I've found it can depend on the guitar i'm using. Some seem to break strings a lot easier than others.

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Luck won't do it and ignorance can't

George Van Eps.

I stored mine for about a year. They got loose, held up a liquor store then car-jacked an old lady. Very bad, indeed.

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Visit my ReverbNation page @ http://www.reverbnation.com/mcampbell
Thank you!

I could probably count on one hand the number of strings that I've broken after over 45 years of playing.I have bought "new" strings that have been dead or rusty and buy up several sets at a time as I have 30 guitars and consequently go through a considerable number of string sets.I have found that if you keep strings in a zip-lock bag they stay fresh and bright sounding much longer than strings that have been left out.Strings won't stay fresh in the package unless the package is sealed such as E B strings.

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'65 Strat,65 Mustang,65 Jaguar,4 more Strats,3 vintage Vox guitars,5 Vox amps,'69 Bassman with a '68 2-15 Bassman cab,36 guitars total-15asst'd amps total,2 vintage '60s Hammond organs & a myriad of effects-with a few rare vintage ones.

Yeah it's something i never thought about before because i never had a stash of spare strings. But i built up this bag of them and thought i'd change the one's on my tele. Changed them and they were as dull as the one's that had been on for months. To say i was disappointed would be putting it mildly

I never thought of the idea of them being exposed to the air would make them go like that Not only that; because they were bad they wouldn't sound perfectly in tune and intonated no matter what i did

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Luck won't do it and ignorance can't

George Van Eps.

I've got strings I've had for years--and I've used some of those, and they've been good--but sometimes they go dead more quickly--but the climate you live in will affect it.

And who knows how long they've been at the store.

Do string packages need a Best Before date?

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It wasn't Willy-Nilly, it was at crows.

They definitely go bad. The one's i've had stored in a bag have not had that nice new string sizzle and sparkle you get when you put them on and they're brand new fresh.

Plus the intonation was off a tad with them no matter how much i tuned up. The exact way strings go when you've had them on for ages and they won't play in tune anymore.

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Luck won't do it and ignorance can't

George Van Eps.

I buy hybrid slinky strings by the case, and have never had an issue

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"Where would rock and roll be without feedback?"