Fender strings rusting badly: is this normal?

[sepultura]

About a month ago I picked up a pack of Fender (electric) strings. When I got home and opened the pack, three strings were rusted. Went back to swee lee and exchanged it for some other Fender strings (different type) which were not rusted. Now it's been just about a month, and the first three strings (E, B, G) are rusting badly.

I take care to clean the strings and guitar after playing, so that there's no residual sweat / grease, etc. But it is still rusting. Is this normal for Fender strings, or am I just unlucky to have got two bad sets?

Just picked up a set of Dean Markley's from Davis, will try them out tomorrow. Anything better than DM's? What do you guys use which doesn't rust like my crappy Fenders here in humid Singapore?

 

[Timex]

yeah its normal. my fender bullets rust very fast in fact only lasts me about 3 weeks before tarnish forms. Maybe its because they lack a protective coating. Same thing happens to my ernie ball strings.

 

[spikes]

i bought 3 packets of fender super bullets, i was dissapointed with those when i went home, opend them to discover that all were rusted, from that moment on, i swear by dean markleys only, and a lil D'addario...

 

[subversion]

if you are new to Fender strings, then the rust encounter is 'normal'. they are rusty even before being used... try to choose a sealed set (box + sealed by a plastic outer covering eg: Dean Markley signature series). D'addarios are excellent because they are in a sealed package, but they deteriorate at a faster rate thereafter...

 

[edder]

fender strings... the worst branded strings in the market. IMHO.

 

[subversion]

they feel quite OK actually, just that they rust inside the packaging, which shouldn't happen.

 

[sepultura]

I read on one of the threads on the bass forum about using string cleaners, will probably try them out from now on. Any of you use these string cleaners here?

 

[subversion]

i'm using D'Andrea string cleaning fluid.

 

[dhalif]

i use fender strings and it doesnt happen to me

 

[livideye]

Yeah I don't know why but i think FENDER and GIBSON strings rust the fastest. Totally stop using them a few years ago. I've also tried almost every single brand but the two that stands out are Dean MArkley and DR Strings. I have since been using DR Strings

 

[ShredCow]

DR Strings for me too... The uncoated ones last long, longer than what I've tried... GHS, daddarios, Dean Markley, Yamaha and so on.

Good quality stuff, no rust at all straight out of the package...

Plus! They settle really fast... I don't need to let them sit on my Floyd Rose guitar for 1/2 hour to fully stretch, just about 5 mins and they are done.

 

[basshole]

if theyre fender bullet ends especially, insanely quick rusting is normal. try d'addarios

 

[popeye]

if theyre fender bullet ends especially, insanely quick rusting is normal. try d'addarios

Do you guys find that sometime it's very hard to take out the fender bullet string from the string hole when you want to change it?

 

[pooo]

Yup, it gets stuck sometimes. Then i've gotta use the other ends of the strings to insert down the hole through the saddle to try and push them out.

 

[sepultura]

Yeah, happened to me too, the bullet ends for 2 strings refused to come out. No use getting frustrated and wrecking the guitar, a few minutes of gentle coaxing with the end of another string finally got them out. No such problem with the Dean Markleys I've used (so far... let's see).