Storing used strings

Zonular · April 2021

Alright wondering if this is madness or not.
Put a set of low tensions on my classical but thinking of changing to titanium strings for brightness, anyone store strings that aren't that old?

ICBM · April 2021

I keep strings if they're re-usable. I mostly end up using them if I break one while working on a guitar, it saves replacing the whole set or having one string much brighter-sounding than the others.

GTC · April 2021

Like ICBM, if they are in good condition, might have a future use and of a long enough usable length then I'll keep them. They might come in useful for a future experiment or in an emergency.

You have to be a bit more careful in removing though.

Personally, I'm a great fan of the D'Addario Titanium nylon trebles. I find them a little warmer than carbons whilst still being nice and bright.

fretmeister · April 2021

I keep mine in a poster tube with a couple of packs of silica gel in there. I use a velcro cable tie at both ends to keep them together as a set.

Roland · April 2021

I keep old strings too. It started as a hang over from the days when I couldn't easily afford a new set, and needed something to fall back on if a string snapped. More recently I've found a use old strings when setting up a guitar, frequently de-tuning to adjust the truss rod or saddle then re-tuning to check. Unlike @fretmeister I'm not that concerned about preservation. I coil each set up, and hang a few coils from a hook in the workshop.

Zonular · April 2021

GTC said:

Like ICBM, if they are in good condition, might have a future use and of a long enough usable length then I'll keep them. They might come in useful for a future experiment or in an emergency.

You have to be a bit more careful in removing though.

Personally, I'm a great fan of the D'Addario Titanium nylon trebles. I find them a little warmer than carbons whilst still being nice and bright.

Changing from the pro Arte low tensions to the titanium trebles is actually my plan. I just need to mark the strings

Andy79 · April 2021

Can’t be arsed with it, straight into the scrap

Tannin · April 2021

It is probably easier with classical strings. I always keep a few sets of used-but-playable strings around for just-in-case, but often find that they snap when I try to re-fit them.

I do find used (steel) strings very useful around the house for a variety of tasks. My favourite use is feeding the quolls - I drill a hole in a bit of wallaby tail and use an old guitar string to attach it to a short post. The quolls love chewing on it (of course - what wild animal doesn't love a free feed?) and because they can't run away with it, each one of them gets a bit of a turn. After dinner at night I turn an outside light on and sit by the window playing guitar and watching their antics. In the morning, there is just a bone on the end of the string.

LastMantra · April 2021

I've not changed strings for years so when I do they'll be going in the bin.

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Storing used strings

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