how to make strings last longer

[mbengs1]

there is a problem when you don't use a guitar for a month or more. the strings start to tarnish reducing their life. how can i stop the tarnishing from happening so the strings will last longer? is 'fast fret' a good solution to this?

[Grant Harding]

Elixir strings.

[catscurlyear]

yeh i suppose if fast fret is an oil it should be good , if i know i`m going to be putting a guitar away for a while ,i will give the strings a wipe with lemon oil , also over the bridge and nut ,next time i bring it out of the case it`s still good . All my guitars that just hang around the house and are ready for playing always seem fine even though some may not be touched for a while,it just seems to be ones that are put in their cases without a clean that seem to start to rot the strings i think.

[gardo]

Start by washing your hands before playing . When finished wipe the strings and fretboard with a clean cloth and apply Fast Fret. The strings on my Telecaster are over a year old .I know I should change them but it still sounds good and the intonation is fine.I use D'Addario Pure Nickel

[Phil O'Keefe]

Start by washing your hands before playing . When finished wipe the strings and fretboard with a clean cloth...

 

 

These are the two biggest things you can do - short of using coated / treated strings - and even if you use coated / treated strings, you should still continue to do these two things to help improve string life.

 

...and apply Fast Fret.

 

Or Finger (Sl)ease - it's optional, but it does seem to help extend the life of non-coated strings a bit.

 

 

[hellion_213]

If your hands sweat like mine do, apply fast fret before practice, and wipe down after. As far as storing, o don't know, if I pick one up and the strings feel rough, I change them.

[1001gear]

I used to use isopropyl alcohol. A 1 inch square of paper towel is all it takes to wipe down the plains. Wrap around the string to get the underside and minimize alcohol on the fretboard. For the wounds I used a tray of HD foil that ran the length of the strings and allowed enough alcohol to soak into the winds without getting onto the fretboard. Kept the wounds bright for longer than any other method of cleaning. These days I use bulk strings so if they get bad enough I just replace them.

[badpenguin]

Wash hands before, wipe strings down afterwards.

I don't believe in using Fast Fret, or compounds like that, since your fret board doesn't need the chemical compounds that it's made from.

And I don't think wiping lemon oil on the wound strings is a good idea either. An oiled surface tends to be a dust magnet. But that's just my opinion.

If hanging on the wall, wipe the strings down when dusting them.

[DeepEnd]

. . . And I don't think wiping lemon oil on the wound strings is a good idea either. . . .

Most stuff sold as ''lemon oil'' is scented mineral oil but C. F. Martin specifically recommends against using the real stuff. I figure why not play it safe:

Martin Guitar does not recommend using lemon oil on the fingerboard. The acids in lemon oil break down the finish of your guitar. It may also speed the corrosion of the frets and decrease the life of your strings.

[catscurlyear]

i have an old fender bullet (tele) neck which is bolted to a strat body, i`ve had this neck since roundabout 1990 i used to clean the neck and strings with baby oil after very sweaty gigs for about 10 years ,then moved onto lemon oil and did pretty much the same up to the present time , the neck is lacquered but is worn to the wood in common playing spots ,so it is soaking in allsorts of crap ,it`s my fave neck .and is in good working order

[mrbrown49]

yeh i suppose if fast fret is an oil it should be good ' date=' if i know i`m going to be putting a guitar away for a while ,i will give the strings a wipe with lemon oil , also over the bridge and nut ,next time i bring it out of the case it`s still good . All my guitars that just hang around the house and are ready for playing always seem fine even though some may not be touched for a while,it just seems to be ones that are put in their cases without a clean that seem to start to rot the strings i think.[/quote']

 

 

Fast fret is the same thing as your lemon oil, minus the lemon scent. Mineral oil.

 

It does work.

[WRGKMC]

Two choices. You can use a 50/50 mixture of WD 40 and alcohol on the strings. This will clean them and the WD will leave a coating which prevents corrosion after it dries.

 

The second solution is to switch strings brands. I recommend these. http://www.juststrings.com/labellaelectricguitarhardrockin.html

 

They don't corrode, sound fantastic and I guarantee you they will last 3~4 time longer then any other strings you've used.

 

Elixer cant even match them with they're coating. The unwound strings corrode and go dead very quickly plus for $12 you can buy 3 regular sets.

 

I keep 30 guitars strung up in the studio and used to buy at least 6 sets per month. I've doubled the life on the string life and the strings don't go dead just being under tension unplayed. The resistance to corrosion and longevity of these are incredible. Any other brand of string II'd wear the strings out at the frets within 1~2 weeks tops with all the bending I do. The only symptoms these exhibit is they get hard to tune after about a months use. Even then they're tone is still there.

[1001gear]

 

The second solution is to switch strings brands. I recommend these. http://www.juststrings.com/labellaelectricguitarhardrockin.html

 

They don't corrode, sound fantastic and I guarantee you they will last 3~4 time longer then any other strings you've used.

 

Elixer cant even match them with they're coating. The unwound strings corrode and go dead very quickly plus for $12 you can buy 3 regular sets.

 

I keep 30 guitars strung up in the studio and used to buy at least 6 sets per month. I've doubled the life on the string life and the strings don't go dead just being under tension unplayed. The resistance to corrosion and longevity of these are incredible. Any other brand of string II'd wear the strings out at the frets within 1~2 weeks tops with all the bending I do. The only symptoms these exhibit is they get hard to tune after about a months use. Even then they're tone is still there.

 

Hmm they even have 12 to 52. Elixir stopped making those in PolyWeb. Interesting Sweetwater has the sets @ $4.50 but straight from La Bella they're $3.99. Didn't check shipping though.

 

[catscurlyear]

Two choices. You can use a 50/50 mixture of WD 40 and alcohol on the strings. This will clean them and the WD will leave a coating which prevents corrosion after it dries.

 

The second solution is to switch strings brands. I recommend these. http://www.juststrings.com/labellaelectricguitarhardrockin.html

 

They don't corrode, sound fantastic and I guarantee you they will last 3~4 time longer then any other strings you've used.

 

Elixer cant even match them with they're coating. The unwound strings corrode and go dead very quickly plus for $12 you can buy 3 regular sets.

 

I keep 30 guitars strung up in the studio and used to buy at least 6 sets per month. I've doubled the life on the string life and the strings don't go dead just being under tension unplayed. The resistance to corrosion and longevity of these are incredible. Any other brand of string II'd wear the strings out at the frets within 1~2 weeks tops with all the bending I do. The only symptoms these exhibit is they get hard to tune after about a months use. Even then they're tone is still there.

 

i used to go watch a band now and again in the late 90`s early 00`s ,their guitarist used to spray WD 40 up is guitar neck after every song, sometimes even mid song ,i thought "now that is well hard", i don`t think he`ll be rusting too soon.

[daddymack]

there is a problem when you don't use a guitar for a month or more. the strings start to tarnish reducing their life. how can i stop the tarnishing from happening so the strings will last longer? is 'fast fret' a good solution to this?

 

The heat and humidity, [plus if you are near the beach there, the additional salt mixed with the humidity] will kill most steel strings pretty quickly. I send my nephew in Manila Elixirs for both his electric and acoustic guitars; they are the only strings we found that stand up to the weather conditions in the PI.

Using a silicone or oil treatment will help, but I have never like the feel...then again, I don't like the feel of the coating on he Elixirs...but it does save the strings.

 

I use isopropyl alcohol/paper towel periodically if the plain strings feel grungy...but this is a very dry 'Mediterranean climate' here in LA, nothing like what you are dealing with in Mindanao. When I lived on Long Island, less than a mile from the water, I went through strings every three weeks, so I know what a PITA humidity and salt air are.

 

Be happy you don't have a piano...

We rented a Malibu beach house years ago, and on the second floor [spectacular view] they had a grand piano...I was enthralled until I tried to play it...I opened the lid,...I never saw so many broken and rusted strings in a piano before, and I have owned a couple. It was unplayable...and un-tune-able. I later asked the owner...he sighed...'it was a great idea when I did it...but now it is just a conversation piece.'

[DeepEnd]

. . . The second solution is to switch strings brands. I recommend these. http://www.juststrings.com/labellaelectricguitarhardrockin.html . . .

Interesting. I see they're available in light top/heavy bottom or for that matter straight up mediums (11-52) or Blues Lights (11-50) might be a better choice.

[Grant Harding]

La Bella strings outlast Elixirs? Your Elixir plains corrode? Does not compute. Never had anyone recommend those strings in 40 years of playing.

[gardo]

Anything worth doing is worth over doing

[1001gear]

Wondered but it's the WRGKMC afterall...

[Emory]

Thumbs up about Elixirs in tropical beach climate (I live near beach in Thailand). I give an alcohol wipe down after playing, wash hands, etc. Friend puts some talc on hands before playing (his hands, not mine!). I'm going to USA next month, may pick up a few packs of those La Bella, "just for research sake".

[catscurlyear]

i know people try different arrangements ,differents amps, add a brass section even, just to stop a song sounding rusty but ......

[soundcreation]

Use Elixers. Nanos. I've used them exclusively for about 10 years now and they outlast every regular uncoated string I've ever tried and I've tried a lot. Especially the unwound strings. Elixers are amazing. I live in daily 70 to 80% humidity and along with my toxic sweat strings get destroyed on my guitars. Elixers will last over a month of full time playing where regular strings will be lucky to last two weeks.

 

Yeah I sound like a shill, but whatever. Just a satisfied customer. Honestly if they lasted longer I'd be playing Slinky's. Tone on the Elixers Nanos is a cut below, but still pretty good. The polyweb are dead sounding though.

[GAS Man]

I'm a long-term fan of Fast Fret for helping to preserve your strings BUT! I also learned after some time that it is important to use the enclosed cloth to wipe the strings down after you apply the Fast Fret.

 

I have a large collection of guitars and so my practice had been to wipe the strings down each time with the Fast Fret stick before I put a guitar away. What I found was that if I grabbed a guitar back out of storage and took it to band jam, that the residual drier oils from the Fast Fret, plus some perspiration from my hands would create this slowing gunk on the strings. Reapplying the Fast Fret during a jam would only give me some brief relief to that gunky feel. It was almost like creating an invisible sticky lather on the strings. So rather then leaving a film of the Fast Fret oil on the strings to help coat and preserve them, I now run the cloth up and down the strings a few time to remove any excess. If I do pull out a guitar and find the string are a bit gunky, I'll sometimes use a small bit of cloth (like a bit of old T-shirt cloth) put a couple drops of Gibson's Luthier's Choice String Cleaner/Lubricant http://www.musiciansfriend.com/accessories/gibson-luthiers-choice-cleaner-lubricant on the cloth, wrap it around the string and slide it up and down the string. That really helps to remove the gunky build-up. (note, the link I provided says the product is not available and that's only because I've seen retailers start to abandon selling the individual bottles and instead prefer to market the 3-packet of fret board conditioner, polish and string cleaner - but they're all good products so why not get them all).

 

So while I used to be an avid fan of Fast Fret, I did discover the downside of it creating that gunky feel, but the wipe down has helped and it indeed helps remove the corrosive elements put on the strings through your playing. And indeed, wash your hands, if practical, before playing.

 

Summary, I like FF, but it was a bit of a "no-duh" to realize that they include that cloth in there for a reason. Use it and I think you'll be generally happy with Fast Fret if you are like me and string changes are not one of your favorite things to do.

[WRGKMC]

La Bella strings outlast Elixirs? Your Elixir plains corrode? Does not compute. Never had anyone recommend those strings in 40 years of playing.

 

Believe it of not yes.

 

I don't make recommendations without a whole lot of testing. Like I said I have 30+ guitars and I buy at least a half dozen sets a month. I usually throw in one set of brands I haven't tried and I'm totally open to improvements. I even try brands that may not have cut the mustard in the past to see if the brands have improved.

 

I should also note, I was one of the first people to ever use Elixir's. I was contacted by the manufacturer to do a trial on those strings before they were ever marketed. I was issues 6 sets free of charge and did a survey for them on the strings.

 

The bottom strings are coated so they do last. In my opinion the plastic coating kind of sucks for good rock tones. If you were to play cleaner tones they sound pretty good having round tones similar to half rounds but the feel of flats which tend to be a bit sticky. The top strings have an extra heavy does of chrome but the metal is fairly soft. They go dead fairly quickly and if you bend strings allot they require constant tuning. The top strings will corrode just as quickly as other strings.

 

The original sets came with an extra E and B string so you could change them at half life and get a decent balance back. I haven't tried them in many years so I have no idea whether they still give you those extra strings. (They should because its needed)

 

The strings still bend at frets so even if the coating prevents wear they're vibrations do become wonky the same as regular strings do. The main thing is I don't like about them is the driven tones they produce. The top strings drive like regular strings and the bottoms sound weird in comparison. They are OK for clean tones shortly after the top strings break in but cranked they simply don't have that metallic tone.

 

I should note, the gauges I use are either 9/46 or 9/42 with the occasional 10/46. I realize other gauges from the same manufacturer can have different tones and durability so I cant give you first hand recommendations on them other then the fact this manufacturer has perfected string balance vs tension.

 

I used to use the nickel Labella's that came with the extra E and B strings. They have balance and tone and felt slimmer then most sets of 9's. (DR makes some sets that have a similar feel). They are great for about two weeks before loosing they're new string tone and flexed well at the lower frets without producing sharp notes. They weren't any more durable then strings like Boomers, Ernie Balls, D'Addarios and the pure nickel coatings tended to corrode fairly quickly and give you that nasty smell. They gave you an extra E and B string because the first two strings tend to break at half life in 50% of the sets.

 

I couldn't find the 9's I used on line so I tried the HR sets. I figured they would suck because they ere $2 cheaper per set. I had no idea they would be much better strings.

 

I did notice they were a brighter string due to the harder metal but with a little intonation tweaking they still flexed properly. I was used to changing strings on my main instrument after 2~3 weeks (about 70 hours of playing) because the wrapped strings would notch out at the frets due to all the string bending I do. I was amazed to find no notching.

 

Second set I went even loner. Again no notching, and the strings still sounded bright. I'm easily getting double life now and even then I'm changing them because they get slight bends at the frets, but I expect this because I use the tallest frets made to give my guitars the fluted neck feel. Even then the strings resist getting those bends twice as long as any other string currently being made.

 

The other item I really like is the string tone. These have an excellent balance and bite when gained up. You can produce that classic Boston zipper sound running the edge of your pick down the strings and the overtones are equally loud as the picked notes when the strings are gained up. They sound even with clean tones, Jangle nicely with a little drive and rip through a mix at high gain without having dead notes. What more can I ask for. I do allot of recording where the tones are put under a microscope too.

 

I suspect the strings are essentially a stainless steel alloy with a nickel coating. That's the only explanation I have for they're durability. The slightly longer break in time seems to suggest that too. They take a bit longer to stretch in.

 

Anyway, that's my opinion, you can take it or leave it. The OP plays rock and metal and I don't think the Elixer tone will suit him. I know the HTR's will without busting your wallet.

 

Cheers.

 

[Grant Harding]

Nope - Elixirs are great and I disagree with all of your points about them. You've convinced yourself that you can hear the coating and that budget strings are better.