Comments on: How to Take Care of Your Steel Guitar Strings http://www.lifespy.com/2007/how-to-take-care-of-your-steel-guitar-strings/ analyzing lifestyles Mon, 24 Oct 2011 12:40:13 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Andreas http://www.lifespy.com/2007/how-to-take-care-of-your-steel-guitar-strings/comment-page-1/#comment-521060 Andreas Wed, 08 Jun 2011 23:35:33 +0000 http://www.lifespy.com/2007/how-to-take-care-of-your-steel-guitar-strings/#comment-521060 DO NOT "Stick a little bag of desiccant" in your case with your guitar, unless you have very high humidity in the environment you keep your guitar in. A guitar needs a certain amount of humidity, usually 45% relative at 21 Celcius will be good for your instrument (also electrics). Just sticking a little bag of desiccant in with your guitar without checking humidity first is really bad advise and can really damage your guitar by creating cracks over time and making your frets stick out over the sides of the fretboard. This is especially important for solid wood instruments. DO NOT “Stick a little bag of desiccant” in your case with your guitar, unless you have very high humidity in the environment you keep your guitar in. A guitar needs a certain amount of humidity, usually 45% relative at 21 Celcius will be good for your instrument (also electrics). Just sticking a little bag of desiccant in with your guitar without checking humidity first is really bad advise and can really damage your guitar by creating cracks over time and making your frets stick out over the sides of the fretboard. This is especially important for solid wood instruments.

]]> By: parker http://www.lifespy.com/2007/how-to-take-care-of-your-steel-guitar-strings/comment-page-1/#comment-449298 parker Thu, 15 Jul 2010 22:53:10 +0000 http://www.lifespy.com/2007/how-to-take-care-of-your-steel-guitar-strings/#comment-449298 Been using WD-40 for years on my guitar, mandolin, banjo strings and shotguns and fishing gear.....good stuff....steel strings, before the music companies fancy them up with packages, come in big reels.....what amazes me is that they take on a sacredness of their own when they are fitted to a guitar..........and all the experts come out of the woodwork and have different opinions. What about piano strings, do they have to be changed out every 3 mos? c'mon Wd-40 cleans shotgun wood and fingerprints from guitars, etc......mineral oil is good for fingerboards, let it soak in overnight.....put some WD-40 on your fret fingers before you play, your playing will get good....and it's cheaper than Fingerease. Trouble is that the musical instrument "experts" will get hysterical ! Been using WD-40 for years on my guitar, mandolin, banjo strings and shotguns and fishing gear…..good stuff….steel strings, before the music companies fancy them up with packages, come in big reels…..what amazes me is that they take on a sacredness of their own when they are fitted to a guitar……….and all the experts come out of the woodwork and have different opinions. What about piano strings, do they have to be changed out every 3 mos? c’mon

Wd-40 cleans shotgun wood and fingerprints from guitars, etc……mineral oil is good for fingerboards, let it soak in overnight…..put some WD-40 on your fret fingers before you play, your playing will get good….and it’s cheaper than Fingerease.

Trouble is that the musical instrument “experts” will get hysterical !

]]> By: Steamlilly http://www.lifespy.com/2007/how-to-take-care-of-your-steel-guitar-strings/comment-page-1/#comment-405926 Steamlilly Wed, 04 Nov 2009 12:14:01 +0000 http://www.lifespy.com/2007/how-to-take-care-of-your-steel-guitar-strings/#comment-405926 Sometimes I play ~20 hours a week. Sometimes, during pre-gig rehersals even more. I have 3 guitars a bass, LP and western acoustic. For last year and a half I had 4 strings broken. 1 on aco (6) / 3 on electric (3, 1). All on the bridge point where it lays on the saddle (vibration wear), or on the winding after the saddles - right before the ring (glue died). I use D'Addario strings. Bronse for aco, nickel for LP. and i'm happy with them now, but 2 years ago these would last only few months. Maybe i got lucky. But all metal stings get oxidation, and it affects the surface and structure of strings. If it changes, sound does as well. Grease and acids of human body accelerate those oxidations. If you wipe it out, it helps to keep the mud from forming under the string, but it still keeps oxidizing at fast pace. What does cleaners do technially is it dissolves the fats and acids, bareing the strings original surface. So strings do became as new. And sounds that way too. To protect strings from oxidation some factories cover them in some coating, or similar techniques, but it's basically a cover by something like oil. So strings stay new for some time. WD 40 is a remedy of such type. It first cleans the fat, and the rust. From both surface and cavities. And when it degrades with air, it leaves a layer of mineral oil. It keeps air, water, hard rubbing from metal parts, wich are strings. Mineral oil is a weaker machine lube than sinthetic, and it goes out faster. So it's not good for heavy duty friction parts, and it is temporary as it dries out. So it's a perfect item for string care. Technically. ANd anyn guitar shop is hundred miles away from my home. If it gets on bare wood - it still needs TIME to get into wood, so wipe it in 5 seconds, and no stain. I clean fretboard with Vodka. or Scotch. I start using this thing right now, and will update how it goes. I've put it last night on my bronze strings and now they evened in colour, and smooth to the feel. Sometimes I play ~20 hours a week. Sometimes, during pre-gig rehersals even more.
I have 3 guitars a bass, LP and western acoustic. For last year and a half I had 4 strings broken. 1 on aco (6) / 3 on electric (3, 1). All on the bridge point where it lays on the saddle (vibration wear), or on the winding after the saddles – right before the ring (glue died).

I use D’Addario strings. Bronse for aco, nickel for LP. and i’m happy with them now, but 2 years ago these would last only few months. Maybe i got lucky.

But all metal stings get oxidation, and it affects the surface and structure of strings. If it changes, sound does as well.
Grease and acids of human body accelerate those oxidations. If you wipe it out, it helps to keep the mud from forming under the string, but it still keeps oxidizing at fast pace.

What does cleaners do technially is it dissolves the fats and acids, bareing the strings original surface. So strings do became as new. And sounds that way too. To protect strings from oxidation some factories cover them in some coating, or similar techniques, but it’s basically a cover by something like oil. So strings stay new for some time.

WD 40 is a remedy of such type. It first cleans the fat, and the rust. From both surface and cavities. And when it degrades with air, it leaves a layer of mineral oil. It keeps air, water, hard rubbing from metal parts, wich are strings.

Mineral oil is a weaker machine lube than sinthetic, and it goes out faster. So it’s not good for heavy duty friction parts, and it is temporary as it dries out.

So it’s a perfect item for string care. Technically. ANd anyn guitar shop is hundred miles away from my home.

If it gets on bare wood – it still needs TIME to get into wood, so wipe it in 5 seconds, and no stain. I clean fretboard with Vodka. or Scotch.

I start using this thing right now, and will update how it goes.
I’ve put it last night on my bronze strings and now they evened in colour, and smooth to the feel.

]]> By: Fuzzy Apple http://www.lifespy.com/2007/how-to-take-care-of-your-steel-guitar-strings/comment-page-1/#comment-241412 Fuzzy Apple Sun, 28 Sep 2008 20:38:05 +0000 http://www.lifespy.com/2007/how-to-take-care-of-your-steel-guitar-strings/#comment-241412 What if you play for 4hrs + a day? for almost 7 days a week? What if you play for 4hrs + a day? for almost 7 days a week?

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