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Post subject: A string thing
Posted: Thu Jul 03, 2014 11:08 am
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Roadie
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Location: DaRk SidE of THe MoOn :)
Ive been playing on and off for many years but nothing to serious so my guitars tend to sometimes sit for long periods of time.by the time I go to play them the strings are crusty.new or used.this doesn't suprise me but the last 4-5 months or so I've really been dedicating my time to playing and only using one guitar and usually every day and for at least a few hours.I will put a new set on and by the next day or two they are starting to discolor and corode.nothing worse then doing a bend and feeling the strings grind into the frets.yuk...anyways,I've noticed some pretty good fret wear and now i feel I'm maybe not changing my strings frequently enough or missing something in the maintenence/ cleaning process.i guess I've been in the" if they don't break they are fine" frame of mind.i usually only use a cloth to clean them.I'm curious as to what you more experienced players think.im currently playing a mexi strat I bought used for cheap and don't really care about it all that much but I am planning to pick up a higher end tele or strat and want to care for it in the best way possible.i know that since im learning,I may sit in one spot repeating a pattern or lick over and over which isn't helping fret life plus at this point,I'm still kind of a heavy handed hack. :lol:


Last edited by grainslayer on Thu Jul 03, 2014 6:00 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Post subject: Re: A string thing
Posted: Thu Jul 03, 2014 12:03 pm
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Aspiring Musician
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Joined: Tue Mar 13, 2012 7:29 am
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Never heard of strings going 'off' so soon!

Like you I don't play live so tend to leave my strings on for a long time, 6 months plus and maybe they start getting rough. However with a few guitars to choose from none of them really get hammered playing time wise.

Have you tried different brands? Some strings are made differently with different materials might be worth experimenting.


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Post subject: Re: A string thing
Posted: Thu Jul 03, 2014 12:17 pm
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Professional Musician
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Location: In a house....unless I'm at work....then I'm in a shop.
Hi there.

I too have been playing at it for a number of years, and corrosion is a big issue to me as well.
I have found a couple things that help.

1) Wash your hands before you start.
2) Wash your hands during if needed.
3) Use Dove brand soap.
4) Wipe your fretboard & strings down after your done.
5) Keep the guitar in its case.
6) Try a set on Optima Gold strings.

When you wipe down your strings, use a micro fiber cloth, and do slip it between the strings and a board and run it up to the nut, down to the pick-ups to get the gunk from under the strings, and off the board.

The Optima Gold strings are made by Maxiuma strings company of Germany, they can be hard to find in the US, try strings direct in London UK for your best price.

http://www.stringsdirect.co.uk/strings- ... 9#c303:m30

Now, I know you will see they are currently 12.34 BP (21.17 us dollars as of 07/03/2014) and your think holy cr@p, that is allot of money for strings, but understand, i live in western Oregon, a very wet place and these strings do not corrode at all. The last set I had on my strat played well, sounded good a clean for almost 2 years......yes I said years. Yes I bend, and have not broken one yet. I just put a new set on, and they sound just a bit brighter then the old set, but it is a subtle difference at best.

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Post subject: Re: A string thing
Posted: Thu Jul 03, 2014 12:19 pm
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Roadie
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Joined: Thu Jan 10, 2013 3:56 pm
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Location: DaRk SidE of THe MoOn :)
I've always used daddario strings.i buy the three paks.usually after a day or two they have discolored in the areas I play the most.not long after they get a crust on the underside of the string.say I give them a good wipe in the evening after playing,the next day they have a bit of a crusty growth on them.lol...and obviously it gets worse as the string ages.I've read posts where people have commented on having highly corrosive sweat which I assume I have.lol...plus I live ocean front which may not be helping.i may try a few different brands of strings and experiment a little.i just wanted to know about any maintenance tips before I get my new guitar.i don't want to pre maturely thrash the frets because of some maintenance tips I'm missing or overlooking...And ya jeffytune,I try to wash my hands before I start,sometimes I take a break and wash them when they are sweaty..and give the strings a quick wipe.I keep my guitar on a stand in my living room because I'm always grabbing it.i keep my others in their cases because I don't play them often.


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Post subject: Re: A string thing
Posted: Fri Jul 04, 2014 10:41 am
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ever hear of "Fast Fret", or "3 in 1 oil" , or to revive old dirty and corroded strings "WD 40". - any non-drying mineral oil will do. (eg linseed is a drying oil and a definite no no)

A wipe down with any of these on a polishing cloth before and after playing should keep your strings and fretboard in optimum condition.

slip the cloth under the strings and add a few drops of oil and slide it up and down the full length of the strings. You'll see any rust and gunk you clean off.


PS the strings on that Epi SG are 12 years old :roll:


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Post subject: Re: A string thing
Posted: Fri Jul 04, 2014 11:57 am
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Roadie
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Location: DaRk SidE of THe MoOn :)
Thanks,I did a little on line searching and found a few products.just wondering what people were most happy with.ive never used any polishes,conditioners,cleaners on my gee tars before. :mrgreen:


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Post subject: Re: A string thing
Posted: Fri Jul 04, 2014 12:27 pm
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Elixer Nanoweb 10's.
Only a few bucks more, but worth it to those of us that hate the string change chore.


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Post subject: Re: A string thing
Posted: Fri Jul 04, 2014 12:58 pm
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Location: DaRk SidE of THe MoOn :)
yomammaaho wrote:
Elixer Nanoweb 10's.
Only a few bucks more, but worth it to those of us that hate the string change chore.

I actually was thinking about picking up a set of those and giving them a try.i guess if I used elixir coated strings,I wouldn't need to use any type of string cleaner.just a simple wipe after I'm done.i think I've always been sold on the d'addario strings because I could buy a 3 pack for almost the same price as a set of elixirs which may seem like the better way to go at first but not if they don't last very long.


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Post subject: Re: A string thing
Posted: Fri Jul 04, 2014 1:08 pm
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grainslayer wrote:
plus I live ocean front which may not be helping.
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Thanks,I did a little on line searching and found a few products.just wondering what people were most happy with.ive never used any polishes,conditioners,cleaners on my gee tars before. :mrgreen:


Usually a quick wipe down with the cloth and couple of spots of oil after playing is enough. I'd been using 3 in 1 long before any of the proprietary guitar oils and cleaners came on the market' though they do have the advantage of a handy applicator and are more gig friendly than a can of oil.
Elsewhere on the forum someone advised using mineral oil as it helps preserve the fingerboard and prevents it from drying or/and cracking.
It may be worth slipping a cloth under the strings when you put it down on the stand (- as at the start of my video.) if the seaside environment is accelerating corrosion.


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Post subject: Re: A string thing
Posted: Fri Jul 04, 2014 1:33 pm
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grainslayer wrote:
yomammaaho wrote:
Elixer Nanoweb 10's.
Only a few bucks more, but worth it to those of us that hate the string change chore.

I actually was thinking about picking up a set of those and giving them a try.i guess if I used elixir coated strings,I wouldn't need to use any type of string cleaner.just a simple wipe after I'm done.i think I've always been sold on the d'addario strings because I could buy a 3 pack for almost the same price as a set of elixirs which may seem like the better way to go at first but not if they don't last very long.


I've always used d'addario strings for the very same "value" reasons, but after trying the nanowebs.....I'm hooked. And not just for their value....which is comparable to 3 sets (or better) of d'addario's......but especially because I hate changing strings.
My last set of nanowebs still sounded good after 6 months, but for fret life reasons, I try and change them after wearing through the nickel coating of the strings.


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Post subject: Re: A string thing
Posted: Sat Jul 05, 2014 3:03 am
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Aspiring Musician
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Joined: Sat Apr 20, 2013 12:22 pm
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grainslayer wrote:
yomammaaho wrote:
Elixer Nanoweb 10's.
Only a few bucks more, but worth it to those of us that hate the string change chore.

I actually was thinking about picking up a set of those and giving them a try.i guess if I used elixir coated strings,I wouldn't need to use any type of string cleaner.just a simple wipe after I'm done.i think I've always been sold on the d'addario strings because I could buy a 3 pack for almost the same price as a set of elixirs which may seem like the better way to go at first but not if they don't last very long.


I use Elixer Nanoweb 9's, also D'addario EXP's, I try to play at least an hour or more a day and with a little care they last months instead of weeks.

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Post subject: Re: A string thing
Posted: Sat Jul 05, 2014 2:36 pm
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ive talked to people on other sites that have this problem and worse. . they seem to feel that there sweat ano or oils in there skin are acidic. one guy was actually loosing the chrome on his pickups and tailpiece. anyhow what id do is follow the advice of the guy that told you to wash your hands and beyond that just use some powder on them. for one thing the powder on the neck hand will help with moving around on the neck. and the other thing is it will be a barrier between you and the metal strings. i used to do this all the time . kinda works like fast fret without the residual stuff left behind.


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Post subject: Re: A string thing
Posted: Thu Jul 10, 2014 10:27 am
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Roadie
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Location: DaRk SidE of THe MoOn :)
Well,it's been a week since I put new strings on.ive been quite strict about washing my hands and wiping the strings down during and after playing.no cleaners,just a clean cloth.i don't know if the dryer summer weather has helped but the strings are in pretty good shape still.I have noticed the cloth is starting to get a dark residue after wiping the strings down now though.still going to get a set of elixirs and see how the last..


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Post subject: Re: A string thing
Posted: Thu Jul 10, 2014 11:19 am
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I've been using Elixer Nanos on my acoustics for years now but I recently tried a coated string I think sounds better and it's about the same price. I will definitely buy more of these.

ClearToneStrings

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Post subject: Re: A string thing
Posted: Thu Jul 10, 2014 5:32 pm
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Joined: Sat Jul 05, 2014 8:00 am
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I use "Fast Fret" or "Finger Ease." They are about the same thing I think. Just spray it on, wipe down with a soft cloth. You can feel the difference on just how the strings feel.
Robert


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