String cleaning

fastonebaz

Hmm, I might try one set then

kennedydream1980

I've used all kinds of string cleaning products over the years and a regular lint free cloth works as well as anything. I can easily get 2 months out of a regular set of Daddario strings.

I just wipe the strings down everytime after I've played and keep the guitar stored in the case, with the cloth wrapped around the neck covering the entire length of the fretboard.

rico

I try and change strings after three or four rehearsals and three gigs (plus playing at home) - I estimate this to be around 18 hours of solid playing. If I can feel flat spots under the strings then I change them if the above timeframe has not elapsed.

I also wipe them down with a microfibre cloth and use Fastfret. Works out at roughly two string changes a month. 

midlifecrisis

i never clean my strings, i dont believe i sweat much if at all but ive become very ocd about others playing them as i believe i can feel their sweat on them, probably imagining it but at a recent jam someone played my guitar for a couple of numbers and the next day i had to change the strings

EricTheWeary

not_the_dj said:

Try The Swipe:

https://www.theswipe.co.uk/

I have one of those somewhere. Seemed completely ineffectual. Does it work for you? 

ESBlonde

Reading the above responses prompts me, I always wash my hands before playing, it removes excess oils and the dirt from your cables that drag about the floor. Plus the guitar just feels nicer and more consistent.

fastonebaz

I always wash my hands before each set when gigging.  I'm generally a clean person.  I think the consensus is just to wipe with a microfibre cloth and thats fine.

thermionic

Misty said:

I just wipe the strings down with a normal household duster, including underneath. Then I use Fast Fret on them, wipe them again then reapply the stuff lightly and leave it on. This has worked for me for many years. I change the set every three or four gigs or so, and the top E usually every gig.

Household dusters are terrible for cleaning strings. They leave clumps of yellow fibres wrapped around the strings (especially the unwound ones) which are very hard to remove, and which inevitably end up at the nut or bridge causing buzzing or damping. This is why Fast Fret and the like come with a lint-free cloth, and why many people have recommended a lint-free cloth!

Mark1960

I have quite oily skin, and my strings get very dirty very quickly. I've tried all the products over the years, and the best solution I have found is the humble dry cloth. I wipe my stings after each session, especislly the unwound strings where I pass the cloth over the string holding it just under my finger nail to get in nice and tight to get all the grime off, and find I can get several weeks of band rehearsal and practice, but always put a new set on for a gig. I also keep a couple of those little bags of moisture absorbers that come with electrical goods in my guitar case.

Sassafras

Those micro fibre cloths you see in pound-shops are perfectly adequate. There's no need for overpriced branded ones. Even a fresh J-cloth will do the job although they do eventually fall apart.

ToneControl

fastonebaz said:

Hmm, I might try one set then

see if you can find "The guitar magazine" this month (Feb 2019) it contains a free set of Elixir 10s, and it only costs £6

fastonebaz

Wiz!

EricTheWeary

ToneControl said:

fastonebaz said:

Hmm, I might try one set then

see if you can find "The guitar magazine" this month (Feb 2019) it contains a free set of Elixir 10s, and it only costs £6

The new one is out so it may require a bit of hunting. 

From my memory of trying Elixirs a few years ago I didn't get on with them at all partly because they furred up and actually lasted me less time than conventional strings. I know I'm not entirely alone in this way of thinking although possibly in the minority. 

kt66

My friend used to boil his bass strings. 
I've never cleaned them, if they're that dirty I just put new ones on. 
I weirdly really enjoy putting strings on! incl 12 strings and Bigsbys

skunkwerx

kt66 said:

My friend used to boil his bass strings. 
I've never cleaned them, if they're that dirty I just put new ones on. 
I weirdly really enjoy putting strings on! incl 12 strings and Bigsbys

I've got 4 guitars here for you when you're next around.... 

kt66

send 'em over! 

LastMantra

I used to clean my guitar/strings loads when I started playing. Don't bother now.
If you over rub them you just take the nickel off them. 

Voxman

LastMantra said:

I used to clean my guitar/strings loads when I started playing. Don't bother now.
If you over rub them you just take the nickel off them. 

Thats a new one Ive not heard of before! Been playing over 47 years and never rubbed the nickel off my strings yet! 

Voxman

kt66 said:

send 'em over! 

You're hired...I've got 12! 

Freebird

Sassafras said:
I've got one guitar that hasn't had a string change for about 8 years.

The strings on my beater guitar are going into their 9th year, and I am quite curious how much longer they will last for. They don't make strings like they used to, do they