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Cobalt rust?


ped
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Hi folks

I fitted some EB Cobalt flats in March. I really like them and have played them a fair bit at home. However I noticed yesterday that they have rusted quite badly (and quickly) around the 20th fret and the playing area over the pickups. Is that normal for these strings? I hope not as I really like them - I’ve contacted Ernie Ball so will let you know what they say. Maybe I got a dud set? 

Anyway I've ordered some Labella super light flats to try as for some reason I’ve never given them a go. 

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Hopefully a dodgy set then. I’ve found a few people saying they’ve had rusty ones on google but will be interested to hear what EB say. I bought mine on eBay from a shop so not sure who should be compensating 

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Stringsandthings have replied and said they'll send me another set which is really good. They said it's a bit too long since purchase to know whether it's a manufacturing defect or something I've done so they asked for a pic which I have attached here also. To be honest I have given the strings a bit of a clean (before pic) and they still sound and feel OK - but a new set is appreciated!

 

fullsizeoutput_1889.jpeg

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On 29/06/2019 at 09:31, ped said:

Hi folks

I fitted some EB Cobalt flats in March. I really like them and have played them a fair bit at home. However I noticed yesterday that they have rusted quite badly (and quickly) around the 20th fret and the playing area over the pickups. Is that normal for these strings? I hope not as I really like them - I’ve contacted Ernie Ball so will let you know what they say. Maybe I got a dud set? 

Anyway I've ordered some Labella super light flats to try as for some reason I’ve never given them a go. 

Been using them pretty much exclusively on fretless for years, never any rust..... you have acidic sweat mate 😂

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Just now, HazBeen said:

Been using them pretty much exclusively on fretless for years, never any rust..... you have acidic sweat mate 😂

That's the weird thing, I literally haven't sweated on them at all; the bass they're on has only been used at home! And I really don't sweat, either! Honest! 

One thing I did wonder about is that my office/bass room opens on to the garden so when I have left the bass on a stand it gets some fresh air now and then - and the weather has been a bit dodgy recently, but still.. acid rain maybe ;)

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52 minutes ago, ped said:

One thing I did wonder about is that my office/bass room opens on to the garden so when I have left the bass on a stand it gets some fresh air now and then - and the weather has been a bit dodgy recently, but still.. acid rain maybe ;)

Who knows, it isn’t normal in any case. I sweat like a little piggy under stage lights and never had any rust issues with the cobalts...... 

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OK so they say I'm just unlucky because they haven't had any reports of this before. They're sending me another set but they're going to open them up and check them over first before sending. Please cross your fingers.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Just to revisit this, I've had EB strings rust before, but never out of the pack! 

These skinny strings were bought 6 months ago, properly sealed and packaged, I open them up to this... Not just a spot of rust. I've emailed them. What a mess. 

IMG_20190714_154539.jpg

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Crikey! It does look like they are pretending there isn’t a problem. I’ve left my second set in because they still sound good and it seems a waste to change them now - I’ve kept the new ‘checked’ pack for a rainy day

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On 06/07/2019 at 12:32, ped said:

They’re in a sealed bag yeah. So should be fresh!

hmm! That's really odd. Certainly in the past with strings in paper envelopes I have seen rust straight out of the packet. It was attributed to a someone in the supply chain storing strings in a damp atmosphere. You could tell as the paper in the packets in some cases had gone wrinkly too. If they are sealed plastic bags, then it has got to be down to the atmosphere in which they were sealed. Manufacture fault.

Hope it gets sorted soon!

 

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  • 3 weeks later...

Ive just received a set of these from Amazon, and because of this thread i checked all the strings. Low and behold the D string has 3 rusty areas on it straight out off the packet. 

Ive emailed EB support to see ho wi go about getting the one string replaced, but if i dont hear from them quickly ill send the whole set back to Amazon. 

Other than that i like them. They are brighter than the strings i already had on the bass. I hope they stay like that. I didnt feel that they were sticky at all, although they do of course feel a bit different to rounds. 

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