Cleaning the strings

[fusgtr]

Hey mates

Do you use something for cleaning the strings after your playing?

Over the years i've been using GHS fast fret and Dunlop 65 str cleaner & cond.

Do you thing generally that these products are safe for TA fretboards and/or our...hands?

[dannopelli]

I just wipe them down. I do not use coated strings like a lot of guys on this forum do. If I am gigging regularly I change them every two gigs. Recording they get changed daily. I have gotten to a point that I can change a set of strings on an Andy in less than ten minutes.

Maybe you should consider Elixirs? Save you a lot of time.

[tom]

i don't think that any of those products are damaging to the fb. just watch to see if it's getting dry looking.
i just wipe mine off but i do use elixirs.

[fusgtr]

A long ago, between the stings replacing, i applied lemon oil on my fretboard, wiped out, and i stored the guitar in it's case. The next day the dot inlays were kind of yellow, probably from the lemon-oil. Maybe didnt dry completely. This is a permanent coloration since then, but i don't mind since it's only aesthetic and not functioning situation.:)

[tom]

whenever oiling a fingerboard it is important to make sure you wipe it very dry.

[mslugano]

I have been using Elixirs exclusively for the last 4-5 years, I guess, and like Tom I ALWAYS wipe them top and bottom thoroughly after each play...even if it's only a few minutes. I really love Elixirs for their tone and amazing longevity.

Recently, though, I have revived a couple older guitars that have nickel frets. I polished the frets really well (WOW, what a difference!) and then stuck some D'Addarios nickel plated on them 'cause I didn't want to use my precious Elixir stash on these guitars until I was sure I was going to be playing them a bit.

I found the D'Addarios tarnished almost instantaneously and were stickier than I am used to (and they also hurt my fingertips more, by the way). I used my same old cleaning exercise but it didn't help much so I went in search of a string cleaner like DR Stringlife. I have tried Fast Fret before and did not like it at all...don't know about the Dunlop.

Have any of you guys used DR Stringlife and do you think you can get similar results for longevity with its "polymer coating" as is advertised? If it (or some other similar product) doesn't increase string life by quite a bit, I am back to nothing but Elixirs. I just can't afford to change strings every couple days on all the guitars I use, otherwise.

[mbrown3]

Have any of you guys used DR Stringlife and do you think you can get similar results for longevity with its "polymer coating" as is advertised? If it (or some other similar product) doesn't increase string life by quite a bit, I am back to nothing but Elixirs. I just can't afford to change strings every couple days on all the guitars I use, otherwise.

I've had a similar experience with the Elixirs vs. other strings. I LOVE the Elixirs for their longevity, and even more importantly, the fact that they sound good the entire time they last...not a gradual degredation in tone like I experience with other strings. I usually change them not because they start to sound bad, but because I'll start to have intonation problems with them...that's how I know it's time to change them.

When I go back to other strings (for whatever reason, usually not by choice), I find them harsh and unpleasant, they feel "sticky" to me (contrary to people who say the Elixirs feel sticky, the nanowebs feel less sticky than most other strings, although the polys do feel coated to me), and I don't like the sound of them. It's Elixirs all the way for me.

However, I almost never clean the strings before or after use. I do, however, always wash my hands before playing (unless I'm just "plinking" around)...not because my hands are dirty or anything, but because some warm water loosens the muscles in the hand and gets my hands warmed up (not temperature, but flexibility/dexterity) about 30-45 minutes' worth of playing. I don't wipe them down afterward, though, and I do sweat a lot. Maybe they would last longer if I did, but I already get a good 3-4 months of regular playing out of them, 2-3 months of heavy gigging (which for me is 2-3 gigs a week, though I don't do that very often any more).

[fusgtr]

However, I almost never clean the strings before or after use. I do, however, always wash my hands before playing

Even if you wash your hands, some fat and moisture remains on them, and oxydize the strings. You can't do something to avoid it...it's chemistry you know...:)
I wash my hands also every time i have to play, and i found that strings can live longer.

I use elixirs the most of a time in my dt but some times daddario and some ernie balls. of course elixirs are far superior:)

[mbrown3]

Even if you wash your hands, some fat and moisture remains on them, and oxydize the strings. You can't do something to avoid it...it's chemistry you know...:)

Are you saying I have fat hands?

And moist hands? Are you trying to say they are girly hands?

Are you saying I have fat, girly hands? :mad: :mad: :mad:


:D :D :D

[fusgtr]

Are you saying I have fat hands?

And moist hands? Are you trying to say they are girly hands?

Are you saying I have fat, girly hands? :mad: :mad: :mad:


:D :D :D

You got it...
Your hands are fat, girly, filthy...and whatever...
Please DO NOT TOUCH ME........PLEASE
I'll give you my HDT and my Classic...PLEASE :) :) :)

[Pietro]

No mbrowns hands are just in touch with their feminine side, that's all.

I use elixirs on everything these days, and don't even bother wiping them down. Waste of effort imho. I change them when they start to turn color (usually where I pick on the right hand NOT where I finger with the left) or lose tone or tuning stability.

I oil my fingerboard once or twice in the incredibly dry winter we have here, and get the excess ALL off right away. I find wiping the excess lemon oil off kinda keeps the frets clean, too (my non-SS ones, that is).

[mbrown3]

Mom, do your hands ever feel...you know, not so fresh?
:D

Sheesh. OK, enough about my fat, girly hands.

Seriously, though, Elixirs are the bomb. I don't clean them off ever and they sound great forever, but the difference between the polys and the nanos is like night and day to me. I absolutely hated the polys...I thought they felt like they were covered in gunk (which, I guess they are, technically), whereas the nanos feel just like normal strings, but last so freaking long. No looking back for me. One part of the equation I've been able to normalize/standardize now.

[Benny]

Just a road trick that helped extend string life to two days rather than one, and something I do for all repairs that aren't Elixirs: I spray Finger Ease on a cloth and pull the strings through it BEFORE installing them on a guitar (spraying Finger Ease as instructed on the can always looked like a really bad idea). They still feel a bit slick at first, but the wiping also removes oxidation and other residue left on the strings from manufacturing. After playing, a wipe down seems more effective with this method. I use a micro fiber or terry cloth to do the job.

[mslugano]

I also wash my hands before and after each play. Avoids gunk before and removes string smell after.

For you guys love Elixirs but don't wipe them after each play, try it! Man, it really helps because, like somebody else said, you do leave gunk on the strings that can easily be removed. To be honest, I sometimes find I force myself to change strings even though the Elixirs still sound great. Intonation might go off a little but not much. I usually change them when they show wear from the pick...sorta a little fuzzy (which takes even longer with the Nanos, I guess).

Also, while I do notice the difference between Nano and Poly, I love them both.

Finally, as an addendum to my previous post, it's been two days since I put D'Addarios on my old Suhr strat and they are already tarnished looking and dull sounding. As comparison, I took a TAG Tele with Elixirs out of its case that has gone unplayed for a few months while I've been traveling. I don't remember how much play I gave it before casing it, but, the strings are like new and sound WAY better than the Suhr with "new" D'Addarios.

Elixirs it is!