New strings sound dead

[Mr. Syd]

So I put on new strings (Ernie Ball 10-46) on a Les Paul and somehow they sound dead as in not at all like new strings.
I had them lying around for months (packaged of course).
Is this normal? Never experienced this before.

 

[old mark]

Are they your usual strings? I have played Ernies for about 20 years and have not had that problem...no matter how long they have been around. They come in a sealed package, ans that should have no effect...

 

[dennistruckdriver]

Put the old ones back on.

 

[Mr. Syd]

Yes and no. I used to play these strings forever as well, I tried 11s, those RPS ones, but they felt to stiff for bendings near the neck. They sounded great though. I wouldn't imagine that going back to 10s would make such a difference in feel and sound to my ears!
Maybe it's just me as I'm not feeling too well today.
I just wondered if anybody experienced the "new strings sound/feel old" phenomenon.

 

[Jim Klein]

not a suprise for ernies. i used them for years but they seem very inconsistant the past few years. dead strings, bad bends/kinks. having better luck with GHS or Diaddario.tried the dr's and kurt magnus? had trouble with the ball ends coming undone. used dean markleys for a while when they were made locally. not being made at american windings anymore. overseas? i change so often it kind of doesn't matter.

 

[musicmaniac]

I've had this happen as well and have been happy with the Diaddario's.

 

[Mr. Syd]

Wow, really? Interesting!
I'm gonna play 'em anyway since there's no gigs or serious recordings coming up.
I'm gonna stick with Ernie's for now, hope this won't happen too often in the future

 

[ant_riv]

Strings are supposed to have a "shelf-life" of about six months, once the package is opened and air gets to them, whether they are on the guitar or not. (Learned this from a string supplier years ago.)

If it's possible there was a small hole in the package, that might be what caused this.

 

[The Archer]

my problem with Ernie Ball has always been inconsistency from set to set and lifespan. When things were good (which was most of the time) I loved the tone and feel of the strings but they went dead at a crazy fast pace for me.


I buy my strings once a year...make a really big purchase from strings and beyond....and have never had sets go dead over the course of the year. Keep them in a dry place and you are golden

 

[cpower]

Maybe another issue. Maybe need a set up?

 

[kevinpaul]

I have used EB strings and they are the only ones I buy. I did have a dead sound with coated strings in a very short time.

 

[Canman]

I had this experience recently with GFS strings (they were cheap and I was getting a pickup anyways...)

Not sure what exactly was going on, but they just didn't have the fresh tone. After a couple of weeks though I can't really notice a difference...honestly, I prefer new strings once the fresh twang has worn off after a few days.