Bulk strings - any disadvantage?

[Deliberate1]

Friends, two days ago I replaced D'Addario XT's with XS (12-53) on my Merrill OM, and absolutely love them. I hear no new string harshness. The resonance is balanced from string to string, with deep lows and liquid highs. I have never tried a fully coated string before, and was surprised how pleasant they feel under finger. In short, my new go-to string.

So I went back to Amazon where I bought the single set for $17.99 US. But I also saw that they come in a box of 25, at a substantial savings. At $240.29, the per set cost plummets to appx $9.60.

Never having purchased strings in bulk, is there any disadvantage?What comes to mind is the freshness of strings that may not be used for over a year. The description indicates:

"The specially designed Bulk Shop Box is made with a resealable tube housing, allowing players, luthiers, and techs to access strings with ease, while also preserving string life."

Honestly, I do not know what this means. But, it rather sounds like all the strings are exposed and protected only by a resealable conduit.
I was wondering if anyone has purchased strings in this fashion, and whether the way D'Addario packages them does, in fact, preserve them for a year or more. To knock off more than $8 per set is a remarkable savings, but only so long as the strings do not deteriorate in the meantime.
Thanks all.
David

[Batmitestar]

I’m very interested in what others say. I had my Taylor setup locally and they strung it with the same and I like them a great deal. They play as good or better than Elixirs.

[Jimi2]

Well, first off, it seems like Daddario has a hit with the XS strings. I love them on most of my guitars and most reviews I’ve read on here are positive as far as feel and tone. So yeah, they’re great strings. The thing is that, at least for me, they last a REALLY long time. Like maybe six months of pretty substantial play. So I would be tempted by that bulk price too, but it would likely take me multiple years to use up all those strings. I stocked up last year when they were on sale for 20% off and it’s going to take me a really long time just to get through those. The good thing is that their single set packs are sealed in plastic pouches- I’d assume the bulk sets are the same. So, I’d think if you’ve got a lot of guitars, play a lot, and maybe your body chemistry goes through a lot of strings, it might make sense to get the 25 pack. Ymmv of course.

[AcousticDreams]

Originally Posted by Deliberate1

Never having purchased strings in bulk, is there any disadvantage?What comes to mind is the freshness of strings that may not be used for over a year. The description indicates:

"The specially designed Bulk Shop Box is made with a resealable tube housing, allowing players, luthiers, and techs to access strings with ease, while also preserving string life."

D'addario has always been on top of their game. Always looking to improve. And they provide great data charts as well in order to compare string tensions. I used D'Addario strings for many years.

I can not speak for Their 25 resealable pack. But I would have to assume, that they would have designed it with longevity in mind.

What I can tell you is I order in bulk 10 to 15 sets of string at a time from Newtone strings. They come in a resealable string package. Like a Ziploc only with Aluminum walls.

These strings stay Minty fresh in the pack for More than a year. Never seen any rust what so ever on the High E and B strings . And the Bronze is also always bright with no sign of any corrosion what so ever.

If you have any doubts, then you could additionally seal them in more plastic as an added protection. Put in some moisture absorbing packs as well. But I would have to assume that D'Addario being what they are have already done a good job with what ever resealable system they have come up with.

[douglasfan1]

There are some disadvantages from economic view:

1. Occupy place for shorage
2. Risk of getting rust before use
3. Chances of further discount of strings
4. You may fall in love with other strings but need to wait until finished all the stock on hand

[DownUpDave]

If they last 6 months you will have 12 years worth of strings for that one guitar. What if you fall out of love with them, it happens, sometimes we like a change. What happens if you get curious about the next “latest and greatest”. I would think there would be some new stuff coming down the pipe in the next 12 years

[Robin, Wales]

I'm going to say that it depends where you live - somewhere very dry or very humid?

I used to buy bulk strings as I was fitting 300 or so sets a year at one point. So 50 sets would never sit around for more than a couple of months. Where I live, I really wouldn't want to store strings beyond that.

Now that I have just 3 guitars I only hold one set for each as the "next to go on", and I'm careful about having sealed individual packs - which will last fresh for at least a year. The old Martin cardboard packs with paper sleeves would rust in my home within 3 months.

If you change your strings every two months, then those "resealable" packs of 25 sets are going to be sitting around for 4 years at your home. Whereas a guitar tech at a shop may go through all 25 sets in a month, which is the use those bulk packs are designed for - not long term home storage.

[Chas007]

Good advice on here. I personally would not do it. That's a big commitment to one type of strings; its like getting married to them. You know sooner or later one of your friends or someone on here will be talking about the latest strings they bought that are awesome and well, changing strings is a lot cheaper than changing spouses. Don't get married to those strings.

[The Bard Rocks]

Originally Posted by Chas007

Good advice on here. I personally would not do it. That's a big commitment to one type of strings; its like getting married to them. You know sooner or later one of your friends or someone on here will be talking about the latest strings they bought that are awesome and well, changing strings is a lot cheaper than changing spouses. Don't get married to those strings.

Represents my own feelings. IF you decide to go for it, I'd think of storing them in the freezer, well protected of course.

[llew]

People can make arguments both ways but I have both EJ-16's and EJ-17's in the bulk (25 sets) boxes. i've had no issues with mine. As far as space is concerned they are roughly 12"x12"x4.75".(that's two boxes side by side on end) So the two together are like a box of floor tiles. I have not noticed any rust and i live half a block off the beach. Granted it will take a fair amount of time to use them if I use other sets (and I do) but it is a substantial savings. It's not for everyone. It works for me. The XT's are even less likely to deteriorate with the treated factor.
BTW...I really like the XT's too!

[Wellington]

Oof, I wouldn't, I would have those strings for over a decade, I would definitely start trying other strings during that time, preference might change etc. If they can last a few or several months, the full price really isn't so bad in the first place.

[Steve DeRosa]

On both my 4- and 5-string banjos I use non-standard tunings which commercially-available sets can't accommodate, so I had no choice but to go with bulk single strings...

I keep them in a sealed container in a dark, dry place, and haven't had any issues with rust spots or tarnishing - probably be useable well beyond my lifetime...

[Kyle215]

Labor Day is coming up, there will probably be a sale of some sort and you may be able to grab a 10 pack for a nice discount. And then you’ll have them sealed in individual sets…

[Deliberate1]

OP here. Thanks, fellas, for all the good advice. As tempting as the price is, it is too long a committment. Fact is that D'Addario will inevitably introduce other "grail" strings in the multiple years it would take me to work my way legitimately through a 25 string pack. A ten set would be just the thing, and I will keep a eye peeled.
Cheers.
David

[Dru Edwards]

Originally Posted by Deliberate1

OP here. Thanks, fellas, for all the good advice. As tempting as the price is, it is too long a committment. Fact is that D'Addario will inevitably introduce other "grail" strings in the multiple years it would take me to work my way legitimately through a 25 string pack. A ten set would be just the thing, and I will keep a eye peeled.
Cheers.
David

Hey David, I like buying bulk strings but I keep them in my climate controlled guitar room so they last.

The one thing I'd say is that if you're buying from Amazon make sure you're not buying from a third party just to ensure you're not getting fakes.