Rusty strings from the Birmingham Guitar Show

fastonebaz

At the Birmingham guitar show recently I bought 2 sets of ernie ball super slinkies from a vendor selling them at 2 for £10 or 5 for £20.

When I came to fit one packet today I discovered on opening that all the strings were corroded/rusting.

I can't remember who the vendor was and don't have a receipt so not much I can do about it. 

Just annoying.   

Funkfingers

Could be genuine but ancient stock. Could be counterfeit. Either way, the vendor must have known. He wants naming.

crunchman

Don't buy Ernie Balls.

D'Addarios will stay fresh in their packs - and they last a lot longer as well.

richardhomer

crunchman said:

Don't buy Ernie Balls.

D'Addarios will stay fresh in their packs - and they last a lot longer as well.

Is the correct answer. EBs can be fresh as a daisy when fitted - but ‘go off’ remarkably quickly....

IvisonGuitars

Funkfingers said:

Could be genuine but ancient stock. Could be counterfeit. Either way, the vendor must have known. He wants naming.

How could the vendor have known?? They are sealed foil packs.

fastonebaz

I've used EBs for 25 years.  I did try d'addarios recently for a while but found I needed to change them just as often. 

Danielsguitars

i recently started using fender nickel strings because I've had alot of rusty eb strings, they're made by d'addario, if eb were consistent I'd use them all the time

i really like eb 10-52 sets which have all been good so far

fandango

Funkfingers said:

Could be genuine but ancient stock. Could be counterfeit. Either way, the vendor must have known. He wants naming.

Oh please, not another witch hunt.

guitars4you

Chances are it was me @fastonebaz ; - I don't think other stores had any stock of E Ball - All my stock was fresh and purchased for the show, so no old stock - And as Neil states from @IvisonGuitars guitars, then each pack is sealed, so no one could tell

PM me with gauge + address info and I'll send another set out to you - Sorry about that

fandango said:

Funkfingers said:

Could be genuine but ancient stock. Could be counterfeit. Either way, the vendor must have known. He wants naming.

Oh please, not another witch hunt.

Thanks for that, before I get hung drawn and 1/4'd for been a total lying deceitful retailer

mrkb

guitars4you said:

Chances are it was me - I don't think other stores had any stock of E Ball - All my stock was fresh and purchased for the show, so no old stock - And as Neil states from @IvisonGuitars guitars, then each pack is sealed, so no one could tell

PM me with gauge + address info and I'll send another set out to you - Sorry about that

fandango said:

Funkfingers said:

Could be genuine but ancient stock. Could be counterfeit. Either way, the vendor must have known. He wants naming.

Oh please, not another witch hunt.

Thanks for that, before I get hung drawn and 1/4'd for been a total lying deceitful retailer

Wow, that’s great customer service! It might not have been you that sold them, but keen to make sure punters are happy. I haven’t bought from you yet, but gestures like this mean I will in future.

IvisonGuitars

Amazing @guitars4you! It could have been you but it also could have been any of the other box shifters who had a few sets available on their stand yet you step forward to sort it without the mention of proof of purchase or what have you. I hope the forum and musicians in general realise what an asset you are to the musical community. 

ICBM

If it matters, I had a set of Ernie Balls a couple of weeks ago that were slightly rusty out of the packet too - from a completely different source. I’ve heard other reports of it too, so I think it’s a manufacturing problem.

The only other possibility would be that the fakers have moved from D’Addario to EB as well, but given that I’m pretty sure the ones I had came from the official UK distributor that seems unlikely.

Philtre

Oh please, not another witch hunt.

Perhaps the strings are made of wood? And, if so, do they float in water? And what also floats in water? A duck. So, therefore if they weigh the same as a duck...

...burn him!

EricTheWeary

guitars4you said:

Chances are it was me - I don't think other stores had any stock of E Ball - All my stock was fresh and purchased for the show, so no old stock - And as Neil states from @IvisonGuitars guitars, then each pack is sealed, so no one could tell

PM me with gauge + address info and I'll send another set out to you - Sorry about that

fandango said:

Funkfingers said:

Could be genuine but ancient stock. Could be counterfeit. Either way, the vendor must have known. He wants naming.

Oh please, not another witch hunt.

Thanks for that, before I get hung drawn and 1/4'd for been a total lying deceitful retailer

Oddly enough I bought a custom shop strat from the show and that has gone rusty. I haven’t kept the receipt and can’t remember the vendor but perhaps...

guitars4you

EricTheWeary said:

guitars4you said:

Chances are it was me - I don't think other stores had any stock of E Ball - All my stock was fresh and purchased for the show, so no old stock - And as Neil states from @IvisonGuitars guitars, then each pack is sealed, so no one could tell

PM me with gauge + address info and I'll send another set out to you - Sorry about that

fandango said:

Funkfingers said:

Could be genuine but ancient stock. Could be counterfeit. Either way, the vendor must have known. He wants naming.

Oh please, not another witch hunt.

Thanks for that, before I get hung drawn and 1/4'd for been a total lying deceitful retailer

Oddly enough I bought a custom shop strat from the show and that has gone rusty. I haven’t kept the receipt and can’t remember the vendor but perhaps...

I had visions of this and hundreds of other faulty sets etc etc - Thanks 

Wazmeister

@guitars4you - as ever Mark, a quality response and superb service (even though it might not be you)

guitars4you

IvisonGuitars said:

Amazing @guitars4you! It could have been you but it also could have been any of the other box shifters who had a few sets available on their stand yet you step forward to sort it without the mention of proof of purchase or what have you. I hope the forum and musicians in general realise what an asset you are to the musical community. 

I'm certain this year that PMT + Fair Deal Music had no stock as such at the show - But unsure, as you mention if any other exhibitors had any stock - Certainly I know I had the largest stock as such at the show, but who knows if any one else was clearing out old stock 

Teyeplayer

Went through three sets last week and they were all rusty -fortunately I’d been given them so it didn’t cost me anything and just reconfirmed my brand allegiance. Terrible QC. 

guitars4you

Teyeplayer said:

Went through three sets last week and they were all rusty -fortunately I’d been given them so it didn’t cost me anything and just reconfirmed my brand allegiance. Terrible QC. 

it is an issue that so many negative comments towards EB and rusty strings - I hope it is an issue they are aware of - I'll have a chat with them

I use EB + D'addario on most shop guitars and not noticed any issues, but the fact that already a few FB guys have passed such comment, above, suggests otherwise

Octafish

Danielsguitars said:

i recently started using fender nickel strings because I've had alot of rusty eb strings, they're made by d'addario, if eb were consistent I'd use them all the time

i really like eb 10-52 sets which have all been good so far

I've been using Fender strings for a bit now, no problems at all and cheaper than D'addarios. Did use GHS for some time then a load of rusty packs

gordiji

I bought a 10 pack of EB's a few years ago from thomann. There was a little rust on the e&b strings and as they were sealed for 'freshness' packs i thought it was just an anomaly. Packet by packet over the next two years they were all like that so i've never bought them again ! I'd also used EB's forever.