How do u guys clean your guitar strings? Using tissue with some alcohol?

Fibre Free cloth + Fast Fret is the best.

At the moment, I use the Planet Waves string cleaner..... it was an emergency buy.

i just use fast frets cleaner...
available in all guitar shop i guess...
and remember after you play the guitar just wipe it in every angel of the string...
to keep it shining just like new strings...

fast fret cleaner huh, will seek for it then.

normal wipe with tissue is not very efficient

with the Fiber Free cloth la...
sorry about that...
keep your strings clean bro...

daily clean after play = WD40 or any metal conditioners , cheap, get from hardware tool store.

I apply on tissue then slid it under the strings and grip/clean for the 3 thinner strings.

I never bother with the wounded strings since they never rust and could last very long time. It's the non-wounded strings that rusts.


And when they discolor badly and starts showing a bit of rust, I use Brasso metal polish, same process, and this took out all the rust and discoloration in seconds, then I continued with the WD40/metal conditioner method.


I've never changed my electric guitar strings since I bought my strat in 2006.


Now is 2008, I never knew my string could last almost 2 years, and the non-wound strings are still shiny as new after the brasso treatment.


The wounded thicker strings, no rust or discoloration, never bothered to clean them.

My brasso is only 6 ringgit.

WD40 or similar metal conditioner is under 8 ringgit.

But they'll last a LOOOoooongg time and I could continue using them on my current strings for as long as the rust don't appear (can get rid with brasso anyway).

wow your strings never snap? after all that rust eating away at your strings it still can last you for 2 years +

good job mate

Nope, never snap, got rust also a bit only but i treat it in time. I still have a new pack of a'addario string i bought a year ago which never used yet.

Some more the stock strings are unbranded cheap steel strings, I also no idea how they could last so long, must be the brasso, every cleaning session with brasso the string became shiny again.

well no matter how shiny it looks, theres definitely tone loss

yeah, coz, rust is like... is make from string. its not like out of no where the rush stick to the string and u wipe it off. its like... every time it rust and u brasso it, u make the line get thinner a bit. but for the e string to last for whole 2 year, hats off

Not a problem, tone is not important when you start out. Not gigging or playing for anyone, just for training fingers, strumming/picking etc, so not a big deal for tone issue.


Just don't let them get too much, as long you regularly wipe and clean the strings and apply brasso before actual rust, should be fine.

I wouldn't recommend this when you actually gig/record but if it's just for practising, who cares?


I am not too particular about tone, at least not yet.

hey guys wanna ask, fast fret does it ever like become ineffective after alot of usage?

dude, it's not supposed to last more than a few weeks if you brasso it.
brasso eats away at the strings/whatever you use it on.

hard to believe the strings last for 2 years....
for practise u don't do bending?? or u just play it 2,3 times a week??
my strings sounds good for just a month.. then it`ll sound like shit or breaks. hehehe..

i'm too lazy to change my strings, its been like over a month already. so they sound pretty lifeless and dead but i've been busy these days so havent played much this week

brasso is a mild abrasive, it wont eat much. I've checked the string gauge of the strings before the nuts and at places i've brassoed on. Not big deal, same gauge but the one before the nut is quite oxidised.


Almost 2 years. I play 5 times a week for 90 minutes a day then wd40 the string. I use brasso only when it changes to dark color, i wont wait until it rusts. It only happened once, mild rust.

I don't bend much, but i do vibrato though. No hardcore bending to 1/2 or full step.

I dont have a good pickup anyway (cheap squier california strat) or i cant be bothered with tone quality.

I would just wipe it down before and after every use.. on days when I play for a long time I powder my hands too cos my fingers get quite sweaty...

let say 20 a month.. times 12 = 240
240 x 2 = 480...

you saved rm480 string changes
could get an effect pedal.

even elixirs lose their brightness around 2-3 months
just that i'm too damned stingy to change every 3 months lol [i change whenever they snap, bout every 3-6 months]

i think im gonna give dr coated strings a taste soon hurhurhur

Do not overuse fast fret, they say it's not too good for your fingerboard and frets. Might cause your frets to be corroded. Somebody told me that before. Best is to just wipe your strings after playing

my fren use to apli alcohol on his strings....to save them from rust....
u noe wat....

wen ur strings get more alcohol clean up or brasso...
it eventuali change from a gauge .010 to .008
and ur intonation runs....
so u gotta reset ur intonation on the saddles....


and 1 more thing...
if u love ur current gita...
pls change ur strings after like after 3-6months
rusty string wud eat away ur FRETs before u know it...

u may look at ur strings
and say wow its clean....but its actuali rusty below the strings
and wen those rusty part below ur string gracefuli rubs ur fret...
ul see the beautiful grooves build over ur frets...

have seen tis thru many use guitars....

DRs lasted a while. But I found that heavy picking took off small chunks of the black protective stuff over the pickups.
I have Elixirs on my LP right now, they've been on for a couple of years (hardly play it) and the high strings have lost their protective layer, and are slightly rusty. The low strings are fine though.

If you're a bass player, try boiling old strings

crazychris...
you r right...
my rusted string eats my frets like gila la...
new string???
any suggestion???

guys...
my maple neck on my ibanez sometimes sweaty when the rainy and moist environment ...
is that natural???

Quoted from Randolf:

can i use brasso wif elixir nanoweb??

---

Added on March 15, 2008, 1:41 pmmy acoustic guitar's elixir nanoweb starts to lose its brightness on the 1st and 2nd string...
wat can i do to prevent it to rust...
well it starts to hav mild rust already..

This post has been edited by x-crusader: Mar 15 2008, 01:41 PM

really ar using fast fret can make fret corrode?????
and how do you know the fast fret is finish?LOL

This post has been edited by bayrock: Mar 16 2008, 02:59 AM

my fast fret stick is like all brown and filled with rust now even when i wipe the string thoroughly before applying

sometimes it's not rust, it's grime!

sumtimes wen i play after fas fret....my fingers get dirty...haha
the brush collected dirt after sumtime...


x-crusader : jz change the strings wahaha

Hardcore fast fret user here. Can't say it damaged my bass. Frets are still nice and fingerboard has never looked better. It's also been about 2 years since i changed my strings. And i use d'addarios which go dead after what...a week or so... Of course on my practice bass. My gigging bass only has strings on when i actually have a gig. Which is....almost never

behold ernie ball strings!!!

lol..
my strings juz used for abt a month la...
as a student i cant afford the price of elixir string...

and i tried ernie ball...
it makes my guitar sounds like.. kapok... =_="

interested in other brand's string..
any recommend??

I now support Dunlop and D'addario strings....... for drop D and saving Dollars

But seriously, these 2 brands are so far so good on my part. D'addario's seem to last longer and can be subject to more abuse on the thinner strings. But the Dunlop are awesome for low tunings and thick too......

ernie ball is brighter
daddario warmer
elixir (even) warmer (cz of the extra coating)

i havent try dunlop yet

Try rotosound or fender strings, those are quite ok, and on top of that, roto sound gives u an extra 1st e string, lol... good for savers, u can keep tht as spares.

My classical string lasted me almost a year before the D string give in and breaks. The rest still ok despite being abit lifeless.

I would not comment on using the brasol or WD-40, but my personal preference would be stay away from these alternative, i use dunlop string cleaner, lasted me almost 2 years, cannot finish... and thts just rm10+... is there a need to take the risk for that 2 - 4 bucks i saved??? I dun think so, my guitar is worthed more than tht.. lol

ermm usually how much is elixir?

Elixirs should be around RM40-60 Price range per pack.

hmm, is it just me or no one cleans the underside of their strings?

I use a microfiber cloth to clean the underside of the strings by sliding the cloth under the strings and sliding it from the bottom fret to the top frets by holding both sides of the cloth. Haha, quite hard to explain in words, sorry if you're confused. =X

And on top of that, I use Dunlop Ultraglide to polish my strings.

well actually, it's the underside that really needs cleaning(to protect fret wires). i use fast fret too, but i usally did what u do after applying fast fret. this way, the fast fret will get under the strings as well. i tend to give 'em thorough rubbing until it feels smooth on all sides.

This post has been edited by zeroglyph: Mar 25 2008, 12:36 PM

When I clean my strings, I slide tissue under them, grip and pull back/forth from various angle. I start out with brasso, but only when very serious discoloration is seen, else I just use Qplus squeaks terminator, something similar to contact cleaners but also lock out moisture.

I never had problems with rust eating my frets. The catch is you may need to coat the strings with a bit of mineral oil when you want to do some very smooth slides. You can buy those from pharmacies for 3 ringgit. I used them to oil my maple neck too, after cleaning with alcohol+rag. Do this only if you can tolerate the baby smell, I love the baby smell. haha.

When my string broke (about time), it didn't break at the area where I clean, but at the joint near the bridge where I could never reach, so they corrosion of the strings there cannot be helped unless you detune completely to clean.

Now that I slapped on a new set of D'addario 10s, the tones are very bright, so bright that I am not used to it, because I kinda like the sound of old muddy strings, sounds more warm to me.

As for brasso changing the gauge of your strings, it's not a significant issue, because you're not supposed to gig with those strings, you just need to save money so you can practice your technique then I guess when you wanna gig, then slap on a new set of strings.

I don't use brasso everytime I clean, only when it's badly discolored, else usually I just stick with something like qplus squeaks terminator or contact cleaners.

oh...once i read...dunt apli mineral oil to ur neck...
however tats jz the books saying...

the pro's advise is to use organic oil like linseed oil or lemon oil
since they oxidise and dunt leave stains on ur gita..
im using olive oil lol