Rotosound's new packaging

[HengistPod]

Just had to purchase new supplies of strings and my Rotosounds turned up in a plastic, not-resealable crisp-packet sort of affair.

I'm all for recycling and packaging minimisation, but I've been in the habit of keeping a couple of sets of used strings in the relevant-gauge paper envelopes so I can quickly retrieve one if I break a string at some point. A new plan is evidently in order here.

Also, I note from the packaging that, to ease the pain of not knowing the difference between a .105 and a .65 without the envelope to tell you, they've colour-coded the ball-ends now - red, white and blue. I foresee a drop-off of sales in one half of Glasgow there.

[Norris]

EBs have been like that for years. I get round the problem by always having a full set of NEW strings as spares

[HengistPod]

... which is grand, but I tend to only break one string at a time, requiring replacement at the end of a song.

If I had a set of new strings and used, say, the A, to replace a broken one, then I have now got E, D and G left as spares. What am I gonna do - replace them all at the end of the gig? And if I only put on the "old" ones a week ago, what happens to them - throw them out? I have not the cash for such profligacy.

So when I put a new set of string on, uness the old ones are totally shot they get saved in the packets the new ones came out of.

Hence a whole bunch of spare single strings in the pocket of my gigging bag.

(They also come in useful for holding bits of my car together on occasion.)

[James Nada]

Use an small jiffy bag (the one your strings were posted in?) and write the brand/gauge on it.

[EssentialTension]

Strings used to come in individual packets all in a box.

[dudewheresmybass]

Surely the environmentally friendly option is to use the paper and card option rather than plastic packaging

[Merton]

[quote name='HengistPod' timestamp='1440773518' post='2853768']
... which is grand, but I tend to only break one string at a time, requiring replacement at the end of a song.

If I had a set of new strings and used, say, the A, to replace a broken one, then I have now got E, D and G left as spares. What am I gonna do - replace them all at the end of the gig? And if I only put on the "old" ones a week ago, what happens to them - throw them out? I have not the cash for such profligacy.

So when I put a new set of string on, uness the old ones are totally shot they get saved in the packets the new ones came out of.

Hence a whole bunch of spare single strings in the pocket of my gigging bag.

(They also come in useful for holding bits of my car together on occasion.)
[/quote]

How often are you breaking strings? I haven't broken one in over ten years.

[Iain]

I suspect it's a measure to keep the strings from oxidising so they keep longer on the shelf than purely environmental reasons. Plus cheaper than bagging individual strings.

[doctorbass]

Cant see a problem with it really. The "[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]environmental reasons" is a load of old tosh if you as me. Businesses have been trying to use their green credentials as a sales pitch for years, the new packaging will no doubt be cheaper and if it stops the strings tarnishing the thats all good. I like Rotos![/font][/color]

[cybertect]

Use CD/DVD envelope sleeves to keep them in, perhaps?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/CD-SLEEVES-100-DVD/dp/B000N8FIL0

[ambient]

[quote name='HengistPod' timestamp='1440773518' post='2853768']
... which is grand, but I tend to only break one string at a time, requiring replacement at the end of a song.

If I had a set of new strings and used, say, the A, to replace a broken one, then I have now got E, D and G left as spares. What am I gonna do - replace them all at the end of the gig? And if I only put on the "old" ones a week ago, what happens to them - throw them out? I have not the cash for such profligacy.

So when I put a new set of string on, uness the old ones are totally shot they get saved in the packets the new ones came out of.

Hence a whole bunch of spare single strings in the pocket of my gigging bag.

(They also come in useful for holding bits of my car together on occasion.)
[/quote]

Buy separate strings ?

I'm pretty sure you can buy separate Rotosounds from Strings direct.

[paul h]

D'Addario have been doing it for years. In fact I just bought two packs of RB40's packed in that very manner and it almost made me feel like I was using decent strings

Just kidding...they're actually great strings

[ambient]

How often do you break a string ?

I've never broken one in 20 years.

[Annoying Twit]

[quote name='ambient' timestamp='1440880694' post='2854574']
How often do you break a string ?

I've never broken one in 20 years.
[/quote]

[color=#000000][font=sans-serif][size=3]Erroneous[/size][/font][/color] used to break them frequently. I'd guess it depends on playing style, but when I read of Erroneous's record, I was gobsmacked.

[ambient]

[quote name='Annoying Twit' timestamp='1440881124' post='2854577']
[color=#000000][font=sans-serif][size=3]Erroneous[/size][/font][/color] used to break them frequently. I'd guess it depends on playing style, but when I read of Erroneous's record, I was gobsmacked.
[/quote]

I was wondering if maybe there was a problem on the OP's bass or something, causing stress on the string ?

[MacDaddy]

[quote name='Iain' timestamp='1440840759' post='2854220']
I suspect it's a measure to keep the strings from oxidising so they keep longer on the shelf than purely environmental reasons. Plus cheaper than bagging individual strings.
[/quote]
Yup. They had issues with 'tarnishing'. The new packaging is supposed to stop this.

[White Cloud]

New packaging....same old strings.

Great for one gig.

[Grangur]

[quote name='ambient' timestamp='1440880694' post='2854574']
How often do you break a string ?

I've never broken one in 20 years.
[/quote]
I broke a G string once when fitting it. It was a brand new Rotosound from a set of 5, funnily enough.

I took it back to the shop and they sent it back to Rotosound for analysis. Only a month later they gave me a single replacement G string as a replacement. How's that for service?

From then on I always use Elixirs.

[MiltyG565]

[quote name='HengistPod' timestamp='1440766630' post='2853669']
Just had to purchase new supplies of strings and my Rotosounds turned up in a plastic, not-resealable crisp-packet sort of affair.

I'm all for recycling and packaging minimisation, but I've been in the habit of keeping a couple of sets of used strings in the relevant-gauge paper envelopes so I can quickly retrieve one if I break a string at some point. A new plan is evidently in order here.

Also, I note from the packaging that, to ease the pain of not knowing the difference between a .105 and a .65 without the envelope to tell you, they've colour-coded the ball-ends now - red, white and blue. I foresee a drop-off of sales in one half of Glasgow there.
[/quote]

And potentially a significant drop in NI too. Now every time I change my strings, I feel compelled to chant "January, February, March! March! March!".

Anyway, the new packaging is down to a problem with the old packaging, which was supposed to be water-resistant (and was water resistant for a long time), but something changed (without Rotosound's knowledge) and the packing was a dud, so strings were arriving tarnished to shops. So they've decided to put them in the plastic sleeves with a sachet of silica gel to absorb any moisture.

[quote name='doctorbass' timestamp='1440848559' post='2854313']
Cant see a problem with it really. The "[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]environmental reasons" is a load of old tosh if you as me. Businesses have been trying to use their green credentials as a sales pitch for years, the new packaging will no doubt be cheaper and if it stops the strings tarnishing the thats all good. I like Rotos![/font][/color]
[/quote]

One thing I know is that this wasn't a "cheap option". They've had to invest in new packaging, new designs, and new machines to seal the packets shut and the like. If Rotosound were looking for a cheaper option, they'd simply have asked another paper supplier to make their boxes for them.

[fleabag]

Talk of the devil...