The first of what will likely be many senior moments

[shekie]

Just purchased a brand new Larrivee OM-40R (Moonwood Spruce top) over the weekend. Since the strings on the guitar were just about done, I was given a fresh set to put on as part of the purchase. I finally got around to changing strings last night, while my 15 year old was bending my ear about letting her get a dog.

I spent an hour playing in the new strings and asked my classically trained pianist wife to listen. She had a bit of a quizzical look on her face & when I was done auditioning the guitar, she said, it sounds nice, but I don't hear much treble. I spent the rest of the evening playing and listening. She was right, it was as if the high E string was dead, little volume, no shimmer. Since I've only been playing for 2 1/2 years and am far from experienced, I thought perhaps there was something wrong with the guitar & I was bumming.

On the way home from work this evening, I picked up a fresh set of the same strings at the local shop and mentioned my problem. The shop was stumped other than maybe I somehow had an out-of-the-package single dead string. I spent another hour playing and decided to swap out the high E with a new one. As I pulled the string off the guitar, I noticed the ball color was purple, so of course I hunted for the purple ball in the package of new strings. As I was about to put the new string on, I glanced over at the back of the package. Purple is the B string, not the high E. Apparently I had inadvertently swapped strings when I strung up the guitar yesterday and had the high E string playing open B, and the poor B string playing open high E.

Once I replaced both strings with fresh ones, the Larrivee sounded like that lovely guitar I fell for in the shop and with a big sigh of relief, I spent the rest of this evening enjoying learning about my new guitar. This does not bode well for the nursing home years.

[Brucebubs]

They made a movie about this very thing, 'The Color Purple'.

[Blind Dog]

Congrat's on a very cool, new, guitar. Glad you got the absent highs sorted out.

Dogs are good -- +1 for letting Her get a dog Dad. I have some bias for shelties. With or without sight.

My "Healey"

[RP]

I hate to break it to you, shekie; but based on my own senior moments, yours is not even memorable. Of course, that's the beauty of senior moments; as they increase, our memories begin to decrease. In the end, it's all good....

Here's a string changing sequence from one senior to another:
1) Open string package
2) Remove all individual strings in envelopes
3) Do not remove or change order of individual string packages
4) Brush up on metric system/decimals
5) Doublecheck that strings are in decreasing numerical value
6) Remove one string at a time beginning with the Low E as you change strings
7) Do not remove string from its own envelope until you're ready to change that string
8) Use coated strings so you don't have to do this very often....

[TBman]

Ummm, what were we talking about?

After the second or third sentence I knew where this was going, because I once transposed the G and B string and had a dickens of a time tuning up and it sounded really weird once I did. It wasn't obvious because this was an unwound G string.

[Silly Moustache]

I don't think - or perhaps I should say - ARE there string makers that still use those useless little paper envelopes ?

The OP mentioned the colour purple relating to the B string. that tells me he was using D'addario strings which are (supposedly) packed together in a hermetically sealed single package.

Their colour system normally prevents such errors (although I'll shamefacedly admit to mixing up a D & G once or twice. I have the colour pattern on the wall above my worktop.

[shekie]

Originally Posted by RP

I hate to break it to you, shekie; but based on my own senior moments, yours is not even memorable. Of course, that's the beauty of senior moments; as they increase, our memories begin to decrease. In the end, it's all good....

Here's a string changing sequence from one senior to another:
1) Open string package
2) Remove all individual strings in envelopes
3) Do not remove or change order of individual string packages
4) Brush up on metric system/decimals
5) Doublecheck that strings are in decreasing numerical value
6) Remove one string at a time beginning with the Low E as you change strings
7) Do not remove string from its own envelope until you're ready to change that string
8) Use coated strings so you don't have to do this very often....

9) Lock the door to the string changing room before the 15 year old can enter

[shekie]

Originally Posted by Blind Dog

Congrat's on a very cool, new, guitar. Glad you got the absent highs sorted out.

Dogs are good -- +1 for letting Her get a dog Dad. I have some bias for shelties. With or without sight.

My "Healey"

Yes, lovely guitar, though I'm still adjusting to the relatively flat fretboard.

As for the dog, we are continuing protracted, intense negotiations with headquarters (spousal unit).

[shekie]

Originally Posted by Silly Moustache

I don't think - or perhaps I should say - ARE there string makers that still use those useless little paper envelopes ?

The OP mentioned the colour purple relating to the B string. that tells me he was using D'addario strings which are (supposedly) packed together in a hermetically sealed single package.

Their colour system normally prevents such errors (although I'll shamefacedly admit to mixing up a D & G once or twice. I have the colour pattern on the wall above my worktop.

Yes, they are D'addario EXP's, and Mr. D'addario may think he has a foolproof system, but he hasn't met my daughter when she gets amped up about something

[RP]

Originally Posted by shekie

9) Lock the door to the string changing room before the 15 year old can enter

10) Tell the 15 year old that it's past time that she moved out, got a job and a place of her own because by now you've long forgotten that she's only 15....

[AndrewG]

Originally Posted by Silly Moustache

I don't think - or perhaps I should say - ARE there string makers that still use those useless little paper envelopes ?

The OP mentioned the colour purple relating to the B string. that tells me he was using D'addario strings which are (supposedly) packed together in a hermetically sealed single package.

Their colour system normally prevents such errors (although I'll shamefacedly admit to mixing up a D & G once or twice. I have the colour pattern on the wall above my worktop.

Why is a paper envelope 'useless', in your opinion? In my (cardboard) spare strings box I have some ancient Martin plain steel strings in paper envelopes which must be over 10 years old. No rust, no damage. The same with an old set of mandolin strings, similarly packaged.

[Twilkins]

+1 for envelopes

[djg]

Originally Posted by shekie

9) Lock the door to the string changing room before the 15 year old can enter

And don't forget that your wallet and car keys belong on your side of the door.

[rokdog49]

Originally Posted by AndrewG

Why is a paper envelope 'useless', in your opinion? In my (cardboard) spare strings box I have some ancient Martin plain steel strings in paper envelopes which must be over 10 years old. No rust, no damage. The same with an old set of mandolin strings, similarly packaged.

I agree. If they're so "useless" how is it that I can purchase good singles from my local music store from inventory that is as much as two years old?