Do violin strings age?

Question

This might be a stupid question, but I used to play violin and recently found three Thomastik-Infeld Dominant strings in their original packaging that I had never used. I bought them about five years ago, and since I obviously don't need them anymore, and paid a good bit for them, I was planning to sell them. So my question is, do violin strings age? Because if they do and these strings are crap now, I won't sell them. Thanks.

Answer 1

I agree with the above answer, yes, they do indeed age. The sound will be "false" and not pure. Rather than go on and on, you really can't sell them, they are ruined. Also, violin strings are very different than guitar strings, as in they are bowed. The timbre is much more noticeable in bad violin strings than bad guitar strings. The only possibility in salvage would be IF they are wrapped in plastic on the outside of the string enveleope, with no seal broken. You might be able to sell on eBay in that case, but be prepared for some unhappy buyers!!! I am a professional and I must change my strings every 5/6 weeks because of the amount I play, the strings play out. So,It is different for everyone...change once a year for amateurs or non serious students. Sorry for your loss, but I think they should be tossed, unless you watch hgtv enough and can find a creative way to recycle!!!!

Answer 2

YIKES ! The answers you are getting frighten me! I'm not a professional violinist, but I am a professional classical guitarist. And I have common sense. Violin strings are made of metal. Metal corrodes with age. It doesn't matter if they were inside or outside a package. Humidity and temperature, etc got to them. They are probably corroded. I'd toss them, or use them to wire something up in the garage. They would hold up a muffler that was falling off pretty well!
Whoever said guitar strings can still be used after being in the package for years is just plain WRONG. They corrode badly.

Answer 3

Any string left coiled in its wrapper is okay to use. I've had packs of strings collected for five years and then put them on a guitar. They worked fine.

I would imagine violin strings are packaged the same way as guitar strings are. If you feel guilty at selling them at full cost, give the buyer a discount.

Answer 4

If you are a serious musician, buy some new strings. If you play for friends , family and yourself, use them anyway. Probably OK. Probably $5 or $10. I try to change my guitar strings every 3 months or so. It just sounds better that way. Don't take it too seriously.

Answer 5

When I played violin, I found that it's best that it's best you replace your strings at least once a year and you shouldn't store them any longer than 1 year. Also, this also applies to your rosin.

Answer 6

It shouldnt be any different than the day you bought them. I change my strings about once or twice a year. You dont need to change them any more than that.

If you find that the strings produce a dull sound when you play, its time to change them.

Answer 7

no, they don't age, but depending on where they were stored, it might affect how long of a usable life they may have, If they were stored in cold, they may become a little more brittle than if they were stored in room temp. They should be good to sell though.

Answer 8

not unless they were touched by the oil of a humans hands