<SMALL>Ever take a chemistry class?</SMALL>
Yes, many of them! However, I don't let that override common sense. The string still degrades due to rust, corrosion, and wear.
I'm not going to belabor this, other than to say that the string loses it's uniformity due to surface degradation, and that's why it goes dead. Uniform structures resonate far more readily than those those that aren't. When the mass becomes inconsistent, the pure harmonic structure is disrupted. Piano strings are under tension all the time, yet they last 75-100 years. They vibrate just like guitar strings. They're tuned and stressed just like guitar strings. The only difference is that we don't have physical contact between our hands and the strings on a piano. (Don't mention pedal changes as a major influence...non-pedaled strings on a guitar go dead too!)
My "opinion" is that it's surface degradation due to rust, corrosion, and the bar wearing the strings in the lower frets that causes deadness, as well as intonation problems. That's <u>my</u> explanation...until someone else comes up with a better one!
(Be careful! I've taken physics clases too.
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