person so far that has said that. Maybe they were old? Here's what the pack looked like:





Each pair of strings was in its own separate paper envelope.

[mandroid]

Getting your own Seal-a-Meal lets you add a desiccant pack to your own vacuum pack.

Marine supplier stocks the vacuum packing equipment , for the fisher-folks. Here

[ccravens]

D'Addario EJ74s are packed in sealed plastic.
D'Addario Nickel Bronze are also.
Curt Mangan comes in sealed plastic.
Black Diamond mando strings are plastic sealed.
GHS has just started advertising their "Nitro Pak" sealing for their strings.

OK, thanks. Add Elixir Nanowebs to the list.
Also, I believe the DR Rares, if anyone can verify.


More than I thought. That's good.

[Willie Poole]

I just opened a pack of GHS A-270`s yesterday and they have each string in a sealed envelope, sure a little harder to get them out of the package but I assume it does keep the strings fresher for a longer period of time...One string per package....

Willie

[pops1]

I just opened a pack of GHS A-270`s yesterday and they have each string in a sealed envelope, sure a little harder to get them out of the package but I assume it does keep the strings fresher for a longer period of time...One string per package....

Willie

Yes GHS has started to seal their strings individually some time ago. We have humidity here in the midwest and it helps a lot. I get a bunch of strings at a time and keep them so I don't have to order so often and the sealed strings are working much better for corrosion.

[Mike Stewart]

Weird. Your the second person so far that has said that. Maybe they were old? Here's what the pack looked like:

Those are old. D'Addario hasn't used that packaging in at least six months. The new one looks like this:

[Denny Gies]

I'll second George's recommendation for Elixir nanowebs. I have had good luck with them and they last longer than the J 74's I played for years.

[MikeEdgerton]

Getting your own Seal-a-Meal lets you add a desiccant pack to your own vacuum pack.

Marine supplier stocks the vacuum packing equipment , for the fisher-folks. Here

You could probably get by with a zip lock bag and a desiccant pack.

[Paul Busman]

Hey Chris,
Here's an alternate aproach you could consider. If you like the D'Addarios, why not give them a light coating of oil when you first get them to protect them until you need them. Once you are ready to use them, wipe the oil film off, and there you go. . .ready to use. You might only need it on the plain (un-wound) strings anyway.

I'm not crazy about this idea. Some of the oil might seep between the windings of the strings, altering their sound. I've always heard that skin oils were one of the factors that cause strings to go dead.

[foldedpath]

I've used GHS Silk and Bronze mediums for a few years, and they just recently (in the last 6 months) started shipping their strings in individual sealed plastic sleeves inside the string packet. Not vacuum-sealed, but still less permeable than paper.

I like the GHS series anyway because they have more even-tension .016 gauge A strings, but maybe that new shipping method will help in damp climates if you buy strings in bulk and store them for a long time. They have other string varieties besides Silk and Bronze, and I think they all ship this way now.

We have a vacuum sealer in the house for food items, but that wouldn't help if the strings arrive already exposed to too much moisture in a paper sleeve. Might be a good idea if you buy in enough bulk though, to stop further deterioration.

[Bob Clark]

I'm not crazy about this idea. Some of the oil might seep between the windings of the strings, altering their sound. I've always heard that skin oils were one of the factors that cause strings to go dead.

Yeah, Paul, that's a good point. But I think you'd only need it on the plain strings anyway (hence no windings). Still, the suggestion of dessicant packs in an air-tight container is probably better anyway.

[HonketyHank]

To add to the list, I have a couple of sets of Martin strings. All the strings in a set are sealed in one plastic envelope.

Also, I have a bunch D'Addario J74's single A's and E's from JustStrings.com. They came with each string individually sealed in a plastic envelope.

[Ivan Kelsall]

The EJ74's sems to have undergone a re-packaging process. I re-strung my Weber yesterday with a set of EJ74's i've had hanging around ( i usually fit DR MD11's),& they were in ordinary paper envelopes,which i prefer. The paper will absorb any tiny bit of moisture & it'll dry out. Plastic bags won't absorb any moisture that's trapped inside them. So unless the EJ74's are now packaged in a 100% dry atmosphere,IMO,the plastic wraps maybe a step backwards,
Ivan

[Phil Goodson]

..... So unless the EJ74's are now packaged in a 100% dry atmosphere,IMO,the plastic wraps maybe a step backwards, Ivan

Yeah, they probably didn't think of that.